[battosai]

Did you order on Linsoul or DD-audio on Aliexpress? I did the pre-order on Aliexpress on March 30th, received my pair last wednesday. They ship with DHL now I believe, I received my pair less than 72h after they shipped it... It's a semi-custom product, they build to order so it takes time but they are worth the wait, the craftmanship is very high in my opinion...

 

[SoundJedi]

Received my L9 this afternoon. Ordered them on Aliexpress on March 30th. They were shipped Monday by DHL, received them without paying custom fees (DHL typically charges them). I love the way they look. The tip selection is rather spartan with only 1 pair of silicon tips. They didn't mess up my cable order, got a 4.4mm but they did tell me beforehand that I would not get my mismatched yellow and blue/red as I requested. I got two yellow/black.
The cable is not my favorite, I'll cable roll later. Right now I am doing some burn-in.
I listened to 3 songs only (amazon music HD) , first song was pleasing but nothing great, bass wasn't really impactful and treble wasn't smooth (could be the quality of the recording). Second song was more rock and sounded good but still nothing too awesome. Third song was some electronic music and the bass came alive nicely. Now we're talking. But also the treble extended well and I could hear some details that I didn't know existed on this song.
Now I'll do some proper burn-in as I am a believer, and tomorrow I will change the tips as the spin fit cp100 aren't great. Then I'll compare to my other iems and assess if it was $550 well spent.
Cheers,

That colourway is amazing, my favourite for the L9!!!

I find that the stock cable is a very solid option, curious to see comparisons with other cables. I have it in both SE and 2.5mm and both are great.

Also, probably more so than cable, L9 is VERY tip sensitive. Try the sednas if you have them, my favorite pairing so far.

Look forward to your impressions.

 

[SoundJedi]

What kind of woman do you think Crinacle is attracted to? Would you take dating advice from him? Would you believe that some men prefer a full-figured woman? It is possible that they also prefer a slower bass, or natural transients opposed to lightning quick and artificial sounding decay - or vice a versa? I know some men who are into cosmetic surgery/enhancements, and others who prefer a non-modified figure.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and sound quality is in the ear/brain system of the listener. I'm not saying that Crin should be discredited - far from. He does have a lot of experience - but as @firesign says, he also has personal taste - this is my point. I've seen movies that got horrible reviews from critics (uncut gems) that I thought were actually really good. I've heard IEMs that got 'meh' ratings from crin that I thought were exceptional - Meze Rai Penta for example.

So Crin is a double edge sword in a sense:

• on the one hand, he's protecting consumers by 'calling out' manufacturers for what he feels to be sub-par tuning/technicalities. He does seem genuine and doesn't vacillate or try to polish turds with over-generic praise - I appreciate that!
• on the other, he's potentially limiting the exposure folks have to an IEM that may actually suit them better. He's scaring people away from what could be an excellent match for them and bring them enjoyment.

Even he's said as much - that his work should not be used as the sole factor in buying decisions - you have to know yourself and what you like before you can use his database and reviews effectively.

Reviews will necessarily reflect a reviewer's own tastes, opinions and preferences. I also find that the "lingo" used in a lot of reviews is fuzzy and subjective. I like that Crin tries to explain some of the terms being used. What's tonality/timbre/technicalities/imaging/staging etc...? It took me a while to start understanding these terms and I am still learning.

Effective communication happens when the person reading/watching gets the message that was being conveyed by the person writing/recording.

So there's a potential inherent weakness in all reviews. They are subjective and they are only as good as the language being used.

The one thing I didn't understand in Crin's overview of L9 is when he said it wasn't good value. I struggle to find much better value iems with that build and sound quality. Yes bass could be a bit "tighter" (I said that from my very early impressions on this thread) and can be overpowering for some people. But that's the promise of L9, a borderline basshead iem that still gives good mids, great treble extension and lots of resolution. This is a relatively specialist iem that can't be everything for everyone. L3 is probably a safer tuning, although I haven't tried it yet (hopefully relatively soon!).

 

[battosai]

That colourway is amazing, my favourite for the L9!!!

I find that the stock cable is a very solid option, curious to see comparisons with other cables. I have it in both SE and 2.5mm and both are great.

Also, probably more so than cable, L9 is VERY tip sensitive. Try the sednas if you have them, my favorite pairing so far.

Look forward to your impressions.

Yeah the tips are where I am having issues. The lone cp100 pair they ship is not the greatest and I am looking for different options. I have bought some tips on Amazon, should get them on Thursday but the sedna are my probable next move. Which kind did you get? The price is quite high especially when you don't know which size to buy...
I have not experimented with cables yet. The provided one is OK but I know it can be improved. I have a few that should come soon (Aliexpress anniversary sale, 6 weeks ago...) but I could try some that I bought for my ciems.
My biggest challenge is that I am not listening to music enough these days. With the shelter in place and kids at home, I have zero time to listen to music!

 

[SoundJedi]

Yeah the tips are where I am having issues. The lone cp100 pair they ship is not the greatest and I am looking for different options. I have bought some tips on Amazon, should get them on Thursday but the sedna are my probable next move. Which kind did you get? The price is quite high especially when you don't know which size to buy...
I have not experimented with cables yet. The provided one is OK but I know it can be improved. I have a few that should come soon (Aliexpress anniversary sale, 6 weeks ago...) but I could try some that I bought for my ciems.
My biggest challenge is that I am not listening to music enough these days. With the shelter in place and kids at home, I have zero time to listen to music!

I have the Sedna lights, they are really good for L9. Their sizes are bigger than other brands like spiral dots. A sedna M corresponds to a spiral dot MS. Size diagrams are available in the stores that carry them. The rule of thumb is to get one size smaller than your usual tip, but that's only a rough approximate and best to look for actual measurements. They are worth the effort.

 

[Yogibear91]

Did you order on Linsoul or DD-audio on Aliexpress? I did the pre-order on Aliexpress on March 30th, received my pair last wednesday. They ship with DHL now I believe, I received my pair less than 72h after they shipped it... It's a semi-custom product, they build to order so it takes time but they are worth the wait, the craftmanship is very high in my opinion...

ordered with D-d audio , lucky you hope mine come soon but I'm not holding my breath

 

[IEMusic]

The L3 sounds the best with Sedna tips as well. Much better than with Final E, stock, or another wide bore tip I tried. The L3s are very sensitive to tip choice. The L9 cable looks the same as the L3 cable. I like it, except it‘s a little too rubbery/sticky, but it’s not a big deal.

I think the L9s are a good value, for the tech they contain, along with the beautiful wood shells.

 

[Doctordoom16]

I've changed my mind about the L9. After a solid week of listening I am no longer selling them. They are very musical. Very satisfying and visceral. Yes there is a nice amount of bass. But everything else is well done and soundstage and separation are excellent.

I'm comparing them w my Sony iem z1r after Sony are burned in for 100 hrs. May keep both. Tbd

 

[SteelCookie]

Really looking forward to getting mine tomorrow. That's great to hear that I'm not making a bad purchase.

 

[singingbee]

Really looking forward to getting mine tomorrow. That's great to hear that I'm not making a bad purchase.

maybe you can compare them to your campfire solaris?

 

[SteelCookie]

Absolutely will!
Was looking for something to compliment the Solaris but if it ends up being a sound signature that knocks it out of my daily rotation, then I'm not going to complain haha.

 

[IEMusic]

Absolutely will!
Was looking for something to compliment the Solaris but if it ends up being a sound signature that knocks it out of my daily rotation, then I'm not going to complain haha.

I’d like to know your opinions of the L9 compared to the L3 once you’ve had both of them for some time.

 

[SteelCookie]

I'm curious myself, L3 is hitting on friday and L9 is hitting tomorrow. So I'll let you know then.

 

[blomman77]

 

[blomman77]

My pair came yesterday. Beautiful craftmanship.
First impression is very Nice. Exactly what i was hoping for. A warmer sounding Audiosense T 800. Going to let en burn in for a while before critical listening.