[Extrasensory]

So, I found out that M9 has the “ZZzzz and SSsss” on vocal, some electric guitars may suffer too! That is because the stock cables, silver plated usually have this characteristics, and sure enough I replaced it to Ibasso CB12S which is Silver-copper alloy and copper OCC hybrid, it tamed this area while improves soundstages, vocal together.


I am glad to hear that. ATM, I don’t think I would want to trade off the comfortability from M9 for the more chunky Z1R. Anyone has problem using Z1R in bed laying on your side ?

Thanks for informing

My M9 (with every source) has this problem too with many songs in my library. I thought the problem was with the tracks but now I just have known the truth.

 

[Raketen]

Thanks for informing

My M9 (with every source) has this problem too with many songs in my library. I thought the problem was with the tracks but now I just have known the truth.

Full on sibilance or 'tizz'? Can't say I've ever had this issue with M9 (and could even describe them as "polite"), listening to a variety of music inc some pretty low quality recordings/files at times.
I guess everyones ear canals have different sensitivities. Tried experimenting with insertion depth using different types and sizes of tips? Tried Comply? Often works for me w/ other IEMs & this issue.

 

[Extrasensory]

Full on sibilance or 'tizz'? Can't say I've ever had this issue with M9 (and could even describe them as "polite"), listening to a variety of music inc some pretty low quality recordings/files at times.
I guess everyones ear canals have different sensitivities. Tried experimenting with insertion depth using different types and sizes of tips? Tried Comply? Often works for me w/ other IEMs & this issue.

I don't know how to explain this exactly as I am not an English native speaker.

There is zzzzz sound on vocals but it starts right away at the beginning of some words the singer sings. It is not like the sssss sound at the end of words that prolongs. Easily heard on female voices but not so many songs. I am not sure about this because I have not been playing with other IEMs for months but my TinHiFi P1 is coming this Monday. I will try its foam tips to see if it helps.

 

[buonassi]

I guess everyones ear canals have different sensitivities. Tried experimenting with insertion depth using different types and sizes of tips?

^^^ this. the more volume of air between your ear drum and the end of the IEM will shift the resonant peak lower into the sibilance region. Deeper insertion will shift the peak higher (where we're not as sensitive), foams will absorb the standing waves that cause the peak.

Case in point. I was very close to returning my new Rai Penta until I found triple flange (deeper insertion) tips. Sibilance (or 'SSSSS' sounds) gone.

 

[junyamada]

^^^ this. the more volume of air between your ear drum and the end of the IEM will shift the resonant peak lower into the sibilance region. Deeper insertion will shift the peak higher (where we're not as sensitive), foams will absorb the standing waves that cause the peak.

Case in point. I was very close to returning my new Rai Penta until I found triple flange (deeper insertion) tips. Sibilance (or 'SSSSS' sounds) gone.

How's the Rai Penta compared to the M9?

 

[buonassi]

I haven't heard M9, but I have M7. The Penta's bass outclasses the M7 because it is more palpable. Yes, the bass on M7 is some of, if not, the best BA bass I've heard but still falls short of a dynamic.

Penta has an upper midrange that comes through nicely. I'd say it's not too dissimilar to M7 in the mids (perhaps Penta has more low mids). Treble is the biggest difference with the M7 having more upper treble and greater reach out to 16k.

Phase coherence between drivers and overall resolution are noticeably better with Rai Penta despite its polite treble extension.

Both were very picky with tips, and it took a while to find the right tips for both. For me Spinfit CP100 modded (vented) allowed for nice and deep insertion with M7. That gave me the most linear response above 4khz. May want to try that with M9 you have.

 

[Ocelitgol]

I haven't heard M9, but I have M7. The Penta's bass outclasses the M7 because it is more palpable. Yes, the bass on M7 is some of, if not, the best BA bass I've heard but still falls short of a dynamic.

Penta has an upper midrange that comes through nicely. I'd say it's not too dissimilar to M7 in the mids (perhaps Penta has more low mids). Treble is the biggest difference with the M7 having more upper treble and greater reach out to 16k.

Phase coherence between drivers and overall resolution are noticeably better with Rai Penta despite its polite treble extension.

Both were very picky with tips, and it took a while to find the right tips for both. For me Spinfit CP100 modded (vented) allowed for nice and deep insertion with M7. That gave me the most linear response above 4khz. May want to try that with M9 you have.

Sounds like M9 is on the same level with added bass and detail retrieval. I think you'd like M9 bass more if you like it on M7

 

[r00t61]

What are some options for external USB DAC/amps that have the Sony balanced 4.4mm output? Apart from Sony's own ZH1? Fiio Q5s?

I was thinking about getting a set of M9, but I would also like to try the balanced out via my PC. So far I don't see too many DAC/amp that incorporate the Sony 4.4mm connection.

To answer my own question, I found out that the Sony NW-WM1Z/1A had USB DAC function added in a firmware update recently (v3.01, 12/2018). This greatly increases the value proposition of these DAPs since I wouldn't have to get a separate desktop DAC/AMP, and these 2 being Sony products, they already come with 4.4 balanced connections.

Anybody use M9 together with 1Z/1A?

 

[Whitigir]

To answer my own question, I found out that the Sony NW-WM1Z/1A had USB DAC function added in a firmware update recently (v3.01, 12/2018). This greatly increases the value proposition of these DAPs since I wouldn't have to get a separate desktop DAC/AMP, and these 2 being Sony products, they already come with 4.4 balanced connections.

Anybody use M9 together with 1Z/1A?

I use M9 recently with DMP

So, the M9 is great, bass is crazy for a BB, nice bloom and extensions (does not extend and ripples as well as a good dynamic driver could but isn’t sloppy). The clarity is great and the sound is surprisingly clean and free of resonances, beside the trebles at places as mentioned above, the Ibasso cables fixed it, then the next issue is the transparency and treble textures definitions. The textures is there and the transparency is there but a little muddled.

We all hear different things, and I judged them based on my full sizes headphones experiences. The IER-M9 is going to be the first In ears which I quit for a long while before. I found that the stock cables has a very good design, and the tips are very comfortable, unlike 3-4 years ago.

Now, thinking out loud to myself, if I could fix those above, then the M9 would be a much more of a high quality sounding IEM IMO. Ofcourse the soundstage and the openness isn’t anything that could replace a full size Hd800s anytime soon. But the sound signature is what I am after, the more balanced and neutral with good detail, imagines and transparency.

After looking around, I figured that it is the Acoustic Foam inside the nozzles. It is very dense, and was held inside with a thin film of adhesive on a side. I replaced this acoustic foam with a much less dense one and sure enough, transparency + textured trebles surfaces. The fact that this section from upper mid into lower treble has a nice bump with new foam, also balanced the sub bass and bass section out a little more. This also bring the M9 which is a little bass focused into a much more natural and neutral one, improves the imagines where this sections were a little confusing previously. Perhaps, I understand why Sony tuned it this way with stock acoustic foam, with stock cables and the sensitivity of BA trebles together with a bad source (as universal in ears, some people may use it with bright sources that has flaws in it), the trebles flaws would be amplified into a much more obvious one. Therefore, Sony tuned it this way.

The above was found with listening from DMP-Z1 as a source too.

If anyone is thinking of doing the similar thing, I can post a more detailed procedures

 

[Raketen]

To answer my own question, I found out that the Sony NW-WM1Z/1A had USB DAC function added in a firmware update recently (v3.01, 12/2018). This greatly increases the value proposition of these DAPs since I wouldn't have to get a separate desktop DAC/AMP, and these 2 being Sony products, they already come with 4.4 balanced connections.

Anybody use M9 together with 1Z/1A?

FYI , unless it has been patched recently (definitely don't take just my word for it), AFAIK the Sony DAPs have some latency issues when used as USB DAC/AMP. In my experience with the A55 it's not a huge amount and not bothersome when listening to music, but for movies & games it is not usable. At least the A55 has bluetooth receiver mode which does not have this issue (though only used this way on Android, not experimented with my PC & bluetooth yet).

This is actually an issue I've had with a number of DAPs and USB/DAC mode over the years... strongly recommend researching for latency/lag issues whenever purchasing a DAP with the intention to use the USB DAC functionality.

 

[junyamada]

I use M9 recently with DMP

So, the M9 is great, bass is crazy for a BB, nice bloom and extensions (does not extend and ripples as well as a good dynamic driver could but isn’t sloppy). The clarity is great and the sound is surprisingly clean and free of resonances, beside the trebles at places as mentioned above, the Ibasso cables fixed it, then the next issue is the transparency and treble textures definitions. The textures is there and the transparency is there but a little muddled.

We all hear different things, and I judged them based on my full sizes headphones experiences. The IER-M9 is going to be the first In ears which I quit for a long while before. I found that the stock cables has a very good design, and the tips are very comfortable, unlike 3-4 years ago.

Now, thinking out loud to myself, if I could fix those above, then the M9 would be a much more of a high quality sounding IEM IMO. Ofcourse the soundstage and the openness isn’t anything that could replace a full size Hd800s anytime soon. But the sound signature is what I am after, the more balanced and neutral with good detail, imagines and transparency.

After looking around, I figured that it is the Acoustic Foam inside the nozzles. It is very dense, and was held inside with a thin film of adhesive on a side. I replaced this acoustic foam with a much less dense one and sure enough, transparency + textured trebles surfaces. The fact that this section from upper mid into lower treble has a nice bump with new foam, also balanced the sub bass and bass section out a little more. This also bring the M9 which is a little bass focused into a much more natural and neutral one, improves the imagines where this sections were a little confusing previously. Perhaps, I understand why Sony tuned it this way with stock acoustic foam, with stock cables and the sensitivity of BA trebles together with a bad source (as universal in ears, some people may use it with bright sources that has flaws in it), the trebles flaws would be amplified into a much more obvious one. Therefore, Sony tuned it this way.

The above was found with listening from DMP-Z1 as a source too.

If anyone is thinking of doing the similar thing, I can post a more detailed procedures

Yes please, for the M9 foam mod.

 

[Ocelitgol]

I use M9 recently with DMP

So, the M9 is great, bass is crazy for a BB, nice bloom and extensions (does not extend and ripples as well as a good dynamic driver could but isn’t sloppy). The clarity is great and the sound is surprisingly clean and free of resonances, beside the trebles at places as mentioned above, the Ibasso cables fixed it, then the next issue is the transparency and treble textures definitions. The textures is there and the transparency is there but a little muddled.

We all hear different things, and I judged them based on my full sizes headphones experiences. The IER-M9 is going to be the first In ears which I quit for a long while before. I found that the stock cables has a very good design, and the tips are very comfortable, unlike 3-4 years ago.

Now, thinking out loud to myself, if I could fix those above, then the M9 would be a much more of a high quality sounding IEM IMO. Ofcourse the soundstage and the openness isn’t anything that could replace a full size Hd800s anytime soon. But the sound signature is what I am after, the more balanced and neutral with good detail, imagines and transparency.

After looking around, I figured that it is the Acoustic Foam inside the nozzles. It is very dense, and was held inside with a thin film of adhesive on a side. I replaced this acoustic foam with a much less dense one and sure enough, transparency + textured trebles surfaces. The fact that this section from upper mid into lower treble has a nice bump with new foam, also balanced the sub bass and bass section out a little more. This also bring the M9 which is a little bass focused into a much more natural and neutral one, improves the imagines where this sections were a little confusing previously. Perhaps, I understand why Sony tuned it this way with stock acoustic foam, with stock cables and the sensitivity of BA trebles together with a bad source (as universal in ears, some people may use it with bright sources that has flaws in it), the trebles flaws would be amplified into a much more obvious one. Therefore, Sony tuned it this way.

The above was found with listening from DMP-Z1 as a source too.

If anyone is thinking of doing the similar thing, I can post a more detailed procedures

How about without the foam?

 

[Whitigir]

How about without the foam?

You can not go without the foam, though I tried it, and it has the best details and textures to it performances that isn’t harsh. But the foam is there to prevent dust and wax debris to get into the drivers and cause damages. You need to get the least dense foam type possible if you love the more trebles the better.

 

[gerelmx1986]

Has anyone compared both, IER-M7 and Fiio FA7? Currently have the former (FA7) and oh boy has lots of bass, reminding me between xba-z5 and XBA-H3
The IER-Z1R sounded cleaner.and bass light , no pun no intended, that surprised me. Also in one or beethoven piano trios with Beaux Arts trio , the IER-Z1R made me jump off my seat lol.

 

[nc8000]

You can not go without the foam, though I tried it, and it has the best details and textures to it performances that isn’t harsh. But the foam is there to prevent dust and wax debris to get into the drivers and cause damages. You need to get the least dense foam type possible if you love the more trebles the better.

Long ago on the Etymotics ER4 I removed the foam and just used a tiny piece of the finest denier nylon stocking held in place by the tip