The IER-Z1R is now officially listed on the Sony USA website for 2300USD.
I've also had the pleasure to try both the M7 and M9, and I am blown away. It is staggeringly good, imaging is precise and immense, technical detail retrieval is insanely high, but (and this might be weird for some) is not aggressive at all. The coherency on both multi BA setups are top notch, perhaps the best of any multi-BA setup I've ever heard. It's honestly that good, that I sometimes mistake myself into thinking that I'm listening to a single DD IEM. It's reminiscent of the EX1000 for me, but done differently.
I'm a fan of both, and at the retail prices that it was shown at here in Singapore, I'm sold. All that's left for me is to first hear the IER-Z1R, before I decide which will be my next purchase.
Amen, brother. You put my impressions into words better than I could ever do :thumbs up:
The sound of the M9, for want of a better word, has
presence. The level of detail retrieval is as you put it, insane. If it's in the recording, you're going to hear it.
I was extremely fortunate in that I have some great friends in high-end audio retailing. They texted me that they have just received from Sony stocks of the M7 & M9, and I was there 2 hours later during my lunch break
Sony gave them extremely limited stocks, though.
They opened up the M7 & M9 in front of me (which is when I started snapping pictures). I instantly preferred the sound signature of the M9 - it was lush, rich and oh so intoxicating. The M7 has a colder sound signature which was not really not my cup of tea. I was trying it out from the balanced output using my Z300. Just set it to high gain and prepare to be amazed
Needless to say, I've whipped out my credit card and purchased the M9 on the spot.
It's nice that they provided both the 3.5mm SE and the 4.4mm balanced cable. The cables are very soft, supple and tangle resistant. I am still not a fan of the memory wire thingy, though. I am a little worried about the material used for the wire sheath - it's a rubbery material, and I'm afraid that it would become sticky from the heat & humidity, like what happened to the Xelento cables. Only time will tell, I suppose.
I was fortunate that I also managed to try out the Dita Truth & Fealty (They also had test units for audition). But the fit was uncomfortable, and I really wasn't into the tuning of those IEM's. They just didn't grab me like the M9 did.
Oh, and the IER-Z1R will also be in later this week together with a Sony Trainer Rep. What, you need training to sell the Z1R? There was no mention of when they will receive the retail units. Here's hoping that I can get a chance to listen to the IER-Z1R.