Three Brand New Earphones: Sony IER-Z1R, IER-M9 and IER-M7
Dec 13, 2019 at 11:49 PM Post #1,036 of 1,478
usually is permanent. Sony products tend to have price cut after sometimes, at least in the US. Some other countries never discount them at all even they are already came out for several years.
But, while they have permanent reduction over holiday selling season, just dont wait any longer. Have yourself a very merry christmas buddy.. LOL
 
Dec 14, 2019 at 3:44 PM Post #1,037 of 1,478
usually is permanent. Sony products tend to have price cut after sometimes, at least in the US. Some other countries never discount them at all even they are already came out for several years.
But, while they have permanent reduction over holiday selling season, just dont wait any longer. Have yourself a very merry christmas buddy.. LOL



I have been on the fence with the IER-M9 because I have not had an opportunity to listen to them. We lost our Sony Store in LA years ago and since then it has been difficult to find try out Sony gear before purchasing. I don't want to stuck with another pair of expansive earphones. :)

A Merry Christmas to you too!
 
Dec 14, 2019 at 9:29 PM Post #1,038 of 1,478
I have been on the fence with the IER-M9 because I have not had an opportunity to listen to them. We lost our Sony Store in LA years ago and since then it has been difficult to find try out Sony gear before purchasing. I don't want to stuck with another pair of expansive earphones. :)

A Merry Christmas to you too!
I don't recommend buying without audition as sound is subjective. I had opportunity to audition M7, M9 & Z1R keeping all associated factors constant. They are significantly positively stared with price. But M9 is the sweet spot. Z1R is best sounding no doubt but has comfort issues. Though I bought Z1R still in future I will look for opportunity to have M9 also. It is extremely comfortable with Sony's amazing high End tuning.
 
Dec 14, 2019 at 9:33 PM Post #1,039 of 1,478
I have been on the fence with the IER-M9 because I have not had an opportunity to listen to them. We lost our Sony Store in LA years ago and since then it has been difficult to find try out Sony gear before purchasing. I don't want to stuck with another pair of expansive earphones. :)

A Merry Christmas to you too!
Torrance isn't far from the LA city. Try reaching out to @TSAVJason. I am sure your wish will be granted this Holiday season *winks*
 
Dec 14, 2019 at 9:42 PM Post #1,041 of 1,478
Nice!

Looks like a very dangerous place for my wallet but I LIKE!!! :)

Thanks for the referral, I'll reach out to him on Monday.
Extremely dangerous my friend. Tread wisely, lol
 
Dec 19, 2019 at 7:39 AM Post #1,043 of 1,478
For anyone who enjoys the Focal Clear, the IER-M9 is an unbelievably good companion piece. They are so alike it’s uncanny... The M9 is basically an in-ear Clear.

As the Clear is full-size perfection for me, I’m pretty ecstatic to find the same sound signature in an IEM for mobile use. Don’t get me wrong- no IEM is ever going absolutely match a full-size, open-back headphone, but this is easily the closest I’ve ever heard an IEM come. The M9 is simply fantastic.

And if you mostly stream, I highly recommend picking up an NW-ZX507. Superb pairing with the M9.
 
Dec 19, 2019 at 7:49 AM Post #1,044 of 1,478
Quick question for those of you who’ve paired the M9 or M7 with Sony’s balanced Kimber Kable: the Kimber connectors spin freely in my M9s, with almost no resistance, unlike the stock cables, which have some resistance.

As far as usability goes, the movement doesn’t bother me at all. But I wonder if this free movement could contribute to connector failure in the long term?

I know MMCX is vulnerable to failure... Anyone who uses the Kimber Kable had any issues?
 
Dec 23, 2019 at 11:44 AM Post #1,045 of 1,478
Yeah for some eason Sony's kimber cable doesnt have the same locking mechanism as the stock one, tho really the stock cable is good enough if you want to use it for daily, IMO its less microphonic and easier to manage than the kimber.
 
Dec 24, 2019 at 6:29 PM Post #1,046 of 1,478
Is there any aftermarket cables for the M9 that:
Improves the overall sound and has about the same kind of flexibility as the stock cable?

The IER-M9 on balanced paired to the NW-ZX507 is awesomely addictive to listen to. This pairing is something that everyone here should try out.

Somehow IER-M9+ZX507(burnt-in) is able to present a 3D like soundstage with well recorded/mastered music, even if your source material is lossy compressed audio(with the help of DSEE HX). Every element(singer, audience clapping, drums, cymbals, piano) in the music no matter how crowded the song gets, can be clearly heard in a pinpoint location in the soundstage.
 
Last edited:
Dec 25, 2019 at 8:22 AM Post #1,049 of 1,478
I'm pretty keen on getting a pair of M7s after demoing them a couple of days ago. I generally prefer a warmer sound with Hip-Hop and R&B being my main genres of choice with some Jazz and Rock sprinkled in. Would any of you happen to have compared these to the Oriolus Reborn/Oriolus Mk2 or Noble Savant? I think I can safely cross out the Andromeda and the M9 if after a warmer sound.

Currently in China so I can get the M7s for around $578 but I'm willing to consider other options up to the Oriolus price range. Thoughts?
 
Dec 26, 2019 at 6:02 PM Post #1,050 of 1,478
I'm pretty keen on getting a pair of M7s after demoing them a couple of days ago. I generally prefer a warmer sound with Hip-Hop and R&B being my main genres of choice with some Jazz and Rock sprinkled in. Would any of you happen to have compared these to the Oriolus Reborn/Oriolus Mk2 or Noble Savant? I think I can safely cross out the Andromeda and the M9 if after a warmer sound.

Currently in China so I can get the M7s for around $578 but I'm willing to consider other options up to the Oriolus price range. Thoughts?
I don't know where all these Andromeda comparisons are coming from with the M9... besides being priced similarly, and, uh, I don't know- both fitting into cases designed for IEMs, they have very little in common.

Wildly dissimilar sound signatures.

The Andromeda is very, very detail-oriented... in my opinion, at the expense of listenability. They have zero sub-bass (literally none), soft-hitting mid-bass, and very recessed lower mids. The upper mids are pushed way forward, to the point of abrasive shoutiness, and I guess the saving grace for these in-ears would be the highs, which are crystalline, yet sweet, and never get too bright. I certainly understand why there is a contingent of audiophiles who worship them; when I listened to the Andromeda, my first thought was "this is a modern old-fashioned IEM... one for the old guard"... It's tuned like an audiophile IEM of years past, all highs and detail and no bass, albeit while benefitting from all the industry has learned about reproducing world-class highs with balanced armatures in the last several decades. Personally, I can't stand the Andromeda. But hey, we all have different ears and all that.

The M9, by comparison, is a much better balanced IEM- at least in my opinion. I hesitate to use the term "flat", because there still lingers an old-school idea of a flat sound signature as having no sub-bass and soft-hitting mid-bass. In fact, I'm unsure if that audiophile idea of flat has ever meshed with a sound engineer's idea of flat. When music or film is mixed, studios absolutely use (and have always used) monitors capable of deep, powerful bass. After all, one can't mix a sub-bass tone for a movie scene or a hard-hitting mid-bass thump for a pop track if their monitor is incapable of rendering it. What makes those monitors flat is the fact that no one spectrum of the sound signature is forward or recessed. They are all represented equally. With that in mind, let's say the M9 skews "professional sound engineer flat", not "audiophile flat". It's certainly not a completely flat IEM, as it does have a slightly elevated mid-bass. This if forgivable, because the largest issue that can arise from this is a muddying of the mids, and the M9 does not exhibit this- rather the separation and cohesion in the mids is excellent. Overall, the M9 does indeed skew on the warmer side of things... one, because most monitors that exhibit the full range of sound do, and two, because of that slightly elevated mid-bass. The mid-bass and lower-mids body are really what create warmth, after all... The ability of a monitor to also reproduce detailed, crystalline highs does not negate warmth.

Bottom line, if you're looking for warm, I agree that you're on the right track throwing out the Andromeda. But I'd reconsider the M9. All that makes the M7 warm is present in the M9... Literally. Same four base drivers. The difference is that the M9 also feaures a fifth driver, a magnesium diaphragm super tweeter, making it capable of reproducing more detailed, more extended highs. Which again, will not detract from the warmth of the body.

That all said, if highs aren't that important to you, or indeed, if you prefer a more rolled-off treble (as many people do), the M7 might serve you very well... and for around half the price (assuming a street price of $1000 USD for the M9).
 
Last edited:

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top