[toranku]

No lower mids then? Wow... Sounds like we've listened to completely different IEMs. That's definitely not my experience with them. For what it's worth, here's my measurement of them.

What rig?

 

[ElixBerd]

What rig?

Nothing too impressive. Calibrated mic (Panasonic WM-61) with external power source, LynxTwo PCI card, and DIY 2.5cm coupler. As usual >7 kHz is very approximate but I'm pretty confident below 1 kHz.

 

[ehjie]

Back in SG we seem to have quite a lot of Acoustune fans, especially around the 1551. The 1670 is more sparkly than 1650 but it does tend to sound metallic at the upper midrange.

I prefer 1650 although the tuning isnt for me...there's just too much lower treble going on and I start to fatigue 20 mins in. Perhaps because the shape of acoustunes tend to be very big and they dont sit deeply inside. My favourite acoustune has to be 1551 though, really unique round-shaped soundstage with very rounded notes. Interesting sound but it does get congested. 1650 fares better with the congestion but doesnt quite have the same type of rounded notes.

re: 1670 - Maybe Cables could help? or even Tips perhaps?

 

[Nabillion_786]

@toranku how does modded fd01 sound to you when compared to your ex800?

 

[toranku]

re: 1670 - Maybe Cables could help? or even Tips perhaps?

I'll see what I can do. But tbh I am more interested in the upcoming 2xxx line. The amount of 16xx stuff they released is like milking the cow. There's only so much they can do to maximize the driver's limits. I'll see what the next gen drivers can do.

@toranku how does modded fd01 sound to you when compared to your ex800?

Receiving that one tomorrow. Pairing with the DTR1 dap

 

[ehjie]

I'll see what I can do. But tbh I am more interested in the upcoming 2xxx line. The amount of 16xx stuff they released is like milking the cow. There's only so much they can do to maximize the driver's limits. I'll see what the next gen drivers can do.

Yes, quite true. However exotic the driver build, this will never (ever) come close to BA receivers' detail retrieval capabilities. I was also warned about the 2xxxx series release, but the 1670s already in the pipeline. Well, like what i always do, i'll try to make 'em work to the max.
In drop, someone was so curious how i modified the w50 signature & made it from just normal monitor (for bassheads) to something that's quite amazing. I shared the photo.
This one could be another challenge, about another 2 years to develop..

 

[Raketen]

Receiving that one tomorrow. Pairing with the DTR1 dap

French import?

Revisited: Sony IER-M9

The M9 is quite a uniquely tuned, laidback IEM. The way it presents things is quite different from a typical in ear. Sound signature wise the M9 has a boosted, warm bass that isnt too intense coupled with well extended yet not fatiguing highs. Mids take a step back positionally which creates a soundstage with depth and width. Tonally the iems leans towards a pleasant, warm sound with treble extension. I put emphasis on treble extension because it has a good bit of it, yet not fatiguing for me at all. I think most people would like a more forward sounding midrange but the M9 just isn't that. It's very balanced sounding. Yet the midrange is not supressed or anything - it just takes on a warm tone with a bit of body. Presentation wise the entire sound sits further away from you, rendering detailed high frequency instruments like hihats and cymbals. Yet these instruments are not fatiguing.

The boosted, warm bass has good rumble but does not overdo it. My only qualm with the bass is that it can be timbre-ly slower than the mids and highs. BAs tend to decay quickly but the woofers in M9 decay slower. Does feel like the mids and highs decay faster which creates a slight incoherency. The best part of the M9 is it's presentation combined with its imaging and separation. Instruments have an extreme pinpoint accuracy positionally in the track. Attack is decent - not too blunted despite the warmth. The distance from instrument to instrument can be quite staggering sometimes combined with its precise positional cues. However as said, M9 is laidback and presents things in such a way that the stage is far away from you. You hear all the details and extension on both ends. Exactly where the instruments are. It has not much of a "wow factor" when I tried it a few times prior to its release. The wow factor really hit me only after giving it time to understand how it presented things. Just. so. detailed.

Not trying to generate hype or anything, but it goes to show that biases and presumptions can affect the enjoyability of an iem. My first impressions with M9 was that it was dry and boring albeit detailed. People around my community where hyping it up like mad...until the Z1R dropped. Didn't believe in the hype. I understand it now - it is really more of a tool to hear recordings properly. Frankly still quite blown away as to how it positioned vocals and instruments.

Had the M9 for about a month and I think this post is pretty spot-on. M9 strikes me as a more 'netural' take on the XBA-N3 lineage: drops the bombastic bass and improves the balance overall, like the N3 is more sedate than energetic but without losing texture & detail, improves a bit in spatial qualities, pairs well with a variety of source type & quality. Sometimes I miss a little bit of firmness/presence in vocals but only in comparison with IEMs that emphasise this region. Though I generally prefer slightly cooler tone (tad more 5-6k in mid/treble balance maybe), I'm having difficulty imagining a better all-rounder.

Thanks for sharing your impressions, I probably would have passed over M9 completely without reading.

 

[toranku]

French import?

Haha, I think Mim's recommendations are spot on as well. The DTR is fantastic. The presentation is just so tight (albeit lean), fast and detailed. Let's see what this pairing can do with the FD01.

 

[himaraya]

Any idea why Sony tuned the bass to decay a tad slower?

 

[toranku]

@toranku how does modded fd01 sound to you when compared to your ex800?

I won't talk much about the tone of the FD01 since the tone is a variable based on how much dampening material is being used. I've modified my pair to have slightly thick mids whilst still keeping a bit of that sizzly treble. One thing with the FD01 is that it does metals extremely well - cymbals sizzle and actually sound like metal being clashed. This won't sit well with some however, it is pretty fatiguing. After modification this effect seems to be toned down greatly.

In terms of its driver capabilities, I do feel that the FD01 is a bit slow. Some will argue that slowness in decay is more "natural" sounding, but in my opinion something that decays slower will affect dynamics a little. My MG5HX and ER2XR is much much faster with decay. However despite the speed, FD01 doesnt congest and actually layers things pretty decent. It may also be due to the slop where the midbass does feel a bit loose as well.

Since the transients have a longer sustain and decay, notes feel weighty which makes for a more interesting presentation. There's depth to the transients which I am able to hear more due to its speed. Transients for now seem to be generally pretty clear with decent enough separation.

I would place them around the level of the EX800ST or very slightly lower currently. At least these have isolation. I need to fine tune the amount of dampening material.

 

[warriorpoet]

I'll see what I can do. But tbh I am more interested in the upcoming 2xxx line. The amount of 16xx stuff they released is like milking the cow. There's only so much they can do to maximize the driver's limits. I'll see what the next gen drivers can do.

Any idea when they might debut?

 

[Nabillion_786]

I won't talk much about the tone of the FD01 since the tone is a variable based on how much dampening material is being used. I've modified my pair to have slightly thick mids whilst still keeping a bit of that sizzly treble. One thing with the FD01 is that it does metals extremely well - cymbals sizzle and actually sound like metal being clashed. This won't sit well with some however, it is pretty fatiguing. After modification this effect seems to be toned down greatly.

In terms of its driver capabilities, I do feel that the FD01 is a bit slow. Some will argue that slowness in decay is more "natural" sounding, but in my opinion something that decays slower will affect dynamics a little. My MG5HX and ER2XR is much much faster with decay. However despite the speed, FD01 doesnt congest and actually layers things pretty decent. It may also be due to the slop where the midbass does feel a bit loose as well.

Since the transients have a longer sustain and decay, notes feel weighty which makes for a more interesting presentation. There's depth to the transients which I am able to hear more due to its speed. Transients for now seem to be generally pretty clear with decent enough separation.

I would place them around the level of the EX800ST or very slightly lower currently. At least these have isolation. I need to fine tune the amount of dampening material.

Thanks alot for the detailed impression! Lastly would you say if the vocals and soundstage are anything special on these? Also would you say these are an upgrade over the oxygen?

 

[surfgeorge]

I won't talk much about the tone of the FD01 since the tone is a variable based on how much dampening material is being used. I've modified my pair to have slightly thick mids whilst still keeping a bit of that sizzly treble. One thing with the FD01 is that it does metals extremely well - cymbals sizzle and actually sound like metal being clashed. This won't sit well with some however, it is pretty fatiguing. After modification this effect seems to be toned down greatly.

In terms of its driver capabilities, I do feel that the FD01 is a bit slow. Some will argue that slowness in decay is more "natural" sounding, but in my opinion something that decays slower will affect dynamics a little. My MG5HX and ER2XR is much much faster with decay. However despite the speed, FD01 doesnt congest and actually layers things pretty decent. It may also be due to the slop where the midbass does feel a bit loose as well.

Since the transients have a longer sustain and decay, notes feel weighty which makes for a more interesting presentation. There's depth to the transients which I am able to hear more due to its speed. Transients for now seem to be generally pretty clear with decent enough separation.

I would place them around the level of the EX800ST or very slightly lower currently. At least these have isolation. I need to fine tune the amount of dampening material.

It’s really good to read your take on the modded FD01!
After using the modded FD02 as my main IEM alongside the EX800 I got some used AK T8iE MKII and they are a step up in clarity, detail, texture, speed and soundstage IMO.
But I still like the FD02, damped them a bit more, and still use them a lot.
Now I can hear that slightly slower decay I guess, those thicker notes, but I also enjoy that, and the very different tonality.
One piece in particular sounds really great with the FD02, in “Fanfare for the common man” the combination of weighty bass with brass is great!

Looking forward to more.
PS: cables seemed to have a big influence. Would be great if you could try different cables with the FD01

 

[toranku]

Any idea when they might debut?

No idea, seeing that they just released the 1670 White and 1690, guess it will take a while.

Thanks alot for the detailed impression! Lastly would you say if the vocals and soundstage are anything special on these? Also would you say these are an upgrade over the oxygen?

I haven't tried the Oxygen in a while so I can't comment. Vocals can be adjusted on the FD01 with mods. The more you dampen, the thicker vocals become. Soundstaging better than average I can say. I need to compare it against more IEMs.

It’s really good to read your take on the modded FD01!
After using the modded FD02 as my main IEM alongside the EX800 I got some used AK T8iE MKII and they are a step up in clarity, detail, texture, speed and soundstage IMO.
But I still like the FD02, damped them a bit more, and still use them a lot.
Now I can hear that slightly slower decay I guess, those thicker notes, but I also enjoy that, and the very different tonality.
One piece in particular sounds really great with the FD02, in “Fanfare for the common man” the combination of weighty bass with brass is great!

Looking forward to more.
PS: cables seemed to have a big influence. Would be great if you could try different cables with the FD01

Yea I'm not quite a fan of the stock cables. Too inflexible for my standards. Perhaps too heavy as well. Nowadays I like those stock replacement cables for their very light weight and flexibility.

 

[Colors]

@toranku anything you know that has the detail of EX800/1000 but also has isolation for commuting?

Or I have to get the Z1R...