I owned the M11 Plus LTD, the M11 Plus ESS and, of course, i had to test the new M23.

And the first thing that surprised me is that its basically not different from the M11 Series, which is a good thing. I liked them exactly how they where. I have high praise for this DAP and it is a good product overall.

And the M23 is better in some aspects, as it has more power. But i don't need that feature, even with large over ear headphones, i was still totally fine using Low-Gain and very very rarely used Mid-Gain (Never had to use High-Gain). So that is already one feature that, i personally, have no use for.

The Noise Floor is elevated. Not to a point where i am able to hear it but at least in measurements, it is higher. Thats a half negative point (still doesn't matter so... really, who cares?).

The Sound Quality is, as far as i can tell, unchanged. Maybe there are minor changes i need long listening sessions for to catch them, but at least in the 4 hours i listened to music, it was pretty much identical to the M11 Plus ESS.

And that is, for me, the biggest bummer. The Sound is unchanged, the SoC is unchanged, the Android is unchanged. You basically pay 750€ (In Japan its roughly 1.5x the price, a joke) for the exact same device, but with slightly higher power (probably nobody needs, you could drive the Susvara, easily, with the M11 Plus) but also a slightly higher noise floor.

I do not see why someone would want an M23 over an M11 Plus ESS, especially when the M11 Plus ESS is going now for cheap everywhere.

The M23 is just no upgrade. It uses a different DAC on paper (that comes with disadvantages) and has more power (which comes with disadvantages). Thats it. Same but different.

So i highly recommend to check the price difference between the M23 and the M11 Plus ESS and grab the M11 Plus if you can. There is not really a difference.

A lot of people don't like cross-company comparisons, so i did not put this into my rating, but just for the sake of it.

To put this into context. Both the ZX500 and ZX700 (Inferior in terms of features/power, superior in terms of sonic performance) are cheaper than the M23. And the ZX500 is now several years old, you can grab an ZX500 in "like new" condition for 250€ and have the superior sound. You can get a like new WM1AM2 for the price of the M23. Yes, apples and peaches because used vs. new and so on.

But Money is Money. Unless you're not rich/have an unlimited amount of money, i can not recommend the M23 to anyone right now.

If you don't care about the price, get it. Its a good DAP. Not good enough to justify the price tag, but its good. If the price doesn't matter for you, you will be as happy with it as you was with your M11 Plus ESS.

This review is for the people who already watched every Z1R Review on YouTube, read every Review here on Head-Fi and just wants an additional opinion from an long-time owner about if he should really pull the trigger or not.

After i tested tons of tips to find the ones that have the best sound, i settled on the COMPLY Ts-200 (The sound quality optimized Version of the T-200), but i used them quite some time with the stock tips too and tested other tips.

The Ts-200 enabled me to use them for hours without comfort issues and are the tips that seem to make them sound most unmodified (if that makes sense).

I compare them to the IER-M9 as this is my reference for pretty much everything and the first thing you notice is the pushed treble. It is a very delicate and well done push that does not cause female vocals to hurt (thanks god non monitor earphone still exist that do not do that), but it causes one issue. If you listen at slightly louder volumes music starts to turn into noise. That is common for all non IEM and it even happens with an IEM at one point, if its too loud, its too loud, but it happens too early with the IER-Z1R imho.

With the IER-M9 this happens much later compared to the IER-Z1R and the reason is exactly this push in the treble. That is not an issue as nobody should listen at loud volumes (especially for longer times) anyway, but if you have songs with a lot of dynamic range, this can make you run into issues. Especially with Hans Zimmer i noticed that things just got too loud at peaks too early.

Over time, this also causes some listening fatigue, even at medium volumes.

The next thing is the typical recessed lower mids to make everything sound clear (i'm not a fan of this) and a bit cold but thats a slight change. Its still done very tastefull, especially in comparison with its direct competitors. Other than that, the mids are excellent. You can grasp even the slightest change and the tiniest details as they are just insanely fast.

The Bass is most likely what makes the show for most. Its as strong in terms of volume as the IER-M9, but the feeling of air, the impact, the physical sensation is much higher.

In combination with the pushed treble, they give you an unique impression of an speaker system in an perfect room which is a very fun tuning, i am absolutely admitting that, but it can get tiresome and it is not an accurate rendering of the song (again, not an IEM, so no issue). You should be aware of that. They are not objectively perfect. They may be subjectively perfect for some, but there exists songs who do not cope with this tuning well.

Would i recommend the IER-Z1R over something like the Vision Ears EST, UE LIVE, 64 Audio Fourté and similar? Absolutely yes. Its significantly better than these and this is what makes it look cheap but(!), and here comes the caveeat, its still insanely overpriced imho. If the price is no issue for you and you already have an good reference like an IER-M9, Mach 70, TG335 or even SE846, then grab these. There is nothing for a lower price that gives you what it is.

If you're still lacking a good reference earphone, i would recommend to get that first. Something that isolates much better and is better balanced overall + has better comfort so you have an daily driver that always does the job, no matter what. Plays every song well, every genre, from every source. Something that just performs and you can rely on to provide you the best possible sound quality like the above mentioned. And objectively perfect IEM.

The IER-Z1R is, like the A8000, an fun earphone for the person who already has everything and wants something unique and special in addition to that. If you are this person and the price is no issue, than get it! If not, wait for a good used A-Rank deal. you can easily get them 50% off, used in like new condition.

Don't get this thinking, this is all you need and you're done and your earphone journey is over. If you want such an product from Sony, that is the IER-M9.

Yes, i know, people will tell me im biased and overjudging but that is actually not the case.

As an musician, i am used to the sound of monitors and i prefer them. That is why i prefer the IER-M9 over the IER-Z1R and the TG335 and VE8 are some of my alltime favourites.

I like an balanced monitor sound because it makes everything sound harmonic and enjoyable for me. It makes things sound how they are supposed to sound.

And that is not, pushing the upper mids. My god forbid why do so many Chinese companies advertise their normal In-Ear as IEM, especially Studio IEM, and then push the upper mids so hard?

Did they ever listen to any real IEM?

And there are exceptions! The FiiO FA9 for example, that is not marketed as an IEM for Studio or Stage use, can be perfectly used as an professional monitor! The FA9 is, surprisingly, an excellent monitor and an fun In-Ear at the same time, thanks to its switches.

Because FiiO does not market professionals for reasons i do not understand, the FA9 is the very first Chinese IEM that is actually a perfect tool for that use case) while SoftEars does the exact opposite.

The FA9 is the perfect example how it is done right, the Studio4 is an perfect example how it is done wrong.

So if anyone tries to use this as an Monitor, Attention(!), you will tend to mix everything a bit dull and damped, You absolutely need an EQ to make these usable for any professional work but(!) SoftEars does not provide an correction curve unlike other makers.

I've read in other reviews that people enjoy this for listening to music and i can totally understand why, it sounds more fun than real monitors and i can see why people prefer it to use it to listen to music.

But SoftEars markets them as an professional studio monitor and i review them as such and they are not.

But i think that is the whole point. Attention(!) My personal opinoin! Yes? No confusion please. I assume this, i do not know this. The Studio4 was never made for professionals but for audiophiles who want the feeling that they use an professional monitor.

But because Audiophiles in general prefer pushed upper mids, they would dislike an real monitor and rate it bad. So it was tuned for audiophiles because SoftEars assumed, no professional would use it anyway. Again, my personal opinion.

But the way it is tuned, its impossible to use this as an monitor. Neither stage, nor studio. Totally missed the point here. 2 Stars, because its an enjoyable In-Ear for listening to music and because there exist even worse In-Ear that call themself an IEM.

First of all, i tested the Universal Version. Mialage might vary for the CIEM.

I tested the VE8 because i am not completely satisfied with the fit/comfort of my IER-M9 and TG335. Both are okay, but if you use them for 4+ hours, the ears start to hurt, no matter what.

First of all, the fit and comfort is perfect as long i use them with foam. I can absolutely not understand how people can wear these with silicone. There is in instant air pressure issue, obviuosly, its an closed IEM.

Not sure how an company that is spezialised on monitors can ship an closed IEM without foam... but anyway. I used them with several foam (to check if the foam might influence the sound), but as i use S-Size and deep insert them, i was happy do not find any relevant difference between different foam tips. Thats already a good point.

After i was highly disappointed testing the VE6X1 and VE6X2, i had high hopes for the VE8.

It is much better than both VE6, but it still inherits a lot of their issues. The Bass sounds absolutely unrealistic and artificial. It has no impact whatsoever, it can not build up pressure. Some people might say "Duh, of course, its an BA, get an DD if you want that", but the IER-M9 and TG335 can do that perfectly fine.

And i am not complaining about the amount, nothing is wrong with the amount, its the Quality thats bad. Not bad, that is wrong, it is not bad, but its nothing special. Its just so boringly average.

Every acoustic instrument that needs impact, and not just bass instruments like double bass and bass guitar, also things like the stick impact on cymbals, violins and so on all sound completely unrealistic and just strange.

But there is nothing really wrong with the VE8. Nothing sounds out of place or harsh or shrill or sharp, everything sounds pretty much how it is supposed to sound for an monitor which is good... but you can get this for 350-700€, easily.

How on earth is this IEM so expensive. I would have gotten it anyway just for the awesome comfort, even though i am not satsified with the bass quality, but for >2000€? No way... Vision Ears must be kidding.

It is an very good IEM but way to overpriced. It is not even close to what the IER-M9 or TG335 and a lot of other all BA sets can deliver. I have nothing against BA bass, the opposite, i love this extremely fast and dry and controlled bass but the VE8 just sounds insanely boring, and not in an positive way (You don't want an monitor to sound fun, its an monitor. But you want it to have very high quality, and this one is just very average).

I was initially thinking about doing an In-Depth review posten which songs i listened to and how it sounds on which part... but the VE8 sounds so average that i don't even know what to say.

Its like... yes its there. If you don't care about its price, its ok. Nothing more, nothing less. If you don't want to spend 2000€, get the Moondrop S8 which is as good and costs 700€ or get the FiiO FA9 which sells currently for 350€

And don't even get me started about the pricing in Japan. 250'000yen, not in your wildest dreams is this IEM even remotely worth that price. You need to be an die hard Vision Ears fan to buy it for that price.

Its crazy how every single Vision Ears i tested so far let me feel disappointed. Not because they are bad, not at all, but because they are so insanely expensive.

I devide Headphones and Earphones into 4 categories
Club Sound
What Sony calls Xtra Bass, mostly cheap non-audiophile headphones --> Can be used for every genre but tends to sound mushy and boring and consists of mostly bass. If you're older than 20, you're most likely not enjoying these.
Musical Sound
Designed to reproduce an very realistic and live sound --> Plays well with everything that exists
Monitoring Sound
Designed for either Studio or Stage Monitoring --> Plays well with everything that exists, but can sound boring and might not be suited for pure music listening. These are often professional tools meant to fullfill a certain purpose, make sure they fullfill your purpose.
Weird aka most ChiFi
Often based on Monitoring with pushed, piercing upper mids, sometimes in combination with pushed bass (no midbass though, we're audiophiles!). Tries to be as much as possible to be the opposide of Club to make sure, you know you're listening to an audiphile headphone. If it doesn't hurt, its not audiophile. If you can't bear the pain, you're not audiophile enough. --> Only plays well with selected audiophile songs. You are not an real audiophile if you listen to anything, that doesn't sound well with these. If anything sounds wrong and off with these, its always the song and the quality of your recording.

The MDR-Z1R belongs, without question, into the Musical Sound category. It can play pretty much every Genre without ever sounding offensive, off or wrong with anything.

The MDR-Z1R can be summed up with one keyword: "Live".

From all the Headphones i've listened and/or owned so far (HD800S, HD820, Several Focal and LCD, pretty much everything from Meze and Hifiman, Moondrop VENUS and so on) nothing ever sounded as Live as the MDR-Z1R

Especially, sounds funny i know, Live Music. Throw in any BluRay or Live DVD and nothing will sound as realistic and authentic as the MDR-Z1R. There are some Live Concerts that i did attend myself and the sound is just 100% spot on and everything sounds exactly like im on the scene. Given how many Headphones advertise with how live and realistic and inside the concert hall they sound, its astonishing how many of these fail miserable with actual live music.

The position of the Instruments, the layering, the crowd around and behind me, everything is exactly where it belongs and this is what i use the MDR-Z1R for most of the time. I have a lot of very well recorded Live BluRay and DVD and if i listen to any of them, there is no question about the choice of Headphone.

But not just live recordings, everything that tries to Sound authentic, live and real like a lot of Jazz recordings or most Soundtracks like the ones from Hans Zimmer, pure amazement.

Studio Recordings sound very live and authentic too, but as this is pretty far from monitoring, don't expect to pick apart the song like you're able to do with Headphones that belong into the Monitoring or Weird category. Their resolution and speed is very good and way above average, but as they don't push the upper mids, these don't throw the details into your face. Which is good for everyone who wants to enjoy listening to music, but not so good for people who want to listen to the Headphone instead or want to analyze certain aspects of the song and focus on them.

Also they don't forcefully change the mix. A lot of people want the vocals to step outside of the mix, if the music wasn't mixed that way, it won't sound that way. If you haven't owned an Musical Sounding Headphone before, you might be disappointed about the Vocals. Check with an reference Monitor Headphone how your music really sounds and if you like that sound.

Buy these if you want to enjoy listening to music with the highest possible sound quality. Don't buy these, if you're an audiophile.

I did ask Softears for a demo unit, but they were not willing to provide me one as soon as i told them what In-Ear i already own. Crazy, i never got a reply from them back. But a friend of mine (who does not want to be called out because he is ashamed) lent me his unit for review.

If Softears wants >=2000€ for this. I _have_ to compare it against the IER-M9. Its not my fault, they are asking for that high price, they have to compete against the best. Because I have it here right now, I’ll also throw the FiiO FA9 into the mix, why not. Also (its not an All-BA Though) because of the price, I’ll throw the IER-Z1R into the mix.

I am surprised that it is that expensive, because SoftEars is an unkown chinese company with no reputation who doesn't even tell you who made their drivers... very strange.

But unlike UlitmateEars, VisionEars, FitEar or JustEar, they don’t offer Custom IEM. They say on their homepage they do, but this is just marketing, they don’t. Ask them, they don’t. They just lie.

Its my duty to protect you from horrendous chinese rip-offs, and that is what I am going to do.

First of all, I don’t know how the graph of this In-Ear looks like, I will watch it after I finished listening to it, but I did already do my mandatory frequency response test by ear (which is more important than graphs to me).

So I am listening to a frequency response test file that sweeps from 20Hz to 20Khz and, except for tuning(!) I expect it to be flat.

I test the IER-M9 → perfectly flat, no peaks, no dips whatsoever. Just perfect.

I test the IER-Z1R → almost perfectly flat not as good as the M9 but no significant peaks or dips. A tiny bit wonky.

I test the FiiO FA9 → almost perfectly flat. Its a bit wonky too (more than the Z1R) in the treble, but very very good, especially given its price and that a single (double) BA covers its whole treble.

I test the RS10 → There is an unpleasant peak in the lower treble that is painful to listen to and right after the peak, there is an dip that is that strong, that the treble completely disappears for a short time. I've heard single DD that perform better, given that this is an 10 BA... this is pretty bad.

The overall sound after listening to a few songs can best be described as monitoring like… I guess. But (I am 100% sure of that) you can not use it for monitoring or mixing or mastering. This In-Ear gives you nowhere the accuracy needed for that. It is not an professional Tool.

The first song I always start my reviews with is “Let it die” from ReoNa (96kHz, 24bit, for those who care). The first thing I instantly notice is an issue, the FA9 also does have and the Monarch Mk2 does have, there is 0 Soundstage. Nothing.

The guitars sound a little… oh man that's hard to describe. Disconnected is the best term. Not bad but… wait, its an >2000€ In-Ear. Its bad. They sound disconnected. Disconnected from the piano and also disconnected from the Drumkit. This is an issue I also had with the Dusk (which comes instantly into mind) where I called it “All over the place layering”. Things are in different layers that are not supposed to be in different layers. It gives you the illusion that you can hear it more clearly/in detail, but the resolution is actually worse than with the IER-M9 and i'd even say below the level of the FA9.

You can already hear it when the guitars play, but as soon the Drum kicks in, its like “In your face” obvious. Not everyone is an soundstage guy and of course, the IER-Z1R is an insane competitor with maybe the biggest soundstage at all (of In-Ear) but the IER-M9 soundstage is significantly larger too. It makes everything sound a bit claustrophobic and it starts to get very noisy fast.

Even though they are all in different layers, they mush together as soon everything plays. The instruments have no space, the sound is not expanding, its just there. Resolution and detail take a big hit at that point but, given the situation, it is still surprisingly well resolving. But i think this is mostly due to its weird tuning. Tune the In-Ear in a way where a lot of things are no longer strongly audible, especially lower mids, and it gives you the feeling of an more resolving In-Ear.

In reality you hear the same (or less) amount of resolution, its just easier to focus on. Because its easier to focus on, you hear it better and you think you hear more of it. But this also causes everything to sound dead and sterile because important informations of the song that give body to the instruments are suddenly missing.

Nowhere near the Z1R or M9, but still. I’d say its at the level of the FA9. The FA9 sounds warmer but it also makes the guitars sound disconnected.

So by listening to the first 15 seconds of a song, I can already say, the RS10 is comparable to the FA9 and is nowhere near the M9 or Z1R, not even close. It makes no sense comparing these but this is the price Softear is asking for. Again, they want it, they get it.

I like the attack on the snare drum, but only the attack. The impact on the snare is pretty dead and it has no character. The second where all instruments start to play at once caused a painful sound in my ears. Only this specific moment, but it was there every time.

The voice sounds extremely sharp and the “s” hurt my eardrum, I assume (?) this is the peak I heard in the frequency response, but not sure. Her voice isn’t that high… maybe its just more forward in that frequency range where she is singing. I don't get it, but its painful.

But actually the voice is louder with the IER-M9, so somehow its more forward on the M9, but just less piercing. I don’t know what exactly the issue is here, but its not good.

Another big issue is, everything sounds pretty dead and lifeless. The impact of the bass drum is nowhere close to the M9 or Z1R. The attack, again, sounds pretty nice as its very clear and high resolved, but the impact is just lost. Especially the guitars that play in the lower mids sound very very dead. Highly disappointing.

The FA9 is no match at all for the M9, but compared to the RS10, it performs surprisingly well! It inherits most issues the RS10 has, but the guitars have much more body and the layering isn’t as bad. Its still more disconnected, but not to that high degree.

The performance of the bass (the instrument) is very disappointing too. Its constantly changing volume and layers. I can’t stand that. The bassist is not moving! Please China, stop developing In-Ear that makes one and the same instrument constantly changing places and volume.

Did nobody test hear this? Who approved this?

But(!) this issue doesn’t persist with the FA9. The bass (instrument, again) performance on the FA9 is much better. Not perfect, but _much_ better. It lacks the vibration of the string, but the sound is where it belongs.

What disappoints the most is the part at 2/3 of the song.

It starts at 2:43 and is supposed to increase tension. This works with Z1R, M9 and FA9, but not with the RS10. The lower mids are just not there. There is a lot of information missing in the lower mids which is very sad, because this song needs it.

And then 03:39 and especially the bass at 03:50. This is so sad. This is the goosebump section of the song, but there is no emotion, no feeling, nothing.

I have nothing against analytic sound signatures, but the IER-M9 is more analytic than the RS10. The RS10 just sounds dead.

Dead != analytic. I don't know why people mix that up that often. Its not the same. I can analyze the song perfectly with the IER-M9, i can not with the RS10. It is not an analytic In-Ear.

Its not flat either, its just dead. The Bass is pretty strong, so its far from flat, it just has no body.

The voice and the piano are too disconnected, they don’t player together. The bass performance is lacking the lower mids. Everything is just a big disappointment. Next song.

Second (and last) Song from ReoNa is ANIMA.

Oh my god the lower mids, common. Where are they? Starting with 00:27 there is the piercing treble again and the impact of the bass drum is still not where it belongs, the bass (instrument) is way to low in volume. It constantly drops in volume depending on the notes played (doesn’t happen with Z1R, M9 and FA9).

And this is not an defect, I heard no dips in the frequency response in the mids, this seems to be on its tuning. It is supposed to sound like that, supposed to sound bad.

Resolution and Details drop to an much lower level than with “Let it die” and the cymbals of the drum kit start to get really really annoying. If it wouldn’t destroy the level match, I would long have lowered the volume (which would kill the bass and lower mids even more).

The part at 03:00 again sounds very disappointing. I don’t understand why the treble constantly sounds annoying and is piercing, but that the same time is not forward enough to present this part as it is supposed to be.

Finally done with ReoNa, the Voice… oh my god. I had to take a small break after these two songs, I feel like I listened to music way to loud (even though I didn’t).

Initially I wanted to continue with something different, but I need some relaxing music. I continue with ユメガタリ and the Album ユメの喫茶店.

I was looking forward to this but. Again, layering is all over the place. Soundstage is not existing whatsoever (i was hoping at least with this song…).

The rattles (or whatever they are called) are like directly beside my ears. This sounds so annoying. Like someone is standing right here and rattling them right beside my ear… Whats up with this funky layering?

The double bass has no body, the piano rings way to hard everything sounds annoying.

This is a very smooth album with warm and pleasant songs, i am actually surprised how they made it sound that bad. Im impressed.

But i have to say, the FA9 also fails at this for the same reasons. The double bass sounds better with the FA9, but the piano and the rattle sound as bad. So its not that the RS10 is significantly bad, a lot of In-Ear have issues with this Album because it is very very demanding.

But the RS10 is an 2000€ In-Ear, it is supposed to not fail at this album at this price.

Unlike the IER-M9 which plays this album perfectly. The instruments are not forcefully ripped apart into pieces, they are layerd, but they are in the layer the belong to. The space between instruments is much bigger, there is actually travel of sound. And there is a soundstage. Its not as big as with the Z1R but significantly bigger than with the RS10 or FA9.

The instruments sound much more like they are really there, here in the room. I press play, close my eyes and i'm in the club and they are playing for me.

With the RS10 it sounds like i'm in the mixing studio and the mixing is in the middle. Everything is still all over the place and someone needs to do the mixing and mastering to make it sound good.

It makes no sense to continue this review. I’ve planned 2 hours and made a pretty long playlist but it makes no sense. No song could save it at this point, no album could rescue this.

My review is harsh, i know. I am absolutely not forgiving which might be unfair… or not. It is an >2000€ In-Ear, i expect perfection at that price point. Other In-Ear and IEM at this price point are so much better, close to perfection. This is what i expect at this price point.

This In-Ear performs on the Level of the FA9 (at most) which, given its BA count, is very disappointing.

It is nowhere close to the IER-M9, far from that. Even though both are 5way all-BA and the RS10 has the double BA count, its worse in all areas for the higher price. Not just a bit... its significantly worse. Its a whole different class of In-Ear.

And unlike the IER-M9 drivers which are developed, designed and Made in Japan by Sony, the RS10 uses average, modified, hearing aid BAs which are manufactured by an 3rd party company. Its, as you would think, Made in China.

I do not understand the price point at all. Nothing justifies the price, nothing. Not the build, not the sound, not the accessories. The BAs cost 200$ in total, at most (they are not that expensive, i’d bet my soul for that). 2-pin connector (are you kidding me?) and a resin shell…

Actually everything in this In-Ear, the Tuning, the Look&Fell and so on screams Moondrop to me. Moondrop says they have no relation to Softears but... i don't know. If Moondrop would suddenly reveal they made it, i would say "Not surprised at all. This is an 400€ In-Ear that just sells for a high price. Exactly what i expected. Good job, you made fun of us all"

I can not recommend to get this In-Ear at all. You can get In-Ear that sound almost identical or better for 10-20% of the price.

As source i used the Sony TA-ZH1ES and the FiiO M11 Plus (ESS).

Oh wait, the graphs. I promised, i deliver.




lol even the XBA-N3 performs better in the treble with just one single BA...


Lessons learned here. More is not always better.

But in the end, i was wrong at all! Softears advertises with "Hear the turth" on their Homepage. And no this is not a joke, go look at their homepage (https://www.softears.net/products/rs10/)



And this is absolutely correct. This In-Ear sounds very Turth. So if you like a Turthy sound signature, this is a 10 out of 10. Oh my god this is gold! An big, fat spelling error on the main image on the homepage of an 2000€ In-Ear. This just screams "Scam" so hard to an level, i am no longer sure if the people who made this (Moondrop? Is that you?) are actually making fun of the people who buy this.

One last thing, i mentioned earlier, that i would not be surprised if Moondrop would suddenly say, Softears is their brand.



I was just joking around but this makes me think...

Perfection is a bold statement, i know, but bear with me, i'll explain why i personally think that no IEM gets closer to perfection than this one.

First of all: I used the Sony TA-ZH1ES as source for this review with Xcessor FX4.0 Memory Foam Tips on the IER-M9. I tried all the Silicone ones and third-party ones too (a lot of them including Spinfit, Gel-Filled and all the others that are recommended) but i always had several issues.

Either the sound was less balanced (too much bass or peaking treble) or they caused issues with air pressure. I know that some people like that unbalanced sound more because it sounds more fun, but i personally prefer the more balanced sound with Memory Foam (which allow for air pressure compensation and so guarantee a perfect fit) which is still a lot of fun.

The IER-M9 is my daily driver and i use it mainly with the WM1Z, but there is a noticeable improvement when using the TA-ZH1ES and also a big difference when using it with different DAPs.

I always use the M11 Plus LTD as an reference because its achromatic and you can really hear, that the IER-M9 needs an Sony DAP to shine. They have been made for Sonys Sound Signature and complement them 100%.

tl;dr: for owner of the IER-Z1R. Imagine an more balanced and warm version of the IER-Z1R fixing its main critic point, the mids. If you love the IER-Z1R but thinks it sometimes needs more warmth and more mids, but everything else is perfect, this is your IEM.

Now the review: i'll start with a few songs from Fibel. I've seen them Live and i talked to them in person several times. I know how they sound, i know how they want to sound, what they try to archive and why.

Lets start with the Song Avatar from their current EP Avatar.

Its this ultra warm 80s Rock sound with fat and slammy bass, lots of synth, ambience, electric guitars.

And its just perfect, no other word. Its like standing in front of the band and they play for you. I never heard such an accurate representation of that song with any other Headphone or Earphone in my life. Its ultra detailed but dynamic at the same time. All Advantages of an all-BA setup without any of the disadvantages. If you would give this IEM to anyone who wouldn't know that its an all-BA setup, no one would ever guess that. Most Hybrids i know have an more plastic and lifeless bass, so in terms of Bass, it beats pretty much all Hybrid IEMs out there, with an BA. Its insane.

But its not just the bass, its the overall presentation. How everything sounds real and there, this incredible capability of surrounding you in the music.

The Song Odyssee is the same. Everything is just spot on and as close to the "real thing" as it gets.

Ufo is the next highlight, you have this "noise" in the beginning and some high frequency jitter in the background (did i already mention how extremely forward and detailed, but at the same time ultra soft and organic the treble presentation is?).

The song continues with some background growl and oh my god does this sound authentic.I know i'm repeating myself but i it is that good. There are some "thunder" like sounds and you just feel it. That's the thing with the IER-M9, you feel everything. Every sound is not just a sound, you feel every sound, no matter the frequency. Everything is really there.

And then the Vocals, Drums and Bass join the Song and the bass amp is right here in my room, in front of me.

And then the refrain starts with the synths and the background and you just totally drown in the sound. Its like the music turns into an giant liquid bubble and you're swimming in the middle of it.

So if you have warm songs with slammy bass, lots of dynamic and so on, the IER-M9 is the perfect tool. It represents it truly authentic and accurate. Not the recording, its not an monitoring like sound. You don't hear the limited capabilities of an recorded mix, you hear the real and live performance. The IER-M9 beats pretty much every DD i ever heard in this aspect. Some people use DD only because they dislike BA timbre. If you dislike BA timbre because you want authentic and dynamic reproduction of instruments, this All BA IEM is the ideal IEM for you.

But not everyone cares about warm 80s like recordings, so i'll continue with some electro. I'll start with 4ikais Analogica.

First Song: Meridian Wake and the first few seconds you hear and you're already stunned. I don't know how they did this. You have this extreme speed and accuracy of an BA setup but this authentic DD sound.

The song continues with some high flickering and again, you feel it. Its very high frequency sounds and you feel them.

And then the songs starts and of course, the bass is just perfect. Warm, dark, deep to the depths of hell, slams you in the face but with accuracy at the same time.

I'll continue with Travelling by Night from she on Coloris and it's impossible to listen to that Song with the IER-M9 without instantly starting to smile. The ultra dark background and than this flickering sounds that appear out of nowhere and are really there.

I listened to some more she for the next few minutes because i couldn't stop and also some other groups like CAPSULE or the new Album from きゃりーぱみゅぱみゅ and its the same. Everything sounds authentic, live, real but also extremely direct and fast. You want the perfect IEM for electronic music? Here it is! Speed and precision combined without BA timbre.

But how about instrumentals? Lets start with An Dro from Adam Agee & Jon Sousa.

Oh my god does this guitar sound real. The Violin is on point. You can feel the wood even at the slightest touch of the bow.

And when he plays that high notes on the Violin, there is absolutely no harshness. The treble is forward but so soft and fine. I am a very treble sensitive person and with other IEMs this song can be painfully partly, but not with the IER-M9.

When the song gets more energetic, everything just starts to sound more real and surrounding. You can feel the vibration from the violin reflecting from the walls of the room and the acoustic guitar just kills it.

I'll continue with Take Me Higher from 山木将平 on the Album Twin Best "HIKARI"

With most BA IEM this is the song where the BA timbre really gets bad where the guitar starts to shout in the mids.

But here? Absolutely nothing. Not the slightest touch of BA timbre. Warm, organic, authentic and real. Enjoy your private Solo Guitar concert from 山木将平 wherever you are. Nothing more to say here.

Of course the TA-ZH1ES is a big contribution to this. Try this song with the M11 Plus LTD and it will be less authentic and realistic, so its not only the IER-M9 doing the job here, its the symbiosis of the Amp and the Earphone. With the WM1Z everything sounds a bit more warm and less clear/detailed, especially in the treble, but it still sounds excellent.

So the right source is a must for this Earphone.

Because time is running out, let me continue with some orchestra arrangements. Three Songs.

1. Hans Zimmer --> Interstellar --> Mountains

Oh, my, god. The start of the song with its insane background. You're instantly transported into the orchestra room. You feel the vibration of the walls. Those wood sticks (or whatever that clicking is), its scary how authentic it is. Someone else with more expertise could, without issues, tell me the material of the wood they are made off.

The song continues and gets bigger and bigger and it just transports you out of reality. This one really gets me. And then the actual thing starts with the tubas and everything and you feel the hammering of the drums and everything just sounds big and large but at the same time, you can pick even the slightest details in the background.

And then the Organ! And the Chorus! I'm getting goosebumps again. I'm on my second listen on the WM1Z right now at volume 85 and this is no longer a song, its an experience!

Next song. I decided for 39 (LIVE) from Hatsune Miku played by the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra.

Its recorded totally different than the Interstellar Soundtrack. While with the Interstellar Soundtrack everything merged to one giant experience, this here is more "Hear every instrument separated and layered".

And the IER-M9 does its job here. Positioning of the instruments, layering, separation, timbre of every single instrument. Just perfect.

Its as good as it gets. Especially the part at 02:20 where everything goes quiet and you can feel the air of the flute in your ear and the Double Bass that Plays single strings at 02:29 just sounds so tasty.

It is so hard to describe it but when but the feel of air all the time, especially with double bass and cello, is what makes this IEM so authentic. I had no other IEM and especially not all BA where you had this intense feeling of feeling the vibration of the air.

If the IER-M9 would exist as an Stereo Speaker setup, it would be the most immersive thing that exists.

One last classic Song: Lute Partita in C minor, BWV 997: I. Prelude from Johann Sebastian Bach, played by Gergely Sarkozy

The Story continues. You hear so much more than just the notes playing. the overtones, the vibration of the air and the wood and everything. Most IEM have big trouble reproducing the lower notes on the song here in an authentic way. Not here! It doesn't matter how low Sarkozy goes on the Hapiscord, the sound just gets more angry and dark and moody as it is supposed to be.

So you want the ultimate IEM for classical music? Here it is. I own the IER-M9 since quite some time and listened to so many songs of so many genres. I could go on for hours but i think you got an idea how the Combination of Sony Source + IER-M9 sounds.

It is an realistic, authentic, extremely fast and detailed, but without BA timbre, experience.

It seems that the effort in developing its own BAs really payed of here for Sony. I am so tired of hearing the 1000th variation of Knowles BA timbres in all sorts of In-Ear and IEM, its a very welcome exception to hear a well executed all BA IEM without BA timbre. An IEM that is not all about detail retrieval but also about overall presentation of the song.

The Isolation is very strong to the point that some people might not like it. It is definitely an earplug like feeling. Its my Goto IEM when i go outside. It blocks you from the surrounding noise and you can listen to music at volume 030/120 without issues while noise streets are around you.

### UPDATE ###
Sony recently released new earpieces called EP-NI1000 together with the WF-1000XM4. Even though it might look like they are just meant as an replacement for the WF-1000XM4, they are actually an accessory for all Sony Earphone including the IER-M9

Unlike other Memory Foam earpieces, these are made with an mix of polyurethane and silicone.

After testing them thoroughly, i recommend them as the definitive earpieces of the Sony IER-M9. They are long lasting (unlike memory foam) and they sound like silicone (unlike memory foam).

### UPDATE 2 ###
After testing what feels like all tips on the market i have to revice my recommendation and recommend the COMPLY T-200 for best allround performance (Isoation/Comfort/Sound) and the COMPLY Ts-200 for the best Sound Quality (slightly lower isolation)

First of all, why did i buy the Moondrop Blesing 2 Dusk? Because it was hyped and i looked at the graph. I've seen that is its frequency response is very close to other IEMs i love like the IER-Z1R (compare the graphs of those two, very similar. Not the same, but very close).

I did not expect the Dusk to sound like the IER-Z1R and of course not that i'd be able to beat it. But i did expect some similarities.

Now how to begin, why is the Dusk so complicated (according to me).

If i would do a blind test with you and give you the IER-M9 (5BA) and the Dusk. You would say the IER-M9 is an Hybrid and the Dusk is an all BA Setup. That is where the issue begins. There are all-BA IEM that sound more like a hybrid than the Dusk which is an actual hybrid.

The Bass is there, but very thin, soft and cold. It never hits hard, you don't really feel it unless its loud. And this is one of the biggest issues i had with the Dusk. The Bass is less controlled and detailed than an BA bass, but it sounds like an BA bass.

It combines the disadvantages of an BA with the disadvantages of an DD but is lacking the advantages of any of them. Most likely this is due to the Sound Pipe but i don't know what exactly went wrong here. I tried several earpieces including foam but non of them fixed the issue for me.

The mids are totally boring. They are nowhere close to the FiiO FA9 and of course not IER-M9. They also sound very cold, thin and lifeless.

The highs are way to lively. They are razor sharp, i never heard such sharp highs in any IEM ever before. You thought the IER-Z1R sounds cold and does have hot treble? Well, try the Dusk, it will cut your eardrum in pieces.

I first thought its just me but i then passed the IEM to my girlfriend (who is not an audiophile) and to my cousin (also not an audipihile) and they all agreed, the treble hurts. My cousin said after 5 songs that he literally is feeling pain in his ear and he does have to stop listening to it.

But depending on what listening you’re using to or what DAP you’re using, it might not be bad for you. It was for me because… now the biggest issue: Expectations.

Because this is an Hybrid with an DD Bass, i had the expectation that it will have warm, thick and slammy bass because that is what BA (mostly, not all, there are exceptions like the IER-M9) normally can’t do.

Because it used the Knowles SWFK (i know from the FiiO FA9), i thought i knew what to expect from the treble, but i was profen wrong.

Even though the frequency response is very similar to the IER-Z1R (again, I did not expect the Dusk to sound close to the Z1R, just similar to a certain extend), it sounds totally different. Its a night and day difference. The IER-Z1R and the Dusk have absolutely nothing in common.

And yes I do know that frequency response graphs are only there in addition to listening to earphones and that they don’t tell the whole story. But in the case of the Dusk, they tell nothing.

And due to the weird tuning, layering and soundstage is all over the place. When you listen to a drumkit, the Hi-Hat plays right next to your ear with pretty much no distance. The Bass Drum plays in like 1m distance and the rest of the drumkit plays in 5m distance to you. It just gets ripped apart.

The clapping of people is separated from their screams and so on. Everything is just all over the place. Its like this IEM was tuned using graphs and computers and math but nobody ever really listened to a piece of music with it. It is completely incapable of carrying any emotion. Nothing ever sounds nice or beautiful. If you listen to three acoustic guitars from different brands, all you really hear is the sound of metal strings. The character and the body of the guitar gets totally lost. And if you use different strings on the same guitar, they’ll all sound the same.

I listened to Tastuya Maruyama and the nail attack (an technique where you hit the strings with your nails, but don’t play it. It just makes an snaredrum like sound if you know what I mean) was just louder than everything else. In some songs he uses that a bit extensive and its impossible to listen to these songs. Absolutely unpleasing experience.

WATER AND SUMMER from Tatsuya Maruyama is another example. With the XBA-Z5, IER-M9, IER-Z1R and the FiiO FA9, I can just listen to this song normally. But with the Dusk, oh my god it just hurts. Such an beautiful song destroyed by the IEM. The sharp tiks hurt all the time, the bass totally gets lost and is playing uncontrolled in the nowhere.

The Song 21 from SAPPORO & TOKYO… just outch. Again, Soundstage and Layering is all over the place. The volume peaks are just insane. Everytime he hits the strings its like double the volume and the guitar again, has no body whatsoever. The Warm body of the guitar is somewhere 20m away from you in the nothing, all you hear is the sound when his nails are picking the strings (but not a warm, impactfull plucking, just a cold scratching of nails on metal strings) and when he hits the strings with the flat hand.

Pretty much the whole album (which is recorded rather cold) is unlistenable with the Dusk.

And don’t get me started on music with more than one instrument. I tried listening to ReoNa, but I stopped trying. The more instruments you add to the mix, you multiply the above mentioned issues.

The disappointment got bigger because the fit is remarkable. It fit me so well, It almost disappeared. The design was amazing (I even got the engraved version). I would have never sent it back if the sound would have been different. Thats the only issue I had with this IEM.

At this price point I think there are much better In-Ear on the market. They may not reveal the same amount of detail or provide the same level of analytics, but they make your music sound good. You have to decide for yourself whats more important to you.
The support from Moondrop was, by the way, exceptional. They did an awesome job in helping me to get the IEM fast and they also supported me when sending it back. Im so sad that im not into its sound signature, otherweise it would have been an 10/10 overall experience easily.

The DAP i owned before the M11 Plus LTD was the Sony NW-WM1Z which i sold after i bought this.

And here is why: AKM + THX

It is a match made in heaven. I don't know what to say about this DAP. It sounds just like... well, exactly how the original recording sounds. Nothing is added, nothing is lost.

There is no noise, no distortion, no sound signature. This is good and for some people bad.

I only want my headphones to have an Sound Signature. They are the only piece in the chain that is allowed to alter the sound (for me). I want my DAP to output the original recording as exact and precise at it is physically possible.

And this is exactly what the M11 Plus LTD does. I listen to a song and everything is exactly how it is supposed to be. Some people call that boring, i call that boring too, but in a positive way. I want my DAP to be boring. I want my Headphones to be beautiful and fun, not my DAP. I want my DAP to not touch the music any more than needed to put it out and the M11 Plus LTD does exactly that. Nothing more to say (for me).

The Output Power is insane. I never needed anything more than Low-Gain, even with the 300Ω Sennheiser HD 820.

I tested Mid-Gain and High-Gain but i could not hear or notice and decrease in sound quality. I know it would be there in measurements, but i am unable to hear it.

But Low-Gain is more than enough for me so i keep it always there.

The Battery is gigantic with 6000mAh and lasts very long, but also needs long to charge, even with an QC Charger. But that is just the price for a big battery.

That was all i care about, nothing more to say from my side. I could have lived without Android, but its nice to have the Apps so i can download the music directly to the player after i bought them and don't have to use an USB-C cable.

Using Bluetooth Audio results, thanks to LDAC, in excellent sound quality. But the lag is intense. Gaming or even watching movies or YouTube Videos is pretty much impossible. The USB-DAC Mode works much better.

When i bought the FA9, i mostly owned Sony Headphones, the following to be exact

- XBA-Z5
- IER-M9
- IER-Z1R
- MDR-Z1R

I listened to a lot of earphones and headphones from a lot of brands, but only owned these because i am or better was mostly a Sony guy.

And coming from Sony Headphones or Earphones, the FiiO sounds extremely neutral so it got me some time to get used to it but it was for sure worth it. When i get back to any of my Sony now, i notice that their fun tuning is more pleasing in the beginning, but it is actually lacking a lot. Especially the midrange.

At first i liked the IER-M9 more, but after owning the M9 for a while and listen to a lot of songs, i changed my mind back to the FA9.

I would highly recommend the default tuning for monitoring or mixing/creating music, but i used and tested them mostly wit the "Pop" Tuning at 32Ω (Swtiches to 1=Off, 2=On, 3=Off) which is my way to go for enjoying music and just listening.

Let me start with the midrange because oh my god is this the most beautiful midrange i have ever heard. One of the first songs i listened to was Avatar from Fibel and with this IEM it was the very first time ever i got goosbumps listening to that song.

It is so hard to describe what exactly caused this but the best description for the midrange is just beautiful. Its this feeling when you had a stressfull day at work, weather was bad and then you finish your work the clouds break up, the sun is coming out and you just lay on a nice meadow hill with lawn daisy and dandelion and enjoy the rustling of the trees and you just feel happy to be alive.

Thats the feeling when hearing the midrange of the FA9. Its just a feeling inside of you that makes you say "This is beautiful"

When you turn louder and louder just to notice, it gets better and better. It doesn't turn into noise like with most earphones, its stays beautiful.

The Bass, its just on point. Its so extremely accurate, it sounds like you can feel the single sound waves hitting your eardrum. If the bass changes just in slight nuances, you will hear these nuances. Listening to Hans Zimmer Interstellar Soundtrack, especially the track Mountains and wow, just wow. You can feel the vibration of the single from the instruments.

The Treble is never sharp or hot, it is just extremely detailed and no matter how much is going on, you can hear the slightest ring of a triangle in the background of an busy song like スピードと摩擦 from amazarashii. Or the ride cymbal in the beginning of Big TV from white lies. There is so much separation going on and and its just sounds as clear as possible.

Even though i am using them in the Pop Tuning, the FA9 is still one of the best balanced IEM in existence. No matter how loud you turn it, it will keep balanced perfectly. When other IEM cause painful loudness in, for example, stick impact, the FA9 doesn't. You can turn the volume much higher before anything gets unpleasant loud. This is not an invitation to listen at very high volumes, especially not for longer times. But when you do it for your favorite song, you can enjoy it to the fullest.

This is something the IER-Z1R, for me, lacks the most. Turning the volume of the FA9 up and then listen at the same volume to the IER-Z1R is just not pleasant. Hitting of Snare Drums or s sounds in vocals get way to sharp and painful way to early.

I prepared a list of songs i listened through when testing this IEM but i would have to go on for hours as there is so much to discover. I don't know where to start and where to end, especially it doesn't matter what song you play. I did not have a single song from any genre where i had the feeling "yeah, this is not the FA9s thing". Even electronic music that demands very good bass like she will sound how it is supposed.

At some songs i thought like "The Bass es perfectly enough here, but i assume, with an electronic song, it will be not enough". Then you turn on an electronic song like Stellaris and bam, it just sounds perfect.

If the song does have it, it will show it. This is the only (maybe) downside to this IEM. If you song doesn't have bass, but you have bassy IEM that added extra bass to an song that didn't have it, it will not have it with the FA9.

In the Pop Tuning, the FA9 will have a bit more attention on bass or treble, but it will never overpronunce it. Bass heads will not be happy with this IEM without EQing it to give the bass lacking songs the bass you might want.

If you want an IEM that maybe doesn't sound like you're inside an disco or sterile as dentist equipment and rather just balanced and beautiful, the FA9 is for you.

And the best thing is the isolation you get in addition to all of the above. It makes Noise Cancelling Earphone obsolete and even when you're sitting in an room as quiet as possible, you put the FA9 and it gets more quiet . You can enjoy the slightest nuances of sound given you have a good DAP.

I tested with the FiiO M11 Plus LTD on Low-Gain with Short Delay sharp roll-off and just sharp roll-off.

If i would have gotten the FA9 without knowing its price, i would have guessed at around 1000-1500€. I payed 550€ which is shockingly low.

This shows me that FiiO actually cares about delivering high quality sound and not make quick money with audiophiles. 550€ sounds shockingly low, but lets be honest, we all know it. The other IEM that compete with the FA9 in the 1000-2000€ area are just horribly overpriced.

If you have not ordered an FA9 yet at this point, what are you waiting for?

Update, Note and the comparison to the IER-M9

If the IER-M9 is better then the FA9 heavily depends on the source.

You own an WM1 or ZX Walkman? Get the IER-M9. You own an FiiO M11 Plus LTD, get the FA9.

You own an different DAP: everything what I said in this review might be irrelevant for you. IER-M9 needs an Sony DAP to really shine and the FA9 a very neutral source (which Sony DAPs are for sure not)

That doesn't mean it will sound bad on an Sony or different DAP, but other In-Ear might fit your DAP better