AWEI ES-Q9 Super Bass Wooden Earphones Headphones Headsets Fiber Cable for Mp3 Smart Phone

My experience with this one was enjoyable while it lasted.
I liked the sound quality, a whole step above peasant IEMs on that price range. They're big so I had to fiddle quite a bit to get a good seal, also I suggest to wear the cable over the ear to avoid extra noise when the cable moves. People with small ears will have trouble with this ones.
The cable produces noise, not very good. The cable splitter Y thing broke in no time.
Probably the best thing about them is that they don't have an enhanced boomy bass like the usual IEM you get for that price. For that reason they feel like less sensitive than the average IEM, they wouldn't get too loud on a regular cellphone whereas the little amp in the Fiio X1 had no issues. I expected more warmth and reverb on the lows from the wood but I was getting just a subtle warmth with some crispy highs and a moderate bass.
My units broke after few uses, at some point I dropped them from around 30cm of height and the headset got messed (one side sounds siblant and trebbly while the other got muffled and muddy). I'd say they're more hit than miss since they could get easily damaged in shipping considering the minor impact it took to mess them. Who knows how are they supposed to sound really unless you try a couple of them, maybe they're supposed to be bassy as advertised yet mine were not like that. There's more durable IEMs for the money but they tend to have a bassier signature.

The Awei Q9s are really bang for bucks! You can't go wrong with these! Unless you have tiny ears...
 
Packaging: the packaging is standard. It brings the S/M/L tips and a shirt-clip. However, the earbuds are snugged in a very good foamy protective material.
 
Build quality: the Q9s look nice and they sure are big. So big that I doubt anyone with small ears will be able to insert them, for the housing will certainly get in the way, no mater what tips are used. The Y-type cable is wrapped in nylon or kevlar, which causes a lot of microphonics when it scratches in the clothes. It has a good-looking straight jack and a metal cable splitter.
Although the cable has the mentioned lining, it is rather thin and has a little bit of a stiffness to it, which causes some easy tangling. 
 
Fitting, comfort and isolation: I have large ears, so I didn't have problems putting them on. The included tips are the soft-type silicon for shallow insert, and none of them provided good isolation or sound balance. After some tip-rolling, I ended up using some old Pioneer silicon tips, which are longer and provide a better fit. I am waiting for some Sony hybrids that I ordered from ebay and I hope they will provide better fitting. The sound isolation is rather good with the right tips. However, the Q9's are vented, so don't expect miracles. As for the comfort, I have no problem with them, although I can feel the housings touching the interior of my ears, but as I mentioned before, they will be too big for someone with small ears. I have been listening only for 2 or 3 hours at a time, and I didn't get sour ears, but they are not the most comfortable IEMs I've used.
 
Sound quality: here is where the Q9s really shine! Out of the box, they sound warm and crisp, but I let them burn-in for about 30h and tried them again. I didn't have enough time with them prior to the burn-in session to notice any major differences.
They are over the warm-sounding side, but they seem very balanced across the frequency range. The bass has a strong presence, but doesn't interfere with the mids and treble. They slightly remind me of the Radiopaq Jazz handling mid bass in the percussion instruments, but not so warm and veiled. The sub-bass is not as strong as in the TDK MT300, but is there, as a result of the reverberation of the big wooden housings. The mids are crisp and present, and the feminine voices stand out. For that reason, they don't seem to have as much of a V-shaped sound signature as many other IEMs I've tried. In the other hand, the extension of the upper-mids and treble is not perfect, although they are present and well defined. 
 
Conclusion: what I like the best about the Q9s is the non-fatiguing presentation. Being an experienced audiophile, with valve amplifiers, British snobbish-as-hell speakers, fine-tuned turntables and exquisite cables, I came to learn that a non-fatiguing sound is mostly related with the ability to present realistic timbres. I believe this is what the Q9s are all about: a well rounded product, with a very faithful presentation and a hell of a price!   
 
Equipment used: Sansa Fuze v2 RB, Nokia Lumia 925, Cmoy DIY amp, Radiopaq Jazz, SoundMagic ES-18, TDK MT300.
 
Music listened for this review: Mayra Andrade - Navega; Mayra Andrade - Storia, Storia; Crosby, Stills & Nash - Greatest Hits; Sufjan Stevens - Illinois; Stromae - Racine Carree; Pearl Jam - Ten; Cesária Évora - Nha Sentimento; Regina Spektor - Begin to Hope.