FiiO F9 Pro Hybrid Triple Driver IEM

I'm an Audio-Technica fan. In fact, it was my chance encounter with Audio-Technica's IM70 that led me down the wallet busting rabbit hole that high performance audio is.
Over the years I've collected various bit of AT gear like the M40x, E40, LS70 and MSR7.
Although the MSR7 is a great pair of cans, wearing them in the heat of the Australian summer can certainly strain the relationship.
So, off I went to Sydney's premiere headphone store, Minidisc, in search of something more portable, and hopefully, a bit cooler on the ears.
I tried the Etymotic ER3 and the ATH-LS200. Both sounded muffled and congested with little to no sparkle in the top end (yes, the MSR7 does ruin everything else for you). I was about to buy the ATH-M60X when I remembered the F9 Pro. I had a quick listen and, well, they live in my house now.
They are like mini MSR7s with very similar signature.



Packaging (AKA: Look at all those goodies!)

Inside the box you get 4 different kinds of tips, each with 3 pairs (S/M/L).
These are tip for enhancing voice, balance, bass and foam tips that reduce treble and enhance bass.
The changes are subtle but noticeable.
Perhaps I have freakishly large earholes, but most tips are way too small for me, except for the large bass ones.
Also in the box, you get two carry cases. A soft fabric pouch and a hard, waterproof plastic case for when you take your F9 Pros scuba diving with you, I suppose.
Inside the soft pouch you'll find two MMCX cables. One standard 3.5mm cable with a remote control and the word "Pro" written on it, in case you forget which F9 version you bought, and a braided balanced one.
Also, if you look carefully, you’ll find the actual IEMs sitting snuggly in a foam block. Remember not to throw these away as you might need them later on.



Physical Attributes (AKA: There's a metal alien bug in my ear and I'm cool with it)

The F9 Pros a completely made of aluminium with decorative ripples across the body of the IEM. It feels sturdy and it's all finished with a very high degree of polish. The metal grey colour looks elegant and serious, never betraying the fact that you're a middle aged man listening to Kyary Pamyu Pamyu.

These guys are tiny. Pictures don't give you the sense of scale. Sure, they are no Etymotics, but compared to my ATH-E40, these are practically microscopic, and with small size comes comfort. Oh, these boys are comfy!
I have worn them all day at work without the slightest hint of heat or discomfort. Even the dreaded over-ear wire didn't bother me.



Sound impressions (AKA: How much room is inside these thing?!)

I’m not going to give you a detailed breakdown of frequencies such as treble, bass, etc... because it means little to me. I’ll instead describe what I hear.
The first thing to hit me was the soundstage, it's bloody massive! There's a real sense of positioning and scale unlike any other IEM I've heard (mind you, I'm no expert). I had no idea an IEM could create such an expansive soundstage, not at this price anyway.

But what about the sound?
It’s an MSR7. That's about it.
Oh, you haven't heard the MSR7?
Well, it's bright and detailed with none of that mid bass hump that most consumer headphones have these days, and this is what the F9 Pro sounds like.
Voices, instruments and positioning is very easy to determine and it all sounds pretty natural to me with a real sense of air and presence.
Okay, maybe the mids are recessed, it's not as forward as the MSR7, but they do sound more natural. Unfortunately the sense of distance works against the F9 Pro when used in public as the voices seem to get lost.
There's no bass bleed in or distortion. Although it may appear bass light on your first hearing, bass can go pretty punchy and deep.
My only issue is the intensity of the treble. Depending on the tips you're using, It can pick up sibilance on badly recorded audio, like the MSR7, but harsher and more piercing. With the Bass and stock tips, it can be quite uncomfortable.
It doesn't happen all the time but if you're sensitive to sibilance, you can try the included clear silicon (vocal enhancement) or foam tips which tone down the highs a bit and brings more thump to the bass.
Another option is to get Comply T500 tips which get rid of sibilance completely. You do lose some sparkle though, but mind over matter. If you don't mind, then it doesn't matter.



Final thoughts

Is it perfect? Of course not. The treble is hot, most of the tips will get no use and some will want more bass, but then again, is there a perfect IEM?
What the F9 Pro is though, it's amazing value. It blew away some IEMs twice its price with its clarity and soundstage. At no point was I left wanting for something more. Your mileage may vary of course, but the next time you are IEM shopping, give the F9 Pro a listen, you may be surprised.

Having use the Fiio F9 pro for almost a year, and having to return it for repair 3 times already,twice for the earpiece cracking open, and once for a gaulty driver, I have to say that i cannot recommend this iem to any who expect a quality headphone woth solid build quality.

If i am to rate this iem by its sound quality alone, a solid 4 out of 5 star

F9 Pro Specs

• Headphone type: Hybrid IEM
• Frequency response: 15Hz-40kHz
• Drive type: 1 dynamic + dual balanced armature drivers (Knowles)
• Impedance: 28Ω
• Sensitivity: 106dB/mW
• Cable design: Detachable with standard MMCX connectors
• Cables: (2) - 1.2m 2.5mm Balanced + 1.2m 3.5mm Single Ended
• Jacks: 2.5mm TRRS right-angled gold-plated / 3.5mm right angled gold-plated
• Weight: approx 21g
• Casing: Anodised CNC aluminium alloy

Introduction:
If you are reading this after owning FiiO FH1 and considering an upgrade, please feel free to keep on reading.
If you are considering this is as a first start, I would like to suggest having a look at my review on FH1 first: https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/fiio-fh1-dual-hybrid-iem.22884/reviews
To quickly remind my background:
I have been into music world for about 15 years. At first I picked up mostly pop, and that was during the golden era of boy-bands like: NSynce, Boyzone, Backstreet boys, Westlife, the Moffatts,… you name them. After one or 2 years later I was so much into Hip-hop, RnB. Later on, high-school, I started playing the guitar in order to impress a girl in class. Since then, I was so much into Metal music, I did play in a local band and we covered bands like: As I lay dying, Parkway Drive, August Burns Red, Metallica, … as well as writing our own songs. As for my main job, I studied mecha-tronics, which part of it is electronics, therefore, I have quite amount of knowledge about electronic signals.
So, my point is that, I have been listening to a wide variety of music, a kind of a play-for-fun musician, and electronics engineer, I hope my review will somewhat make sense to you.
Before I start, please be aware that I believe most headphones reviews are subjective because the ability to sense the music is different from people to people. Believe me, I have a friend who cannot tell the different between $2 and $1000 headphones while listening to them. Even, when you are using the same headphones, the bass will sound different between having the ear-tips well-fitted or loose in your ears. You can try that by yourself and will realize the different right away.

Equipments
-Player: PC, Xiaomi A1 with USB Audio Player Pro
-DAC: FiiO Q1 Mark II
-Amp: FiiO A3
-IEMs: FiiO FH1, F9 Pro (With RC-MMCXB cable), KZ ZST (With KZ upgrade cable), KZ ZS10 (With KZ Upgrade cable)
-Eartips: acoustune aet08, spinfit cp240 twin blade
-Cable: FiiO L17 to connect DAC and AMP
-iFi ear buddy

Album
-2002 - Aerosmith - O, Yeah! Ultimate Aerosmith Hits [SACD DSF]
-Eluveitie - Evocation II - Pantheon (2017) Hi-Res 24 bit
-Dire Straits - Brothers In Arms (1985) 2014 SHM-SACD-DFF
-Parkway Drive - Reverence (2018) [24bit Hi-Res]
-Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory [24bit Hi-Res]
- Nightwish - Decades (2018) [24bit Hi-Res]

Package, Accessories, Design and build quality
Thanks to previous reviewers, you can pretty much see what is inside the package.
For aesthetic purpose, I think the cable is a bit boring with the black color. The RC-MMCXB with transparent color is more awesome in my opinion (But of course no complain about it because black will suit most people)

Fit, Isolation, and comfort
F9 Pro size is very similar to FH1 (Which is good in terms of Fit, Isolation and comfort).
You can have a look at my review for FH1 in terms of Fit, Isolation and Comfort.
In conclusion, similar to FH1, F9 Pro is a very comfortable piece of iem, especially for those who wants to sleep with them on.

Sound
I will compare F9 Pro with FH1, as I already confirmed in the FH1 review, FH1 is a very standard piece of earphones to start your audiophile path. Therefore, I will use FH1 as a baseline.
First of all, please have a look at the graph below:



Sub bass (20-60Hz): The deep bass produced in this range is usually felt more than it is heard, providing a sense of power. Many instruments struggle to enter this frequency range, with the exception of a few bass heavy instruments. However, both FH1 and F9 Pro can handle well. But, between the 2, FH1 is the winner with deeper bass. Just play any rock song, I did the test with Linkin Park - Point of Authority (Hybrid Theory album), you can feel the rumble, the depth of the sub-bass on FH1 very clearly. Not that F9 Pro cannot rumble but it is a bit dampened. This test is proved to be true by looking at the graph above, FH1 sub-bass average around 120 dB (while F9 Pro around 108 dB). You can feel and hear the "uuuw" (boomy) sound with FH1 very clearly.
Bass (60-250Hz): The bass range determines how fat or thin the sound is. The fundamental notes of rhythm are centered on this area. The frequencies around 250 Hz can add a feeling of warmth to the bass without loss of definition. Again, FH1 still feel more punching than F9 Pro as well. This also stated in the graph.
Low Mid (250-500Hz): The low midrange contains the low order harmonics of most instruments and is generally viewed as the bass presence range. Boosting a signal around 300 Hz adds clarity to the bass and lower-stringed instruments. Too much boost around 500 Hz can make higher-frequency instruments sound muffled. Fortunately, both FH1 and F9 Pro does not have this matter, with all the Linkin Park's songs, I can hear very well the Bass (Guitar bass and snare) and Low Mid (Guitar Riff).
But, the strength of punching sound of FH1 is also the weakness here. There is no smooth transition between bass and mid in FH1. While F9 Pro totally fixes this matter. Together with the guitar riff, F9 Pro makes it sound smoother and more natural. Just pick any song of Nightwish, you can understand what I am talking about, the guitar riffs sound very smooth, clean, clear and natural. For this range, F9 Pro is the winner.
Mid Range (500-2k Hz): determines how prominent an instrument is in the mix. Boosting around 1000 Hz can give instruments a horn like quality. Excess output at this range can sound tinny and may cause ear fatigue. If boosting in this area, be very cautious, especially on vocals. The ear is particularly sensitive to how the human voice sounds and its frequency coverage. I think we have a draw here, both are very warm and very comfortable to hear, vocals and instruments are clear, not mixing with each other.
In my review for FH1, I did say try the song Mama Kin of Aerosmith, around 2:30, you will hear a series of pattern, end of each patterns there will be a “crash cymbal” sound. you can hear the details of the crash cymbal on FH1. And on F9 Pro, you can hear as well, and you can hear the upper mid range of the crash cymbal which I will talk more below in upper range.
Again, the graph shape of FH1 and F9 Pro are similar. You can see the drop in dB at 1k Hz, this avoid the horn like as mentioned above.
Upper Range (2k-4k Hz): Human hearing is extremely sensitive at the high midrange frequencies, with the slightest boost around here resulting in a huge change in the sound timbre. The high midrange is responsible for the attack on percussive and rhythm instruments. If boosted, this range can add presence. However, too much boost around the 3 kHz range can cause listening fatigue.
I did mentioned try the song Mama Kin of Aerosmith, around 2:30, you will hear a series of pattern, end of each patterns there will be a “crash cymbal” sound. When you hear the crash cymbal, with FH1, you count 1..2... then the sound dampened. But with F9 pro, you can count up to 1..2..3..4 --> This prove that F9 Pro has more depth in the the high side (I believe this is the benefit of 1 more Armature driver)
The same for both FH1 and F9 Pro, there is a drop in dB at 3kHz to avoid fatique --> Very well tune FiiO.
Presence(4k-6k Hz): The presence range is responsible for clarity and definition of a sound. It is the range at which most home stereos center their treble control on. Over-boosting can cause an irritating, harsh sound. Cutting in this range makes the sound more distant and transparent.
We see a little boost at the middle of this range for both FH1, F9 Pro. The boost is very nice, helping the vocals to be a bit closer, creates the presence, makes you feel like the singers are next to you. And the boost is very dedicated that did not make the sound too harsh.
Also, if you read my review for FH1, I did complain about the "not so impressive" soundstage because FH1 is a bit bass-oriented. But please remember when you go to a live concert, how is the set up? Normally drummer will be the furthest, then the guitars (keyboards, flute,... if available), then vocal is the closest. Therefore, if any system can create this setup will create the best soundstage to you. In FH1, it feels strange because makes you feel like you are sitting next to the drummer, you can see on the graph presence (vocal) at about 110dB but the sub-bass (kick drum) is peak at 118 dB. However, F9 Pro fixed this by damping the low side, pushing the drum a bit further (smaller), therefore, create a better soundstage.
Playing the songs Nightwish - Wish I Had An Angel (Remastered). At the intro, I can hear the high voice, the presence is better than FH1.
So, F9 Pro is the winner at this range.
Brilliance (6k-20k Hz): The brilliance range is composed entirely of harmonics and is responsible for sparkle and air of a sound. Boost around 12 kHz make a recording sound more Hi Fi. Be cautious over boosting in this region as it can accentuate hiss or cause ear fatigue.
I think this is where FiiO made mistake with the boost at 12kHz. Looking at FH1 graph, it is going down at 12kHz, while F9 Pro push it up. So, if you have read all the reviews before me for F9 Pro, all complained that the treble is hot, some feel fatique after listening for a long time. This is the culprit...
Ultra-High (20k-40k Hz): I must admit that this range is out of human ability to hear. However, both show the same shape in the graph so they should be similar.



Verdict
If this is your first earphones, highly suggested, the sound is a bit on the high side, but this helps to imitate the setup of a band which creates more soundstage. If your gear can boost the bass, F9 Pro will become a beast.
If you are looking for an upgrade from 1 driver, or hybrid 1 + 1 driver, also highly recommend. F9 Pro creates more soundstage, shows more details on the high side but not losing too much on the low side. However, the boost at 12kHz is a small downside which causes fatique to some listeners (Some said they don't have this matter though, so it is different from songs to songs and/or from people to people)
FH5 has just released, some already got their hands on it and said it is the middle of FH1 and F9 Pro. I do expect that from FiiO as well. Since FH5 uses the same big size of Dynamic driver with FH1 the bass should be great, and with the turbo design and more Armature Driver, I expect more details on the high side with more soundstage, and hopefully they are not pushing to much around 12kHz again.
I will make the review for FH5 as soon as I get them in the "World review tour".

Comparison:
-With KZ ZS10:
Even though ZS10 has more drivers, but this is the case where "less is more". For a quick overview, bass of KZ ZS10 is more soft and shallow, I feel no transition between the sub bass and bass (While F9 Pro has a nice transition between the different range). Bass of ZS10 less punchy as well.
ZS10 creates more soundstage by pushing everything far away from you. However, it is kind of backfire, I do not feel the ambient warm sound like F9 Pro. ZS10 sounds colder and thinner.
As for the treble, KZ is way behind FiiO. Between FH1 and F9 Pro, F9 Pro is the winner with more details and depth. However, ZS10 is behind FH1, therefore, way behind F9 Pro for this range. I have proof. Try the example above with the song Mama Kin of Aerosmith, around 2:30. If with FH1, the crash cymbal is like 1..2.., F9 Pro is like 1..2..3..4, then ZS10 is like ..2..2.5.. (If you see what I meant)
Anyway, the soundstage of ZS10 is quite fun, just to say, and the price is cheap.