[grumpy213]

I feel like the M9 is a safer bet. When I was at e-earphone in Tokyo, the Z1R took forever to get to fit right with its giant shells whereas the M9 was a seamless fit for me.
Once I got the Z1R to fit well, it definitely was an improvement in the bass department but the M9 was just so relaxed both in fit and in sound that I ended up with that. Would definitely recommend you go somewhere you can demo first before you buy either one however.

 

[Edric Li]

I for one never liked the Z1R at all. Not compared to the M9 or M7 or anything in particular. Just too bright. M9 is a lot more refined.

 

[r00t61]

Has anyone compared the M9 to the IER Z1R. How do they fair in the bass department against each other?

I bought a set of Z1R recently to test this very scenario:

The Z1R bass is better. If my benchmark is:

XBA-Z5 = 100
Z1R = 95
M9 = 80

The thing is, the Z1R only fit in my ear in 1 specific orientation, due to the shape of the shell. If I move too suddenly, I lose the amazing fit and then the bass sucks. That's just with hybrid tips though; apparently other people have better luck with foam. Whereas M9, it fits into my ear like a CIEM.

I'm probably going to sell the Z1R, and keep the M9. But if the Z1R fits your ears, they are definitely better than M9.

 

[Hinomotocho]

I bought a set of Z1R recently to test this very scenario:

The Z1R bass is better. If my benchmark is:

XBA-Z5 = 100
Z1R = 95
M9 = 80

The thing is, the Z1R only fit in my ear in 1 specific orientation, due to the shape of the shell. If I move too suddenly, I lose the amazing fit and then the bass sucks. That's just with hybrid tips though; apparently other people have better luck with foam. Whereas M9, it fits into my ear like a CIEM.

I'm probably going to sell the Z1R, and keep the M9. But if the Z1R fits your ears, they are definitely better than M9.

Before giving up on them you could try another cable? The hooks don't hug the ears offering a secure fit, you might have success with another cable, or as some have done, removed the ear hook cover.

 

[Vamp898]

Has anyone compared the M9 to the IER Z1R. How do they fair in the bass department against each other?

Given you use foam earpieces, they have the same amount of bass, but do sound different.

The IER-M9 is extremely fast and sterile while the IER-Z1R is more of a physical punch.

The IER-Z1R sounds much bigger, but is also slightly less controlled and a tiny bit more distrorted.

The best way i found to describe this is that the Bass of the IER-Z1R sounds very typical to the Bass of an High End Stereo System. You have a much stronger feeling of compressed air hitting your ear drum than with the IER-M9 which makes it less accurate but alos more enjoyable for most people.

For me, they are on par. Same but different. The IER-Z1R can be more fun, but especially for electronical music, i often enjoy the more faster/accurate bass of the IER-M9.

The IER-Z1R sounds big, but sometimes bigger than real life, if you understand what i try to tell^^

If you love the sound of big stereo systems, you'll love the IER-Z1R. If you love an fast, direct and accurate sound (wich the same amount of bass), you'll love the IER-M9.

If you like both, you'll love both

 

[kiling92]

Can someone suggest me a good copper cable for the M9?love the sound and it’s timbre,maybe just a bit softer on high frequencies would be better for me

 

[baskingshark]

Can someone suggest me a good copper cable for the M9?love the sound and it’s timbre,maybe just a bit softer on high frequencies would be better for me

Cables changing sound is quite a controversial topic on Headfi, haha usually this ends in a flamewar. But honestly, if you wanna save money, using eartips to shape the sound would be more cost effective than buying a brand new cable.

Consider foam tips or the Final E Black tips, which can tame the high end.

 

[kiling92]

Cables changing sound is quite a controversial topic on Headfi, haha usually this ends in a flamewar. But honestly, if you wanna save money, using eartips to shape the sound would be more cost effective than buying a brand new cable.

Consider foam tips or the Final E Black tips, which can tame the high end.

After owned the pwa Orpheus I strongly believe the cable makes the difference;simply the cost is not worthy the improvement.
And unfortunately I don’t like the final E tips;much prefer the radius deep mount (IMHO the best tips)
I think a maximum budget by 200-300€ can benefit the M9 and handle the game

 

[Vamp898]

After owned the pwa Orpheus I strongly believe the cable makes the difference;simply the cost is not worthy the improvement.
And unfortunately I don’t like the final E tips;much prefer the radius deep mount (IMHO the best tips)
I think a maximum budget by 200-300€ can benefit the M9 and handle the game

There is a common misconception about the Plug and the Cable in terms of audible difference.

The Plug can make a difference if its cheap, the cable doesn't contain even remotely enough material to make a difference. I am pretty sure you didn't switch from a thin earphone cable to a thick deep-sea cable. But the plug on the end can make quite a big difference.

The thing is, if you hear it, it means its a bad plug. That means you payed a lot for a cable that has a plug on it that is bad enough that you actually hear a difference.

But if its a good plug, its most likely your brain.

But its the same in any hobby. I know people who swear that 98 Octane from Shell gives your car a better acceleration than 98 Octane from Esso/Exxon. They can not proof it on the track but they can feel it when accelerating. When they fuel up at Shell, it pushes them harder into their seats, there is just no difference when measuring it, but you can feel it.

Its basically the same as with headphone cables. There is no difference, but you can hear it.

 

[Edric Li]

Can someone suggest me a good copper cable for the M9?love the sound and it’s timbre,maybe just a bit softer on high frequencies would be better for me

Cables changing sound is quite a controversial topic on Headfi, haha usually this ends in a flamewar. But honestly, if you wanna save money, using eartips to shape the sound would be more cost effective than buying a brand new cable.

Consider foam tips or the Final E Black tips, which can tame the high end.

I was in the same boat trying to deal with M9's treble harshness, and I second this recommendation.

 

[ducnsh]

Hmm, I do not find that highs in M9 are harsh, but if you want to reduce some highs, ear tips are better for your wallet, the cable should be the last one.

 

[WilliamBlake]

After owned the pwa Orpheus I strongly believe the cable makes the difference;simply the cost is not worthy the improvement.
And unfortunately I don’t like the final E tips;much prefer the radius deep mount (IMHO the best tips)
I think a maximum budget by 200-300€ can benefit the M9 and handle the game

So you don't own orpheus anymore? would have been interesting to hear some impressions with m9, anyway I can only support what has been written, better to invest on tips, maybe foam if you have these kind of problem, I didn't find any harshness in treble

 

[Vamp898]

Hmm, I do not find that highs in M9 are harsh, but if you want to reduce some highs, ear tips are better for your wallet, the cable should be the last one.

I had the same issue with the silicone tips but as soon i went to foam, never had this issue again.

Weird thing is, i never had issues with the IER-Z1R which has stronger treble (even in measurements).

But closed IEM are just a pain to use with silicone tips, As soon the outside temperature changes and the marginal changes inside your ear due to the temperature change appear, suddenly cause issues where no issues have been before.

I tried hard with several closed In-Ear but just gave up. IMHO closed IEM are unuseable without foam and i don't know any professional who uses them without foam on stage.

 

[DynamicEars]

Can someone suggest me a good copper cable for the M9?love the sound and it’s timbre,maybe just a bit softer on high frequencies would be better for me

Cables changing sound is quite a controversial topic on Headfi, haha usually this ends in a flamewar. But honestly, if you wanna save money, using eartips to shape the sound would be more cost effective than buying a brand new cable.

Consider foam tips or the Final E Black tips, which can tame the high end.

I kinda agree with @baskingshark maybe eartips will help you better to tame trebles if you find it too intense.
I suggest using foam to tame higher trebles 8khz or more, or small bore eartips (he mentioned about final E black tips) for tame lower treble (5-6khz).

You may want to try Sony premium foam EP-NI1000.

Pure copper cable will add more warmness and body to already warm M9, the thicker mid and upper bass eith less edgy transients but if you don't mind with that you can try pure copper cable, just buy around $100 or whatever looks sturdy, you don't need to spend much for blah blah blah cable if the material is the same, there is differences between $50 pure copper and $1000 pure copper cable, but differences are very subtle, the rest just placebo and mind game.
The default M9 cable is Silver plated copper cable btw.

 

[KipFox]

+1 for EP-NI1000 They are the best I've found after trying a few memory foam brands and all of the stock options.