In FiiO, we decided to make it the 2017th year of a confident entry into the IEM market. Starting with a good model F5, they continued with another successful hybrid version in the face of F9, expanding it immediately to three modifications. The usual version of the F9 I've already described, the F9SE does not differ from it except the cable, but we'll talk about the F9 Pro today.
The main feature that set in the way of F9 to "world domination" was a clearly pronounced peak on the HF in the region of 7 kHz and, depending on the personal preferences of listeners, the reviews on the headphones ranged from "masterpiece" to "horror". Traditionally, the voices of people who confuse "I do not like me" and "do not like anyone" sounded louder than others, but to learn how to filter out those who want to give a subjective opinion for the truth in the last resort is the key to successfully collecting information on the Web.
In FiiO decided that the peak on the HF can be smoothed out, and in general - there are not many hybrid headphones, so the F9 Pro appeared, the main difference being the use of, perhaps, the most famous reinforcing "pairing" Knowles TWFK, which gave a sound change on the top half frequency response. Also, the package of supplies was improved, and the price list grew to about $ 140. What this gave the average listener - we now try to understand.
Specifications
- Emitters: dynamic + 2 × with balanced armature (Knowles TWFK-30017)
- Frequency range: 15 Hz to 40 kHz
- Sensitivity: 106 dB / mW
- Impedance: 28Ω
- Maximum input power: 100 mW
- Cable: 2 × 1.2 m, interchangeable with MMCX connectors
- Plug: 3.5 mm TRRS, 2.5 mm TRRS balanced
- Weight: 3.76 g (1 earphone, no wire)
Packing and delivery kit
Externally, the box is almost the same as the previous F9 model, and it differs from other FiiO products a little: an outer box of black cardboard sealed in plastic, another one is also made of cardboard, but more dense. The headphones themselves are fixed in an insert of soft material, which protects them from any damage. A set of accessories also pleases, except for the F9 in the box are:
- plastic storage box
- comfortable soft stitch on the snake for quick reeling of headphones
- 3 sets of three pairs of silicone tips
- three pairs of foam nozzles
- balanced wire with 2.5 mm plug
- "Garniturny" wire with a three-button remote control
Here you can make two observations. The first - the nozzles here are not spared, in theory they should influence the sound, but in practice the difference is rather weak (although not zero). Secondly, FiiO pushes the users to the balance output with all their might, and, since now the two most successful companies of the portable audio market (FiiO and A & K) do it, I think we can consider the 4-pin 2.5 mm plug as the winning format.
Design and comfortable wearing
The look is expected to remain unchanged compared to the usual version of the F9, the same metallic oval case with a stylish undulating pattern, the same ergonomic shape that sits perfectly in almost any ears. The level of performance is also very good, no obvious blemishes are observed.
The headphones are designed for breezing, and putting them down with wire will be problematic. Sound insulation at a typical level for this form factor, in other words - for street or public transport it will be enough, but in the metro or airplane the noise will already be in the way.
FiiO took into account the complaint for the first revision of F9, which consisted in the fact that their cable is very difficult to disconnect (usually with Chinese headphones, the complaints are that the cable is disconnected too easily), so they changed the MMCX-connectors of the complete wires, making them slightly larger and adding "notches" that improve grip. In this situation it really helped, and the cable now disconnects much more easily, but, naturally, only if you make an effort. The connectors here are rather tight, and if you do not loosen them on purpose, spontaneous disconnections can hardly be expected. Also, the angle of the output of the wires from the headphone housing was changed, which improved the fixation of the cable behind the ear. These changes received not only the Pro version, but also new revisions of the usual F9.
The complete wires are traditionally two pieces. Garniturny - the simplest, but reliable, it has a good thickness, the hardness of the cold is small, the microphone effect is poorly expressed. The headset is three-button, which will please owners of fresh players FiiO, who can work with all buttons, the quality of the microphone - slightly better than average.
But, of course, the basic complete wire is balanced. It is soft, twisted, very easy to use. The plug was changed from straight to angled, which should benefit the longevity of both the cable itself and the jack of your player.
Sound
The following equipment was used for listening.
- Yulong DA9 and Resonessence Labs Concero HP as DAC and Amplifier
- Apple MacBook Pro Retina 2016 as a source
- Fidelia as a player
- Lotoo PAW Gold, theBit OPUS # 2 and iBasso DX200 and others as portable players
- High Definition Records in Lossless-formats (Dr. Chesky The Ultimate Headphone Demonstration Disc and others)
Before listening to the headphones were warmed for 48 hours.
I, perhaps, to begin with I'll tell you about the perception of the F9 Pro sound "in general", and then I'll write what I think about them about the "usual" version.
The bass "probyk" is quite fast, a little underlined-percussive with a slight accent of elasticity and bend, which adds spectacularity, especially to LF-oriented styles. Texture and separation of tools - at a good level for its price, the depth also does not cause any criticism, LFs are very linear, without strong failures and uplifts.
Since the AFC of the headphones retained the same small V-shape, the lower midrange is slightly lowered relative to the midbass, but the difference is only about 10 dB and is compensated by the uneven perception of the sound by the ear, so talking about "flavor feed" or "mid-range" will be sheer stupidity. In character, these are typical good reinforcing bars with an emphasis on the upper middle: neutral, detailed, with slightly boosted attacks and pleasant underlining of emotions of high voices. The imaginary scene is slightly larger than the average in width and depth, with a clear separation of plans and instruments.
HF is still accented, and, as with the usual F9, this will be the main stumbling block. For me, say, the FH RF did not pass the threshold permissible, unless, of course, I chose a very bright source and a frankly poor-quality record; on the contrary, the peak on the HF often added airiness and lightness to many compositions. The displacement of this peak and the reduction of its sharpness, to my ears, further improved the situation, the HF sounded more natural and comfortable, although still not typical for expensive models of splitting tools and working out fading. Just in case, I repeat the obvious idea - I'm now talking about my personal perception of the sound, which may not coincide with yours, so if you are sensitive to the HF region - listen to the headphones before buying.
If we talk about comparing the usual version and F9Pro, you need to make a small digression.
The world of audio (including portable) saw different cranks, one of the most interesting varieties of which are "listeners of graphs" - users who like to draw conclusions about the sound of headphones by measuring, covering up with "objectivity". Especially funny are those who rely only on one graph of frequency response. Certainly, the graphs and measurements are important, but, firstly, the frequency response alone is clearly not enough for conclusions, and secondly, personal listening will not replace anything anyway, because our hearing aid is still subjective. Do not assimilate the same patrician Vetinari, who enjoyed the music "in perfect form" - reading music sheets.
F9Pro is a good demonstration of the fact that you can not draw conclusions on one. Judging from the measurements, the difference between the usual and the Pro version is minimal, below 1 kHz, their graphics are generally identical (however, they have the same speaker, so it's not surprising). Above 1000 Hz, the difference is also not cardinal, Pro has a slightly higher region of 2-4 kHz, and the peak at HF became smaller and shifted by the AFC a little higher (from 7 to 8 kHz), plus a bit better the RF above 10 kHz, The sound should be almost identical, but in fact the difference is still noticeable.
If we compare two variants of FiiO hybrids, then the changed emphasis on high-frequency and high-frequency allowed better opening of the bass, it became slightly drier and more shock. The midrange sounds a bit more physique and are slightly less critical to the quality of the recording, and the RFs have become more comfortable and natural.
Naturally, in this price range there are other good models.
Ostry KC09 . Perhaps, the most "universal" sound model, which I most courageously recommend would be taken without wiretapping. They do not have a pronounced wow effect, but they play out on a confidently qualitative level. A slightly darkened filing with the smoothed HF makes them a good choice for poorly recorded music with a surplus of "tops". Compared to F9 Pro, their feed is slightly smoothed and darkened.
MEE Audio Pinnacle P1 . F9 Pro are a small step from the usual F9 in the direction of "pinnacles". P1 have a very characteristic sound with an unusual length of HF-range, and slightly raised above 10 kHz F9 Pro HF and make their sound closer to P1. In general, the MEEAudio model is more linear in its filing and has a less pronounced V-curve.
Meze 12 Classics . A good example of a successful dynamic model with a comfortable, not very bright presentation. There, of course, there is no permission and working out the scene of the F9 Pro, but the HF sounds softer, and the bass is slightly more weighty.
Simgot EN700 Pro . Another fairly fresh and interesting player in this price range. According to the "common perception" of the lower half of the "seven hundred" range, they are similar in many respects to the F9 Pro-version, but on the HF and HF it becomes clear that the hybrids for this site still have a reinforcement driver offering better detail and a cooler, .
Compatibility
In general, the headphones can be listened to with different smartphones and other simple sources, the headset wire is put in the kit for good reason, but still they are best combined with the players of the initial and middle price range, especially the successful variants in my hearing are the FiiO X5-3 and Lotoo Paw 5000 Mk II.
Genrefully, these IEM as a whole are universal, for my taste, you can listen to anything, but sensitive to HF people still should avoid aggressive or poorly recorded music. Sensitivity to the quality of the record, I would have estimated somewhere around 7 points out of 10.
Traditional sample tracks
Duke Ellington & John Coltrane - In a Sentimental Mood . And one more masterpiece in a treasury of magnificent collaborations of musicians, which are icons of the genre. Beautiful, minimal in form, but stunning in the depth of a thing, played on that cosmically impeccable level that distinguishes jazz performers with a world-wide name. F9Pro plays this composition is not flawless (after all you need something of a top level on the HF), but it's very exciting - with air, with pleasant corporeality of instruments, you can say with a soul.
Supertramp - The Logical Song . The main hit of the band Supertramp, which reached the maximum (for them) success in the charts on both sides of the Atlantic. The catchy melody, the chic solo on the trumpet in the middle, the fine work of the sound engineers - that's far from a complete list of the merits of this track. The heroes of this review play it strictly as it should - with an impressive density on the drums, with pure and detailed midrange, with beautiful surround stereo effects, which are so rich in composition.
Amy Winehouse - Rehab . In the work of this brilliant and early-departed singer, there are plenty of hits, but, perhaps, Rehab is best suited to serve "proschek". A sure foundation of percussion, on top of which a bizarre construction of instruments and emotional vocals is being constructed - what good are the hybrid headphones and the updated F9 exceptions are not.
conclusions
One of the main questions for many readers of the review is "do I need to upgrade the F9 to the Pro version?". If you already have regular nines and their sound suits you, then the answer is no. A cardinal breakthrough in the sound clearly will not be, the Pro-version in this case is rather an evolutionary improvement. If you are only going to buy headphones and consider F9 as one of the options, then I would advise you to pay a little, an extended package and a "refined" feed make the already good F9 Pro even better.
The article is based on materials .
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