FiiO - FH9

Never really understood this premise. I have both and use them differently (and the IEMs aren't just for travel). I love the FiiO FH9 and it gives my Verite Open and DCA E3 headphones a run for their money. But there are times when I don't want something in my ear canal for 7 hours a day or want the less intimate presentation that a headphone gives. Other days I go back to the FH9. And I use Westone Mach 60 which I find the most comfortable IEM that I've used to travel around campus where I work.

I was in exactly the same e-earphones about a month ago, ready to buy something nice. I sat down with fiio fh9, moondrop variations, letshuoer ej07m, final something or other, and something else I can’t remember the name of now, along with my trusty fiio fh5 as reference. As you get more expensive they all get very specific. They all sounded pretty different to each other, all good but different. Before trying them and just from reading reviews I was convinced I was going to be walking out with the fh9. I really didn’t like them in the end. Came home with the ej07m instead. They’re definitely a set up over my fh5. Are they twice as good? Nope. Find a sound you like, try and find what you like that matches that in your price range. And all the better if you go somewhere like e-earphones and try them out. It’s hard!

Bro I have the fiio fh9 +Qudelix-5k +btr17 you said there is enough bass, unfortunately it seems flat to me but detailed anemic bass fits me perfectly, what am I doing wrong? 🤔

>If you want good soundstage, use open back headphones or... Open-back iems also offer a bit wider soundstage. I've tried my friend's Fiio FH9 with such construction and definitely found the soundstage to be better than my zero 2. I agree with your other words in general. Well, I'd aim for wired headphones such as Fiio JT1 as they're both good for gaming and enjoying music.

Fiio is always going to be a hit or miss, most of the time being a miss, but I love the fd15, fh9 and my first set, the fh3.

After years of AirPod Pro + iPhone, I modded an old iPod Gen 5.5 and added a mid-tier FiiO FH9 IEM. It sounded good, not great. I then upgraded to a modern DAP (Cayin 7+) and the FH9 now sounds excellent. But still have/had "the itch" for more and ordered a 64 Audio custom A18T (still waiting on delivery). As a hobbiest of many things for years (and/but new to audiophile hobbying) it is hard to identify what exactly satiates me to walk away from GAS for a while, if not forever. But it generally revolves around my finally acquiring what I perceive would be my end-game item. I now try to get to end-game more directly. The fact you are considering a mid-tier IEM, you will eventually get it, so just save up and make it your next purchase. The researching and studying your choice is half the fun. It is easy for those that have already spent the money and acquired their end-game to advise to not go down that path. My advice is just make that path shorter. I really don't regret any of my end-game purchases made over the years across my various hobbies. Just ensure you do copious amounts of research and assessing in advance to make the right choice once. Flipping in any hobby usually ends up being very costly and I find to be a real PITA.