There are music platforms that have Dolby Atmos mixed music, so with those services it would sound better than upmixing Spotify. Apple music, tidal, and amazon music all have Dolby Atmos content.

its probably the best no frills lossless service out there aside from Qobuz, which is not available where I'm at. I would experiment which one you like more between the two.

You need to enable Dolby Atmos to be always on in the apple music settings.

I think you can safely return or throw away the KZ if you have the Airpods lol, their tuning is atrocious

64audio is on my opinion a good step up if you're looking to upgrade. The u12t specifically was about the same size as the M9 but it was really forward sounding with amazing detail and absolutely slamming bass.

the M9 sound way more neutral than the z1r, but the z1r have more impressive concert hall type bass. Both are really good sets, but the z1r comfort is a huge turn off for me. The biggest selling point for me for the M9 was its tiny size and build quality.

I don't own much, and its all from the same brand (shameless sony fanboy), but I think I would be able to live with my M9s forever and not want anything else.

I mainly bought the IER-M9 because crin's ranking and pricing of it looked like a good deal, wonder where he will put them now

I have my KA3 and did some side by side testing with the apple dongle, I didint really feel that there was much sound quality difference when testing them side by side on the 3.5mm jack, but using KA3 through the 4.4mm balanced there definitely is an improvement.

Specifically on Led Zeppelin's black dog (celebration day), at around 30 seconds going forward, the apple dongle has no weight or punch when the low guitar and drums start hitting. On the KA3 balanced however I definitely feel actual tactile rumble and depth.

If I'm actually listening to music and focused on it, I tend to start roaming around the house or walking in one spot lol

Sony had done it before, where the NC worked with certain walkman models (digital) and Xperia phones.

As a complete package they are absolutely incredible. They do a wonderful job of eliminating that "in your head" sound that most IEMs have. Super coherent, with excellent positioning to boot (some people say that they have it the best). Warm and laid back sounding but still being able to have a little excitement to not be completely boring like the M7 (IMO)

I can only compare it to the Andromedas since Ive tried those in store as well, the M9s just have a more pleasing tonality to them.

Build quality, size, comfort, and accessories are all also very impressive. You def get your money's worth.

I'd say I've reached my peak in terms of IEMs, but can definitely improve on my source/headphones. The issue is my lifestyle involves alot of traveling so justifying spending good money on a good stationary setup is hard.

Headphones: Sony XM5, MDR-1AM2

IEM'S: IER-M9, ZSN Pro X, Fiio FF3

Portable DAC: Fiio KA3, BTR3K

TWS: Sony WF-XM3

DAP: Sony ZX300

I'd love to own the HD600 one day, with a good desk amp and DAC to go with it. I could also probably do better on the tws front.

Phenomenal honestly, I keep getting impressed with them even though I've had them for many months already. Imaging and clarity is something you'll notice right away, some even say that the imaging on the M9s is the best of most IEMs out there but I can't compare myself.

Yeah like I said, new ZX and AW models are coming soon per leaks. Both have android so might be perfect for your use case.

I use the ZX300 as my main device, but I would hold off on buying anything that's old because there's new models on the way. The smaller NW-A55 was also a neat small handheld walkman, I don't think you can go wrong with any of them if you find one for a good price.

Aw that sucks, but it seems like you can still get them!

You won't regret it!

Found this Sony Walkman stick, NWZ-B183F (lovely name as always) and wondered how it would pair with my best iem the IER M9.

Form factor is nice, it's comfortable to hold. It I was most surprised by the build. It seems to be all metal but I can't be certain, definitely cool and smooth to the touch. Unfortunately this player suffers some issues when it comes to actual music listening, there is a faint hissing in background but it may be because I am using really sensitive IEMs.

If it wasn't for the hissing, it would have been a nice player to have around while my main DAP is in for repair.