Musical Flower Atmosphere – Rose Technics QT9 MK3 IEMs
Roselsea Rose Technics QT9 MK3 is a $159 USD pair of IEMS or In-Ear Monitors with one dynamic driver and 4 balanced armatures at the core. Today we will review the QT-9 mk 3 and see where it stands in today’s market of earphones.
Introduction
Roselsea Rose Technics is one of the more popular Chifi manufacturers, they are known for their exceptional packages, including DAC/AMPs with their IEMS, and the QT-X we’ve reviewed recently has been one of the most popular Chifi IEMs reviews we’ve published. You can purchase Rose Technics IEMs from their website, Aliexpress and Amazon, as the company is doing a dedicated effort to widen the distribution and sales channels for their products.
As an Amazon Influencer, I earn from qualifying purchases, and using the purchase links in my reviews helps me maintain this website and Youtube Channel. Huge thanks to Roselsea Rose Technics for providing us with the sample for this review.
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/3Zo1s3W
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_oELMKrk
Build Quality / Aesthetics
I rarely complain about a product in this region of the review, but the official renders of the QT9 MK3 show them with a completely different cable, and an MMCX connector while the product itself has 2-Pin connectors (superior), and a texture covered cable (different) from the images you can find on the rose technics website.
At the core of the IEMS, we have one large 10mm dynamic driver, and 4 balanced armatures producing the sound. QT-9 mk3 has an impedance of 18 OHMs, SPL of 104dB and it is one of the lightest IEMs out there, with an OCC single crystal copper cable. Something about the name, I feel it would be important to always use the same name, on all websites the name is QT9 MK3, while on the IEMs, the name is QT-9MK3. IF you can, order the 2-Pin version, that connector is superior and resists better to wear and tear.
Fit / Subjective Usage
Rose Technics QT-9 MK3 is one of the few IEMS where I felt the need to tip roll, and I could not feel like I have a secured fit with the default eartips. In fact, I would say that even with ddHiFi ST-35, my fit is not perfect, QT-9 mk3 has a really loose, relaxed fit, to the point where it feels like they are going to fall out, despite being there in my ears. If there is a pair of IEMs that feels like you’re not wearing anything, QT-9 mk3 is that pair, if you get them you have to get ready to never feel that you’re wearing something. Eventually, I understood that QT9mkiii is made to be used with a shallow fit, which my ears do not work so well with.
Passive noise isolation is low, at around 10 dB of passive noise isolation, but leakage is very low as well. QT9 mk-3 has a nice, flexible cable, but it does not feel very well made and it is single ended 3.5mm only, not modular. This means that you will not be able to use them with balanced players, unless you change the cable, which is easy to do as they use a standard 2-Pin connector on the IEM side.
There’s a DAC/AMP included in the package, the Rose Technics RZ200-m, which has a quality and synergy that is actually better than most sources will have with the QT9mk3, except for Rose technics RT-5000 which sounds even better driving them.
Sound Quality
Pairings – To test the Rose Technics QT9 MK3, I have paired it with a selection of sources, including Rose Technics RT-5000, Dethonray Listening M1, Dethonray Clarinet, iBasso DX340, Lotoo PAW GT2, and Singxer SA-1 V2 driven by HIFIMAN EF500. Generally, QT9 MK3 has a worse synergy with most sources than it has with its own dongle, the RZ200-m, and at the same time it does not like high gain on sources, but also can be too vague in low gain, so the spot of voltage / power where it sounds best is narrow, best sound can be achieved with the RZ-200m. QT9 mk3 is slightly sensitive to source noise, and very easy to drive. I feel that the reason it does not work well with most sources is most likely the impedance / SPL it has, and there’s a chance it has an impedance curve that RZ200-m matches perfectly.
Overall Signature – If you ever hear someone say that you have to subjectively like something to make a good review, they really don’t know what they’re talking about, because QT-9 MK3 has a signature different from what I typically seek. It is atmospheric, wide, a bit scattered and vague, but with a rather powerful sub-bass to enhance the atmospheric feeling of the IEMS. The midrange in particular is so darn wide that I had to adjust around 30 minutes to the sound to make sure that fit was correct, they just feel open, as if listening to speakers, very different from all IEMs I reviewed in general. Being an outlier is great if you find the public for it, but it also sounds best at quiet volumes, transforming most songs like the unplugged version, which is a strongly acquired taste.
Bass – Bass reach in the sub-lows is good, QT9 mark 3 reaches levels only seen before with pricier IEMS, they touchdown on 40 Hz below which they roll-off. Bass is slow, sluggy, sloppy and satisfying, with an extremely long decay, warm tuning, and it fills in the huge space that QT9 creates. Quite a unique presentation, with enough bass to not just be atmospheric and bright, it is balanced in tonality.
Midrange – Mids are dominated by a rather wide, somewhat vague voicing. In fact, the tonality is very natural, but as sound scatters a lot in the lateral field, it feels a bit vague, which works extremely well for classical, orchestral and EDM music, but voices feel quite distant and music is not engaging, but instead it is laid back and relaxed.
Treble – Top-End extension is rather bright, with presence up to 16 kHz, and a peaking range between 9 kHz and 15 kHz, a lot of air and a top-end shimmer. This being said, texture of the treble is so incredibly smooth and clean that QT-9 mk3 never feels bright, sharp, or fatiguing, but instead this whole treble builds to the atmospheric, airy sound they have.m
PRaT / Textures / Dynamic – Despite sounding a bit vague in the instrument definition, resolution and clarity is exceptional for the QT9 mk3, it reveals information where you did not know existed, especially as it creates so much space between instruments to allow for this information to be revealed. Generally, it is perfect for all music styles, it is incredibly detailed and crisp. Textures are unique to say the least, they have a strong attack, but gentle slow and long decay, creating the initial impression of texture information nicely, but prolonging it with a relaxed tail, it leads to a fatigue-free sound and relaxed presentation that actually feels detailed.
Volume Control – Rose Technics QT-9 mk3 sounds best at low and medium volumes and will distort easily at high and very high volumes, it is designed to be quiet, atmospheric, revealing all detail and information at the lower sound pressure levels.
Soundstage – This is the most definite characteristic of the QT9 mk3, it sounds incredibly wide, holographic, a bit scattered, it pushes all sounds, including special effects, voices and even drops widely in the lateral plane, there is almost no presence in the central / close field of the sound, it feels like there is a diffuser inside, although actual information is revealed nicely. Layering is not strong, and QT9 mk-3 will generally just blend instruments together, although as you can imagine, it has insane imaging and stereo width.
Value and Conclusion
The value of the Roselsea Rose Technics QT-9 mk3 is very good. They come with a transport case, DAC/AMP included, but the 3.5mm single ended cable is not the most trusty, and tip rolling may be needed for some users, and at the 159 USD price you can purchase it for right now, it is above what the market usually offers, provided you like this kind of atmospheric sound.
At the end of the day, Roselsea always tends to cover outlier signatures with their IEMS and products, and QT9 MK3 is an atmospheric, very comfortable pair of earphones, it is not necessarily the most versatile, but it is magically wide and blends instruments organically, creates a sound that expands endlessly in all directions, and it is a pair you have to hear to really understand.
PROs
- Really lightweight and comfortable, you barely know you’re wearing them
- Stealthy design, with a textile covered cable
- Comes with a DAC/AMP in the package
- Solid transport case
- Holographic, atmospheric, wide sound
- Good technicalities
- Resolution is great too
Cons
- Unusual signature made me do a lot of tip rolling to understand where the sound is
- Outlier atmospheric sound can take a while to get used to.
- Distortion at high volumes
- Fitting is not very secure
- Lean midrange
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/3Zo1s3W
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_oELMKrk
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Full Playlist used for this review
We listened to more songs than those named in this playlist, but those are excellent for identifying a sonic signature. I recommend trying most of the songs from this playlist, especially if you’re searching for new music! The playlists are different for Spotify, Tidal and Youtube, and based on the songs I enjoy and are available on each!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_cjBXGmwSHSdGcwuc_bKbBDGHL4QvYBu
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5J3oloz8Riy9LxEGenOjQ0?si=979ba4f082414be7
https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/330fd544-8e5b-4839-bd35-676b2edbb3d5
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