i've had my e888s for about 3 days now. they spent the 1st 12 hours burning in using a future sound of london cd at a mid to high volume.
i tested them using my d777 headphone jack (player volume to 7 and attenuated with the remote), and the d777 line out -> fostex mixer's headphone out (it has a clean sounding powerful amp in it). test discs were john williams classical guitar music and stereolab's "sound dust" cd, and dead can dance's "spiritchaser", at home and on the bus.
they have a sound similar to my cd1700, meaning not bright, but extremely detailed and warm. they are "listen for hours" type of phones for their extremely smooth presentation. they don't come close to the silky mids & highs of the cd1700, but make a nice companion phone to them. that have that "small" sound of most earbuds, but with great imaging, almost on par with my v6 cans. the bass is strong, especially using the fostex amp. the bass also reminds me of my v6 is it's accuracy, but without the impact or depth. the mids on the e888 are wonderful, but in comparison to the cd1700 the mid-high & treble have a bit more grain. like the cd1700 the e888 benefits from a better source. any dirt in the signal (like hiss or distortion) will be easily audible with these, as much as the v6. on the bus they were useless once we got up to 60 mph because they have little isolation.
the real revelation with these phones is how they handle classical music. i have never heard an earbud that i liked for classical, but the e888 is an exception. the classical guitar stuff had a very realistic, warm analog quality to it i enjoyed very much; if this is sony's "natural sound" it is great.
the build seems well thought out, with sony's trademark elegance and style. the case is great, like a giant techno-beetle, and cleverly designed to protect the 'phones and cord. they are extremely comfortable (to me anyway), and stay in my ears pretty well. they don't have the nice scent of the e848
, but have a very stylish look. they honestly don't seem all that fragile, but i have had them for anly a few days. instead of hard plastic the 'phone's body is made or hard rubber & metal, like the ex70. the cord seems well designed and doesn't tangle easily.
the e888 are great earbuds, with a sweet refined sound and enough bass to complete the sonic picture nicely. their detail and imaging are stunning. they have a bit of grain in the treble, but this is more of a problem on less than perfect recordings. their "bio-cellulose" diaphrams are similar to the cd1700, and both 'phones share that wonderful flowing midrange. i give them a "thumbs up".
Bio-cellulose diaphragms for full range sound
Sony Acoustic Twin Turbo™ circuitry
16mm speaker driver delivers deeper bass, extended treble
High power neodymium magnet
Linear-crystal OFC Class 1 cord
Silent cap to prevent sound leakage
Gold plated stereo miniplug
Carrying case
8Hz - 27kHz (yeah, right)
i tested them using my d777 headphone jack (player volume to 7 and attenuated with the remote), and the d777 line out -> fostex mixer's headphone out (it has a clean sounding powerful amp in it). test discs were john williams classical guitar music and stereolab's "sound dust" cd, and dead can dance's "spiritchaser", at home and on the bus.
they have a sound similar to my cd1700, meaning not bright, but extremely detailed and warm. they are "listen for hours" type of phones for their extremely smooth presentation. they don't come close to the silky mids & highs of the cd1700, but make a nice companion phone to them. that have that "small" sound of most earbuds, but with great imaging, almost on par with my v6 cans. the bass is strong, especially using the fostex amp. the bass also reminds me of my v6 is it's accuracy, but without the impact or depth. the mids on the e888 are wonderful, but in comparison to the cd1700 the mid-high & treble have a bit more grain. like the cd1700 the e888 benefits from a better source. any dirt in the signal (like hiss or distortion) will be easily audible with these, as much as the v6. on the bus they were useless once we got up to 60 mph because they have little isolation.
the real revelation with these phones is how they handle classical music. i have never heard an earbud that i liked for classical, but the e888 is an exception. the classical guitar stuff had a very realistic, warm analog quality to it i enjoyed very much; if this is sony's "natural sound" it is great.
the build seems well thought out, with sony's trademark elegance and style. the case is great, like a giant techno-beetle, and cleverly designed to protect the 'phones and cord. they are extremely comfortable (to me anyway), and stay in my ears pretty well. they don't have the nice scent of the e848
, but have a very stylish look. they honestly don't seem all that fragile, but i have had them for anly a few days. instead of hard plastic the 'phone's body is made or hard rubber & metal, like the ex70. the cord seems well designed and doesn't tangle easily.the e888 are great earbuds, with a sweet refined sound and enough bass to complete the sonic picture nicely. their detail and imaging are stunning. they have a bit of grain in the treble, but this is more of a problem on less than perfect recordings. their "bio-cellulose" diaphrams are similar to the cd1700, and both 'phones share that wonderful flowing midrange. i give them a "thumbs up".
Bio-cellulose diaphragms for full range sound
Sony Acoustic Twin Turbo™ circuitry
16mm speaker driver delivers deeper bass, extended treble
High power neodymium magnet
Linear-crystal OFC Class 1 cord
Silent cap to prevent sound leakage
Gold plated stereo miniplug
Carrying case
8Hz - 27kHz (yeah, right)
<--- get behind me!!
