sony e888 & d777: first impressions - Page 2

nonono! you have to BUILD THEM IN THERE first!

And we're gonna need the interceptor bay upgrade, I swear...four ain't enough!!

*happily imagines it launching a bunch of miniature earbuds, and giggles*

Duncan, now I see what you're saying

The E888s are pure magic. Though not the last word in detail, or bass extension, or imaging, or anything, no other earbud (the Etymotics aren't earbuds, imo) sounds like a truly high end product. The 888s have a sparkle and a sweetness that makes me enjoy them even in the presence of Sony's V6 and the Sennheiser HD580.

I found them just a little too warm through the midrange; massed strings tended to blur into a relatively undifferentiated haze. But, oh what a sweet haze it was. The highs glitter without the least bit of harshness. The lows don't go quite low enough, and lack punch (come on, it's an earbud!!), but what bass is there is very musical. When confronted by just a few instruments, perhaps with a voice, rather than a full orchestra, the 888s never failed to impress me. Enya sounded incredible; I believe that's just the sort of music that plays to the 888's strengths. However, they were strained a bit by the climactic passages of, say, the Gladiator or Conan the Barbarian soundtracks. Only under duress is their magic revealed as a kind of illusion. They sounded passable even then, however, despite their inability to match the intricate tapestry the HD580s, for instance, weave from a full orchestra.

I really regret selling mine to joelongwood, I intend to pick up a new pair, once I can afford to. I think they may be my favorite headphone, out of a group including the V6, Grado SR325, HD580, and the Sony EX70, though at least in some cases I've lacked proper amplification to really show each unit's true colors. While not sounding as good as some of the above, the 888 had a certain charm I couldn't resist.

The EX70 isolates well, and sounds decent enough, but it is sonic trash beside the 888. By comparison it lacks refinement, and all but the merest trace of the 888's musicality. I still love the EX70, though, because it puts me in my own little world when I'm walking between classes.

Well, I can't say any bad thing about the 888, I love them. I bought my first 888 to use with my mz-r 50 and both of them sing!!
Later on, I got my hand on the 11 years old sony mdr-474(484 w/o the ceramic housing) and I like them more than the 888. The 472 feel smoother in midrange and has better low bass. The high is nice but not as good as the 888 (but very closed). I wish they make some more of this 484....well....I think I can live with the 888 just fine.
Well...what can I say the 484 are significantly better than the 888...

And, Purk, the MDR-A21/22L Vite vertical 'phones use the same design drivers as the MDR-E484s... and I have both the 21, and the 22... hehehe

I'm still gutted that i threw away my pearlescent E484s when one of the drivers blew... but, hey... such is life

This will probably get me killed in this thread, but here goes

I personally am surprised that the 888s are still marketable. It seems to me that for every "good" thing about the 888s, there are other products that best them for similar or less money. I would never buy a pair of 888s personally, for the following reasons (my opinions, remember):

1) For the same money, you can get full-sized cans that blow them away.

2) For less money ($30) you can get "portable" headphones (KSC-35) that are IMO better sounding and offer more full-range sound (and are far more comfortable).

3) For earbuds, they aren't better enough than the $15-$20 MX-500s to justify paying 3-4 times as much (and get less bass & lower mids).

I would probably even buy the EX70 over the 888s. I think the 888s are better in objective sound quality than the EX70, but the EX70 offer isolation, so there is a "niche" market for them.

I guess the one type of buyer who would truly be getting his/her money's worth from the 888s would be a person who *prefers* earbuds over headphones, doesn't need isolation, can't afford Etys, and is willing to pay 3-4 times more than the MX-500s for the modest improvement in sound. Is that a fair characterization?

Yes. but I still want a pair.

huh?!?
why, am i missing something?

....oh are you saying that the 888s deliver no bass and are expensive...?

sapphiremodena, I have said this many times in these forums...

My 888s have some low- and mid-bass response, maybe a bit too lean for some people's listening tastes. I borrowed a friend's KSC-35's a week ago... WTC? ("What's This Crap?" - not "World Trade Center"!) His pair had no mids whatsoever! The bass and treble completely overpowered whatever mids they delivered! (But then, his pair has been beaten to a bloody pulp during use over the years.)

K, I'm gonna kill you now

1) 888s are portable phones. Full-sizers aren't.
2) Like you said, IMO. I find otherwise. The KSC-35 have mids that just aren't on par with their AWESOME bass and fairly good treble - wheras the 888, in a quiet enviroment, actually goes lower than the MX500 in my experience, and has cleaner highs than the KSC-35.
3)Uh....the MX500 have COLD mids out of a portable compared to the 888s - much less enjoyable. They sound thin. They...heck, you read my portable shoot-out I like em, but they just don't really put up a good fight against the 888s.

Classifying people who like/buy 888s as people who can't afford Etys, doesn't need isolation, and prefers earbuds over other headphones isn't really accurate. It's sorta like saying people who buy R-10s instead of Stax PREFER less detail, dynamic to electrostatic, and can't afford an Orpheus (since Etys really are the Orpheus of non-full size headphones ).

MacDEF, you don't have to like the 888s - but to categorize 888 luvers the way you did............will get you "killed"

Ok, after Vij is done, I'll come on in and hang the remains of MacDEF out to dry.

1. As Vij said, you could hide the 888s up your ass if you had to. Can't do that with full sizers.

2. Definitely just a difference of opinions here...I personally think the 888s sound much clearer and cleaner than any of the Kosses. I've always thought Kosses had too much bass to begin with, no matter which pair you look at, and too little treble. Midrange also sounds grainy on Kosses.

3. Typical market price on the 888s is around $50. I wouldn't pay 3-4 times i.e. retail price of $79.99 for the 888s after hearing how the MX-500s sound, but the 888s straight out of the box are plainly better than the MX-500s, even if just by margins. Add in ability to do the, like, 50,000 mods out there for the 888s, and I'll gladly pay at least twice as much for the 888s. MX-500s aren't moddable.

And my own final reason to use the 888s over other 'phones...low imp + high sensitivity means less volume cranking on the current MD portables. Especially important with MD portables getting into the 3.5mw amp range.

Given that though, I do confess to using the MX-500s nowdays for portable usage, because they are cheaper, and are less likely to get mangled in a tightly packed backpack. However, if I were stuck 50,000 miles away from my R10s and CDP, and only had my MD player to listen to in a stationary situation, I'd definitely be using my 888s. In fact, on one trip back to Hong Kong, I took all my headphones with me...Etys, CD1700s, SR80s, HD-580s, and the 888s. I pratically didn't touch any of the other 'phones...all I used were the 888s.

(gives vert. high-five)

WE showed him.....

First, I should say that my post wasn't intended to be critical of anyone. Just me voicing my OWN opinions about the market for the 888s, which haven't impressed me.

coolvij wrote:
You can't isolate this point, coolvij My argument was that for every good thing the 888s have, something else is better for the same or better price. #1 was simply stating that for the same money, better headphones can be had. True, they're not earbuds. Which led to my summary point that 888 owners probably preferred earbuds, at least for some uses.

You're the first person I've ever heard say the 888s go "lower" than the MX500. The 888s are indeed more detailed than the KSC-35s, but they don't have the balance of the KSC-35, IMO.

Not at all. I never said that people who buy 888s "prefer" inferior sound. And I wouldn't classify Etys as the Orpheus of non-full size headphones -- they cost $300, not $12,000

LOL, coolvij, there was nothing derogatory in what I said. I just said that someone who *prefers* earbuds over other types of headphones, doesn't need isolation, can't afford Etys (or doesn't want to spend that much -- either way), and is willing to pay a significant premium over MX-500s to get what is really a modest improvement in sound (they are better, but I haven't heard anyone say they're HUGELY better) -- that would be the target market for the 888s. What's insulting about that? Even after your and vert's posts, it still seems to be a pretty fair statement.



vert wrote:

vert, I agree about being "cleaner," but have you heard the KSC-35? They have pretty balanced bass (as in not boomy and overemphasized). The KSC-50 has even less, and some people actually think they're lacking a bit. I think the "too little treble" thing comes from the Portas/Sportas, which have so much bass that it hides the treble. I have yet to hear anything less than $50 that sounds better than the KSC-35.


But at least twice as much only gets you to $30-$35 But I can understand that view -- a better basis on which to mod. Good point.