I'm starting it here... Sennheiser IE8 vs. Westone 3 - Page 18

Neither did i!

Woot! Playing around with my IE8 at the moment. Listening to my iRiver H332 + Corda XXS + Apuresound V2 mini-mini rig.

1) I'm absolutely obsessive fiddling with the bass adjustment. Minimum setting was a tad too little, maximum setting was a tad too overpowering. 2nd notch from Minimum seems to be good at the moment, but different types of music respond differently to any changes made. One thing worth noting is that the bass adjustment was much more subtle than I thought it would be.

2) When I popped these on, I thought I was listening to a set of full-size cans. The soundstage is really good IEM wise, and listening to the James Bond soundtrack collection (e.g. Diamonds are forever, Goldeneye), there's a nice balance to the sound. The vocals, at times, could be just a hint recessed compared to my SF5pro, but its nothing to worry about IMHO.

3) The fit took some playing around with. My eventual ideal fit is the stock medium tips with the earhooks. The earhooks take ages to adjust, but once done they're very comfortable. One gripe I have with them is that they sometimes don't hold the cable tightly enough.

4) Wearing them upside down made them sound rubbish. I also think some custom tips are in order.

More to follow once I've done more listening. In the meantime, my basic impression is that they're quiet like my SF5pros.

EDIT: Update 1

I think the thing with the SF5pro is that I find it tends to be much more "forward" and aggressive than other IEMs in its class IMHO, and I liked that.

Anyway, more impressions. I've been mainly listening to Diana Krall, Norah Jones and Santana so far, and I've changed my source to my good old D2, which has now made things much more lively and fuller than the rather clean sounding iRiver H332. I've also found a better configuration: No earhooks, Large foams, bass up at 2nd notch from minimum. The black foams are very comfortable to me, and create a good seal which really brings out the bass and pretty much gets rid of that vocal problem I had before. As for isolation, I found it not too bad. I sat in front of my TV with Top Gear blasting at loud volumes, and I could still hear my music on a low volume setting.

I guess recessed wasn't really the right word to describe what I'm hearing in terms of treble/vocals. Smooth and refined is probably a better word. Its not aggressive ,forward and slightly brash like the SF5pro. Instead, its much smoother, creamier, complex and more richly textured sound (I feel like I'm talking about baking cakes here), and it took me a moment to adjust my mind to that as I was expecting them to be bold and out-there from reading other people's thoughts.

These things still seem to be a weird shape for my ears, and I think things will vastly improve once I get custom tips made. I'll also be getting mine recabled (If I decide to keep them) by Craig at Whiplash Audio in the not too distant future with his new TWcu wire (He's already made one cable for my UE, so look out for impressions). But that's sometime down the line.

The IE8 really reminds me of my Ultrasones for some strange reason. I can't quiet put my finger on what, but the more I listen to the more I am constantly reminded of them. I'm now really curious to see how the TF10 and W3 compare.

Can't wait to see what burn in will do for these babies.

Hi nsx_23, you are in sydney right? any tips of getting the custom tips done? like where to go and what's the process?

Many thanks!

Never listened to the es3, but I used to own the 530s, they are pretty good phones anyway.

Quick practical question about both the IE8s and the W3s: did anyone try them with a first generation iPhone?

It would be convenient for me if the jack could fit without an adapter ...

Sorry to reopen this thread but I need to ask if someone has tried the IE8 or the Westone 3 with the Zune. I want to upgrade my e4 and I will use a zune as my primary source. Any thoughts?

I lean to IE8, but it is a bit expensive to hold off me at present. Wait for a while for chance cheaper,

then u wouldnt like the noisy chord of the tfi 10vi, i cant speak for the normal one but the one with the in line mic is noisy] fyi

I have had no problems with microphonics with either the IE8's or the W3.

Both IEM's are comfortable, but each has a drawback, as well. The IE8's have terrific, slightly rubberized cables that are just the right length and are reasonably resistant to tangling. However, the fit of the earpieces is fussy, due to their large diameter and the fact that they apparently are supposed to be positioned outside of the ear canal. It's hard for me to get a satisfactory seal; some people say that this is intentional and the concept is to ensure a more open acoustic sound signature. But this also lets in considerable ambient noise and for me this diminishes the listening experience.

The Westone 3's fit well in my ears (I use triflange eartips) and I get a great seal and isolation. But the y-cables are just too darned short. If the y is in front it can end up uncomfortably close to my chin. As a result, I end up positioning the Westones around back instead of in front, but in some situations this is just not ideal, i.e., if I am wearing a hooded jacket or other bulky clothing. If the y-cables were even a bit longer one could choose to wear the device either in front or in back.

The IE8's make me smile when I listen to my music.  

 

The Westone 3 makes me feel like I'm listening to my music with really expensive IEM's    

 

 

 

 

Quick question here,

 

How many you wear the IE8 with the cables straight down (normal way) and how many of you wear them over the ear??

 

Is there a difference in the sound if worn straight down?? i just read a post above stating that "Wearing them upside down made them sound rubbish" ?? As far as i was concerned, as long as you have a good tight seal in either way, they will sound the same...

 

 

you are correct the only downside to wearing cables down is more cable noise from rubbing and knocking which is very good worn around ears. some people say try not to revive old threads but i think its a good idea if you have questions relevant to the thread, makes searches easier and makes reading the threads more interesting rather than seeing hundreds of ten post threads

Well for me, wearing the ie8 down doesn't provide me a good enough seal, i'd have to push it back in every few minutes. And wearing it down puts the cable weight on the earphones so when you are moving around you tend to lose seal and not to mention that cable noise as stated above. Plus the "normal way" to wear the ie8 is over the ear not cable down :)

 

Actually you should use the sennheiser ie8 appreciation thread since it's more appropriate since this question is directed to the ie8.