Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Portable Headphones, Earphones and In-Ear Monitors › Has burn-in changed your IE8?
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Has burn-in changed your IE8?

post #1 of 132
1/3/09 at 2:08am
Thread Starter 
IE8 owners.....did you notice any changes in the sound after an adequate burn in time? If so can you tell me what they were / are. If not can you specify that you didn't notice any changes.

Much appreciated!

Dave
Reply

Gear mentioned in this thread:

post #2 of 132
2/5/09 at 5:14am
Yeah guys how much Burn in time is required? DavodMahler what did you find?
Reply
post #3 of 132
2/5/09 at 5:35am
Yes, my comments on IE8 burn in can be found here

Here are some of my burn in points, from memory:
- 20 hours of burn in the soundstage opened up and the bass extended
- 70 hours the treble started to come out
- 100 hours the mid-bass hump was greatly reduced
- 150-170 hours they surpassed the Phonak PFE (w/black filters) in detail. Mid-bass was down even more from 100 hours, and the treble was opening up. The soundstage seemed to widen quite a bit more.
- 200 hours the treble kept opening up and the mid-bass hump was down even more leaving a warm presentation
- 250 hours the treble is fully opened up, audible to 17KHz (my hearing might be limiting that) see here for more detail.
- 250+ hours, really enjoying them

Burn in time depends upon personal taste and what other headphones you listen/compare to. Some people like it out of the box, some don't. I didn't, but now I am loving it!

I believe it takes somewhere between 200 and 250 hours to fully burn in, YMMV.
Reply
post #4 of 132
2/5/09 at 7:06am
@average_joe: What reference did you compare the changes to? Did you have a pair of fresh IE8 on hand for A-B test all through the burn in period for comparison?
And all through 250 hours, have you always used the same equipment (source, amp, cabling) and accessories (tips, bass settings, etc)?
Thanks!
Reply
post #5 of 132
2/5/09 at 7:50am
i think with 250 hours of burn in...its your ears that are burned in..not the headphone.
Reply
post #6 of 132
2/5/09 at 8:24am
not if u dont have them in your ears when they burn in
Reply
post #7 of 132
2/5/09 at 8:56am
^ hows your IE7 burning in?

i ran them on pink noise one nite..and noticed the soundstage really improved
Reply
post #8 of 132
2/5/09 at 9:50am
I liked the IE8 immediately, and didn't think they sounded crap at all out of the box. But I liked them a whole lot more after 10 hours or so, not because I noticed any major changes - but because I adjusted to the sound signature pretty fast. When I had my TF10, I remember thinking they sounded plain weird out of the box (and balanced armatures don't need any burn-in), but it did take me a few hours to adjust to the different sound, by which time I loved them. So my 'ears' adjusted, but the sound didn't change. With the IE8, I like them more all the time - but I'm not convinced it has anything to do with burn-in. I think it's just because they sound amazing!
Reply
post #9 of 132
2/5/09 at 9:57am
Im noticing slight changes constantly its so hard telling what is burn in and what is just me becoming more in 'tune' with the sound signature of them but either way im absolutely loving it, never had phones i enjoyed so much
Reply
post #10 of 132
2/5/09 at 10:19am
I agree with soozieq for the most part. I thought they sounded good..not great out of the box. As the days went by and I burned them in while not using them, I think the sound improved a thousand %.. but I am not sure if it was me getting better seal/tips or if it was just burn-in. It was probably a combination of both. Either way I am loving them. Just wish the stalk was a tad longer to go further in ear...that is my only complaint. Small price to pay though for the sound the produce.
Reply
post #11 of 132
2/5/09 at 10:22am
"Just wish the stalk was a tad longer to go further in ear...that is my only complaint."

i couldn't possibly agree more
Reply
post #12 of 132
2/5/09 at 10:22am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Del Griffith View Post
I agree with soozieq for the most part. I thought they sounded good..not great out of the box. As the days went by and I burned them in while not using them, I think the sound improved a thousand %.. but I am not sure if it was me getting better seal/tips or if it was just burn-in. It was probably a combination of both. Either way I am loving them. Just wish the stalk was a tad longer to go further in ear...that is my only complaint. Small price to pay though for the sound the produce.
a thousand % huh?
Reply
post #13 of 132
2/5/09 at 10:23am
The soundstage has really opened up today. I think there's about 15 hours of burn-in already.
Reply
post #14 of 132
2/5/09 at 10:27am
Quote:
Originally Posted by forsberg View Post
a thousand % huh?
Sorry...I'l try to be more truthful in the future. Make it 100%.
Reply
post #15 of 132
2/5/09 at 11:17am
I told you people a billion times, STOP EXAGGERATING!
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home

Gear mentioned in this thread:

Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Portable Headphones, Earphones and In-Ear Monitors › Has burn-in changed your IE8?