My Westone 3 / Sennheiser IE8 dilemma

How can u be in dilemma? ROFL.

I will be so doom choosing between the two and i YET to buy either one...

I got the Westone 3 last week and did not like them very much (my impressions can be found on the W3 appreciation thread), although I seem to be in a minority there. I returned them to earphonesolutions at a 15% loss and have ordered a pair of Sennheiser IE8 which I hope to receive in the office on Monday. I really hope to like them better than the W3 since the place I ordered them from (iheadphones.co.uk) will not accept returns on IEMs. If I don't like them I will either give up on IEMs altogether and give in to wearing cans (buying some HD25-1 II) or maybe take another risk and try some Etymotic er4p which people seem to review as having a more analytical sound (which is what I tend to enjoy).

I will post my impressions of IE8s once I get to audition them. However I don't really understand your request for comparisons of the two if you already own them, I think that should be easy enough for you to decide, what other people think should not matter to you if you can compare them in person. I really hope they are not so similar as to be such a hard decision, otherwise I fear I will not like the IE8.

Very interesting. The ie8 seems to be gaining in popularity.

On a related note, most of the people who post about the greatness of IE8 are from Europe.

People in the States are a little more reluctant to drop $450 on them. In Europe, they're something like $220.

On another IE8 thread, someone said Soundearphones has them for low 300 with a code--supposedly SEN25.

Oh man. This could stir up some (more) Westone 3 vs. IE8 controversy if you go back on your final decision to crown the Westone 3 king . I don't know if I will get to hear the Westone 3 ever. It doesn't bother me much whether I will or not because I am so sure that the Westone sound signature isn't for me personally. But based on your extensive review, I was pretty sure that the Westone 3, to you, had the perfect sound signature. Has that changed?

Westone 3

Ya I know. That's why I think it is misleading to read the 100+ IE8 vs W3 threads. I'll bet most Europeans who said they have tried both really didn't. How many posts have you seen that actually had pics of them side by side held by the poster? I haven't seen one.

If I lived in Europe I'd be all like OMG IE8 PWNZ!! as well just to rub it in since Europe usually gets a price markup over everything.

That is a fairly brash assumption there.

I wish I could have this kind of dilemma.

most, not all. But picking the true honest IE8 vs W3 reviews is like finding a diamond in the rough. You have to agree with the trend going on here, as even the OP writes "you solemnly swear that you have heard both".

If someone really did in fact had both and reviewed it side by side like so many claimed to have done, why are there no pics? They claimed to have spent all the money in acquiring both, all the time + effort in listening to them, yet no pics of both of them on a table? Think about it.

i disagree with this generalized statement. there are plenty more members in the US that are getting their hands on the IE8 and are raving about them.

What exactly are you getting at? Are you just calling the majority of European Westone 3 and IE8 owners liars simply because they like the IE8 more and didn't post pictures as proof?