New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

UM2 or IE8 or M5

post #1 of 21
11/20/09 at 1:02am
Thread Starter 
I have decided to get either one of these IEMs because they're all within my budget.

UM2 - MYR1050 (USD 300) from a seller in Malaysia. (This is the max I'm willing to part with FOR NOW )
M5 - MYR 575 (USD 170) from the same seller here.
IE8 - GBP 170 (USD 282) from Amazon.co.uk. My friend can bring it back from the UK for me if I decide to get it.

Which one of these IEMs will be the best buy? I listen to mostly rock music and am quite a fan of bass but would also like to have some good mids for the guitars. Not a real fan of the vocals and highs so as long as it is clear, I'm fine by it.

I am pretty worried about fake Senn products. Since it's from Amazon, should I be worried? The main problem is my friend is not an audiophile. He could even be tone deaf so he won't be able to check it for me before bringing it back here.

Any of you have these 3 IEMs to make a simple comparison for me? Just make it as easy as possible since I'm new to the audiophile world.

My source is an Apple iPod Touch 3G and although I listen to music when I take the train, I might want to add in an amp. It all depends on the budget too.

Thanks!

Sennheiser IE 8 -IE Series Ear-Canal Phones: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo
Reply
post #2 of 21
11/20/09 at 1:07am
If the IE8s are from Amazon themselves, they should be geniune. If it's from one of the vendors selling through Amazon, you would have to be more cautious.

I've only heard the IE8s from your choices, but I enjoy them a lot and I like them with rock music.
Reply
post #3 of 21
11/20/09 at 1:10am
Why waste your money on fake IE8s? Either save up and get the real deal or just get something else.
Reply
post #4 of 21
11/20/09 at 1:12am
ive never had a problem with any of the featured merchants from amazon..however individual sellers ive bought fakes before..sennheiser cx300 so not much loss but still should be careful with those
Reply
post #5 of 21
11/20/09 at 1:21am
Apples to oranges to peaches. They all sound different. The right one will be the one that best fits your personal tastes.

The IE8 should be a good fit. It's kind of hard not to like them. You should end up with a more refined sound then the M5.

The UM2 should be pretty good in its own right, although it isn't specifically a bass monster. The M5 is known for bass. The IE8 is known for bass. The UM2 is not. This isn't to say that it isn't there. It's just saying that the IE8 and M5 would give more emphasis to that area. I think you could find a better price for the UM2. $300 is quite a bit. For reference I bought the UM3X for less. You might want to look into used products to try and get a better deal. Many used ones that have been and are in the For Sale section are priced $200 and under.
Reply
post #6 of 21
11/20/09 at 2:27am
Thread Starter 
I would want to get it directly from Amazon itself and not through any other seller so I hope that it won't be a fake. GBP 170 is not something that I can get back easily if I've ended up buying a fake.

I've looked around for some UM2s but so far none of them gets cheaper than what I've listed. I can only buy the IEMs from Malaysia or UK.

The saddest part is I am not sure how much of a basshead I am (if I am a basshead at all!). The closes I can get is I really like the bass on the bundled Sony Ericsson Walkman earphones (in-ear). Those have quite good bass.
Reply
post #7 of 21
11/20/09 at 2:34am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by kobayashi View Post
Why waste your money on fake IE8s? Either save up and get the real deal or just get something else.
I don't know where you got the idea that I was going to purposely buy fake IE8s. I am just worried since I read that there are a lot of fake Sennheiser products out there. By the way, most of the IE8s that are listed on Amazon are about the same price (GBP 170) so I am not trying to be cheap and aim for the cheapest of the lot. Rather than post a useless comment, why don't you click the Amazon link, have a good look then come back and post your useless comment.
Reply
post #8 of 21
11/20/09 at 2:36am
^^^ You obviously haven't figured out what "authorized dealer" means.
Reply
post #9 of 21
11/20/09 at 2:38am
I think it's also worth noting that the IE8s are cheaper in other parts of the world (ie Europe) compared to the US, so just because the price isn't over 350USD doesn't mean it's fake, again especially if it's from Amazon UK.

edit: I don't understand what you're rambling about, kobayashi. Amazon is an authorized Sennheiser dealer.
Reply
post #10 of 21
11/20/09 at 2:52am
Quote:
Originally Posted by squid+ View Post
I think it's also worth noting that the IE8s are cheaper in other parts of the world (ie Europe) compared to the US, so just because the price isn't over 350USD doesn't mean it's fake, again especially if it's from Amazon UK.

edit: I don't understand what you're rambling about, kobayashi. Amazon is an authorized Sennheiser dealer.
I don't see Amazon.co.uk being listed on the UK Sennheiser site as an authorized dealer. Please post your link.
Reply
post #11 of 21
11/20/09 at 2:59am
I never believe that the IE8 will cheaper than UM2. Your UM2 price is too expensive.
Reply
post #12 of 21
11/20/09 at 3:45am
Thread Starter 
Well the UM2s are brought in by bulk so for sure there are some extra costs for shipping/tax and what not.

I can definitely bring it in myself (at a cheaper price) but there is a chance that the custom authorities here will hold it back till I pay the tax. I've had friends who have ordered some IEMs but are lucky enough not to get taxed but there are also others who weren't. I won't want to "gamble" with the custom authorities here as they are rather unreliable. Therefore the UM2s will have to be bought here (if I decide to get those) which is the same case with the Atrios.

As for the IE8s, I was rather fortunate to have a friend in the UK who will be coming here for Christmas, so I asked him to bring it down for me. That way, I save on shipping and tax!

I'm only asking if any of you have bought IEMs from Amazon and if they are fake/real. The price tells nothing about it being fake/real because as I have mentioned, all the IE8s listed in Amazon are around the same price.

I also want to know if the extra price of the IE8s justify the SQ difference in comparison to the Atrios and will I miss out on those glorious mids if I don't go for the UM2s.
Reply
post #13 of 21
11/20/09 at 3:52am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by kobayashi View Post
^^^ You obviously haven't figured out what "authorized dealer" means.
You obviously haven't clicked the Amazon link.

I didn't mention anything about any authorized dealer. It's just a point of view of the word "authorized". It could mean an authorized dealer by Sennheiser or an authorized dealer by Amazon. It should be safe to assume that Amazon does not deal or authorize fake products.
Reply
post #14 of 21
11/20/09 at 4:06am
Your money could only go to IE8 if you are limited to these 3 choices.

UM2 is lower level than UM3x which is comparable to IE8 ...............
Reply
post #15 of 21
11/20/09 at 4:42am
I agreed with Squid. Some of the headfier here got their IE8 from advancemp3, and they are only 178 GBP shipped to Australia. And of course if you check advance mp3 is also a UK sennheiser dealer. Just because in US, the dealers dont want to reduce to price doesnt mean other are fake.
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home