Honestly, just a heads up, try to only buy from authorized sellers. There have been reports of not only ebay sellers being unknowingly to them supplied with fake IE8s but also rumors that the supply chain of authorized sellers were hijacked and fake IE8s sold. The difference - if you bought a fake from an authorized seller and notice it, Sennheiser will replace your fake. Buy unauthorized and you lose the warranty. If the seller has fakes stocked, even if he replaced your unit, it would be a fake. Believe me, it's not worth it to buy unauthorized.. I was about to do so myself, but backed off in the last moment since questioning yourself whether your IEMs are genuine or not can take away a lot of the enjoyment.

Definitely buy from an authorized reseller IMO, especially if you wish to take advantage of the 2YR standard SENN warranty, for which I can truly vouch for. My most recent pair, which I owned for nearly 2 years time, spontaneously gave out one day, and after a single call to SENN, I sent only the earphones back in, and received a brand new replacement (with box and all original contents) only 2 and a half weeks later. That of course funded my W4 purchase, but point being, even towards the end of my warranty period, in the end I was glad to have purchased the SENN's through an authorized dealer. 

To answer the OPs question...yes, the Atrio MG5 is just as good as the IE8 for a fraction of the price for the type of music you listen to.  Why pay 200 bucks more for minute differences in sound signature?  It's just not worth it to me...but I suppose to some REALLY experienced headphone reviewers it could be.  save the 200 and get the Atrios.  And there is virtually no chance to receive fake IEMs as I don't believe they even have been faked.

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dbdynsty25 said:

To answer the OPs question...yes, the Atrio MG5 is just as good as the IE8 for a fraction of the price for the type of music you listen to.  Why pay 200 bucks more for minute differences in sound signature?  It's just not worth it to me...but I suppose to some REALLY experienced headphone reviewers it could be.  save the 200 and get the Atrios.  And there is virtually no chance to receive fake IEMs as I don't believe they even have been faked.

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My thoughts exactly. In fact, strictly off of memory, I preferred the mids/treble of the Atrio's over the IE8's, and as per the bass, the Atrio's will take you by surprise, to say the least.

I wish I could find some tips for the Atrio that aren't uncomfortable like the stock bi-flanges and actually give a good seal unlike the other narrow nozzle tips I've tried so far.

I hear you my friend. I wasn't limited to tip selection, thanks to the monster eartip adapters. Else I too had the same issue, but thankfully, the problem was resolved altogether after the adapters were in place, and, in my experience, the tri-flanges brought out the bass like no other.

I would also get the IE8's. Great hitting, unique texture bass combined with expansive sound stage. It's perfect for house/dubstep/trance imo.

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i2ehan said:

I hear you my friend. I wasn't limited to tip selection, thanks to the monster eartip adapters. Else I too had the same issue, but thankfully, the problem was resolved altogether after the adapters were in place, and, in my experience, the tri-flanges brought out the bass like no other.

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Monster eartip adapter? Where does one get these? I have the whole collection of monster tips from my Coppers and MDs, but without some sort of adapter they won't fit on the Atrio obviously.

http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/559919/monster-eartip-adapters-a-potential-yet-competent-solution 

Well that's just great.
 
I suppose they don't include them with their IEMs on purpose!

I know, it's a shame, really.

I've sent a request to Monster to send me some for free. I did buy 2 of their IEMs after all!

Im backing the Sennheiser IE7's (I havent got or heard the IE8)
The bass response is amazing, well suited to dubstep. Unfortunately, I blow my money on alcohol n watches n other stupid things, im saving for a full size pair n a desktop amp, but with the stuff I have, if Sennheiser IE8's are in the Q, I'd lean towards them (NOTE: purely on the basis that the IE7 are pretty amazing with burial & all other dubstep that i listen to - the fit can sometimes be a pain, but Comply's fit that (use comply mod - Cut/shorten and rip the filter - to restore treble))
 
Out of my headphones (In my sig) I would say my Sennheiser IE7's rule - decent treble, but super bass esp with an amp to squeese a bit more out. The Fischer Eterna's are nice too (I'd say I like their bass representation 2nd best) and have just such a freaking unbelievable fun sound, you might be tempted to slap someone!!!!! (but try not to. I dont want to be blamed for your legal mess)
 
EDIT: After posting, had to listen to a bit of burial, seems so dark n creepy, mechanical sounding yet WOW.  NOTE: Distant Lights EP in FLAC from Cowon S9, using EQ: Maestro (As i like a dispersed sound)

 
You get a lot of recommendations on the IE8.
I say, it depends on your preference in sound signature.
 
If you like the Dark and bassy sound, go for IE8
If you like a little lighter but still darkish sound with good bass, go for SM3.
Or if you like the bright sound with good detail, go for DBA-02 etc.
 
I take it that you like bass a lot, since most people i know who listen to Drum n' Bass really prefer a heavy low end
But i actually like Dance music better on DBA-02 than IE8, but I also prefers IEMs that are quite bright.
 
 

 
Out of this list, I would choose the Atrio M5 with proprietary MG7 driver.  MG7 driverdfsdfsdfsd
I would also recommend the FX700.
 
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sniper slugz said:

To get things rolling the few I have it narrowed it down to from what I've read are
 
Atrio M5's
Monster Turbine Pro Gold
Monster Turbine Pro Copper
Monster Miles Davis Tribute
Earsonics SM3

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