Sennheiser IE80's Impressions Thread - Page 274

Hi Everyone, 

recently bought a pair for really really cheap, like $80.

I've been reading posts about them being fake and all, but they sure don't sound fake to me... at least they are better than the pair of SE215's i have. Are the fakes suppose to sound real bad?

I do find that the stock cables are not all that good, the vocals sound bland and the stock tips are not good... i ended up getting comply's.

I tried some copper cables in HK and it makes the vocals sound more warm to me. Anyone have any suggestions to cables that i can purchase over the interwebs?

You 99,9% have fakes and they just probably sound better than your Shures lol. Especially if you mention adding more warmth to the vocals. That is something you generally would not want on a real IE80. It's more so the opposite of that lol. If you are happy with them and they bring you more musical enjoyment then stick with them :).
 

Yea lee730. I was expecting them to be fakes anyways, but i was amazed at how well they are built. A friend picked this up for me and said that they were parallel imports.

Although i'm not yet a true audiophile, but these fakes are pretty good in terms of soundstage and everything cept the vocals (I find the shures better). Even the dials work!

I guess i'll play around with them for a bit and pickup some new cables....

gradually getting deeper into the hole...

Luckily i live in HK, everything here is pretty cheap.

I should go try out the real ones and see what i'm missing out, or how they sound compared to the real ones

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaorSh 

Guys, You think that IE80 can be used for Gym workout and Runing??? (The level of durability)

I dunno, the stock cables i have feel like they might break easily

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaorSh 


I'm thinking to take IE80 to the gym its be wise...
What do mean 'stock cables might break'?!!
And Let me understand your IE80 are fake?

I'm not sure if the real cables that come packaged with the IE80's are the same, but compared to the Shure ones i have, they feel that they will break easily. (they are really thin, like iPhone buds)

one more thing, the cables that come with the IE80, real or fake, the stock cables are not that comfortable when you wrap the cable over your ears.

as for the fakes, yes, the ones i bought are probably fake, they were roughly $80 US (Bought these in HK).

But honestly these costs less than then pare of SE215's i have and they sound better than them. So i'll be sticking with these for a while.

IE80 cables are durable, trust me. If they are the same as the IE8, then chances are its insanely good.

The main cable looks darker than the IE8, but feel similar. I used my IE8 in the gym hardcore, and they done well. I always sanitise them every couple of days.

Oh, and you will find a lot of fakies in HK... 

BTW, I ordered these JVC-style gel tips. 

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/320770895153?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649#ht_500wt_1180

If its anything like the Monster Turbine gel tips, then sensational as I had success with them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MetroBBOY 

BTW, I ordered these JVC-style gel tips. 

 

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/320770895153?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649#ht_500wt_1180

 

If its anything like the Monster Turbine gel tips, then sensational as I had success with them.

Hey Metro, I have the Monster Supertips (the gel ones), and they do not fit me at all. When I tried them on my IE80, I couldn't get them to stay in even when sitting still, ah well.

The JVC ones do, though. They are really nice, as they fit the nozzle perfectly and are not too tight on the IE80 stem. Now they've unlocked the sound (I used foam tips for better isolation, but the sound with silicon tips that fit properly is just much less blatantly coloured), 'sensational' is a good way to describe them. I hope you like em!

Quote:

Originally Posted by eroarex 

any comparisons with the ie 800? thank you

 

Ero, I listened to the IE800 for a good 20-30 mins at Stereo @ Ion. I was generally very impressed with them - of course I want to buy a pair now, as I thought they sounded great, but it would be illogical (I've only had my IE80 a few months anyway).

Sound-wise, the two are very different monsters. I love my IE80, which has a smooth treble, thunderous, impactful but nicely textured bass and what I think are rich mids, though they tend to be a little shrouded by bass. Btw, as of a week ago, I'm now an IE80 tape mod user, but this time I'm comparing them stock. The stock IE80 has an exceptionally relaxing sound, good with all kinds of genres and pretty forgiving of recording quality.

 

The IE800 trumps the IE80 handily in detail and resolution - to my ears, the soundstage is just as wide if not wider, but it's also more believable due to its depth. I could really hear the 'height' of particular instruments and sounds (like applause) relative to the mic in live jazz recordings. The bass is powerful, but not loose like the IE80's - it stays well out of the way of the mids, and I really enjoyed the presentation of mids (vocals, instruments, you name it) on the IE800. I guess they were forward, but there was just a lushness to the sound of mids which reminded me of my favourite Momentums. The highs are much brighter than on the IE80, but for the record I did not find them sibilant on any song I tried. I don't care for sibilance, but the IE800s just manage to reproduce highs just shy of that 'too-bright' border. I was pleasantly surprised that even though they pack bass emphasis, micro-details and the breathiness of vocals were well conveyed by the IE800. I guess you could say I've been poisoned by their sound, it's just addictive (and while it does a great job with my favourite jazz, its sound signature seems like it was made for electronic, which I love).

 

Disclaimer time - the beautiful ceramic construction, fit and finish of the IE800 may have biased my view, as well as my short audition time and my excitement at the time, haha. Also I was stationary while listening - they are a pain to wear over the ear and can thus get microphonic.

 

Nonetheless, I would say that, as expected from the price, they are a much more capable IEM than the humble IE80, and the IE800 is at the top tier of portable audio for me. I am not so sure I would recommend them for just home use, as the bass quantity is possibly a little out of hand if you want reference-grade sound (which I really don't, not often anyway). The IE800 thread is filled with impressions from actual owners, like cooperpwc and james444, so do go check that out here - http://www.head-fi.org/t/605438/sennheiser-ie800-iems/885

 

I hope my limited thoughts are useful!

Quote:

Originally Posted by StyleElements 

 

Hey Metro, I have the Monster Supertips (the gel ones), and they do not fit me at all. When I tried them on my IE80, I couldn't get them to stay in even when sitting still, ah well.

 

The JVC ones do, though. They are really nice, as they fit the nozzle perfectly and are not too tight on the IE80 stem. Now they've unlocked the sound (I used foam tips for better isolation, but the sound with silicon tips that fit properly is just much less blatantly coloured), 'sensational' is a good way to describe them. I hope you like em!

 

 

 

I wish I had the Monster tips again, but more specifically the white gel tips was the one I had success with. 

Yes I can't wait for the JVC tips to come in, seeing as you stated that they won't stretch into the nozzle. I'm reserving my judgement until these JVC's come in. I do like the large bi-flange light grey tips (pictured) that came with the IE80, but I have to hold them in and will not seal right if I start walking. The rest of the tips seem to muffle the sound making them extremely warm. Those tips sound fantastic!

I could never get a seal with those. I was able to get a seal with the large double flange tips a couple times lol. Then after that they would never ever give me a seal again... Maybe my ears got bigger :P. But the large single flange tips worked for me for a while but when I'd move the seal would always break. The JVC tips I can move and still maintain the seal and it sounds noticeably better to me. But I use large tips. I'm hoping the mediums won't be too small for you as that grey tip you are using would seem more like a large tip than a medium.... Pretty much what ever works best for you in the current tips (in regards to size) you want to stick to that size for other tips you get. I tried using medium tips thinking it would be different and could give me a seal. Not even once did any medium size tip give me a seal lol. Good luck.
 

I have now ordered the large tips 

Better safe than sorry! I'd probably wait to have 2-3 weeks for them...