Sennheiser IE800 IEM's - Page 50

Greater impressions cooperpwc, the ergonomic considerations (especially on the plane) are especially valuable. A little price-y for a sidegrade from the EX-1000, hmmm, logic tells me I should just jump for the ES5s, but there is something very slick about these... I think might there might be one or two in stock in Hong Kong XD

Edited by Ypoknons - 12/30/12 at 8:38am

 

Thanks! Yes the plane was a surprise. 

 

I still like the ES5 very much. My ears just don't do well with custom (or really any) BA IEMs.

 

AV2000 (in the Nelson Street audio mall) has a good price on the IE800 if they get another pair in.

I wish IE800 would have interchangable cable like on IE 8/80. If it was like this, i would purchased it :)
But... so sad Sennheiser decided to do it other way!

 

Very observant and nuanced impressions, thanks for the good read!

 

Wow, it never occured to me to verify the overall cable length, though I too felt it was a little short for the advertised 1.2 meters :p

Great observation on the complete absence of footfall noise. This can be a major annoyance with (acrylic) customs and closed IEMs in general. Thumbs up to the IE800 in that regard.

From experience, I'd also agree on the somewhat paradox nature of isolation with the IE800. Though I can clearly hear all announcements on trains and subways, the Senns still isolate well enough for almost everything but folk and classical.

 

One thing though, I believe you may have read Axel Grell's remark about the dual-chamber absorber the wrong way. As I understand it, he only cites bass as an example for the masking effect (on the mids). However, the absorber's sole purpose is to tame the 7-8kHz resonance peak and thus potential masking of higher (>8kHz) frequencies, not the bass. At least that's how I read his statement.

 

Overall, I think we agree on most points, except that I perceive bass as a bit more exaggerated than you do. But like I've said before, preferences vary and last not least Fletcher Munson curves (equal loudness contours) are derived from statistical data and may also vary between individuals. That's where measurements and graphs come in handy, not as an absolute, but as a means of comparing one phone to another. For instance, anyone who's heard the Yamaha EPH-100 can go to Rin's blog and see that the IE800's response is quite similar to the EPH-100's below 1kHz, so they can get a pretty good idea of how bassy the Senns are. That said, the most important fact in my book is that the IE800's bass steers (mostly) clear of the mids, much better so than the IE8/80's.

Thanks James.

 

I should add that since I consider the IE800 to be a pure 'portable amp', I agree with you that the exaggerated bass at moderately loud listening volumes works in that context. 

 

For a portable amp, I think that everything about the IE800 is about right - except for the cable!    Thanks to your tip, I have an order in for a couple of Nokia AD-53 adaptors. (They are cheap so I ordered two.) Once they arrive, I will pursue some interesting cable options.

James, good catch on the literature. I was focused on this sentence:

 

 

However since that was indeed just an example, the dual chamber system seems to have broader application.

 

Haha, funny how our minds work alike, I too ended up ordering multiple AD-53 adapters.

 

However, it will add a bit of weight and pull to your solution (together with the long cable) and you might consider securing the cable with a shirt clip to your collar. I'd also suggest the use of ear-guides. Don't get me wrong, Senn's cables scream quality, but they obviously weren't intended for over-ear use, so who knows whether they're resistant to body oils or not.

 

Speaking of which, since you already ordered the AD-53 adapter, aren't you tempted to try out the wireless option? The Samsung HS3000 receiver and an iPod aptX transmitter like the Senn BTD 300i, Creative BT-D5 or Jaybird iSport will cost about $100 in all and are good for near CD quality 352kbps aptX streaming (though admittedly, I haven't tried these transmitters, since I use my SGS3 as source). All I can say is that the overall transparency I experience with my wireless rig is unprecedented and stunning. I went for a two hour long walk yesterday, and the weightlessness together with complete absence of inner ear pressure and footfall noise with the IE800 was as close to my idea of an IEM-implant as it gets. Music was seemingly streaming out of nowhere in excellent quality. Not wanting to appear pushy, but it's a relatively small investment for a unique experience with the IE800.

 

 

Oops, I meant 'portable headphone'. You got it anyway.

 

I love electronic gadgets and will look at this for sure. The problem I am having is that I cannot even bring myself to use the IE800 direct from my Classic without the Stepdance. I really want to because losing the brick would make things a lot easier including for cable management. However I still find that the Stepdance elevates it to the next level. I do not know how the Samsung HS3000 performs - I have no idea - but that becomes both the source and the amp so it is important. You obviously like it.

 

Collar clip is a good idea. Any brands/eBay/Amazon references?

 

In good news, my Sony cable extension is actually working out pretty well.

 

I had another great session at the coffee shop with the IE800. I am really enjoying it. 

Edited by cooperpwc - 12/31/12 at 2:59am

just heard the IE800 last week in our city,and i can't wait to buy one .

Damn, Cooperpwc - I have every album (oops - disc or mp3) you mentioned in your review. I love all of them with my IE8's - maybe when I sell the novel, I can afford the IE800's - or even find them in SoCal.... 

 

I'm sure the HS3000 isn't quite at eye level with your Classic + Stepdance combo, though it competes quite well with my DAPs. I too have a Classic and think it sounds a bit flat and dull from its HPO, though as a whole differences between DAPs strike me as much less pronounced than between IEMs. However, the key question is, how significant are these subtle differences in the mobile scenario you described, and do they really justify lugging a brick around? And in my answer to that question lies the reason why my portable amps are rather old models: I've done that combo thing often enough with my Graham Slee Voyager and Xin supermicro IV, and always reverted to a simpler portable solution after some time. The HS3000 + IE800 is an amazingly good sounding combination, considering its diminutive size and weight, and the gain in convenience is much higher in my book than the tradeoff in sound quality.

 

No idea where to buy a shirt clip from, I'm afraid, but I have a few that came with budget IEMs. PM me if you want me to send you one.

 

Oh, and everyone!

great review cooperpwc

 

i found it almost deja vu like when you mentioned the EQ bass adjustment and how the next day you wondered why you had it on at all. I found exactly the same thing, as in some times i find myself focusing on the bass too much mainly because of all the talk about it here and it plays psychological tricks on me. I adjust it down for that listening session but the next one i feel as if its not right so revert back to a flat EQ.

 

Earlier I said that I would wait a month to post any further impressions but I cant help talking about these ie800's and you guys here on headfi are the only ones who care or understand :)

 

So as part of my familarising myself with the ie800's i have actively sought out tracks that have significant use of bass to really put them to the test.

 

 

The bass tracks are

 

Way down deep - Jennifer Warnes

Dusting off the bass - Rob Wasserman

Dance yourself clean - LCD Soundsystem

 

I know these tracks well and love the bass through them and with the IE800's the bass is so much deeper and richer but still tight and controlled. In these examples the tracks are quite minimalist in instrumentation and the bass plays the lead role so it is easy to measure and notice the difference. (except on Dance yourself clean where it breaks out around the 2 1/2 min mark,)

These tracks are sublime to listen to with a rich luscious sound that just puts a big smile on your face

 

That brings me to my next test which was with rock

 

Tracks like

Lonely Boy by the black keys

Stigmata - Ministry

Rage against the machine - killing in the name of

these tracks have a truckload of noise going on and the bass  when i focus on it doesnt have the same impact in the sense that it is not as clean and separated. The lonely boy track is aprticularly noticeable fto me. As its a popular song it would be great if any other owners could post what they think of the bass in this song so we could get a better idea of how the ie800's handle rock. I like rock but lean towards the melodic style - I leave the heavy stuff to the masochists :)

 

 

And lastly one of my favourite go to tracks for a good time is the golden path by the chemical brothers. With all of my headphones and amps this track is a tricky one as the electronic bass is very punchy and requires good control but also the vocals have slight sibilance. If i play around with the EQ to tone down the sibilance it loses life and if i bump up the lower end to bring out the bass it goes a bit muddy.With the ie800's the sibilance is gone and the bass is fantastic.on a flat EQ. It plays it flawlessly and beats my HD800's on this track.

 

 

I know i am probably sounding like a sennheiser fanboy now as i own a few bits of their kit but i bought these ie800's in Thailand on the first day of a 2 week holiday as my ie80s silver galaxy cable broke a connector on the plane. I had 1 day in bangkok before going up to my wifes rural hometown where there is nothing to do and there was no way i was going without music.

The IE800's were the only high end pair of universals they had in stock, it was either them or nothing and i took a risk buying them without a proper long audition. I was nervous about laying down that kind of money without my usual research but 1 week out and its still so far so very good. 

 

I am seriously considering buying the AK100 DAP from the same shop on my way back. I have a suspicion that with the wolfson DAC and the brillaint dynamic range of the ie800's they would make a magic combination.

The IE800's impedance is 24 ohm according to a quick web seach, and the AK100's headphone output impedence is 22 ohms. The combination's results maybe hence be unpredictable and there is a good chance FR may differ from others' impressions. James review was form a Samsung Galaxy S III , with an output impedence of 3-4 ohms, depending on model.
Edited by Ypoknons - 1/1/13 at 8:51pm

 

According to the Sennheiser IE800  literature:

 

Edited by cooperpwc - 1/1/13 at 9:35pm

 

Call me a sceptic, but they claimed the same -26 dB for the IE8. 

 

Btw, take a look at the IE8's cable length: 1.2 m. A penny for your thoughts...