TDK IE800 Dual High-Performance Dynamic Micro-Drivers IEM - Page 13

How in the heck were you guys able to fit the Jays silicon onto these? I went for the mediums because I got a much better and deeper seal with the stock mediums than the stock large. I'm not even close to getting these on...

Edit: Phew, finally got them on. I'm getting the same seal as the stock medium tips which requires a little wiggling before coming loose enough to be pulled out. I really do not want to A/B with the Ts-400 tips because getting the Jays on was already a painful trial, so i'll just judge them based on comfort. Hopefully these do not make me sore. 

Edited by xProvidence - 2/22/13 at 7:32pm

Lol... yeah, I struggled to get them when I first started using them (2 years ago). It's the long stalk. You get used to it however, and soon enough can do it as easy as any other tip. You may also want to experiment with trimming a pair of stalks, which gives a shallower fit / different sig.

I definitely could've done that had the tips been size large. I'll keep playing around with them because after about an hour of using the Jays tips last night I felt sore. I suppose my ears just don't like a deep fit, other than from the the EPH-100 tips. I have some MEElec biflanges on the way and i'm really hopeful those work. 

How do these compare to the Westone 4? Are they good complements?

Thanks,
Noah

The short/fat MEElec bi-flange work a treat for comfort, as do the similarly shaped Senn bi-flange. Sonically however, I found them lacking in the lower registers. I def think the sig is orientated to a deep fit.

Large jays will give no additional stalk, just more girth and length of flange (if you'll pardon the terms. ;-) Trimmed mediums work fine on the IE800.

Over the last week I've been A/Bing further with the RE-272, and although I know such ventures are uninteresting to others (given their contrasting sigs), I still feel they're neck & neck on a performance level.

Over the past 2 nights I've run them through the "Dark Side of The Moon" (original pressing) test... out of which the TDKs firmly emerged the victors. Their airy mids, textured warmth and exaggerated soundstage make for an very immersive experience.

Of course, the hifiman beat them cleanly on some other genres... but nevertheless, I stand by my claim that the two are technically on par.

 

To my ears, the W4 was, comparatively, warmer sounding than the IE800.  The W4 has a fairly significant midbass boost.. midrange between the W4 & IE800 is just about even.. the W4's midrange is probably a bit more technically advanced.. the W4 has a recessed upper midrange (while the IE800 has a more present, slightly boosted upper midrange).  THe IE800's treble is, comparatively, more sparkly than the W4's (smoother, more laid back) treble.  As far as complements.. it depends on what aspects of the W4 you'd like to complement.

 

If anyone is interested in my brief impressions of how the Sony XBA-30 stacks up to the IE800 (and BA200), I've posted some thoughts here.

Interesting comparisons Flysweep. This XBA-30 sounds like quite a phone.

I'm also interested in how some users hear the IE800 as a little light on bass. I place capability highly - all my phones (barring the RE-272) are fairly bass focused, and I'm never left wanting going to the TDKs. Perhaps this is due to amping. I will experiment with my daughters Clip+ and comment further.

I have a suspicion this could be due to seal and insertion depth more than amplification.

I had considered that, particularly given the IE800s pickyness with tips and bulky housings. I assumed however (perhaps wrongly), that users had experimented with insertion depth and rolled tips prior to posting.

haha, i've never tried the hifimans, but thanks to you it seems like im gonna save about $250

This is far easier to drive compared to RE-272

Wow, I didn't realize that the RE-272's required that much power to drive. The 800's is the hardest to drive out of all my IEM'S. 

Edited by kahaluu - 3/1/13 at 2:03pm

 

Well, $199 now... and soon enough they'll be unavailable. They're an amazing set of phones to be honest. They very much contrast the IE800s in sig, but are just as enjoyable.  

 

 

You're not thinking of the Re-262, are you? In my experience the Re-272s are very easy to drive... indeed, I have to turn my amp up a notch when switching to the IE800s, which are by no means power hungry.  

 

Anyway... I think Flysweeps XBA-30, BA200 and W4 comparisons are more relevant, given their sigs. I'd also be interested to here more RE-262 comparisons.

Also, there's RE-400 which more or less walks over all previous models. Because I happen to own it now, I'm reluctant to try TDK IE800 blind.

I have decided to put my fairly new pair of IE800 up for sale.

I'm no audiophile, just a casual listener looking for good quality sound. All I can say is that they sound great, and I sometimes feel reluctant to take them out of my ears when I'm chilling at home. However, I intended to use it outdoors, but the huge housing makes me look quite awkward as they stick out of my ears. Wearing them over the ears to reduce microphonics makes me look even worse. So I'm currently looking for something more low profile when wearing.

Check out my classified if interested.
Edited by hellothar2 - 3/4/13 at 8:13am