[Tony1110]

I use this cable:

http://forzaaudioworks.com/en/product.php?id_product=75

Can't fault it at all.

 

[dsincere]

I have owned OCC copper, silver plated copper, silver and now silver litz aftermarket cables. Silver does not make the sound brighter what it does is bring greater clarity and punch to the entire sound from sub bass to treble. This greater clarity is sometimes interpreted as brightness when in fact the overall spectrum is clearer. My advice, especially with the 846, is pure OCC silver litz as it is a great synergy.

Greater punch greater clarity, this is what we get with a filter change to white ....which is great for some and others find it a little bright ....I don't know what exactly Shures cables are made of but I assume it's copper ....with a much better quality copper cable with the white filter which let's the treble shine, this combination proves to be a better one than stock that improves the quality and overall sound signature.....with some silver cables it may prove to be a little too much for some but there are those who like this ....for some this was the complaints of the iE800 well if they had included detachable cables and we ran silver cables hmmm just imagine what might have been with the treble then....

 

[spook76]

Greater punch greater clarity, this is what we get with a filter change to white ....which is great for some and others find it a little bright ....I don't know what exactly Shures cables are made of but I assume it's copper ....with a much better quality copper cable with the white filter which let's the treble shine, this combination proves to be a better one than stock that improves the quality and overall sound signature.....with some silver cables it may prove to be a little too much for some but there are those who like this ....for some this was the complaints of the iE800 well if they had included detachable cables and we ran silver cables hmmm just imagine what might have been with the treble then....

I also owed the ie800 and I agree one of its faults was the the lack of a replaceable cable.

I predominately use the white filter with the 846 and my first reaction when I got my silver litz was not the treble but how the bass seemed to to dig deeper with greater punch.

We all perceive sound slightly different.

 

[utdeep]

I love the SE846 but I have to give it up due to ear aches.  I've binged on all the high end IEMs for the past year and now I'm paying for it with a sore ear canals.  It's painful enough that I've decided to avoid IEMs for the next few years.  I wish I could wait out the pain but I never want to go this again.  I blame the FitEar F111 for most of it!  Those damned three flange tips...
 
Anyway, I love using this community to buy and sell headphones.  I've been surprised with how reluctant I am to drop my sale price on the SE846.  I understand that there are tons of low ball offers and that is to be expected.  I think part of my problem is how difficult it was to get a pair that worked just right.  I would have paid twice as much if I had known my experience was going to be littered with questions about whether they were working right.  At the end of March, I finally asked Shure (they have exceptional customer service) to do another thorough check on mine and they replaced the left earpiece.
 
They've always sounded amazing especially when they are fully fixed up.  After a buddy of mine tried mine out, he purchased a new pair that was manufactured in April and now he's going through the same crap I did with possible defects (phase distortion first time, cable disconnects the second time).  These defects are not something you notice immediately and most Shure authorized retailers (such as Moon Audio) won't accept returns.  
 
I now have an end-game portable setup of a working SE846, SR-71A (which I think is the best portable headphone amp of all time), and a Cypher Labs Algorhythm Solo DB.  I'm in so much pain that I can't use any of it.  I'm in no hurry to get rid of them but seeing them boxed up and ready to ship is so depressing.
 
Anyone here who has a perfectly working SE846 should be extremely happy.  It's definitely worth it and then some.  If you are looking to get them new or used, get it from someone who is either an authorized reseller or has a receipt from one.

 

[Solude]

  I love the SE846 but I have to give it up due to ear aches.  I've binged on all the high end IEMs for the past year and now I'm paying for it with a sore ear canals.

 
Hence why I use Comply tips with my universals.  Essentially pillows after a few seconds in the ear.

 

[jlbrach]

i am using the foam star tips from westone with my 846 and i love it....sound great and relatively comfortable or at least as comfortable as having something wedged inside your ear canal for long periods of time can be!

 

[caracara08]

  i am using the foam star tips from westone with my 846 and i love it....sound great and relatively comfortable or at least as comfortable as having something wedged inside your ear canal for long periods of time can be!

 
I tried the Foam Star tips and it greatly helped with comfort but right now, I seem to prefer the sound of the olives that come with the 846.  I still have the Foam and Silicon Star Tips in my 846 case though just in case I want to change it up.

 

[frankrondaniel]

  i am using the foam star tips from westone with my 846 and i love it....sound great and relatively comfortable or at least as comfortable as having something wedged inside your ear canal for long periods of time can be!

 
I like them as well - very comfortable, good isolation.  I also like the silicon Star tips when I don't feel like rolling the foam.

 

[devgru]

I used the Comply foams (no canal issues) but the antihelix kills much like with the TF10s. For me they are not worth the pain after 30 minutes or so. I had gone through 3 pairs (right ear dead -> left ear dead -> sold). Yes, they were the best universals I've ever listened to, but too much pain and these MMCX connectors are not reliable. My IE80 are comfortable and durable. The SQ isn't there but it's good enough.

 

[utdeep]

Other than the triple flange usage with the F111, I've been all comply or Shure in terms of tips.  I didn't have much of a choice with the Sennheiser IE800 either, but I never got a great fit with those.  Even without the great fit, I'd stack the IE800 against any other IEM - it is an underrated masterpiece.  If they had used a detachable cable and allowed other tips, it would get my vote as the best of this new generation of universal IEMs.  Otherwise, the SE846 is my fave.
 
I've used triple flanges with Etys for years with no issues.  The F111 though was not designed as well as those because you could jab them much farther into your ear that you should.

 

[Black Label]

I have owned OCC copper, silver plated copper, silver and now silver litz aftermarket cables. Silver does not make the sound brighter what it does is bring greater clarity and punch to the entire sound from sub bass to treble. This greater clarity is sometimes interpreted as brightness when in fact the overall spectrum is clearer. My advice, especially with the 846, is pure OCC silver litz as it is a great synergy.

 
It is amazing what difference a few days' listening can make to perception (psychological burn-in?). Indeed, what was once perceived as being bright is now less so.  The sun is shining but not directly in my eyes, so to speak.
 
Hopefully a silver litz cable won't break the bank!
 
It is also amazing what difference a good seal can really make.  Perhaps my viewpoint re. the IE800s would be entirely different if the seal were greater; not to mention the fit becoming quite loose when in portable use (walking especially).  For armchair listening they were great but overall I am unsure as to what else is missing from the IE800s that the SE846s deliver.  Tangential rants aside, comfort is becoming something of an issue with the SE846s fitted with the black olives.  I have been using sicone tips for years now (UE Triple Fi 5 tips with the IE8 and then on to the silicone tips of the IE800) - this transition is no problem.  Loving the greater seal that foam provides.  However I have long hair that is going to get lopped quick snap if things keep going the way they are.  It gets under everything and after extended use the irritation and itching is something to be reckoned with.
 
Furthermore, I can only hope that the slight ache I feel upon inserting the left earpiece does not aggravate further.  If it does, perhaps a better cable will rectify the situation as I am fairly sure that the memory wire is mostly at fault here.

 

[truckdriver]

Do not let Shure's memory cable dictate its position to you. You own it, so you should do the dictating. Use your fingers to bend it. You can bend it so it does not even touch your ears (or the side of your head) even after your earpiece is fully inserted. You can bend it so it barely touches you after it is fully inserted. Again, don't let the wire dictate its position to you. You can position it around eye-glasses or whatever. But whatever you do, don't let the cable be a counter force that hurts your ears.

 

[rmiller511]

   
For armchair listening they were great but overall I am unsure as to what else is missing from the IE800s that the SE846s deliver. 

 
 
How does the bass between them compare?

 

[rmiller511]

  Other than the triple flange usage with the F111, I've been all comply or Shure in terms of tips.  I didn't have much of a choice with the Sennheiser IE800 either, but I never got a great fit with those.  Even without the great fit, I'd stack the IE800 against any other IEM - it is an underrated masterpiece.  If they had used a detachable cable and allowed other tips, it would get my vote as the best of this new generation of universal IEMs.  Otherwise, the SE846 is my fave.
 
I've used triple flanges with Etys for years with no issues.  The F111 though was not designed as well as those because you could jab them much farther into your ear that you should.

 
 
I probably have 40 pairs of tips I have collected from various IEMs and kits purchased on amazon.  Can't say I am really in love with any of them, but there are a few that work ok.  One in particular is a single flange mushroom.  Seals great on goes deep.  But depending on the IEM, can be very directional.
 
My least favorite are the foams.  Have tried with them time and time again, but...its just not  happening.

 

[rmiller511]

Does anybody know - do you HAVE to use a filter with the 846s?