tobias89 said:

  Anyone has both the primo 8 and SE846? Wondering if someone can perform a A/B demo and review?

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I don't own the 846, but I have access to one. I'm getting another extended listen to the Primo 8 in a few days, so I'd be happy to do a comparison when I find the time.
 
From my brief notes last time:
 

tomscy2000 said:

  Even though the SE846 has been well-received, I've not been a fan of it, largely because I don't believe its price reflects its performance. People who want the subwoofer experience in a BA earphone should try out the SE846 at one point or another, however. It's one of the few earphones with a beefy lower bass response that doesn't encroach upon the rest of the frequency range because of its acoustic design. I'm less impressed with the rest of the SE846, though it is still a fair bit more detailed than the Primo 8. I did try the SE846 with the white, treble-boosting filters, however, and that type of brighter response allows the SE846 pull away from the Primo 8 in terms of tonal accuracy. With another filter, perhaps the advantages of this $1000 IEM are less pronounced.

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For a more data-oriented comparison between the SE846 and the Primo 8, I took the liberty of overlaying the FR data measured by udauda for the Primo 8 and SE846 (Reference Filters), and eyeballed the differences in frequency response. I added +/-1.5 dB padding for any errors in my visual estimate, but it shouldn't be too far off, as I scaled the graphs to equal size and overlaid them in Photoshop to make the comparison. The data should be directly comparable even though they're from different websites because AFAIK they were measured with the same measurement rig (udauda's) and testing methodology.
 
As is readily apparent, the SE846 exhibits greater bass response, slightly better upper midrange presence, less sibilant presence, and less upper treble. I will decline to make qualitative statements on their audible differences until I actually listen myself.

tobias89 said:

Anyone has both the primo 8 and SE846? Wondering if someone can perform a A/B demo and review?

Click to expand...

I had a short listen to the nuforce and owned the 846 for a time previously. They look really impressive, but the sound was not for me.

I'd say in comparison to the Shures, the mids are more husky (for lack of a better word), and less forward than the Shures. The bass and treble were fine. I preferred the 846 bass by a large margin, but I think the nuforce had a more forward and detailed treble. Just some short impressions and YMMV!

I heard both, had the Shure for 3 weeks before it went back to Amazon. If you are listening to electonic and trance, Shure is for you. It really has a "subwoofer" built in, but turned up really high, as in +9dB from neutral, which rendered acoustics, jazz and classical unpalatable.

Ordered mine this afternoon, just got confirm it just shipped.

Must get rid of W4r before wife stabs me in neck :X

christrz said:

I had a short listen to the nuforce and owned the 846 for a time previously. They look really impressive, but the sound was not for me.

I'd say in comparison to the Shures, the mids are more husky (for lack of a better word), and less forward than the Shures. The bass and treble were fine. I preferred the 846 bass by a large margin, but I think the nuforce had a more forward and detailed treble. Just some short impressions and YMMV!

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Thanks for the impressions
 
 

busyx2 said:

I heard both, had the Shure for 3 weeks before it went back to Amazon. If you are listening to electonic and trance, Shure is for you. It really has a "subwoofer" built in, but turned up really high, as in +9dB from neutral, which rendered acoustics, jazz and classical unpalatable.

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What do you mean turned up high? Sorry I ain't good with these technical terms
So the primo 8 would be good for acoustics, jazz and classicals?

tomscy2000 said:

   
I don't own the 846, but I have access to one. I'm getting another extended listen to the Primo 8 in a few days, so I'd be happy to do a comparison when I find the time.
 
From my brief notes last time:
 
 
For a more data-oriented comparison between the SE846 and the Primo 8, I took the liberty of overlaying the FR data measured by udauda for the Primo 8 and SE846 (Reference Filters), and eyeballed the differences in frequency response. I added +/-1.5 dB padding for any errors in my visual estimate, but it shouldn't be too far off, as I scaled the graphs to equal size and overlaid them in Photoshop to make the comparison. The data should be directly comparable even though they're from different websites because AFAIK they were measured with the same measurement rig (udauda's) and testing methodology.
 

 ​

 ​

As is readily apparent, the SE846 exhibits greater bass response, slightly better upper midrange presence, less sibilant presence, and less upper treble. I will decline to make qualitative statements on their audible differences until I actually listen myself.

Click to expand...

Would be great to have a detailed comparison! I'll be waiting!

tobias89 said:

  Thanks for the impressions
 
 
 
What do you mean turned up high? Sorry I ain't good with these technical terms
So the primo 8 would be good for acoustics, jazz and classicals

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Shure 846 had the bass cranked up really high, with reference to the mid-range, i.e. 1kHz.    You can look at the the Frequency Response of 846 from any reputable sources:
 
  you can see that the 100Hz point is about 9dB above the 1kHz point.

Well mine came today, but the right side was much louder than the other so back it goes :/

kazsud said:

Well mine came today, but the right side was much louder than the other so back it goes :/

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Well that's unfortunate. I have been thinking about picking these up but they cost 500€ in Germany which is almost 700 USD. 

UPDATE April 23rd 2014 - GOOD NEWS!
 
The final production Primo 8 arrived today, and with the included Nuforce silicone tips they clearly sound better - I was really excited to hear them.  
 
Jason tells me that they switched from a softer PVC plastic that was used in the pre-production to a harder polycarbonate shell, which appears to have improved the sound.  I think the Nuforce tips may contribute to this as well, as they are also better sounding than the Complys T100 that came with my pre-production and production Primo 8. The bore of the silicone tip is larger, and more perfectly matches the bore of the IEM.  It's like the difference between the old Westone silicone tips and the newer "star" tips, but instead of impacting the treble only this also impacts the bass, no pun intended.
 
The biggest improvement are (1) increased bass, and (2) the ability to perform much better with my iPhone 5s and NO amp!  This is going to instantly appeal to a larger number of people than just audiophiles.
 
(1) The bass is noticeably improved in quantity, and it seems louder by at least a full 2-3 dB in the lowest regions vs the pre-production pair (regardless of Complys or Westone silicone tips on the old pair).  I don't hear any negatives in quality to go with the increased bass quantity - it's still fast, tight, and textured, without bleeding into the midrange.  This is a natural sounding increase, and what I was looking for with all the versions that were improved during the beta testing.  Wow.
 
This improves the weight and body of instruments and vocals, without making them sound too thick. And Diana Krall sounds just as sexy as before, without her already husky voice getting any unnecessary enhancements.  
 
(2) I can also enjoy the Primo 8 more with my iPhone volume turned down to 50-55%, rather than going up to 60-75% to get better impact with instruments.  Something like Christina Aguilera "Can't Hold Us Down" is a real pleasure now directly out of the iPhone, without to crank it up louder, or mess with an amp and it's output impedance settings or bass boost switches!
 
(3) The other GOOD - the included in-line microphone sounded good to my wife when she called me while I was listening to music today.  She was in her car on her bluetooth speaker, and she said that I sounded clear and easy to understand.  The button works fine, and I can answer calls, pause music, and skip forward or backwards with no problems.  The button is large and easy to find at the Y-split without looking and doesn't get easily pushed by accident.  At first it was so large that I thought the button was a 3-button switch not a 1-button, but I was wrong.
 
(4) The BAD, is that if you like to wear the cable over your ears and behind your head like a musician on stage, then it puts the microphone behind your back instead of being next to your neck and under the ear as with other IEM with an in-line mic in the cable.

This is really exciting. Nuforce is definitely stepping up and is a force to be reckoned.

nt

busyx2 said:

  Shure 846 had the bass cranked up really high, with reference to the mid-range, i.e. 1kHz.    You can look at the the Frequency Response of 846 from any reputable sources:
 
  you can see that the 100Hz point is about 9dB above the 1kHz point.

Click to expand...

oh ic! ok thanks man

http://www.audio360.org/iems_a0026_review_nuforce_primo_8.php

Wow, now I really need to get a pair of these!