Astell&Kern beyerdynamic AK T8iE Review (First Impressions from IFA 2015)

jmills8 said:

The Copper/Silver sounded thicker compared to the Silver/Gold. I bought the Copper/Silver.





The iems are all the same model with same tips but each has different after market cable. They sound very different.

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Thanks.

I noted an immediate increase in clarity upon exchanging the stock cable for silver dragon.

Does anyone else entertain doubt as I've expressed about in ear monitor cables? I read enough about hdmi cables to know enough not to provoke posters, so my question is limited to those of us who purchased after market in ear cables.

Is there scientific data to back up my own claim? Is the increase in decibal something recorded?

I've no interest in "you enjoy it, therefore it is" as a dismissal or defense.

The T8 is expensive. I've added more expense w cable. Am I hearing the difference or am I a victim of expectation bias...or a bit of both?

With Mojo connected to T8, I can tell 100 percent of the time within the first few notes if Mojo is connected or not. This, I understand, gives much more 'data' for the brain to process.

Do the after market audio cables do something similar?

Thanks, everyone.

peter hyatt said:

Thanks.

I noted an immediate increase in clarity upon exchanging the stock cable for silver dragon.

Does anyone else entertain doubt as I've expressed about in ear monitor cables? I read enough about hdmi cables to know enough not to provoke posters, so my question is limited to those of us who purchased after market in ear cables.

Is there scientific data to back up my own claim? Is the increase in decibal something recorded?

I've no interest in "you enjoy it, therefore it is" as a dismissal or defense.

The T8 is expensive. I've added more expense w cable. Am I hearing the difference or am I a victim of expectation bias...or a bit of both?

With Mojo connected to T8, I can tell 100 percent of the time within the first few notes if Mojo is connected or not. This, I understand, gives much more 'data' for the brain to process.

Do the after market audio cables do something similar?

Thanks, everyone.

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There have been many, many studies on the effects of cables on audio performance. They almost always show no difference. That's not to say that settles anything and there is a Sound Science forum for cable debates, I'm only pointing out that there is very, very, very little data to back up claims of cables making any difference in sound quality. If you can find a study that shows a difference there will be 50 that don't. People do hear what they hear, of course. Just posting because you asked, not to make a statement beyond that.

mmm...... @Peter Hyatt , just enjoy your new cable. What matters is not a bunch of scientific studies. COMPLETELY IRRELEVANT. What is infinitely more important is what you are hearing and what you are enjoying. THERE IS NO NEED for anyone to VALIDATE what you are hearing and enjoying. You and you alone is the master, expert and ultimate judge of what is and what is not good to listen to.
 
In my own experience, cables do provide improvements, sometimes massive. Case in point: the Rhapsodio RT1i. With the stock cable, it was just unlistenable. With an after-market cable, the improvement was  immediate, palpable and massive. Of course, as with all things, everything must be done in moderation. NO need to go overboard by buying the most expensive or most exotic  or the most-in headphone or in-ear cable. The most that I've spent on a cable is USD 900.00 and the least, about USD 150.00, both of them very good. The price vs the performance improvement is not always linear. What is more important is to find the perfect match between headphone/in-ear and an after-market cable,  if you find the stock cable inadequate. If the stock cable is already perfect or ideal to your ears, then don't replace it. There are also practical and important benefits to after-market re-cabling. Portability or mobility. Some headphone cables are just not designed for mobility or portability. Also, after-market cables tend to be more robust and durable than stock cables. Of course, there's also the bling effect. People dress up their brand-new cars and that makes them feel better. Same thing with headphones and cables.  So why bother what other people, including experts, say? Now, if you need for science to validate your opinion, it becomes a never-ending quest to find an answer to a question that your ears already knows....on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being no improvement/all the cables are the same and 10 being extreme improvement, I am around 7. Put another way:  on a cable atheist, agnostic or absolute fanatic scale. I would be in between agnostic and fanatic.
 
Just trust your ears and enjoy your  music......

@Peter Hyatt Here are two article from MOT regarding various cable:
 
http://www.btg-audio.com/cable-facts

audionewbi said:

  @Peter Hyatt Here are two article from MOT regarding various cable:
 
http://www.btg-audio.com/cable-facts

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Thanks. I appreciate it.  I enjoy learning...and reading opinions back and forth.  
 
in the cable debate, is there a difference (in the debating) between "audio" cables (like the cables for our in ear monitors) and "USB" or digital cables (such as HDMI)?
 
Or, are people debating "cables" in general?
 
What triggered my interest was first what I heard with the AK 8's new cable (thank you for those who encouraged me to give it a try) and then when I read the thread on the fraudulent video on HDMI cables where the owner of the company wrote an open letter about it.  The language of the letter was of most interest to me.  This was only about HDMI.  

Finally...a quiet time for some 'A/B' testing.  Here is what I did:
 
Since my wife and I both have the T8, I took hers, put back the stock cable, and the exact same sleeves that I use so the seal would be the same. 
 
I then used Mojo, with its 2 ports. 
 
Then I used a well recorded (Lanois) Dylan album, "Oh Mercy", which is very 'busy', deep soundstage, and, most importantly, one I am very familiar with. 
 
The first 15 seconds of the song is all it took.  The sliver dragon cable was a touch louder, and had a sense of clarity lacking with the stock cable.  The stock seemed to me (this is the only word I can think of), somewhat 'dull' compared to the silver dragon from Moon Audio.   Being able to use a song that uses "fade in" makes it a bit easier to check but as soon as the song's volume is at peak, the difference is readily recognizable.  
 
So, my first "cable" A/B testing is in the audio cable of in ear monitors cable is complete.   
 
Verdict:   In ear monitor cable improved sound quality. 
 
 
 
Next up:  Will a silver USB cable be an improvement over the stock cable with the Mojo? 

peter hyatt said:

Finally...a quiet time for some 'A/B' testing.  Here is what I did:

Since my wife and I both have the T8, I took hers, put back the stock cable, and the exact same sleeves that I use so the seal would be the same. 

I then used Mojo, with its 2 ports. 

Then I used a well recorded (Lanois) Dylan album, "Oh Mercy", which is very 'busy', deep soundstage, and, most importantly, one I am very familiar with. 

The first 15 seconds of the song is all it took.  The sliver dragon cable was a touch louder, and had a sense of clarity lacking with the stock cable.  The stock seemed to me (this is the only word I can think of), somewhat 'dull' compared to the silver dragon from Moon Audio.   Being able to use a song that uses "fade in" makes it a bit easier to check but as soon as the song's volume is at peak, the difference is readily recognizable.  

So, my first "cable" A/B testing is in the audio cable of in ear monitors cable is complete.   

Verdict:   In ear monitor cable improved sound quality. 



Next up:  Will a silver USB cable be an improvement over the stock cable with the Mojo? 

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Do same test without using the Mojo.

BTW, my new Cable

mmm....I also like the PlusSound Exo copper with MMCX (my 2nd PlusSound cable). My T8 sounds more musical than with the neutralish/analytical  AK Crystal Cable Next (Silver). I'm a fan of PlusSound. 

AK T8iE MkII in July.
http://www.phileweb.com/news/d-av/201606/21/39029.html

raypin said:

mmm....I also like the PlusSound Exo copper with MMCX (my 2nd PlusSound cable). My T8 sounds more musical than with the neutralish/analytical  AK Crystal Cable Next (Silver). I'm a fan of PlusSound. 

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Yeah, well built. This one is the Tri Metal (Copper/Silver/Gold). I actually love the sound.

mmm......re: akt8 version  2, improved cable??? New or improved drivers? Welcome development.

peter hyatt said:

Thanks.

I noted an immediate increase in clarity upon exchanging the stock cable for silver dragon.

Does anyone else entertain doubt as I've expressed about in ear monitor cables? I read enough about hdmi cables to know enough not to provoke posters, so my question is limited to those of us who purchased after market in ear cables.

Is there scientific data to back up my own claim? Is the increase in decibal something recorded?
 

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This is not just for T8iE, but I have posted some stuff on IE80 that there was a significant difference in left/right crosstalk between the stock v.s. aftermarket cables, and also unbalanced v.s. balanced.
 
A lot of people often forget that it is not the 99.999% copper or silver or snake oil that makes the difference, but the simple issue of channel crosstalk between the wires due to poor cable geometry.
 
You can easily try on your T8iE, just have the music playing on right channel only, and see how much music leaks to the left channel driver. It's quite significant on the stock cable. There are many causes, such as the magnetic inductance, shared ground path, and of course the shared ground pin on the 3.5mm jack connector. Also it is dependent on the current flowing through the cable so low impedance earphones (less voltage, more current) has more issues.
 
I don't have measurements for the T8iE, but for the IE80 there was a massive improvement in channel separation by using the third party cable as shown below. This causes a fairly obvious change to the stereo imaging and clarity because essentially the stock cable is acting like an artificial "crossfeed" which blends the left and right signals.
 
The latest issue of Hi-Fi News Magazine also shows data on how much crosstalk takes place due to the cable. It's pretty alarming that we are talking about 24 bit files and -144dB noise floor, while the actual headphones have channel crosstalk as bad as -40dB, which is clearly audible. They also go one step further to show measurements that the metal headband (for headphones) also causes measurable crosstalk.
 

Akt8ie mkii.....

audionewbi said:

Akt8ie mkii.....

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Wonder how the new driver will sound. The Japanese site says
New voicecoil with geometric optimisation of the coil to allow for a more accurate motion in loud volume conditions, to further reduce distortion.
 
The cable says instead of ordinary copper, it now uses high grade silver plated copper with strong aramid fibre core and FEP insulator for flexibility and gentle to the skin.
 
Also MMCX connector has high purity gold plating and modified shape to improve connection.
 
I wish I could swap mine for the MK2...  It would be very hard to sell the original T8iE for a good price now. Shops will start to have big clearance prices for them.