truckdriver: Yah, I am gradually managing to coax the wire into a favourable position. One of those teething problems I suppose. Sennheiser and Shure. Both feature entirely different styles with the former being easier on the ears (wearing the IE8s felt like wearing nothing at all). It takes a bit of getting used to wearing IEMs of the Shure and Earsonics design type.
rmiller51: Both the IE800s and Shure SE846 boast great bass, but the latter does it bigger (Texas bigger) and slightly better. Impact and sub bass is huge from the 846. The 800s did not slam nearly as much as I desired.
The intro the Iron Maiden's "When the Wild Wind Blows" (a big bass guitar part) sounds equally lush, rich and butter scotch warm in both; there isn't much in it (the contest). Caspa & Rusko's FabricLive mix left me in wanting when heard through the IE800s, but the SE846s' immense sub bass delivery is well up to the task of representing what this sort of music is really meant to sound like. Then there's the conclusion to "The Rebel Faction" by Primal Fear that really goes "whomph!!!" The IE800s blew me away when I first experienced this, however it became clear later that this impact had a real airy quality to it. The SE846s meanwhile delivered the same impact but this time it was less shall we say airborne - more at ground level.
Someone said the bass sounds boxed in or words to that effect; perhaps it's not to their liking, but the bass delivery from these puppies has kept me wowed and entertained since day dot. As daft as it might sound, it wasn't until about 18 months of owning the IE8s that I stopped feeling the wow factor and yearned for bigger and better. For some reason the IE800s veneer waned quickly (probably because of seldom present sub bass) however I feel that the SE846s will keep me impressed for a good while yet.
In terms of detail there is not much to pick between them.
I must say that verbalising the qualities of both is a very tall task!
Tall task, maybe, but so very appreciated.
I am still in the 'evaluation' period so I will save most of my impression/comparison comments for later. I do appreciate the comparison, though. I was very curious.
My concern, being an incurable bass addict, was feeling cheated after spending a grand based on the 846s reputation for incredible bass. The 846s represent the best bass I have ever heard. I cannot see ANY hardcore basshead not having the same sentiments, or even worse, being disappointed. The 846 bass is everything: tight, impactful, deep, omnipresent, menacing, powerful and as an added bonus, handles the most taxing bass songs - songs that cripple other bassy IEMs - perfectly well and with complete authority - as if to say 'is that all you got?'.
I have heard the same criticisms about the bass being too 'dry' and lacking the full body sound rendered by a capable DD and I think the descriptions are an inadequate use of the language. My previous weapon of choice, prior to the 846s, was the MG7s I so dearly love. I am unaware any IEM bass being better than the Atrios. They represent my first real experience with a true 'in-ear' subwoofer of impeccable depth, resilience, quality...and always in huge supply. And what I can tell you from my few days of 846 ownership is that yes, the bass between the two is different. Not so much in quantity as in interpretation. Comparatively speaking, the Atrios could be described as having a fuller body with richer resonance overall, but that is because the 846 BA bass (in my opinion) is more accurate and tighter than the DD bass of the Atrios. I saw the same qualities in the westones dual BA bass drivers, just in a lot less quantity, but then that was westones goal...accuracy. It was this reason that the 846 bass kind of took me aback when I first heard it. For one thing, I didn't know how to 'listen' to it, so to speak. But it didn't take long to learn and once I became accustomed to it, I began to like it. A lot. And now, some 3 days later, I'm loving it. A lot. I have thoroughly enjoyed the 846s bass interpretations of all my favorite bass centric music. It's like having a second opinion. But to say one bass is better than the other is something I cannot do. I love them both. What I will say is I heavily favor the 846s, but I believe that is because with the 846, I get it all - Bass that challenges the MG7s while at the same time, enjoying mids and highs that surpass the best the westones had to offer. While the Atrio mids and highs are good (some would even go so far to say 'very good', I being one of them) they are far removed form the quality the 846s have achieved.
The 846s have changed the way I listen to music - cured me of bassheadness, in a way. I love bass. To me, there is nothing more incredible that the deep, penetrating sound of good bass - be it a kick, drum, a cello, quitar...whatever. So, that has how I listened to music - with the focus placed on the bass, through boosting and EQing and tip selection. With the 846s, I find myself turning the bass down (way down). Just slightly elevated from flat, to be exact, so that the bass does not distract my enjoyment of the incredible mids and highs the 846 produces. I mean, the detail and clarity of the mids and highs on these things are as incredible to listen to as the bass, so I keep it balanced, more or less, and as a result, I can hear every single mistake a musician makes. I can hear a wood chair creak when someone in the studio shifts his weight. I can even (get this) finally understand what Eddie Vetter is actually singing. I mean, the actual words! And of course, being a W4R owner, this is something I am accustomed to, but not all in the same package....at the same time! It is a wonderful experience.
So, for those that would criticize the 846 bass, I would say it was more a statement as to their personal taste and preference in how they like bass to sound. I have been to far too many live performances to say that the bass the 846 produces is not accurate or realistic. No one is saying that you have to wear the same clothes, like the same food, practice the same politics.....or listen to the same bass I do. By the same token, no one is going to tell me that the way I like music to sound is wrong. To each his own.
But make no mistake - there is a difference between making an observation and rendering a criticism, and some people tend to forget this.
Thanks for taking the time to make the comparison with the IE800. I appreciate it as much as I enjoyed it.
I just can't use IEMs because my ear canals are weak sauce. 
The bass is that damn good (along with everything else) it is now possible to admit to being a basshead a lot less ashamedly. Bass is an important part of music, no less so than any other element, and it has been this way since the classical era (octobass, anyone?).
