[HiFiChris]

  I find that tips really change things almost as much as the filters do.  I tried the olives, now I'm on the Westone Star silicons and they seem to give me a better seal that is also more comfortable, as well as a more defined sound across the frequency range.  Firmed up the bass a bit, and give me a more clear treble.

 
Foam tips usually make low frequencies sound loose and reduce high frequencies.

 

[Earbones]

I think foam tips are much more affected by sizing than silicone tips are. Obviously, either foam or silicone tips, if too small for a user's ear, will not form a seal and the sound will suffer.
 
However, when you get into larger sizes, silicone is much more forgiving than foam, in my opinion. For instance, if a medium sized silicone tip is enough to form a perfect seal in a particular ear, the sound will generally not degrade if a larger size is used (assuming there is still a seal)... It may just cause the user discomfort. 
 
Conversely, going too large with a foam tip often results in the end remaining pinched, effectively narrowing or closing off the port... Resulting in muffled, loose, or otherwise bad sound.
 
I think many people forget that a properly sized foam tip will not seal immediately. It should feel too small when first inserted, and then gradually seal over roughly a thirty to sixty second period as the foam expands and fills the ear canal. Assuming the sizing is right, the port should remain fully open and sound quality will be unaffected.
 
In my experience, it is far easier to achieve great sound with a silicone tip, but taking the time to find a properly sized foam tip can result in identical sound, with the added benefit of superior isolation. Personally, I only use foam tips... Assuming the correct fit is possible. And I think the Shure Olives are some of the best on the market, along with the Westone True-Fit.
 
But like everything in this hobby, YRMV...

 

[dsincere]

Regarding "treble roll-off" of the SE846 (explained in detail in the comments section of my Ref.1 review), what has helped elevate my perceived high treble FR are these items (in no particular order):

1.  Sensaphonics Custom Sleeves

2.  Balanced amp/cable

3.  Headphone Lounge "Reference" Silver Litz Cable (SE)

4.  Modded Black (foam dampers removed) nozzle inserts/filters

I agree with what you said as I helped come up with the Black Filter mod ...haven't went with silver cables yet as I found the copper both balanced and unbalanced very nice indeed may someday have a pair made or try a pair out just to see ....

 

[Whazzzup]

Yup, white the right choice with the hugo. Can't stop listening.

 

[dsincere]

Thanks... Sounds like a fairly simple operation.

What are the benefits? How do the modded black filters compare to the stock blue and stock white?

Benefits we found was that it not only gave the full sub bass impact where called for in the track but also let more of the highs shine through giving everything overall just a very clean and powerful sound ....I think Spook76 may like to add a little to this as well

 

[worminater]

  I think foam tips are much more affected by sizing than silicone tips are. Obviously, either foam or silicone tips, if too small for a user's ear, will not form a seal and the sound will suffer.
 
However, when you get into larger sizes, silicone is much more forgiving than foam, in my opinion. For instance, if a medium sized silicone tip is enough to form a perfect seal in a particular ear, the sound will generally not degrade if a larger size is used (assuming there is still a seal)... It may just cause the user discomfort. 
 
Conversely, going too large with a foam tip often results in the end remaining pinched, effectively narrowing or closing off the port... Resulting in muffled, loose, or otherwise bad sound.
 
I think many people forget that a properly sized foam tip will not seal immediately. It should feel too small when first inserted, and then gradually seal over roughly a thirty to sixty second period as the foam expands and fills the ear canal. Assuming the sizing is right, the port should remain fully open and sound quality will be unaffected.
 
In my experience, it is far easier to achieve great sound with a silicone tip, but taking the time to find a properly sized foam tip can result in identical sound, with the added benefit of superior isolation. Personally, I only use foam tips... Assuming the correct fit is possible. And I think the Shure Olives are some of the best on the market, along with the Westone True-Fit.
 
But like everything in this hobby, YRMV...

 
YRMV...
 
I can't seem to get a comfortable seal with any silicon tips on my 846s.  Shure Olives work well; but Comply med comfort+ are by far the best.  ~30s after insertion for full seal being very true in my experience; but I can leave them in for hours after.  I will say it's a bit of a PITA @ work though; someones walks over to say, 'nice job on X' and waits for me to take IEMs out and nod a curt 'thanks' before walking away.      I tend to put other headphones on after that to minimize downtime.

 

[e30ernest]

I'm starting love the white filters on these.  Using the white filters allowed me to bring down my listening volume a bit without losing detail.  I wish aftermarket filters were also available.  Beats modding my black filters.  I want to keep the stuff that I have as is so that I don't risk breaking them.

 

[vrln]

Looks like I´ll be joining the SE846 club soon too. I had the 530 a long time ago and while I loved the midrange, I felt the bass was too timid for mainstream music. When the SE846 was launched I read all the reviews and so on, only to discover that distribution in the EU is pretty tight compared to the US. Shure seems to be even more expensive than Westone here these days. Thomann (largest online pro audio store in EU) for example sells the SE846 at a "nice" price of 1100 euros. So I grind my teeth and forget about it was it just felt too much to pay almost twice what the Sennheiser IE 800 costs over here...
 
Until today when I noticed that a Swedish online store sells them for 850 euros (awesome price considering how high VAT and import costs are!) and Shure´s warranty is global! So to celebrate my year or so absence from Head-Fi I´ve decided to continue my journey with the IEM I have been most interested in for quite a while already. I´ll try to post an in depth comparison against the Sennheiser IE 800 and Fischer Amps FA4-XB which have been my daily go-to IEMs lately. Last but not least, how much bigger is the shell compared to the Shure 530/535? I´m a bit worried that it might be too big, it looks pretty bulky in pictures... I know the Shure tips fit me perfectly though so it´s just the shell that I´m a bit worried about.

 

[moedawg140]

  Looks like I´ll be joining the SE846 club soon too. I had the 530 a long time ago and while I loved the midrange, I felt the bass was too timid for mainstream music. When the SE846 was launched I read all the reviews and so on, only to discover that distribution in the EU is pretty tight compared to the US. Shure seems to be even more expensive than Westone here these days. Thomann (largest online pro audio store in EU) for example sells the SE846 at a "nice" price of 1100 euros. So I grind my teeth and forget about it was it just felt too much to pay almost twice what the Sennheiser IE 800 costs over here...
 
Until today when I noticed that a Swedish online store sells them for 850 euros (awesome price considering how high VAT and import costs are!) and Shure´s warranty is global! So to celebrate my year or so absence from Head-Fi I´ve decided to continue my journey with the IEM I have been most interested in for quite a while already. I´ll try to post an in depth comparison against the Sennheiser IE 800 and Fischer Amps FA4-XB which have been my daily go-to IEMs lately. Last but not least, how much bigger is the shell compared to the Shure 530/535? I´m a bit worried that it might be too big, it looks pretty bulky in pictures... I know the Shure tips fit me perfectly though so it´s just the shell that I´m a bit worried about.

 
Congrats and welcome to the club if you decide to purchase the SE846!
 
As an owner of the SE530, the SE846's housing/shell is larger, and may or may not be a 'perfect' fit for your ears.  If you purchase the SE846, love the sound signature, but find out that either sizes-fit-all tips are not working for you or the housing/shell isn't fitting very well (or a combination of both issues), you can look towards purchasing the Sensaphonics Custom Sleeves (SCS).  Regardless of the tips and/or housing not fitting you sufficiently, the SCS houses/positions the SE846 in such a way as the SE846's housing/shell should not even touch your ears.  
 
Hope everything works out for you. 

 

 

[HiFiChris]

  Last but not least, how much bigger is the shell compared to the Shure 530/535? I´m a bit worried that it might be too big, it looks pretty bulky in pictures... I know the Shure tips fit me perfectly though so it´s just the shell that I´m a bit worried about.

 
It is a bit bigger - I don't have the 535 but the 425 and the 846 is approximately 2.5-3mm longer and 1-1.5mm higher.
The shape is also a little different.

 

[moedawg140]

   
It is a bit bigger - I don't have the 535 but the 425 and the 846 is approximately 2.5-3mm longer and 1-1.5mm higher.
The shape is also a little different.

 
The 535 and 425 utilize the same housing/shell (in case readers did not know this fact).

 

[Headtrip]

I would contact Claudia from Sensaphonics (saveyourears@sensaphonics.com) to truly find out the current ETA. Congrats on your purchase!

Just a fyi I ordered my Sensaphonics about a month ago and I'm supposed to receive them tomorrow. Lisa said at the time that because of the big show in Anaheim they were backed up six weeks. Can't wait!

 

[jelt2359]

Yup, white the right choice with the hugo. Can't stop listening.

Finally!!

 

[Whazzzup]

Yup, white the right choice with the hugo. Can't stop listening.

Finally!!

Don't know why I waited. The only draw back if there is one is that it's so acute with such acuity of the hugo, if there is hiss in the recording it's obvious. Other than that im hearing stuff I thought I already heard, but haven't.
Thanks and cheers

 

[madwolfa]

Got the tracking # from Sensaphonics today. Should be here by Wednesday!