Sennheiser IE 8 In-Ear Headphones

ITs ver good headphones for my price paid. much better than beats studios

Sound and build quality is pretty good, Bass level is comparable to UE 4EB.

These are the best IEMS I have. Much better than Shure 535's or the UE500's or the Klipsh. Second to only custom IEM's

I were choosing between this and ue trple fi 10 pro, and as for me ie8 is totally a winner.
Great bass, great detail, great everything. Sound is crappy out of the box, but in few hours it start to open up and in nearly 50 hours of burning in you are in heaven. Isolation and fit not super nice, but i made custom tips and now im as happy as one can be. I think it'll be my last IEM before IE9 or something like that. I really like senn sound sig.
UPD I forgot the widest soundstage you ever heared from iems. Its even wider than most over-ear headphones.

Okay, I have to leave for school in 5 minutes, so this is gonna have to be quick.

Basically, I totally love these. With my Cowon S9, everything from Armin Van Buuren to ES Posthumous sounds ridiculously amazing. The soundstage, smooth sound, and easy listenability at low volumes are the coolest parts for me.
 
Okay, I'm not going to write a real review. I just want to say I've been looking for a full-size headphone with the same strengths that can be used unamped and there isn't one. I was thinking DT990 32 ohm, but apparently even that needs an amp. The soundstage, comfort, durability (i've really tested this part, I'm an energetic ADD high school student lol) are unbeatable for this drivability. Like yeah, I could get the AD700s for the soundstage, but these have so much more going for them. I really can't describe it, but there's a sort of emotional connection I have when I listen to music with these earphones. I actually posted a thread about this and my Cowon S9, titled something like "Cowon S9 + Senn IE8 = Bliss" a couple months back because I loved this combination so much. Anyways, get this, you won't regret it.
 

Purchased these From an Authorized seller in the UK as a Demo but in as new / Mint condition. They actually had 10 Pair, in hindsight I probably should have purchased a 2nd. After a Disappointing trial of Vsonic GR07 Classics, I decided to pop the Extra $$$$ and take a chance with the IE8s. I won't be looking back any time soon. You can use a lot of adjectives, in a nutshell they sound great and are actually on par with My Senn HD650s sonically. The first thing I did was Try all the supplied Tips finding that the Large regular tip is the best of the OEM lot for my ears. I will go into a little more detail in a few for better tips. Then I burned these in having a Listen at 50, 100, 200, 250 and 300 Hours. I for one definitely can hear a vast difference between New and Burned in. Relaxed would be what I would call the Transformation, and the Mid-Bass hump which never really bothered me anyways has smoothed out. I also Purchased a set of Balanced N8 OCCC silver Plated copper upgrade cables from HIFI-Acoustic Audio. Fantastic workmanship on these cables. Highly Recommended.
 
Now for eartips: I have Tried Comply Foams, Generic Silicone Hybrids from Ebay, Genuine Sony Hybrids, Phonak, Monster Gels, JVC, both Clear and Black assortments from Meelec, Auvio hybrids and of course the supplied OEM. My conclusion is BY A WIDE MARGIN: The Auvio Hybrids available at Radio Shack in Large size. They just make the sound BLOOM, at least to my ears.
 
Sorry for being Late to the Party, Might Have to try out the IE80s.
 
TWIN

 
I have the SE530's and the triple fi's but these are my favourites by a long way.
For me the SQ is so balanced and detailed, with pure and accurate treble, smooth, powerful and controlled base. Stunning soundstage and dynamics for an IEM. They sound very natural. For me the search is over.... At last!
The fit is flat against the ear allowing laying on the side with them still in place with minimal discomfort. They seal well and exclude ambient sound well, although of course this depends on the tips and fit you achieve.
I have had custom tips made by a UK firm, but the fit was not good and they were painful to wear. After 3 refits they are still poor and I cannot wear them for long. (A good way to experience customs, and if you don't get on with them you can still use the universal tips without the expense of shelling out on bespoke custom IEMs).
On the down side the carrying case is bulky and awkward.... unnecessary.
The base adjustment just bloats and booms but the base for me is perfect on the default setting (minimum factory setting). They do need a few days to burn in and become more balanced from new.
I am on my 3rd pair as the Comply foams (not bundled with the Senns) are too tight on the stems, I do not recommend using the Complys, even thought the SQ and comfort is best for me with them. I now use the bundled silicon tips, although I quite like the silicon tips from the UEtriple fis which also fit these at a stretch.
These are only around £150 to £190 from Amazon in the UK which makes them outstanding value.
They work beautifully with my 4th Gen iPod touch and with my Pico Slim are just sublime.
I love the IE8's and would highly recommend them. I am so glad I discovered them. I hope you enjoy them too. 

There's no way to describe how good the IE8 is. You absolutely have to hear it for yourself to realize. As someone who moved up from the highly acclaimed Klipsch Image S4, I can tell you that they sound like plastic compared to these. You'll find it hard to believe what you're hearing is coming out of such a tiny IEM.
 
Let me talk about the soundstage. Oh man, what a soundstage this is? Initially it's nothing special, but after burning these in for ~50 hours, they start to open up. This is one of the widest soundstage I've ever heard in an IEM. It is even comparable to full-sized headphones, provided you have a good fit. 
 
These live up to Sennheiser's name when it comes to audio quality. The sound is Sennheiser's signature warm feeling. The mids and highs are all very good. The bass can be adjusted with the knob, and I find it to be plenty strong at just the second stage. There is just no flaw with the sound. It's very focused and balanced. 
 
The cable is not only replaceable, but it's also one of the best material I've ever seen. It's very soft, protected by Kevlar and has almost no microphonic. One of the main things a lot of IEM suffer from is cable noise - the IE8 has none. It will also work well without its hooks, a nice news for people wearing glasses like me.
 
The only downside to the IE8 is its mediocre noise isolation, but being the amazing IEM that it is, it's natural that you can buy an ACS custom tip for it. All you need to do is get your ear mould at your local audiologist, send it over, and they'll send you back a custom tip that is specifically designed to match your ears canal. If you really need a lot of isolation, the option is there as long as you have the money. 
 
So all-in-all, provided you have the money, the IE8 is an excellent investment. Its only flaw can be fixed if you throw in another $100 for the custom tips, but even with that, it's still cheaper than many custom IEMs and isn't necessarily any worse. I'd recommend these without hesitation to anyone who can afford them.

Excellent IEM headphones. I usually use my modified HD600's with my hifi system or whilst listening from my mac via my external DAC through my headphone amp, but I recently FLAC'd my entire CD collection (several weeks later) onto an AK Jr, and with the IE8's the sound quality is excellent. (Memories of my first Walkman in 1981 and the impact it made on me as a young boy, the sound was a vast improvement on what I'd heard from any tape player before). The IE8's almost isolate most external noise as it's easy to get a good seal in your ears with the variety of rubber tips that are provided so when the music is playing, all you hear is the music and the reproduction is excellent. From vocals of Andy Bell in 'Am I Right' to Louise Setara in 'Love me Still', to driving rhythms and drums in Lou Gramm's 'Angel With A Dirty Face'. All the varieties of music I've listened to through these IE 8's I've never been disappointed.
Build quality is usual German quality, so nothing to worry about there. They are packaged in a nice sized case that is easy to fit in your pocket, and the cleaning tools and other rubber tips are all stored neatly.
All in all I'd certainly recommend these IEM's, they're not the most affordable if you're on a budget, but if you can save that bit longer, they are most certainly worth it, and I'd be very surprised if you regretted your purchase.

Awesome Earphone with Awesome bass and Buld

classic headfi！
IE8  shows in ear still have a great performance on large symphony Mishap , The knot in large scenes like the sound sense of Church Music, reverb, harmonic performance far exceeds the reduction of the other ear the same price, making it an iron, following the classic ear ER4 "Little Four"IE8 become another one！ . Stage monitor is also a good choice

Wow, what can I say. These came like-new and packaged perfectly from FlexPen76 with 100+ hours burn-in time. Compliments to him again =] 
First Impression- The entire Sennheiser construction was very solid and the box was very attractive as representative of fine German engineering. I had no trouble ascertaining if the ones I got was real and at first I must say I was overwhelmed by all the included accessories. However, as stated by many users, all the excess tips were completely negligible and the only one that remotely fit in my ears was the silicone default one. I immediately took them and stuck the nickel-plated jack in my newest Ipod Touch without hesitation. The bass-knob setting was a little higher than 1 and I wouldn't recommend going over that unless you want the treble to be drowned out by the bass. But that's only because of the tips I was using. I played a few low bit-rate songs and was surprised to say they weren't overly sensitive to low-quality music. Then I initiated a hq trance song with the sound turned a little above normal and closed my eyes. It was interesting to note that I barely noticed a difference in soundstage to my full sized cans D2000 and Dt880. That just shows how well the IE8 balances the entire frequency spectrum in an ethereal-like cover. Overally SQ was quite detailed and I also noticed how well it reproduced every note of noise from classical pieces to vocal trance. I would say it sounds like a Rs1 without the overly fatiguing signature but it lacks the mid-range of the Grados. The highs are well configured but tends to sound well only without the bass booming at the same time. 
Will be giving a more detailed report after I play around with these more.

So this is my last IEM upgrade I am planning on doing since I am more of an Over Ear type. However for work I needed a solid IEM. I got these at a great price, and I am plesantly surprised of how much of an upgrade over my CX-870's it is!
 
I love these IEM's, they are warm, bass is detailed, I can play everything from accoustic/vocals, Jazz, to Alternative rock and they sound crisp clean and warm.
 
Overall I am very glad I got them for $190 USD instead of full price. Listening to Andrea Corr's lifelines album is a pure joy through these.
 
HIGHLY RECOMMEND if you work in a quite place I wouldnt suggest these for jogging but if your jogging you really dont have the ability to truly appreciate the clarity anyway. Great buy

This is my first top tier IEM. I own it quite a long period of time.
 
I am very happy with the SQ.... Anyway here is my review after 5 days of usage =)  ( i left it in seller website)
 
Честно говоря звук сразу после распаковки был ужасен Но я знал что динамическим затычкам надо время что бы 'раскрытся'. Так и произошло. Буквально через 5 часов они зазвучали значительно лучше. После 80 + часов разогрева звук поражает Я не сказал бы что люблю слушать гитару или пианино. В основном я люблю электронную музыку. Но блин, когда я услышал как в них звучит гитара. Это словами не передать. Аж мурашки по коже пробежались. Вокал тоже очень радует. Басы мягкие и упругие. Очень приятные. Когда их одеваеш такое чуство вроде бы музыка вокруг тебя. Она везде, а не только в твоей голове. Вобщем, советую всем кто любит звук сенхайзера. Единственное с чем могут возникнуть проблемы это с подходящей насадкой. Слава богу мне как минимум 2 пары подходят идеально. Всем правильного выбора

These earbuds has a warm sound, but with very nice mids, and crisp highs. I heard that lot of people say it has too much bass, but I think they are just enough with the knob turned to the max (maybe it can have even more bass). I found that they sound a slightly similar to the Klipsch Image X10. The cable is the best ive ever saw, they are soft and they have minimal microphonics. The only downside I found is that they don't block out much sound. Oh, and When I got those earphones. The Cable was wrapped so tightly in the box that it basically destroyed the cable.
For the price I paid (around 300USD) , I would definetly recommend it to people who takes their music seriously.

DOI: I don't get to listen to new gear a lot so I may not be any use at answering questions about comparisons to anything other than my own stuff (which may or may not be considered esoteric). I was (and am) a full-size hi-fi person so my tastes in this will clearly colour what I look for in head-fi. I tend to value realism of tone for well-recorded voices and instruments but for orchestral works and pop/dance music, I prefer a neutral-warm musicality and dynamics.
 
 
Initial set-up:
Box:
Carry case is lovely but clunky and useless for in-out day-to-day carry. Cable is nice, a useful length and non-microphonic unless you're really scraping it. The clip helps.
 
Eartips:
Best in box for my smallish ear canals were the medium single-flanges - absolute best were cut-down Comply foams, which are crazy expensive in the UK and being cut-up, only last a few days of hard wear before the seal goes. Ended up getting Proguard silicone tips which I use to this day (which reduces total comfort and congests the sound but was a reasonable trade-off for durability). I wore them over-ears with the cable guides as I run around a lot.
 
Source/Amp:
iPhone 4 w/ ALAC then added a BSG cmoy tin-amp with LM4562 (gain 6) and a Tangent-design Pimeta v2 built by myself as a high-end build with BB OPA827 x 3 (627s were waaaaaay too pricey). Lately, I've been using an iPhone 5S with the Onkyo player app and an iBasso DX80 with Lurker's firmware (ALAC and Hi-Res FLAC)
 
A Few Thoughts on the Sound:
Initially, crazy bass which sounded bloated and horrible. After running in on the cmoy for a few tens of hours, it started to clear so I persevered and the muddiness disappeared. I've always kept the IE8s at the lowest bass setting and worked on optimising the seal. There's a lot of bass and can be a bit 'splashy' and it doesn't extend all the way down but the quality even with the well-documented mid-bass hump is a lot of fun with e.g. The Prodigy and Nine-Inch Nails and doesn't obscure the rest too much. Highs are slightly rolled-off but this helps those, like myself, who are very sensitive to sibilance or 'hot' recordings. Detail is good but micro-detail and subtle changes in e.g. the background dirge of Nightwish's Taikatalvi certainly needs a better player than a phone - the upper-range smoothness and the high sensitivity/low impedance probably don't help. Overall, the IE8 is smooth: it forgives low-quality rips, voices (esp. female ones) are clear and with the right recording have a flutey quality that sounds lovely though isn't necessarily the most realistic e.g. an opera recording like Kleiber's 1977 La Traviata. That being said, I played Sandi Thom's 'I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker' for the first time through the cmoy w/ LM4562 and the voice in my right ear was so 'real' I jumped sideways on a busy street...
 
Soundstage is massive, and in a way I particularly like - moreso with the Pimeta and OPA827s: the vocals are in my head but everything else is all around. This can get a bit echo-chamber for some tunes but with particular recordings it gives an 'out-there' effect you can't cheaply achieve even with a full-sized system. Coupled with the Complys, you can forget you are wearing in-ears. I've been known to take my kit onto the street at night when it's quiet and play Florence + The Machine's Cosmic Love far too loudly and dance around grinning whilst it feels like the sound is coming from the sky around me. Seriously. Stop looking at me like that...
 
(The only reason I stopped carrying my Pimeta was the 1-hour battery life - never got the oscillation stable-, the box weighs over a 1Ib and carrying a large metal container covered in switches gets you funny looks on London Underground in this security-conscious day and age.)
 
Overall:
A bargain at the price I paid (~£100) and a very decent upgrade if you like bass. However, perfect fit was an issue for me and it really needs something better than a phone to show off. My favourite to calm a sibilant tune on my rather sizzly but otherwise solid iBasso DX80 (e.g. any of Fun's studio albums - sometimes feels like a very musical white-noise generator). 5 years later and I still go back to them.

I've been using Sennheiser IE8 for 2 years and its still awesome. sadly I lost it about 2 months ago.
The first time I use it, it sounded ordinary but after several days of burning in I finally found the true sound that is so amazing.
The sound is detailed, clean instrument separation, strong bass, and an awesome soundstage, and no microphonic...
but after using it for a year I have to buy a new cable because the cable broke up, and also I found the earhook is not practical to use. I got my perfect seal from the medium sized double flange tips after experimenting with all the ten tips provided. and It's so comfortable also. The carrying case is neat because it carries two reserve tips, cleaning tools, a microfiber cloth, and your IE8, but the design is complicated. 
well its quite pricey and because this is an IEM people didn't see that this thing is expensive. And you know, it just so sad.
 
 

This is my first review on Head-fi and till this day I do not possess the audio vocabulary that many others on this forum have and for that very reason, I will try to keep in simple here. This was at that point in time and still remains, my only foray into the higher-end universal IEM category and for various reasons I will mention in the review, it will likely remain for some time unless I someday find myself in the money.
 
Isolation and fit
I think I will start off by addressing some "misconceptions" that I believe exist about the IE8s and this more or less centres around fit issues that many people have complained about (though this may not apply to everyone). This in turn has caused a lot of them to feel that the IE8's isolation is poor. I tend to agree with this, but only to a point. Let me quantify my view because I do believe that with the right fit, isolation is possible albeit not 100%.
 
When attempting to achieve the right fit, this article "basic guide to in ear canal phones" is beneficial especially point 8 re: how to use your IEM; the link for this is: http://www.head-fi.org/wiki/basic-guide-to-in-ear-canalphones. But in a nutshell, when putting the IEM into my right ear, I use my left hand to pull the tip of my ear up and outwards ever so slightly and use my right ear to place the IEM in my ear canal and again, slowly, with a little screwdriver action, push it in. This has worked wonders for me especially with my current favoured tip.
 
Here is a picture of the tips I use after testing the other stock tips provided. I added the original tip just for reference more than anything else. For convenience, I'll just call them tip 1, 2 and 3 from the left to right respectively.
 

 
My favoured tip from the ensemble is tip 1. For a long time, I lived with the original tips and never liked the idea of switching from conventional tips partly due to stubborness and also the belief that I'm a normal person, but I was just in plain denial. For starters, everyone thinks I look like a 10 year old due to my small frame. I obviously didn't heed that warning and then there are other factors like my elongated face structure shaped like a papaya (paw-paw) in stark contrast to my small frame; but I'll save you from the other gory facts .
 
All of us are born differently, have different ear canals, etc. Hence the reason for custom tips and earphones. So perhaps, what works for me, may not work for you, but I'd encourage you if you are having fit issues, to at the very least follow the guide hyper linked and try some of the stock tips given or other suggested ones by members here before giving up on the IE8s if you already have them in your possession.
 
Tip 2 gave me the best isolation and though without any music on, I could barely hear people around me with deep insertion and once the music was on, I really could not hear the buzz around me in any way whatsoever, but this does come with a little consequence on the sound quality (SQ) which I will go through in the next section.
 
Sound Quality (SQ)
I rarely if not never turn the bass knob to the maximum and usually maintain it between the minimum and the middle depending on which tip I utilise. As mentioned above, I first started out with the original tips i.e. tip 3 and then I moved on to tip 2 for better isolation, but I found that with this tip the bass would tend to colour the sound and SQ to me dropped. I also found treble to be lacking at this point and I would EQ treble into the IE8s though I don't do that anymore as I just turn the bass knob to the minimum and the colouration is not as significant.
 
Bear in mind that when using tip 2 for isolation, what happens is that the passageway for the sound to your ear canal is shortened and this for the lack of a better illustration is like having closed headphones to some extent. There is no room for the bass to "diffuse" and my theory is that this is the reason why it colours the sound.
 
The reason why I've ended up choosing tip 1 is simply because though I lost isolation where if I was in an extremely noisy area or along the road, I would have to turn up the sound, the treble still shines best to me with this tip choice. The treble is not over emphasised nor is it harsh on the ears and perhaps to some, it might lack the sparkle, but with this tip, to my ears, it's just right and non-fatiguing.
 
Overall, to me the IE8s have close to none or little microphonic issues. The IE8 impresses with vocal presentations and many friends who have sampled my pair have noted this same fact as well. Their sound staging is extremely impressive and for that very reason, it makes the musicality of the IE8s just that much more wonderful. It is for this very reason that it is engaging, exhilarating and enjoyable.
 
One of the selling points to me about the IE8s was their versatility in that I could adjust the bass to my liking though now more often than not, I leave it slightly below the middle. To me, my IE8s are used when I'm on the go, when I'm walking. And when I do that, I like to listen to popular music, electronic stuff, anything that keeps me moving, anything that keeps my mind entertained and my heart pumping. And this is where to me, the IE8s have hit home. They keep me thoroughly entertained, enthused and motivated with whatever music I throw at it.
 
To me, perhaps the IE8s may not be the most analytical pair of IEMs out there, but it's sound staging makes up for that. But like I said, if I'm on the go, I want a pair of IEMs that are fun and the IE8s provided it in spades. I don't want to be analysing music when I'm walking around. And even if I do, I do it when I'm sitting in a quiet area and again, with tip 1, I don't have a problem. Obviously, you'd have to look at the purpose of you getting the IEM.
 
I have not gone into any technical details and perhaps this may not help in making a decision on a pair of IEMs as I do not wish to make technical claims of it's bass extension, depth, accuracy of instruments without having been able to sample or test many of the other universal competitors in the price bracket. I did my research before plunging into this and I have not been disappointed. There are now competitors that are said to be better than the IE8s, but the Monster Turbines supposedly don't have as much depth in sound staging as the IE8s and this to me, is what I want to feel in my music. I want to be there, I want to be in it, at the centre of the action. That is musicality.
 
Note: I first started out with al-cheapo IEMs which I at that time thought was already a huge outlay, but seeing that I loved music so much, I thought I'd look into something else which is unfortunately or fortunately, how I stumbled across all this.
 
When I first listened to my IE8s, I thought "gosh...why in tootarkarmen's name revenge did I spend all that money on the IE8s?" It was only when I switched back to the al-cheapo's in relative comparison did I realise how much I was missing, how much more the IE8s were offering me. I think part of the reason for this is because I'm not musically trained.
 
Note: I have tested the JH-10/11/13s and honestly and possibly, because I didn't have the best setup with me then, the JHs just revealed way too much for my liking, but I will reserve my comments. Suffice to say, I enjoyed my IE8s. I'd still love to own a pair of proper customs one day, but hey, I've still a lot to learn here and if I had the time and the money, I certainly would put in a lot more effort into all this. I'm envious of many of you who have been able to have your own personal setups, beautiful rigs and all. I don't know if I will ever get there, but to me, I just want to enjoy my music. The technicalities are somewhat beyond me.
 
Design and Build Quality
Looks wise, this is not exactly, well, beautiful but I certainly believe that though the SM3 is touted to be better than the IE8s in every way, this is the one department that I firmly believe the IE8s win . The IE8s have lasted me the longest in contrast to other IEMs which have always had cable failures on me, albeit cheaper models, but I believe the consensus is that the IE8s have the best cable quality re: kevlar coated too! Maybe if someone fired a shot, the thin cable just might be able to save my life .
 
The replaceable cable was a real plus point to me especially since I was afraid of the cable fraying on me both at the connection of the earphones and at the headphone jack but with the quality of their cable, a replacement might not be necessary. That being said, a replaceable cable adds to the longevity of the IE8s and this was important to me too, and if the supposed loss of a little SQ was traded in for this compared to other potentially better earphones, I'm more than happy to live with it cos' I'd rather save than to spend a gazillion more replacing the IEMs.
 
Final musings
All in all, the IE8s have provided me with everything I've wanted in an IE8 bar the aesthetics side of it. I'd be happy if this was my last and final IEM unless there was something leaps and bounds better than the IE8s. To me, any other universal IEM in the same price bracket is nothing but a side-grade, not an upgrade. Sure, maybe if I had the money to spend, I would test out different setups and I'd love to so I can give a better input regarding my audio experience to aid others in their journey, but I don't and am quite happy as it is, though donations are most welcome .
 
Let me just say that I do not have a music background. I've done sound for my friends and stuff, I've been in radio and tv studios, but that is as far as it went. Looking back at it all, I wish I had put in more effort into music. It's what I love, what I enjoy and what is an ever-present in my life albeit the fact that my parents do not agree to it especially when I study.
 
I suffer from double-jointed fingers to an extent that when I bar a chord on any string instrument, when I play a chord, after a few minutes, there is a high chance that my fingers get stuck in the position and I have to manually pry them loose. I do wish I learned the drums, but the band already had a drummer, so I never did.
 
Just a last side track note, for those that think the IE8s are just crazy bass heavy, I have the k702s which are supposedly bass light. But honestly, I think the 702s are bass accurate and the IE8s just have a warmth and colouration to some extent, that just make them a whole load of fun. I enjoy both of them so how you interpret that is well, another thing altogether. Suffice to say that at home, I listen to a lot more jazz and instrument based music, but I still listen to popular music e.g. I'm listening to MJ's Smooth Criminal and Blood on the Dance Floor and trust me, they are fun on 702s as well. But I'll leave it as that.
 
Pardon me for the long post and the lack of depth in this review. I just thought that I'd give my own little input albeit not great nor as musically extensive as many others but I enjoyed the IE8s so much I thought I'd put in a little effort.
 
For whoever that gets to read this, remember, it is your ears, your love of the music that defines what phones you choose. Everyone has different ears, different sonic perceptions and for that, we will all always be somewhat divided in what IEMs are best. Just take a look at how different people like different genres of music.
 
I hope that your experience with the IE8s has been as enjoyable as mine, or if not, I hope you have found that pair that suits your purposes to give you that enjoyment that music was to be, entertainment and raw emotion.

Amazing IEMs!
 
They are great for most types of music, but really came alive with rock/trip-hop and bass driven tracks. The bass isn't extreme, but it is full and has impact.
 
The amount of fakes in the market is annoying, but go for a trusted seller, check your goods against the reference photos and photos of fakes in HF threads.
 
Go for it!
 
I just wish the connector was gold plated!

 
First impressions
 
IE 8 is really an outstanding in-ear phone. It's built for an almost perfect sound reproduction, but it's not what I thought when I used them for the first time.
 
Burn-in is a highly discussed topic. Some say it works and some swear it's ********. But this is the truth: an IE 8 needs some time to sound great. During the first hours they sounded terrible just like those Apple earbuds. They were too bright, had an annoying bass and the mids weren't there. All these issues were gone after the second day of almost continuous use.
 
When they got home and I unboxed them, I was a little amazed (must confess). But when I saw all those pairs of earplugs I went crazy and thought: now I've got something that really fits inside my ears (they're little and earplugs like those ones shipped with The Plug simply won't fit).
 
 
The earplugs and the sound tuning
 
I heard lots of people saying the sound tuning feature is almost useless, but in certain conditions it's not true. All those who said that also said IE 8 has poor sound isolation. Sound tuning makes a huge difference in bass response, but it's this feature that showed me how tricky is to find the correct earplug. And I tried all the pairs.
 
Lots of the pairs seem to fit perfectly. And this happens because all of them are slightly different in size and shape, except for some. Here, the secret I found is to stay in a noisy environment and try each pair until you decide the pair that seems to attenuate the most of the external sound. This pair will be the one that seems to apply a little (only a little) pressure inside the ear canals and they will be uncomfortable until you get used to them.
 
Every plug that doesn't fit perfectly will give you an undesired sound with too bright highs and almost no bass. Sometimes they can also pop out your ear canals.
 
Once you find the perfect plugs, it's time to play with the sound tuning feature. Try the lowest if you love electronic music and the highest if you love metal. The tuning will depend on your feelings and preferences, but it works and it's certainly an awesome feature.
 
 
Basses, highs and soundstage
 
Mids are simply perfect! Basses and highs are tricky due to the earplug and sound tuning as I described, but they're incredible too.
 
The bass response may drive you crazy. It's crisp and profound, but not excessive. It will depend, however, on the sound source you use. Just like lots of other phones, bad sound source means awful bass response. If you are a lucky owner of a high end cell phone, a decent media player or a good sound card, it'll sound amazing. But if you use recent iPods, don't bother giving IE 8 a try, they'll sound only a little better than usual and cheaper earphones.
 
For some recordings, the highs seem to be brighter than the expected, but never annoying. The highs definition is incredible and even the specifications saying it reproduces until 20kHz, IE 8 could reproduce a 22kHz sine wave. I didn't try higher frequencies, but since I only listen to 44.1kHz FLACs on my mobile devices, there was no need to try it.
 
Soundstage is good, nothing more. I heard people saying it's fantastic, but that's not what I could feel. Not fantastic, but good… sufficient and not congested. It's fantastic for a pair of in-ear, anyway.
 
 
Audio sources used (DAC) for my conclusions
 
Wolfson WM8903 (Motorola Atrix 4G)
Texas Instruments TWL6040 (Samsung Galaxy Nexus)
nVidia MCP89 (Apple Mac Mini, 2011 model)
A bad one I don't know (Apple iPod Shuffle 3G)
Intel High Definition Audio (the worst ever)