EDIT 2021-02-15: Seems my unit is actually filterless. May be the reason why I needed EQ to tame the treble.
Disclaimer: I bought this unit second hand from amazon japan at my own expense.
Price: Around 200 usd
Specifications:
Format: Closed Dynamic
Driver Unit: 16mm, dome type (CCAW employed)
Maximum input: 500mW
Impedance: 16 ohms
Sound pressure sensitivity: 108dB/mW
Playback frequency: 3 - 28,000 Hz
Cable length: 1.6m Litz wire Y type cord
Plug: Gold-plated L type stereo mini plug
Weight: 7g
Accessories:
S/M/L tips
Carry pouch
Cable: A very standard (It is longer than normal though at 1,6 meters) non-braided cable. They are thin like noodles so I expect durability to be quite low on it and the connector and divider are soft plastic. Tangles itself quite easy (as you can see on the picture) but has a working (very tight) chin-slider.
I recommend getting a 3rd party cable (you can get adapters from MMCX to the “EXK” connection that it uses on AliExpress) because the memory hooks are quite bad in the stock cable, making the fit even worse. Measured at 0,5 ohms.
Build: A very unique shell both in terms of looks and fit. They aren’t that big, but with the way these fit they do stick out of your ears. They are made out of plastic though.
Fit: These do fit me but it is very finicky, not good enough to use for physical activities as they need some readjustment from time to time. It is a bit weird though in terms of how you look like when you are wearing them. So, I don’t recommend using them outside, unless you want some attention.
Comfort: pretty good even with the awkward fit. These feel more like a bullet style iem than a custom iem.
Isolation: Very bad (doesn’t even block out the noise from a pedestal fan), since the shell doesn’t cover my entire ear and because it has a huge vent.
DISCLAIMER: EQ will be used for the EX800ST during this entire review, I do not recommend the EX800ST without EQ so if you can’t use EQ you don’t need to waste more of your time.
Setup: Ibasso DX160 (low gain, Volume around 48, EQ settings at the bottom of this review), Stock cable, Final Audio Type E LL tips
Lows: Sub-bass focused over mid-bass. Very clean, fast, tight and textured. Extension is very good and rumbles a lot. A very natural sounding bass.
Mid-bass: Metallica – fight fire with fire (01:11-01:52), individual bass strikes is distinct and clear with good quantity to make it fun. Tight and fast but texture is a bit lacking. The (02:55-03:01) section with the chopper sound isn’t very clear.
Hiroyuki Sawano – Pretenders (01:18-01:47), pretty good texture with good tightness and speed. Needs a little bit more quantity to make it more fun though.
Sub-bass: Djuro – Drop that bass (01:15-01:30), very good extension but needs to rumble a bit more. The punch is powerful, tight and fast.
Will Sparks – Sick like that (03:08-03:22), very good texture, speed and tightness along with quantity. Making it powerful but very clean.
Mids: The mids are very reference like, where the vocals are either forward or recessed when they should be. Male/female vocal balancing is also very good.
Female-vocals: Hiroyuki Sawano – OldToday (01:25-01:52), very forward, clean and detailed vocals. Sounds very natural.
Yuki Hayashi – MightU (01:58-02:55), Very forward, clean and detailed. Sounds very natural.
Evanescence – Bring me to life (01:18-01:35), energetic while not sharp and natural, very hard to do all these at the same time.
Hiroyuki Sawano – Crescent (02:07-02:26), energetic but shouty.
Male-vocals: Hiroyuki Sawano – Pretenders (00:57-01:17), clean and natural and no bleed from the bass either.
Hiroyuki Sawano – Scapegoat (00:57-01:17), warm but still detailed. Very natural.
Treble: Linkin Park – Shadow of the Day (03:24-03:42), forward and a bit sharp electric guitar.
Deuce – America (03:03-03:16), energetic and a bit shouty, vocals are more forward than the instruments.
Hiroyuki Sawano – Lose (string version) (01:22-01:59), well textured cellos/violins, clean and natural.
Hiroyuki Sawano &Z (02:18-02:57), cymbals are a bit recessed but still natural.
Pretty good extension and air is present.
Soundstage: Extremely big soundstage, both in depth and width. But the width is one of the biggest I have ever heard.
Tonality: Bass boosted neutral. Leaning a bit more on the warmer side but can adapt to sounding brighter on brighter songs. Timbre is very good as expected from a single DD.
Details: Below average
Instrument Separation: Below average
Songs that highlight the IEM:
Good genres: Trance, EDM, Hip-hop, Rock, metal, Pop, Kpop, Jpop, orchestral, OST, Hiroyuki Sawano, Linkin Park
Bad genres: Very versatile but maybe for classic it has too much bass.
Comparisons:
IEM: Blon BL-03 (mesh mod)
Bass: Djuro – Drop that bass (01:15-01:30), extension is better on the EX800ST and also rumbles more. The punch is more powerful and has more texture on the EX800ST but speed and tightness are equal.
Hiroyuki Sawano – Pretenders (01:18-01:47), cleaner bass on the 03 but texture, tightness and speed are similar. Both are lacking some quantity.
Metallica – fight fire with fire (01:11-01:52), better control and higher quality on the EX800ST.
Mids: Hiroyuki Sawano – OldToday (01:25-01:52), cleaner and less peaky while vocals are a bit less forward on the EX800ST, sounds more natural too.
Evanescence – Bring me to life (01:18-01:35), sharp on the 03 but not on the EX800ST, sounds better on the EX800ST.
Hiroyuki Sawano – Scapegoat (00:57-01:17), sounds more natural on the EX800ST but cleaner on the 03 due to the bass on the EX800ST being a bit muddy in comparison.
Treble: Linkin Park – Shadow of the Day (03:24-03:42), much sharper electric guitars on the 03, but a bit cleaner overall.
Hiroyuki Sawano – Lose (string version) (01:22-01:59), much more textured and natural on the EX800ST, the cellos are also much more forward on it where as it is a bit recessed on the 03.
Hiroyuki Sawano &Z (02:18-02:57), cleaner and more natural on the 03, makes the EX800ST seem a bit muddy in comparison.
Technicalities: Shiro Sagisu – Hundred years war (02:24-02:57), the 03 can’t compete with the soundstage of the EX800ST at all. Instrument separation and detail is also better while timbre is equal.
Overall: The 03 is a great iem but the EX800ST is overall a better iem.
IEM: Fiio FH3
Bass: Djuro – Drop that bass (01:15-01:30), rumble and extension are similar, but the punch on the FH3 is a lot more textured, tighter, faster and has more quantity while sounding cleaner.
Hiroyuki Sawano – Pretenders (01:18-01:47), more textured, tighter, faster and more quantity on the FH3 while being cleaner.
Metallica – fight fire with fire (01:11-01:52), much faster, tighter, textured and a bit more quantity while being cleaner on the FH3.
Mids: Hiroyuki Sawano – OldToday (01:25-01:52), cleaner, more natural and detailed on the FH3.
Evanescence – Bring me to life (01:18-01:35), not sharp on the FH3, while it is a bit sharp on the EX800ST in comparison.
Hiroyuki Sawano – Scapegoat (00:57-01:17), more natural, cleaner and more detailed on the FH3.
Treble: Linkin Park – Shadow of the Day (03:24-03:42), much sharper electric guitars on the EX800ST.
Hiroyuki Sawano – Lose (string version) (01:22-01:59), more textured on the EX800ST and timbre is a bit better on it. The FH3 is brighter and makes it sound more natural though.
Hiroyuki Sawano &Z (02:18-02:57), much cleaner, natural and detailed on the FH3.
Technicalities: Shiro Sagisu – Hundred years war (02:24-02:57), soundstage is wider on the EX800ST but deeper on the FH3. Instrument separation, detail and timbre are better on the FH3. Sounds much more natural and cleaner.
Overall: The FH3 is basically much better than the EX800ST in almost every way.
IEM: LZ A6 (pink filter)
Bass: Djuro – Drop that bass (01:15-01:30), The extension is much better on the A6 while the EX800ST rumbles more. The punch is much tighter, faster and textured while also having more quantity than the EX800ST.
Hiroyuki Sawano – Pretenders (01:18-01:47), texture, quantity, speed and tightness are much better on the A6 while it is also much more detailed and cleaner.
Metallica – fight fire with fire (01:11-01:52), much faster, tighter and textured on the A6 while quantity is a bit more.
Mids: Hiroyuki Sawano – OldToday (01:25-01:52), more natural and forward (vocals) on the EX800ST, but it is much cleaner and more detailed on the A6.
Evanescence – Bring me to life (01:18-01:35), a bit sharper on the A6, while it is much more detailed and cleaner.
Hiroyuki Sawano – Scapegoat (00:57-01:17), cleaner and more detailed on the A6, but vocals are more forward and natural on the EX800ST.
Treble: Linkin Park – Shadow of the Day (03:24-03:42), much sharper electric guitars on the EX800ST and much more detailed and cleaner on the A6.
Hiroyuki Sawano – Lose (string version) (01:22-01:59), more textured and cleaner on the A6. Although the cellos are more natural on the EX800ST due to the warmth while the violins are more natural on the A6 due to the brightness.
Hiroyuki Sawano &Z (02:18-02:57), much cleaner, natural and detailed on the A6.
Technicalities: Shiro Sagisu – Hundred years war (02:24-02:57), much deeper soundstage on the A6 while width is also a bit bigger. Details and instrument separation are much better on the A6 too.
Timbre is better on the EX800ST but sounds more natural on the A6 due to the tonality and technicalities. The EX800ST sounds muddy in comparison.
Overall: The A6 is performing on a much higher level than the EX800ST in basically every way.
Conclusion: The EX800ST is an iem that has definitely withstood the test of time and is a very good iem especially with its huge soundstage (width). I recommend this if you want a single DD with impressive soundstage, but EQ is recommended due to the peak around 5-6kHZ.
EQ for the EX800st:
Low shelf: 80 HZ, Q:0.64, Gain: 2.5dB
Low shelf: 150HZ, Q:1.1, Gain: 1.5dB
Peak EQ: 3700HZ, Q:1.5, Gain: 2dB
Peak EQ: 5350 HZ, Q:3.4, Gain: -7dB
Preamp: -4dB
Reference songs: