Sennheiser IE 8 In-Ear Headphones

Please you yourself a favor and don't buy these IEM.

Poor isolation is then main problem with this headphone. otherwise it is great for rap and RnB music that goes great with heavy bass. 
 
The soundstage on these phones are wide! but the resolution falls flat a bit and you cant listen to individual instruments as much.
 
the top range is a bit better and there is no sibilance. 

only auditioned this iem for a brief time as I would never pay nearly this much of my hard earned money on an iem. These must have been tuned to a certain type of modern music and for that, whatever it may have been, these probably sound outstanding

Pleasing headphone to own, lots of character and ability. I really liked the fun sound of this headphone and that's been enough to talk down about 'cold' and 'analytical' headphones since then. 
Sounded a little out of my phone. Drove them with Ibasso D10 and they sounded nice, was quite a large rig to carry and I never forgave them for that. 

Overall a great pair of headphones.  Way to much bass, you lose audio quality to a certain extent. WAY to expensive.  I could name 10 pairs of headphones that match the sound of these.

Let me start off addressing the pros I've listed.
--I love the design of the Sennheiser IE8s. They look great, it fits the shape of my ear, the cable goes over ear to reduce microphonics, and they are easy to put in.
--These are comfortable IEMs, I often wore them for several hours at a time to deal with noisy floor mates in my door.
--Natural sound is something I'll cover when I hit the sound section later.
--The cables on the IE8s are probably the best I've ever personally experienced. It is very well built, feels nice around my ear, supple, and most of all user replaceable. A bit disappointed that the plug isn't gold plated, but it's not a huge issue considering how great the actual cable is.
 
Now for the cons.
--The IE8s are infamous for their low isolation. If you are on noisy streets, buses, subways, etc., these may not be a great choice because you'll hear more of what's going on around you than you really need to without custom tips.
--The adjustable bass port was one of the big features I remember being talked about in the early days of the IE8s. I quickly found out that it's useless unless you like an exaggerated midbass and low subbass. As you turn it up, it only increases the bass response below the hump. Essentially it smooths out the bass and makes it more even. I just turned it up to max and left it. I find that most people use it on the lowest or lower-medium settings, and I strongly recommend at least trying it for a few days at max before making a decision.
--Most of the accessories that come with these IEMs are not useful. The tips are ok, I personally prefer UE single flange tips before I got custom tips for these. The small case it came with is a bit difficult and troublesome to use. The earhooks are too bulky and uncomfortable.
 
Moving to the sound...
The thing most discussed about these IEMs is the bass, and for good reason. I find that the IE8s produce bass really well. It is full, present, and textured. It has quality and quantity. Admittedly it can get a bit boomy on some super-bass tracks, but it holds well for most music I've thrown at it from all sorts of genres. When the bass knob is turned all the way up, the bass sounds smooth and even to my ears, with a very slight midbass hump. This hump is more noticable when the bass knob is turned lower. When amped, the bass tightens up a bit and there is more punch to it.
 
I think the IE8s have a very lush, warm midrange. It's very smooth and inviting. The most important thing is that it sounds natural. I've been through a few sets of headphones where male or female vocals just don't sound right but these produce voices spot on. I hesitate to say more about the mids because I haven't heard other headphones/IEMs which reportedly have awesome midranges, such as the Shure SE530s.
 
As for treble, when I first listened I thought it was a bit recessed. As I listened more though, I realized that the treble and mids were well balanced and that it was only an emphasis in bass that made that first impression. The IE8s have the greatest treble extension I've heard from IEMs. The treble is not sparkly and bright, so if that's the kind of sound you like these are not for you.
 
These IEMs have detail, despite how it may seem on the first few listens. Particularly, you might find that the treble lacks detail. I think this is simply because the treble is not emphasized, so it's harder to notice.
 
The presentation is definitely relaxed and slightly dark, which may again explain why they seem to lack a bit in detail. It's a presentation that doesn't suit everyone.
 
I sort of mentioned this a little earlier, but these IEMs sound very natural. They never sound strained and always seem to handle music with ease and finesse across the whole frequency spectrum.
 
I've owned these IEMs for almost 8 months now, the longest I've kept such a pair. I don't see myself selling them soon either, partially because I invested in custom tips, but also because the sound suits my preferences so well. I love the bass, I love the presentation, I love how effortless the sound, and I love how natural they sound.
Will you feel the same about them? I don't know.
 
I hope this review will help those who are considering the Sennheiser IE8s make a decision, but remember these are my opinions, my ears, etc., so take it with a grain of salt.

Own several "high-end" tradl. 'phones (Senn 650, 600, 580, bd 880 Pro; AKG701, Grado 325i; etc.) and IEMs (SM3v2, SE530). 
 
 >> The IE8s are my go-to cans for any use. <<
 
[size=11.0pt]Some one else noted (and I agree) "tunable bass port is almost useless". Even at min., there is almost too much bass (which is non-tight and a bit muddy). This feature is a gimmick. Sennheiser should invest our $$ into other aspects of IEM design (isolation, better tips, etc). Better yet, get rid of this gimmick, and all that worthless packaging/boxing, and reduce the sale price. [/size]

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[size=11.0pt]At 2+ hrs/day of use, they took over three mos. to PROPERLY burn in![/size]

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[size=11.0pt]Isolation is very poor. None of the stock tips help here. The Comply doped-foam tips are okay, but they don't last long. Comply's are also very hard to fit on to the nozzle. I snapped off both (L/R) nozzles (which, thank goodness has a soda-bottle-cap-like break-seal thread)  trying to twist one on/off.  But now, both nozzles are no longer affixed  [/size]

The Comply is also more PITA to use: roll/insert/wait for it to expand. By sheer luck, my Teclast T51 DAP came with a pair of free IEMs (R8) with extra set of tips. They are double-flanged and tapered -- somewhat like Etymotic -- silicone types and they fit the IE8 nozzle very well. By far, the best overall IE8 tip I've used. Dunno how to buy these separately, tho'. (Note, the Teclast R8 tips I'm talking about are not the ones in the R8 photo --- they are additional tips that come with the R8 package). 

 

[size=11.0pt]All that said, this unit is going strong after 2.5 years of 2-3 hrs daily use. The transducers seem indestructible (typical Sennheiser!!) -- still do not distort despite my DAP/amp's massive on/off thumps, and sometimes high volume demands [/size]

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[size=11.0pt]Comparing: My Shure E2C and SE530 cables "rotted" away after 9 mos.! The Shures and Westones simply do not compare WRT sonics ... IMO. Maybe, I don't like BA sound. I'll try the SM3 v2 shortly.[/size]

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[size=11.0pt]They are my fave head-/ear-phone ... period (uh... full stop for the UK!)[/size]

 

[size=11.0pt]UPDATE:[/size]

Noticed few comments on PRAT (pace, rhythm, acceleration, timing), tempo/speed (fast, slow, so-so),  dynamics (macro-, micro-). The 8's are the best I've heard on all these qualities and attributes. No I haven't heard them all (e.g., suspect FX700 may be better for speed). I just compared them to new (as of 2011-06-01) SM3v2s. Still way prefer IE8s.

It's very important to break them in for at least 100hrs (use XLO CD's burn in track).

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had it for a month with 100+hrs on it, was bitten by my puppy T-T..
 
only couple impressions left are
 
1.this in ear needs to have a lot of runs on it in order to get better bass and sound stage.
 
2.wide sound stage feels like the big headphones, good for classical music
 
3.cant compare with any ATH's on pop music especially on j-pop at least for me..
 

I bought the IE8 hoping for a single high end IEM capable of delievery for all of them music genre's I like to listen to.
 
Out of the box I seriously doubted my sanity at spending so much money on a pair of IEM's that frankly sounded horrible (muddy loud and uncontrolled bass, recessed mid and high with poor extension, and a lousy soundstage). Fortunately I knew from reading that this was to be expected. So I dutifully plugged them in and let music play thorugh them for the night. The next day the bass had started to settle down, and the midrange and treble had started to improve, but the soundstage was still pretty sad. I listened to them throughout the day and again dutifully plugged them in and left them playing music for the night. The next morning I wondered who had swapped my IEM's on me because they suddeny had sound stage! From there I never bother burning them in nightly as I was OK with the sound, but there was continous improvement through the time I owned them.
 
Music used throughout using the IE8 was classical (choral, orchestral, and strings) New Age/New Jazz, Heavy Rock, Classic Rock, accoustic rock, all forms of Christian Rock, Folk, Jazz, a sprinkling of country, Celtic music, and whatever else caught my fancy.
 
I found the bass to be the strongest point in favor of the IE8 with the exception of the midbass which simply was to much no matter what tips I used (UE single flange being the best and Sony Hybrid being the worst). Aside from the midbass hump the IE8 gave more texture to bass than any IEM I have used aside from Audio Technica CKS70 (great bass and sound stage but serious issues with treble).
 
The midrange of the IE8 is very warm due to the midbass hump and slightly recessed but not so much that I couldn't enjoy them. The midrange also had decent detail but required more attention to appreciate it.
 
The treble on the IE8 after 30-50hrs of burnin became decently extended and detailed (again with more concentration). In regards to the sound of cymbals I found the treble to be a bit tinny/pingy sounding though which was a detraction in my opinion.
 
The overall comfort of the IE8 was superb for me with easy insertion and use. I personally loved the shallow insertion of this IEM.
 
The kit that came with them was not that great though, the case was over engineered and consequently didn't get used very often, the majority of the tips were less than usefull, and the ear guides just plain hurt my ears.
 
If you have a source that allows for custom EQing, the IE8 can be made to sound absolutely awesome but if you do not believe in EQ'ing or use a source that only has preset EQ settings I believe the IE8 are a niche IEM suited mainly for specific genre's of music like: Classical, New Age, Celtic, and some accoustical music. It can play rock and Jazz OK but just OK, which considering the price tag of the IEM may not be enough for alot of people.
 
In the end, after months of using the IE8 I just couldn't get used to the midbass hump and I listened to too much Rock to find them enjoyable so I moved on to other IEM's.

exciting earphones to listen to all day. quite expensive! watch out for the fakes.

Bass screws work if you have some bass to begin with, ie. not using an ipod.
Soundstage is brilliant.
Sound is a bit unbalanced, have use aggresive eq with walkman.
bass is phenominal.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
This review is written by a regular live FOH engineer who's most similar price-range in-ears are Shure SE425's.
 
I purchased this pair (IE8) of in-ears because they were only AUD$160 from a local eBay seller, brand new w/warranty and I was interested in other sound signatures for listening to recordings. And at the time of writing this review, I have owned them for at least two months with approx 200hrs of listening time on top of burn-in.
 
I listen to a lot of live recordings and performances, female vocalists, acoustic and rock. 
I also listen to some jazz and classical, but as I am not learned in these areas I will refrain from commenting in that manner.
 
To the actual product:
 
Build Quality - 8/10
Thick and malleable strain reliefs punctuate the very decent smooth dark grey cable. All cables are actually joined via tiny PCB, from 3.5mm stereo jack to cable to Y connector to each of the earpiece connectors.
Cable is also replaceable with a skilful pluck.
Driver housing is a hard, smooth slightly metallic/glittery black plastic. Ear tip sleeve tube doesn't seem small and easily breakable.
Oh yeah, comes with a bass knob that kinda does(n't) work.
 
Comfort, Fit, Isolation - 6.5/10
Combined them because they are all closely related. 
Probably being a little harsh here, but it pretty much sucks. Seems a pity to produce a great in-earphone and a very large range of earpieces, and having them all completely miserable.  But keep in mind this comes from a person that LOVES his Shures. Isolation is a good 10dB less than my Shures, which I'm pretty much deaf to outside noise less than 95dBA in.
The foam eartips are harder than three week old crusty bread. No cushiony softness like Shure's and there's no inner rubber sleeve for rigidity either. The silicon rubber eartips are open enough and provide a semi-decent seal which turns out to be better than the foams for the IE8's to not be so bass dominant. But means the fit is a little loose, means not a jogging pair in the mean time.
Tried Audio-Technica rubber silicone eartips, hole is a little too closed, masking some of the highs.
Heard bad stories about Complys for Sennheisers, looking for alternatives. 
No moulding wire is a big sad face for me, also increases microphonics from non-existent to a recognisable level. IE8's come with detachable ear hooks, but they don't support jack all.
 
 
Sound, sound, sound - 8.5/10
These are probably a love/hate earphone.
They are definitely not well balanced or flat, but still hold an amazing clarity for >95% of my music.
They have great instrument seperation when I use them live, a sign of great fidelity.
Compared to the SE425's, they possess a greater quantity of bass, but even my SE215's have greater extension (though my 215's actually have incredible extension because of it's dynamic driver, both have the same type of driver, it's a decent comparison).
All that meaning to say, the bass hump is no lower than 100Hz, with a definite enunciation around the 160Hz. Many V-"audio"philes will be annoyed by this and won't be able to get their ears around this new found range that's really the hot ass of the body with the power that shows off the power of some female vocal recordings.
I may just be too used to the silky smooth Shure mids. Even my 215's are freakin' amazing.
Soundstage is pretty average, decent spacing, not enough distancing. Totally contrary to what other people say, I believe, who claim that the IE8's is really way up there. I don't know what kind of studios/halls/theatres/venues you work with, but it sounds more cinema than amphitheatre to me.
Vocals are warm with the relative mid-bass to mids ratio, Highs are sparkly, cymbals a little distant, not harsh enough for my liking. 
Yes, that's right, not harsh enough, there's no rawr to that rock crash. Too much *****, not enough lion. That dip around 6.3-7KHz reduces harshness too much for me, but beyond that there's plenty to a good 17KHz at least.
 
Reduces the transparency of recordings to me, sounds a little artificial, but helps lessen the pain of bad recordings. =P 
Okay, so maybe I'll say something about the forbidden genres, these do GREAT with classical.
That warmth and sparkle is really something. Just not for me. The IE8's take second fiddle for me in this price range.
Still a Shure fanboy after this.
 
 

one of my favorite IEM

[size=10pt]This is my first review, so bear with me... Sennheiser IE8i, are the first IE headphones I've bought that costed more than 85$. I've always been a big fan of great sound and currently own Bose OE Triports, Bose 3-2-1 GSII and used to have Bose in my car as well.

The IE8i were somewhat of a huge disappointment at first. They didn't sound anything like I expected and lacked that heavy flowing bass I was use to. The fit wasn't any good and I was seriously considering returning the headphones, claiming they were defect. I tried my brother in law's new Shure SE215 and was blown away by the amazing and comfortable fit, and the great sound. The bass was punchy and present, and the sound so good that I just wanted to turn up the volym more and more...

I soon discovered that he used foam plugs, and that he really recommended them because of the great fit. I switched my rubber plugs to foam ones instead, and my headphones really transformed. They were no longer sensitive to how they were fitted into my ear, and the sound went from being dull and unimpressive to amazingly fantastic!

The sound is clear, instruments feel seperated wich is fantastic, and the bass is evenly balansed with a good kick and good sub bass. The tuning function is more likely to be of use to singers, if they use them as moniters, but for us mortal users... just crank the damn thing up as far as it will go.

Now after playing them in, my Sennheiser IE8i are without doubt the best sound I've ever heard in an IE headphone, and I strongly recommend them for you who aren’t sensitive to price. Although the sound is very clear, it does tend to get a bit uncomfortable at really high volumes.[/size]

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.