[sanakimpro]

I heard the Noble K10U today. With respect to the T8 MK 1, I'd say that they're aiming for quite a similar experience, with the K10 having less elevated bass while lifting the highs a bit. I don't think the sonic difference justifies having two pairs, though.
 
Plus, I love the bass department, rumble and thump of the T8. Every new Top 100 Billboard song is like made for the T8 or something, dat bass.

 

[Kunlun]

I heard the Noble K10U today. With respect to the T8 MK 1, I'd say that they're aiming for quite a similar experience, with the K10 having less elevated bass while lifting the highs a bit. I don't think the sonic difference justifies having two pairs, though.

Plus, I love the bass department, rumble and thump of the T8. Every new Top 100 Billboard song is like made for the T8 or something, dat bass.

Huh, that's useful. Also sorry to hear that other folks are having mrkii QC issues.

 

[headwhacker]

I hope mine doesn't break soon. Coz it's really addicting listening to AKT8ie. I have not done my usual blind A/B comparison yet, but I believe I perceive a difference between Hugo and Mojo using this IEM. Mostly in texture and rendtion of very quite details.
 
I failed to identify any hint of difference between Hugo and Mojo before (tried Roxanne, HD800 and T51p). Both blind and sighted. At the moment I am liking the Hugo a bit. I had decided to sell the hugo a couple of weeks ago but the deal didn't pull through as the buyer changed his mind. 
 
Now it's going to stay longer with me. 

 

[tienbasse]

Just bought a pair of these "baby" IEMs brand new on sale (they are so MUCH smaller in reality than on promotional pictures).
 
 
I took my time before taking the plunge because I really enjoy my Angies very much and the comments in this thread did not make obvious that I would like their signature.
 
I'm still burning them but so far so good with large spiral dot tips (no seal with stock tips, they're too flimsy for my humongous ear canals).
 
The mids are a bit more polite than on Angies without being recessed at all, in other word, very natural.
But the bass are quite the beast: big but any boomniness, and the treble are very accurate (a bit brighter than with Angies).
More impressions to come, but it looks like a nice pair of things to travel, that you can forget in your ears.
 
I just hope I won't have any issue with connectors, I intend to manipulate them quite a lot in the next 2 weeks, and I already warned the shop that I would return them at the smallest sign of defect, since they're famous for this.

 

[tienbasse]

Journal of a mini-review:
 
1) Burning, continously. In the worst case, it won't do anything. After 20 hours I already find the sound pleasant but I will continue for another 80 hours. Done with the balanced cable on a Cayin N5.
 
2) Short tests alternating with AK Angies. Well, first thing: these AK T8iE won't beat the Angies in terms of details and mids, but they're still doing an honest job, as an actual upgrade from HA-FX850 (signature is similar, with big snappy bass and relatively airy treble). Separation is VERY good, and imaging feels natural, as expected when opposed to BA-based IEMs.
 
But wait...... there's something quite not right with the treble. Especially cymbals, they feel....... way too metallic and dry. It reminded very much of the Yamaha EPH-100, which had the same defect with rendering cymbals naturally.
 
3) I'm not a big believer in expensive cable remplacement, but I have 4 replacement cable with MMCX connectors sleeping in a drawer (30-80$ price range, anything beyond is just foolish). And the best way to test the T8iE sockets is to try a few cables over the first 2 weeks, it should speed up damage if my T8iE are to die quickly.
 
4) Which leads to a simple comment: WHERE THE HELL DID THEY FIND THESE FLIMSY STOCK CABLES ?
These are by far the worst cables I've ever seen on IEMs over 50$.
Their only quality is to be tangle-free.
The connectors are awful, the jack looks like it's going to break at the smallest pull. If you're going to make a 90° angled jack, it has to be reinforced when compared to a straight jack because pulling the cable is going to put more stress on the cable at the junction.
The cable diameter is making me cry, especially for the balanced cable, which should twice as thick in theory (because you have to double threads). It is as thin as the cables on the Meizu IEMs given with my Meizu Pro 5 phone (value = 25$).
 
I'm not asking for one of these humongous 200$ cable-of-hell with 6mm thick cables weighing over 200 grams, especially because it's too heavy for travelling and T8iE are little jewels begging for travel. But come on, this is just pitiful to craft such little jewels to connect them with these cables.
 
5) Cable testing:
- 30$ Furutech dual-braided cable is already doing a better job at making treble and bass less congested/more natural (cymbals now sound like cymbals again, hurrey!). And this is the cheapest of the cheap aftermarket cables.
- silicon coated tangle-free Onkyo cable (40$) has the same effect, and looks classy enough to replace the stock cable for those not liking braided cables.
- 6N OCC quad-braided cable (50$ on eBay) is just making these alive again. Bass has more impact (not far from basshead levels), treble is less harsh, mids are slightly better detailed. Not the faint-hearted, the bass level is huge with this cable.
- Silver-plated 6N OFHC quad-braided cable (60$), even better result. This one gives the most natural result of what I tested, the bass has better impact but not as much as with the 6N OCC copper version, the mids and treble lost their harshness completely. Sound is very balanced with good snappy bass and good resolution, this is the kind of sound that should please most people and is WAY better than with the stock cables.
 
6) Conclusion: great IEMs if you're looking for "tiny"-size IEMs with great ergonomy, but they absolutely deserve a cable replacement. ANYTHING is better than the stock cables! The balanced one is just a pure shame. Which makes them VERY bad value at their launch price. With a 30% rebate and if you already have replacement cables, this is more acceptable.
 
I'll keep you updated if these T8iE survive their first 2 weeks.

 

[Orky261]

Just got news my RMA is almost done, should be this week or next week. I don't know what I will get but I have a feeling it should be mk2. Hopefully this time I don't need to invest more time and emotion anymore.

 

[prismstorm]

  Journal of a mini-review:
 
1) Burning, continously. In the worst case, it won't do anything. After 20 hours I already find the sound pleasant but I will continue for another 80 hours. Done with the balanced cable on a Cayin N5.
 
2) Short tests alternating with AK Angies. Well, first thing: these AK T8iE won't beat the Angies in terms of details and mids, but they're still doing an honest job, as an actual upgrade from HA-FX850 (signature is similar, with big snappy bass and relatively airy treble). Separation is VERY good, and imaging feels natural, as expected when opposed to BA-based IEMs.
 
But wait...... there's something quite not right with the treble. Especially cymbals, they feel....... way too metallic and dry. It reminded very much of the Yamaha EPH-100, which had the same defect with rendering cymbals naturally.
 
3) I'm not a big believer in expensive cable remplacement, but I have 4 replacement cable with MMCX connectors sleeping in a drawer (30-80$ price range, anything beyond is just foolish). And the best way to test the T8iE sockets is to try a few cables over the first 2 weeks, it should speed up damage if my T8iE are to die quickly.
 
4) Which leads to a simple comment: WHERE THE HELL DID THEY FIND THESE FLIMSY STOCK CABLES ?
These are by far the worst cables I've ever seen on IEMs over 50$.
Their only quality is to be tangle-free.
The connectors are awful, the jack looks like it's going to break at the smallest pull. If you're going to make a 90° angled jack, it has to be reinforced when compared to a straight jack because pulling the cable is going to put more stress on the cable at the junction.
The cable diameter is making me cry, especially for the balanced cable, which should twice as thick in theory (because you have to double threads). It is as thin as the cables on the Meizu IEMs given with my Meizu Pro 5 phone (value = 25$).
 
I'm not asking for one of these humongous 200$ cable-of-hell with 6mm thick cables weighing over 200 grams, especially because it's too heavy for travelling and T8iE are little jewels begging for travel. But come on, this is just pitiful to craft such little jewels to connect them with these cables.
 
5) Cable testing:
- 30$ Furutech dual-braided cable is already doing a better job at making treble and bass less congested/more natural (cymbals now sound like cymbals again, hurrey!). And this is the cheapest of the cheap aftermarket cables.
- silicon coated tangle-free Onkyo cable (40$) has the same effect, and looks classy enough to replace the stock cable for those not liking braided cables.
- 6N OCC quad-braided cable (50$ on eBay) is just making these alive again. Bass has more impact (not far from basshead levels), treble is less harsh, mids are slightly better detailed. Not the faint-hearted, the bass level is huge with this cable.
- Silver-plated 6N OFHC quad-braided cable (60$), even better result. This one gives the most natural result of what I tested, the bass has better impact but not as much as with the 6N OCC copper version, the mids and treble lost their harshness completely. Sound is very balanced with good snappy bass and good resolution, this is the kind of sound that should please most people and is WAY better than with the stock cables.
 
6) Conclusion: great IEMs if you're looking for "tiny"-size IEMs with great ergonomy, but they absolutely deserve a cable replacement. ANYTHING is better than the stock cables! The balanced one is just a pure shame. Which makes them VERY bad value at their launch price. With a 30% rebate and if you already have replacement cables, this is more acceptable.
 
I'll keep you updated if these T8iE survive their first 2 weeks.

Thanks for the impressions, I must admire your bravery for buying this almost guaranteed-to-fail product with much of its cost gone to branding and marketing lol. The bass is seriously good fun though, and the form factor and comfort can't be beat. But seriously, your Angie would have much much more resolving and sound more real, particular for cymbals. Let's see where your journey takes you. 

 

[tienbasse]

  Thanks for the impressions, I must admire your bravery for buying this almost guaranteed-to-fail product with much of its cost gone to branding and marketing lol. The bass is seriously good fun though, and the form factor and comfort can't be beat. But seriously, your Angie would have much much more resolving and sound more real, particular for cymbals. Let's see where your journey takes you. 

Completely agree, but I can't wear Angies for long periods of time (you just can't forget them in your ears) and I really need a pair of "on-the-go" IEMs since I've just sold my ASG2.5.
Provided they don't fail, they should tick the boxes.
 
If they fail, I will vehemently ask for a MK2 pair to get rid of the issue, since the first version is going to be sold out soon.
 
And I know, the ultimate solution would be custom Angies, but I'm highly reluctant to go for customs, since my ears produce copious amounts of wax and it's quite easy to clean/replace silicon tips.

 

[prismstorm]

 
Completely agree, but I can't wear Angies for long periods of time (you just can't forget them in your ears) and I really need a pair of "on-the-go" IEMs since I've just sold my ASG2.5.
Provided they don't fail, they should tick the boxes.
 
If they fail, I will vehemently ask for a MK2 pair to get rid of the issue, since the first version is going to be sold out soon.
 
And I know, the ultimate solution would be custom Angies, but I'm highly reluctant to go for customs, since my ears produce copious amounts of wax and it's quite easy to clean/replace silicon tips.

why did you get the MK1 and not wait for the MK2? the MKii has been out since July, however it is short a time frame and there are too little owners to tell whether its reliability has improved. 
 
I own the Layla and it's even larger than your Angies, they never sit in my ears for long and exactly, the protrusion and the very long canals generates many ear wax, which unseats the huge iem even more. 
 
I'm getting K10 and Katana customs so if those fit much better and if I don't miss Layla's sound, I will sell it. Will wait for the Mkii's price to drop before deciding whether to get it for a 'on-the-go' bluetooth setup. 

 

[tienbasse]

  why did you get the MK1 and not wait for the MK2? the MKii has been out since July, however it is short a time frame and there are too little owners to tell whether its reliability has improved. 

Price.
MK2 is priced 30% higher than what I paid for MK1.
And after some serious burning, I enjoy them quite a lot, mids are now fully alive.

 

[prismstorm]

Price.
MK2 is priced 30% higher than what I paid for MK1.
And after some serious burning, I enjoy them quite a lot, mids are now fully alive.

where I live there are no more MK1s and the MK2s are the same price as when the MK1 came out

 

[tienbasse]

where I live there are no more MK1s and the MK2s are the same price as when the MK1 came out

Same here in Europe, the 30% was a discount.

 

[headwhacker]

Journal of a mini-review:

1) Burning, continously. In the worst case, it won't do anything. After 20 hours I already find the sound pleasant but I will continue for another 80 hours. Done with the balanced cable on a Cayin N5.

2) Short tests alternating with AK Angies. Well, first thing: these AK T8iE won't beat the Angies in terms of details and mids, but they're still doing an honest job, as an actual upgrade from HA-FX850 (signature is similar, with big snappy bass and relatively airy treble). Separation is VERY good, and imaging feels natural, as expected when opposed to BA-based IEMs.

But wait...... there's something quite not right with the treble. Especially cymbals, they feel....... way too metallic and dry. It reminded very much of the Yamaha EPH-100, which had the same defect with rendering cymbals naturally.

3) I'm not a big believer in expensive cable remplacement, but I have 4 replacement cable with MMCX connectors sleeping in a drawer (30-80$ price range, anything beyond is just foolish). And the best way to test the T8iE sockets is to try a few cables over the first 2 weeks, it should speed up damage if my T8iE are to die quickly.

4) Which leads to a simple comment: WHERE THE HELL DID THEY FIND THESE FLIMSY STOCK CABLES ?
These are by far the worst cables I've ever seen on IEMs over 50$.
Their only quality is to be tangle-free.
The connectors are awful, the jack looks like it's going to break at the smallest pull. If you're going to make a 90° angled jack, it has to be reinforced when compared to a straight jack because pulling the cable is going to put more stress on the cable at the junction.
The cable diameter is making me cry, especially for the balanced cable, which should twice as thick in theory (because you have to double threads). It is as thin as the cables on the Meizu IEMs given with my Meizu Pro 5 phone (value = 25$).

I'm not asking for one of these humongous 200$ cable-of-hell with 6mm thick cables weighing over 200 grams, especially because it's too heavy for travelling and T8iE are little jewels begging for travel. But come on, this is just pitiful to craft such little jewels to connect them with these cables.

5) Cable testing:
- 30$ Furutech dual-braided cable is already doing a better job at making treble and bass less congested/more natural (cymbals now sound like cymbals again, hurrey!). And this is the cheapest of the cheap aftermarket cables.
- silicon coated tangle-free Onkyo cable (40$) has the same effect, and looks classy enough to replace the stock cable for those not liking braided cables.
- 6N OCC quad-braided cable (50$ on eBay) is just making these alive again. Bass has more impact (not far from basshead levels), treble is less harsh, mids are slightly better detailed. Not the faint-hearted, the bass level is huge with this cable.
- Silver-plated 6N OFHC quad-braided cable (60$), even better result. This one gives the most natural result of what I tested, the bass has better impact but not as much as with the 6N OCC copper version, the mids and treble lost their harshness completely. Sound is very balanced with good snappy bass and good resolution, this is the kind of sound that should please most people and is WAY better than with the stock cables.

6) Conclusion: great IEMs if you're looking for "tiny"-size IEMs with great ergonomy, but they absolutely deserve a cable replacement. ANYTHING is better than the stock cables! The balanced one is just a pure shame. Which makes them VERY bad value at their launch price. With a 30% rebate and if you already have replacement cables, this is more acceptable.

I'll keep you updated if these T8iE survive their first 2 weeks.

Hmmn, I find the AKT8ie mki/mkii has the most natural cymbals on any iems I tried/had including the Angie. Not sure what you mean by too metallic but cymbals are made of metal. On the other hand I find the Agie/Roxanne (which I notice common with BA drivers) a bit unnatural. They don't seem to render the reverb/echo realistically.

Perhaps the instrument separation is more highlighted on Angies that gave them the perceived advantage is detail resolution. But this is what gives me the impression that I'm listening to each individual instruments that are playing at the same time rather than working together to render the music as a whole. To me this is what AKT8Ie does better. I can enjoy listening to the entire music but still allows me to listen to each individual details if I concentrate.

The bass texture to me is also as natural as it gets on AKT8ie if conpared to a stereo speker setup. With BA drivers. they may have the quantity and the slam but never have the texture that I enjoy.

But I agree completely these iems don't look like TOTL especially mki

 

[tienbasse]

Hmmn, I find the AKT8ie mki/mkii has the most natural cymbals on any iems I tried/had including the Angie. Not sure what you mean by too metallic but cymbals are made of metal. On the other hand I find the Agie/Roxanne (which I notice common with BA drivers) a bit unnatural. They don't seem to render the reverb/echo realistically.

Sure cymbals are made from metal, but I found them awfully dry on the T8, the decay is to short, especially when the cymbals are slowly brushed.
For reverb/echo, I would agree, even with good crossfeeds, multi-BA sound slightly less coherent than a single driver, which affects reverb/echo.
 

Perhaps the instrument separation is more highlighted on Angies that gave them the perceived advantage is detail resolution.

Certaily true.
Preference are down to individual taste and music genre.
On very heavy/complex music, I prefer the Angies because they separate better.
When less instruments are involved, the T8iE do a better job at presenting them naturally.
 
 

The bass texture to me is also as natural as it gets on AKT8ie if conpared to a stereo speker setup. With BA drivers. they may have the quantity and the slam but never have the texture that I enjoy.

For the first time yesterday, I turned the attenuators on the Angies off (4o'clock), and I was AMAZED by the bass slam they yield (especially rendering bass guitar as if you were on the stage playing, as I do as a hobby). It is insane for BAs!
It would give bassheads a run for their money, while still providing forward mids and proper details. I turned the dials back to 2 o'clock so it gets more reasonable, but it was a nice experience.
 
The bass on the T8iE is plentiful, but as you state, it is more "classical" like home tereo speakers, snappy, big, not too much rumble. Very pleasant, non-fatiguing, it is a "mainstream" presentation which would please most people.
 
One thing where you can't go wrong with either model is voices, they're very detailed, very close in terms of soundstage, you can hear the breath and articulation with much detail.
The T8iE are a bit more balanced in their overall presentation (altough some could find the treble a bit bright), the Angies are more focused on mids with adjustable bass (treble are less bright, more subtle, if you're afraid of sibilance).

 

[Orky261]

 
 
My broken T8ie RMA is finally done and I'm getting a T8ie mk2 but I still need to wait for 2 weeks till someone can pick it up from Singapore. I'll go straght making silver litz cable from my local shop once I get it I guess.