[raypin]

I didn't have a chance to compare the two back to back. It could be that direct against to the original I would have found differences. So, that is a flaw in my review. Suffice it to say that I dig the T8iE mkii. Do you dislike something in particular about the mki?

Mmm....I'm a fan of the T8ie from the very start (got mine early May of this year). Good/very good all-rounder in-ear. Not a dislike but I was hoping that the MK II version would offer significantly more resolving/clearer bass than its predecessor as a result of the new driver. Not a fair comparison but I wanted something like or somewhat closer to the bass performance of the Utopia or the TH 900, which I love.

 

[shigzeo]

Mmm....I'm a fan of the T8ie from the very start (got mine early May of this year). Good/very good all-rounder in-ear. Not a dislike but I was hoping that the MK II version would offer significantly more resolving/clearer bass than its predecessor as a result of the new driver. Not a fair comparison but I wanted something like or somewhat closer to the bass performance of the Utopia or the TH 900, which I love.

Like I said, I didn't put them back to back. Someone with both would be able to comment better on the differences.

 

[Peter Hyatt]

 
What you mention, like Peter, is exactly why I've put up with the crappy aftersale service: comfort and headphone-like sound.
It sounds crazy, but it's addictive, and you don't even need an amp to power them correctly because they're easy to drive.
 
The Sirius provide better mids and more extension in the lower bass (in short= they're technically more accurate), but god, the T8iE sound so much more lively with certains music genres.
It is sometimes a bit too boomy for complex progressive tracks, but for pop/rock, it is so much fun (try some Muse tracks for example).

The 'addictive' quality?
 
 I agree.  
 
Go without it for a short time and see how unpleasant the experience can be.  I find the same with Mojo.  Going from this to something else seems to  suck the joy out of music.
 
  I have not found the bass to be too much, but this may be due to my musical tastes.  Thus far, the bass sounds clean, alive, and most defined.  I find it surprising how clean piano is, choral and classical, and listening to a few lossless recordings of live 2016 Springsteen (from their site), the strings, the backing vocals, and the slight acoustic guitar in the background, all come alive with detail and separation.  Being able to pick out each instrument from the E Street Band in a live recording is special.  
 
With the quality recording to the Mojo to the T8, I feel like I am getting 'the best of everything.'  
 
It's addicting.   

 

[batracom]

A question on fit: Do these have to be worn with the cable around the ear, or can they be also worn "straight down", like the K3003 or IE800? I would prefer the latter option, if at all possible.

 

[shigzeo]

A question on fit: Do these have to be worn with the cable around the ear, or can they be also worn "straight down", like the K3003 or IE800? I would prefer the latter option, if at all possible.

They won't work with the cable down.

 

[tienbasse]

The assymmetric tear shape can only be inserted with the cable pointed upwards, and you can't even get a proper insertion when you invert left and right. This is due to the short nozzles.
So no "straight down", sorry.

 

[miketlse]

A question on fit: Do these have to be worn with the cable around the ear, or can they be also worn "straight down", like the K3003 or IE800? I would prefer the latter option, if at all possible.

see this picture http://www.modernhifi.de/beyerdynamic-ak-t8ie-150819/

 

[Subhakar]

Is AK T8iE really as close to T1 as an IEM can get as some users say? Headphone-like?!

 

[quetzacoatl]

I really want to by T8ie mk2, but since I heard the news of the beyer version... You know the AK mark always means overpricing (and poor service), even though the AK version looks better.

 

[Peter Hyatt]

  Is AK T8iE really as close to T1 as an IEM can get as some users say? Headphone-like?!

This is my opinion.  
 
It was my quest:  to find an IEM to match the T1.  
 
Just for a reference point, I have tested T1 and T5 and love them both.  (1st gens represent a great bargain).  
 
I am still unable to decide which I like more, T1 or T8ie, sound wise.  As to use, due to lifestyle, I find the T8ie gets daily use, and T1 only when I know I am seated at computer and no one else is around.    

 

[Subhakar]

 
This is my opinion.  
 
It was my quest:  to find an IEM to match the T1.  
 
Just for a reference point, I have tested T1 and T5 and love them both.  (1st gens represent a great bargain).  
 
I am still unable to decide which I like more, T1 or T8ie, sound wise.  As to use, due to lifestyle, I find the T8ie gets daily use, and T1 only when I know I am seated at computer and no one else is around.    

Thanks. I am homeless most of the time. I would rather have an IEM that is as satisfying as a ToTL headphone myself than a great headphone that is simply incomparable to any IEM. Does AKT8iE surprise you often enough in that character of it being headphone-like or it happened during just the early days of usage? Form factor is shocking, though.

 

[Subhakar]

  I really want to by T8ie mk2, but since I heard the news of the beyer version... You know the AK mark always means overpricing (and poor service), even though the AK version looks better.

Is there a beyerdynamic version of T8iE?! I thought the model was exclusively sold under Astell & Kern name and made in association with. If not, I am all for the beyer-only version - it would be 20% cheaper, going by T5p and AKT5p price difference. The last I heard, iDX200iE is the flagship beyerdynamic earphone at $199 and it is a non-Tesla driver. 

 

[unknownguardian]

Is there a beyerdynamic version of T8iE?! I thought the model was exclusively sold under Astell & Kern name and made in association with. If not, I am all for the beyer-only version - it would be 20% cheaper, going by T5p and AKT5p price difference. The last I heard, iDX200iE is the flagship beyerdynamic earphone at $199 and it is a non-Tesla driver. 

yes there's a beyer version. and its more expensive. called
Xelento.

initial impression that i saw on china sites is that the beyer model has better resolution and more pronounced treble extension, more neutral and not as laid back/warm as the ak version.

 

[miketlse]

yes there's a beyer version. and its more expensive. called
Xelento.

initial impression that i saw on china sites is that the beyer model has better resolution and more pronounced treble extension, more neutral and not as laid back/warm as the ak version.

I looked at some of those sites using google translate (so maybe something got lost in the translation), and I saw references to the xelento being a collaboration with AK, so not really a Beyer 'own brand' as it were. Maybe poor journalism, but the fact that it also cost more, dampened my enthusiasm a bit. I haven't seen the xelento mentioned since.

 

[raypin]

Mmm....is Xelento an entirely new model or a T8 that's rebranded for the Chinese market?