I agree with you. I've even bought Fearless S8F thinking it would be a step up from T800, because a lot of people were praising it and it seemed like a nobrainer for the money (rank A from Crin).
However I actually prefer the T800 and trust me, I've tried hard to find what S8F does better, but so far I don't see the point.
Sure, bass on S8F is much more controlled and overall it sounds faster, but I wouldn't say its better.
Upper bass and lower mids is boosted on S8F which I don't find natural (some prefer this presentation more - similar to Andromedas). Tonality is much better on T800, for me there is sometimes just too much bass (thats why I'm using pure silver cable). I don't understand how one can say T800 is V-shaped, because for me S8F is V-shapedJust to be clear, when I call something V-shaped, some information in the mids is in the backround, basically overshadowed by bass and/or treble, which is exactly what I'm hearing with S8F. I mean, its not that bad, but some vocals and guitars just sound further back than they should. I consider Sennheiser HD600 line to be benchmarks for the mids (I own modded HD580) just so you know where I'm coming from.
Bass on T800 extends much deeper and its more fun to listen to, although I understand it can be too much for some (when I'm traveling, its actually a plus). The mids are much more correct sounding and somewhat more romantic on T800. Note I swapped the stock grey damper for a white one (upper mid peak was sometimes too forward for me). After an easy mod, I find the mids perfect for IEM.
Treble was the biggest surprise for me. Even though T800 measures with a noticeable dip around 6kHz, the treble sound so correct for a BA and it has really nice extension. I know some people find it sharp, but its really easy to tame the treble. (don't be afraid to ask if you don't know what materials to use) I was using metal nozzle screen for protection for a while, but after I've found out it messes up with upper treble I removed it. In comparison, S8F doesn't extend that well in upper treble and the cymbals sound unnatural for me, I don't want to say plasticky, but it reminds me of that.
I don't know if personal preference plays that big of a role here, or if Crin didn't want to waste his time by trying different tips,cables, sources with T800, but for me T800 is a clear winner (I don't even want to say that T800 has much better soundstage...). Maybe we have different ears, or he just doesn't wan't to admit some cheap gear sounds better than some flagships, or I didn't find the right source for S8F (note that T800 fits my ear a lot better, nozzle of S8F is a bit too big for me).
I don't want this to look like I'm some kind of a Fearless/Crin hater, because I actually really appreciate what he is doing for this community, but let me say that until you try it for yourself, you will never know for sure and this is true especially when talking iems. I hope some of you will find this post imformative, I wrote it on my long way home on a train
If I could change one thing about T800, it would be the bass, although its really engaging, I'd prefer it more controlled and neutral and I'm really curious what Audiosense release in the future. The two models looks interesting, but some DD+4BA flagship would be really interesting
Audiosense told me that by the end of 2020 we will have a new hybrid, 6BA and 1DD.
