[bakhtiar]

It's okay not to like PFEs. Everyone has own preferences and tast. Just enjoy any IEMs which you like.

 

[hockeyb213]

I will say one thing for this post. The dynamic drivers are what give that amazing low bass and out of all the iem's I have heard the ie8's bass has a magical quality about it and the extension is ridiculous along with the placement.

 

[reminence]

well I have been using the ei8 fro about 4hrs so far and i am in a state of bliss.

The soundstage is just WOW. I have also been turning up the soundstage on my HTC and its out of this world. Great sq like nothing i have tried before, miles above X10.
Out of the box the mid base is large and not much sub bass at all but i think that is changing. This reminds me of the burned in EB's but with the above perks. (huge mid bass, not much extension in treble and sub bass). I expect this to get better overtime as well.
Also i went straight to bass knob max and eq'd to get less mid bass and more sub bass!

I have found these iem;s are much easier to drive and I can actually turn the volume down from max now on my HTC.

I am currently using the large silicone tips on opposite sides (others eventually hurt) also not over the top of ears. The only other tips that lead to a good seal was the foamies but they hurt any skin it touched after a while (felt like having super strong peppermint on sensitive skin, strange!)

I will try whatever other tips that i have at my disposal soon.
So far they are great and i think they will get close to perfect over time.
I would say atm that the ie8 is at least twice as good as the EB's and well worth it.

Also contrary to others opinions i have not had huge success with EQ. Maybe this will change after extensive burn in!

 

[reminence]

added the plastic cylinder (ripped out from the sf5 eb foamies) and then put the large stock silicons over the top. now works much better over the top of the ear or not. the cylinder extends the tubes further into the ear for great comfort and seal.

 

[kobayashi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bakhtiar /img/forum/go_quote.gif It's okay not to like PFEs. Everyone has own preferences and tast. Just enjoy any IEMs which you like.

I also found the PFEs to be a huge disappointment. Total FOTM. I've got a set of Atrios and IE8s on the way now.

 

[tstarn06]

Never even meant to say you have to follow the majority, not at all. And I agree that the PFEs are not for you, based on your comments. I only meant to say that if you had a listen with the black filters, silicone tips, T4 (bass boost on) and LOD/Touch, a music-loving person such as yourself would smile at the results.

That's all I was getting at. No way is a product going to have 100 percent positive response. But sometimes, just a small change in the way they are used can at least get someone to appreciate what others are experiencing.

After all, you did send the IE8s back the first time, and now love them.

Good choice with the Turbines, though, I enjoy them as well.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cn11 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I don't need or care to have to follow the majority opinion about the difference in filters or soundstage. My ears heard what they heard, just as you ears heard what they heard. Also, I know of other members saying the difference between the filters is negligible, perhaps they just didn't post in the Phonak thread. Since I don't have a DAP that has 'true' LOD capability, or a cable, I'm not interested in incurring further expense by adding those items to the amp which you said does such a good job. The Sony 829 is no slouch as far as DAP's go, and has plenty of clean power, with a warm enough signature that should help balance the Phonak sound. Because of that, and with how thin, narrow, and hollow they sounded, I feel that I won't get them to magically improve to such an extent that I will like them with any equipment. I'm done with them. End of story.

 

[ethan961]

I actually quite like my atrios, and I don't find them slow at all. This is coming from the PFE.
After about 100 hours of burn in, the bass has settled down, and does not overpower the mids and highs, but I love how they have deep, powerful bass that goes wayy down. I don't use any EQing at all and I'm happy.
The soundstage is quite good for the IEMs that I have heard.
The mids are very smooth and engaging, but the highs are a bit rolled off/veiled. I have not heard them with an amp, however.
EDIT: I highly disagree with the negative response that the PFEs are getting. I found them to be excellent in all areas, but I just wanted something that sounded more natural. I had two choices, the atrios or the IE8. I chose the atrios simply because of price. I do miss the extra detail the phonaks had, but overall I prefer the fun, engaging sound of the atrios. IMHO, its 90% personal preference in this whole hobby.

 

[cn11]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tstarn06 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Never even meant to say you have to follow the majority, not at all. And I agree that the PFEs are not for you, based on your comments. I only meant to say that if you had a listen with the black filters, silicone tips, T4 (bass boost on) and LOD/Touch, a music-loving person such as yourself would smile at the results. That's all I was getting at. No way is a product going to have 100 percent positive response. But sometimes, just a small change in the way they are used can at least get someone to appreciate what others are experiencing. After all, you did send the IE8s back the first time, and now love them. Good choice with the Turbines, though, I enjoy them as well.

That's all fine and good, but since I don't have any interest in purchasing a T4 or a Touch, or a line out interconnect, I really don't have any desire to keep trying them. They just seem so far away from what I like and enjoy in sound signature that I'm not going to pursue all the additional equipment to try to make up that gap. I'm glad they work for you. Also, you'll notice in my previous post that I did say I tried the black filters. I went through all the tips and used the black filters. Even Olives didn't help things. No biggie, I am happy to send them back and get my money back. Live and learn.

The IE8's on the other hand I remembered hearing enough good qualities that I decided to give them another try once I realized how much burn in they require. Now I'm a happy camper with them the second time. They seem to provide it all to my ears. They will always be in my collection.

 

[Butter123]

I have the ie7, which sound very natural. Comparing to my eb, the high and mid is really warm and the bass is blended. The eb however have a subwoofer feel bass and is not blended. The vocal doesn't sound as natural, seems artifical and the high is harsh/piercing. Soundstage wise the ie7 sounded like a semi-earphone/ headphone. The eb has a movie theater type of feel. However I enjoy the ie7 much more just because of warm sound and it's nonpiercing high.

 

[royalmathmtcs]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ethan961 /img/forum/go_quote.gif IAfter about 100 hours of burn in, the bass has settled down, and does not overpower the mids and highs, but I love how they have deep, powerful bass that goes wayy down. I don't use any EQing at all and I'm happy. The soundstage is quite good for the IEMs that I have heard. The mids are very smooth and engaging, but the highs are a bit rolled off/veiled. I have not heard them with an amp, however.

I had the same experience with my Atrios. I tried EQing them a few times just for the fun off it, and they didn't react well to it at all.

 

[Zalithian]

Out of all the IEM's I've tried the IE8's had the best sub bass, no question.