[Antihippy]

Nah I have the aurisonics harmony. That's good enough for me. The a8 is really lovely though. There's something about a good dynamic that always produce great tonality. Really good bass texture too from what I've heard.

 

[audionewbi]

I got the maxell MXH-RF550B, the A8 is on my next purchase. I wish for that price they included a 2.5mm TRRS. 

 

[alpha421]

Guys and gals, don't give up on these like I almost did.  The stock tips and even my Ortofon tips made me want to give up as the mids were just too forward and lacked the texture that I found in the ASG1plus.  Well, after putting on my Comply T400 tips, I'm back in business. They help a lot with the weight distribution of the rather heavy ear pieces.  Don't have the EM5813 anymore, but the A8 housing feels heavier. I kind of wish Cardas had included the two EM5813 dual flange tips with the A8.
 
I should have a thorough review come Monday.

  I got the maxell MXH-RF550B, the A8 is on my next purchase. I wish for that price they included a 2.5mm TRRS. 

 
Yeah. I say the same for the PONO balanced cable.  Doesn't look like a 3.5mm TRRS cable is available, so I'm in the process of making my own so that I can use the balanced port on my Geek Out V2.

 

[flatmap]

Amazing neutral sound , deep bass , transperant,huge soundstage.

Ah, man, you do not waste words.

 
 
Which tips did you end up using?  Were you able to get a good fit --- and are they comfortable, or too heavy?

 

[Valens7]

Well, the A8 has done precisely what I had hoped it would do – meet my expectations. 

 Listening to it from my modest laptop-based system on a cloudy Sunday afternoon, I am completely enamored with its musicality. What an extraordinary little earphone!
 
If anyone's still on the fence about picking up the A8, I would encourage you to get off of it. Based on my limited experience, I feel confident in claiming that the A8 is quite a considerable value at its price point. Although I do not have Aurisonics' Rockets on hand for a direct comparison, I can recall that IEH's sound quite well and feel that Cardas' offering is significantly better, albeit different, for an additional $50.
 
Don't get me wrong, this snippet of glowing praise is not intended to suggest that the A8 is a do-it-all wunderkind. It certainly has its limitations, which I will go in to more depth on later. But at this particular moment, I'm not hearing them. 

 

[mochill]

I'm finding it a jack of all trade type of iem. Definitely better then the rockets and 1plus. On same level as the duke but more musical and dynamic with bigger stage .only 5hrs of heavy duty burn in from me .

 

[mtdbass]

Hi there,
 
I'm looking at updating my IEM's from SE215's plus I'm getting the new Fiio X5ii. I listen to mostly classical with some jazz & gospel. I like detail, large soundstage, full but controlled bass with clear mids & trebles but tending towards a little warmer overall. I was looking at SE425's with either a Forza Audioworks Hybrid cable or Audio Effects Eros Hybrid cable.
 
However a store offered me a set of Cardas A8's as an alternative with a comparable price to the recabled SE425's. Unfortunately the store with the A8's are in Australia & I live in NZ so I can't audition them.
 
What do you guys think between the A8's & recabled SE425's - for those who've had a chance to listen? 
 
Any comments or feedback would be really helpful
Thanks

 

[mochill]

Where's all the love for the A8

 

[awayeah]

Just got them... First impressions quite positive although a bit too bassy for me.
Wide soundstage, good separation, full-bodied and a little warm sounding. Tried them with standard double-flange silicone tips and now with Comply. Comply sounds better when it comes to bass - less mid-bass bump.
Very easy to drive, very easy - I've used Samsung Edge+ and Chord Mojo and later I'll try FiiO X7.
Build quality is nice but I was expecting even better from Cardas - soft materials, light cables and big, heavy enclosures.
 
After 50h of burn-in I'll write more - comparisons with FLC8s and with Flare Audio R2pro / R2A; use of different sources, etc.

 

[alpha421]

FYI - the A8 warranty is 1 year.  This is directly from Cardas:
"The warranty on the A8 is 1 year for operational defects. The warranty for non operational cosmetic defects is 30 days. Basically normal wear and tear which lead to minor jacket problems are covered for 30 days."

 

[audionewbi]

I got the maxell MXH-RF550B, the A8 is on my next purchase. I wish for that price they included a 2.5mm TRRS. 

I regret not buying A8. The rf550b is very wide but lacks bass and treble definition.

 

[sodesuka]

  Just got them... First impressions quite positive although a bit too bassy for me.
Wide soundstage, good separation, full-bodied and a little warm sounding. Tried them with standard double-flange silicone tips and now with Comply. Comply sounds better when it comes to bass - less mid-bass bump.
Very easy to drive, very easy - I've used Samsung Edge+ and Chord Mojo and later I'll try FiiO X7.
Build quality is nice but I was expecting even better from Cardas - soft materials, light cables and big, heavy enclosures.
 
After 50h of burn-in I'll write more - comparisons with FLC8s and with Flare Audio R2pro / R2A; use of different sources, etc.

Do you think this have better or more forward mid than R2Pro?

 

[Valens7]

A small, but important, update on my experience with the A8 thus far. It turned out that alpha421 was right on the money about the Comply tips; they do indeed offer the best sound. I finally gave them a shot today, and, boy, the improvement is not subtle! I still like the included dual-flange tips, but I'd say that the benefits of swapping to the Complys are across the board. If anyone's not liking the sound of their A8 right off the bat, I'd encourage you to a) allow for some burn-in, and b) give a listen with the Comply tips.

 

[alpha421]

Alright, here's some A8 love after 60+ hrs of burn in with lossless FLAC and HiRez albums through my PONO player (balanced) and Geek Out V2 (SE):
 
As stated earlier, my tip of choice is Comply T400s' due to its comfort, its ability to offset the weight with the heavy housing, and sonic results.  Before I get down into the meat and potatoes, I must say that the A8 is a Cardas product through and through with it's trademark blue color cable, and Nautilus shells on the ends of the earpieces and over sized chin slider.  Folks who've owned the EM5813 knows what I'm talking out.  Like the EM5813, there was a relatively long wait, but is indeed worth the wait. Everything I've written here on out is prefaced with IMO.
 
     
 
Unlike most iems on the market, the A8 is modular in that it separates from the Y-joint.  The Sennheiser IE800 is similar in that regard, but where the A8 differs is that the modular point is balanced TRRS constructed.  That fat chin slider with the trade mark Nautilus facing forward and the A8 namesake on the other side works very well, and the width it creates help keep the cable from draping down on the sides of the face and neck.  Currently, the A8 has balanced cables to support the PONO and AK DAPs, which I have the PONO cable for a modest price of $60.
 
     
 
I don't have the EM5813 anymore despite owning it multiple times and selling it off due to my mood against the thick Cardas Clear cable, but what I do remember about them are two things: 1) Weight, and 2) Musicality.  I've found both with the A8.  In terms of weight, yes, the A8 housing is rather heavy and rivals the weight of the FAD Piano Forte VIII, but I'm not talking about the physical weight. No, I'm talking about the weight in the music.  The kind you can feel with every kick drum, the low tones of the bass guitar and human voice, crash symbol decay, and fingers sliding across the guitar neck.  All of these represented in a wonderful tapestry of musical texture.  It's this texture along with the A8's rather intimate sound stage helps create a holographic image.  Sound stage width is not EM5813 wide, but wide enough so that the sound doesn't feel like it's coming from your head. I found the stage depth amazing with the A8.
 
All genres sounds great - Pop, Rock, Heavy Metal, Classical, Opera, Electronica, New Age, Country...you name it, all sounded great.  What really sounded great was with live albums.  I don't have time anymore to attend concerts and so I'm left with my live albums to transport my state of mind to different time and place.  The A8 is a wonderful conduit to that place. Again, the A8's tonal weight and texture comes through in spades without bleed or sibilant.  When it came to audience energy, the A8 shoots them out like cannons.
 
Detail retrieval is pretty impressive especially with Jazz.  The A8 does a really good job with stage placement with instruments having it's own space. Equally impressive is the weight behind the low end.  Boy, it can hit low and hard.  Flabby, loose, and muddy absolutely doesn't apply to the A8.  It's responds very fast to guitar riffs and drum covers. Wonderful toe-tapping PRAT. Perhaps not as fast as some balanced armatures (BA), but the A8 brings in the weight without sacrificing the natural tone or musicality that I've found otherwise with most BA.
 
So, the A8's musicality makes it easy to drift off and depending on one's energy level fall asleep to the music.  Weighty, musicality, easy and smooth on the ears, and engaging sums up the A8, IMO.  Treble-heads will probably desire more top end detail, sparkle and air that's typically found with bright signatures.  Flat signature seekers will probably find the A8 too bassy and warm. Folks looking for a fairly balanced sound with a touch of warmth all encapsulated with weight and musicality should seriously consider the A8.
 
In closing, the A8/PONO balanced was an outstanding pair.  The GO V2 sounded very good, but I'm in the process of creating my own 3.5mm TRRS balanced cable for the A8.  Off topic, my HifiMAN RE-600 sounded sublime with the GO V2.  In what seems to be the typical George Cardas fashion when it comes to his iems; there's no apologies, no imitation, no following the status quo - the term "Good things come to those who wait"  is written in stone.
 
Well, that's it for now.  Happy listening.

 

[flatmap]

Terrific write-up.
 
I  like to have a clear, solid bass response, but there are many headphones where a lift in the bass roils the waters of the lower midrange. 
As a result I often settle with weak bass to get utter clarity in the midrange.
 
With the A8, do you find that you're getting great articulation from the voices?  E.g., can you clearly sort out the microscopic details of the opera
singers' voices?