My XE800 arrived today. The fit is very good and this iem is very comfortable to wear. After initial listening and A/B against other IEMs and full size headphone, i am left underwhelmed. Technically, this IEM offers better clarity than the cheaper KZ IEMs, but there is something artificial in the tonality. Vocal is not natural sounding and is worse than some of the cheaper iems.
Compared to full sized can like XPT100, which is a clone of Fischer FA-003, sound is inferior in almost every department, most noticeably in sound separation and tonality.
I didn't like the XE800 for the first two weeks I owned it. Had to find the right tips to get the bass I wanted. I still use EQ to raise the bass level. They're not my preferred sound signature, but are very good neutral earphones. You're basically talking about the GR07 when you talk about the XE800, FWIW. A $20 GR07.
The 4 in 1 needs EQ to shine. Once you cut near 150-500hz, boost mids a little, and then cut some treble, it really sounds way, way more expensive than what it goes for. Without EQ, it has bloat, recession, and some harshness. I wouldn't really be into it stock, but EQ'ed i've been using it daily.
OOTB, harsh treble, but very good detail. Picked up details that I haven't heard of before in some of my FLAC files. Sub-bass is very light. More than adequate mid-bass. I can see how the treble would make this fatiguing.
Sound signature is definitely V-shaped. Mids being recessed is the best way of describing these IEMs. Stock Narrow-bore was harsher than the stock wide-bore tip. Using Comply Comfort Foams in the regular direction brought the harshness down slightly, but not noticeably. Wearing them in the reverse direction retained the harshness of the stock silicone tips. Bass was not noticeably stronger with the foam tips.
Listened to MJ - Billie Jean. Really wanted to try something with treble emphasis to test the perception of harsh treble. Currently using with Encore mDAC.
It's made me understand better the type of IEM I want in sound signature and clarity.
Sound signature: Lots of sub-bass, lots of mid-bass, mids forward, average treble. Bass needs to be quick and accurate rather than an enormous amount of loose bass.
Clarity: Clear enough to pick up micro-details.
Any suggestions?
Dumb question: 4in1: Left is Blue and Right is Red?
Just got my Hifiman RE-00 out of the box. Initial impressions is it's a vocals-based IEM followed by a reasonable level of bass that's certainly present, and ahead of the RE-0 & ZERO from memory, but will actually compare the three later when I get a chance. It's by no means basshead levels of bass, but it's more than I was expecting. Treble seems reasonable enough, but I'm not sensitive to treble and not a treble-head in the slightest. Only two pairs of included tips, so didn't get a pair of my favorite hifiman tips, and packaging is about as basic as it gets. It uses the same jack connector style as the Hifiman Edition S. Design-wise, the housing's edge is textured for grip or looks, but can rub against the ear while using the small included tips causing discomfort.
The 4 in 1 needs EQ to shine. Once you cut near 150-500hz, boost mids a little, and then cut some treble, it really sounds way, way more expensive than what it goes for. Without EQ, it has bloat, recession, and some harshness. I wouldn't really be into it stock, but EQ'ed i've been using it daily.
I haven't used that many IEMs, but I have picked up the most details using the 4in1 than any other IEMs that I have owned. Only the SE535 and SE846 that I've demoed have given me more clarity and details. I wouldn't call the 4in1 analytical by any means.
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