IE8 compared to HD595 and cx300
Nov 30, 2009 at 2:34 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 7

zansiball

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currently i own sennheiser HD595 fullsize headphones that i use on my computer (creative x-fi card) and a couple of sennheiser cx 300 earphones to my ipod.

unfortunately both headphones has been broken for a couple of weeks so i was thinking about upgrading to sennheiser IE8.
  1. how would a sennheiser IE8 compare to these 2? (soundwise)
  2. if i get the IE8´s how would they sound on my computer compared to the HD595?
  3. is the ipod capable of driving the IE8´s? or do i need some kind of amp?
 
Dec 11, 2009 at 7:34 AM Post #3 of 7
I have the HD595 and IE8, and if I were to go back and only be able to purchase one of them it would definitely be the IE8's, they sound much better than the 595s and do so without the need for an amp etc. The price difference is totally worth it, I'd sell the 595's but I've had them for a while and not worth the hassle for the amount of money I'd get back for them. Just wish the IE8's were out when I got my 595's =), also you can enjoy great quality sound on the move from ipod/iphone etc without lugging around the 595 and its long cable.
 
Dec 11, 2009 at 8:05 AM Post #4 of 7
The IE8 is a quantum leap ahead of the CX300. The soundstage is something else, treble sparkles beautifully (not fatiguing or harsh at all), midrange is deliciously lush (female voices in particular) and unmatched bass response in terms of depth and extension among all the top-tier universal IEMs.

They don't need an amp to sound good, my ipod nano and Sansa Clip+ drive them just fine. Though I will say that the overall sound becomes tighter when amped with my Mini3. Not a night and day difference though, but it's there if you pay attention.
 
Dec 11, 2009 at 12:17 PM Post #5 of 7
How easy are the IE8 to drive compared to the CX300? Let's say you use your CX300 with your iPod and use them on a (for you) comfortable listening volume. Then you unplug your CX300 and replace it with the IE8. Will the IE8 be louder or lower in volume compared to the CX300? Or another way to put it, on what percentage of the volume bar do you use either to get about the same comfortable listening volume?

I'm quite curious to know, as my CX300 are plain crap from a sound perspective, but quite comfortable. My other main problem with my CX300 is that they are too loud. I currently have an iPod Touch, with my mp3s set to a 75 dB gain through the use of mp3gain(lowest possible gain), but my music can sometimes still be annoyingly loud when listening in bed for example (completely silent environment). If the IE8 are even louder than that can be a let down for me.
 
Dec 11, 2009 at 1:06 PM Post #6 of 7
I don't currently have a CX300, but I've owned a CX400 before (similar I suppose), and they were about as easy to drive as the IE8's. My comfortable listening volume is about 25-30% tops of the ipod nano's volume control.

The IE8's aren't "loud" at all, they never sound peaky, shrill or fatiguing.
 
Dec 11, 2009 at 1:53 PM Post #7 of 7
Quote:

Originally Posted by Helmore /img/forum/go_quote.gif
How easy are the IE8 to drive compared to the CX300? Let's say you use your CX300 with your iPod and use them on a (for you) comfortable listening volume. Then you unplug your CX300 and replace it with the IE8. Will the IE8 be louder or lower in volume compared to the CX300? Or another way to put it, on what percentage of the volume bar do you use either to get about the same comfortable listening volume?

I'm quite curious to know, as my CX300 are plain crap from a sound perspective, but quite comfortable. My other main problem with my CX300 is that they are too loud. I currently have an iPod Touch, with my mp3s set to a 75 dB gain through the use of mp3gain(lowest possible gain), but my music can sometimes still be annoyingly loud when listening in bed for example (completely silent environment). If the IE8 are even louder than that can be a let down for me.



You could simply use an impedance adapter to lower the volume!
It's not the first time that I read that kind of comment, and still cannot understand where's the issue.
 

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