[sofastreamer]

i own(ed) a couple of top tier universals so far, but none of them seems to fit my needs.
 
short summary:
 
sm3: muffled lower mids combined with a soundstage that does not expand to the sides, but to the back. Bass OK, Treble OK
 
tf10: nice soundstage, nice bass, bad mids, too much and too pronounced itchy highs
 
se530: nice soundstage, best mids (a little too forward), nice highs, lacking deepbass
 
ie8: best soundstage, best bass (sometimes a little to much), mids ok, highs ok. so here i found the signature i like best, but i miss the details and precision in presentation, that i know from the others.
 
is there any ie, that will combine both? i could accept a little weaker bass and soundstage.
 
what should i go for?

 

[Rip N' Burn]

The Westone 3 could be what you want. If money isn't an issue, I would say the Sony EX1000.

 

[sofastreamer]

the sonys do not seem to fit my need in comfort.
 
the w3 should have quite a lot of highs. don`t they?

 

[Rip N' Burn]

I thought the W3 highs were good but some people had sibilance issues and thought the highs were too much. Comply foam tips seem to help with that problem.

 

[sofastreamer]

any other sugestions? what about the audeo perfect bass could they be, what i am searching for?

 

[yello131]

How about Radius DDMs?  I sold my IE8 after i got this. their half the price of IE8
Another option is the newly released DDM #2 . No reviews on this yet as this are about to be released in Japan on March 1st
Also FX700 could match your needs..

 

[Poetik]

Try the ie8's with a custom cable.  I got a bit more highs outta my music with that, I had a quick review summary in one of the threads around here as well. 
 
Here's the link to the actual cable that I'm talking about: http://cgi.ebay.com/Upgrade-Cable-SENNHEISER-IE8-Night-stalker-IE8-/110574283606?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19bebdab56
 
Ahhh, here it is:
 
Quote:

Did a little search and decided to steal this from another thread: 
 

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Upgrade-Cable-SENNHEISER-IE8-Night-stalker-IE8-/110574283606?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19bebdab56
 
I got this one and when I first tried it, it sounded identical to the original cable. I let them burn in for 3 weeks with the IsoTek CD. After, I noticed a change right away. The highs are brighter, the thick sennheiser bass sound is gone but still has the impact that I like, and there is more 'air' around the music. The cable itself is thin and the connectors don't lock in place like they do with the stock cable but I'm really enjoying the sound now. I can now crank the bass dial without getting overwhelmed!
 

I just received my ebay cable and for the most part I agree with Rip N'Burn.  The treble definitely has some sparkle now, instrument separation is much more apparent, the soundstage width is about the same but it seems to have added more depth (up and down if that makes sense), and also the thick hazy veil is lifted from the sound.  The mids don't really seem to be brought out too much but they're more enjoyable since the overall thick and dark hazyness has been lifted.  The bass impact is still at a good level and I still wouldn't want to boost the bass lever past the lowest setting. 
 
Build quality wise I believe the stock cable is much better and also it's less microphonic.  The ebay cable has a sort of memory that it's been rolled up that's pretty annoying but maybe it'll get better with time.  If only the ebay cable was shielded in the same material that the stock cable was made with then it would be great.  The cable is very thin and reminds me of the es2 cable but with a harder less flexible material.  I really like the memory wire as they fit around my ear to the point where the ie8's sit pretty flush with my ear. 
 
The difference is definitely obvious from the instant you change the cable.  In my opinion those who say they can't hear a difference between cables aren't really listening well enough.  After listening to my tf10's I've realized that I've wanted more highs out of the ie8 and this did the trick.  I still have to do comparisons to my tf10's on which iem's I like better but I can say that I wouldn't want anymore sparkle out of the ie8's now.  In the end I'll probably keep the stock ie8 cable for when I want to work out at the gym and use the ebay cable for most of the time I listen to my ie8's.  Overall I'm pretty happy with the $50 spent as it addressed most of the issues I had sound wise with the ie8.

 

[mvw2]

There isn't much out there that sounds like the IE8.  I could suggest the UM3X as it too is a bass king, but the sound stage will change drastically.  It's vastly more up front than the IE8 which is very distant.  The upper mids are recesssed too but can be EQed.  I would still suggest the Triple.Fi 10 but EQed to your liking.  It's the only one I've used that is at least part way towards the sound stage of the IE8.  With EQing it does balance out nicely, but I understand not everyone has EQing or even adequate EQing on hand to do anything useful towards that end.
 

 

[Leander7777]

I have the TF10s with a lune cable and really like them. From what you've been reading, I would think that they really suit your sound sig. I never thought the mids were bad. They are rather detailed and sound very smooth. They are quite distant, but not recessed, as they don't sound like the upper and lower midrange are more emphasized than the mid-midrange, which is a common consequence of recessed mids. I'm a person who really cares for mids and, for example, I find that my ultrasone pro 900 have too recessed mids. The TF10, on the other hand, just have distant mids, which makes the soundstage sound wider. If I have any complaints, it is that the upper midrange is slightly recessed, which can make the mids sound too smooth and somewhat out of place when compared to the highs. I also don't find the highs sibilant at all. They extend well and sound just right, in my opinion. Obviously, this might be due to the fact that mine are recabled and I no longer remember what the stock cable sounded like. Anyhow, I really recommend them with the comply tips, which seem to reduce siblance.
I'd also like to mention, that when I pair them up with my headstage arrow amp, the mids are more pronounced and the detail, as well as transparency, are slightly improved.

 

[sofastreamer]

tf10 are something for team treble. but not for me. comfort has been an issue too

 

[DoomSludge]

I was on a similar search not long ago and after some research came up with Monster Turbine Golds / Miles Davis Tributes, Radius DDM or Panasonic HJE900s.  Ended up with the Miles Davis, but might just have to try the Panas as well!

 

[sofastreamer]

ok, besides soundstage, can any ba driver iem compare to ie8 in terms of bass? could be a little less. and again, the tf10 are not what i am searching for.

 

[Ari33]

I cant really think of anything else out there in the same price range until you go up to hybrids for what (in theory) should be the best of both worlds...
 

 

[sjondenon]

IE80 with custom cable?

 

[Poetik]

Why not reshell your ie8 through Unique Melody so that you have the dynamic driver for the lows and balanced armatures for the mids / highs?