[average_joe]

My main IEM was the Sennheiser IE8, which I loved for the most part, but wanted to try something with deeper bass and less warmth. So I bought the Denon C710's and Mingo WM2's. What I noticed A/Bing them was the IE8 seemed like it was veiled, whereas before the comparison, I did not think the IE8 was veiled. When I compared to the W3 a few months earlier for example, the IE8 didn't seem veiled.

So, for those of you that have both the W3 and IE8 and bought some of the latest IEMs (WM2, C710, FX500, etc.), does the IE8 sound veiled, or was it an issue with my IE8s?

 

[jant71]

Tips maybe? Ebay bi-flanges and Shure E2C clear flex are good for some more clarity. The UE silicone flanges can give a crisper sound(I used those on the CX95).

The IE has mucho bass and the knob to turn it up more so they should work well with crisper sounding tips that still give decent isolation. Still, really good isolation might not be good for them. It is the same with my AI-M9's I can get a good seal but they sound thick/veiled. I pull the bi-flanges out a bit to give less isolation and more apparent clarity.

Never had the IE8 but more clarity was available from the CX's. The tightest seal is not always the best in a few circumstances.

 

[average_joe]

Thanks for mentioning tips, I forgot to mention them. When I did think the IE8 sounded veiled, I did try all the tip combination's that gave me a seal, and even some that didn't. That did not change my veiled opinion.

 

[midoo1990]

Hehe,you are not the only one

.when I bought the ie8 and listened to them,I thought they did everything so good and thought that the instruments sounded natural,boy was I wrong!I bought the fx500 about a month ago and listened to songs and tracks with lot of instruments and drums and I was shocked!the ie8 seemed in comparison to have a thick layer coating the insteruments so it made them sound dull and thick while the fx500 sound so so natural and instruments sound so clear that I was amazed how I listened to instruments on the ie8 without noticing such a veil!I still love the ie8 very much and I use it for trance,techno,metal and house due to the superb soundstage and airness in the music,while I use fx500 for country,hip hop ,pop and rock.they definetly have a veil in them,no question.

 

[3X0]

Going from the IE 8 back to my trusty old ER-4P... hell yeah.

 

[sebhuber]

I have the exact same experience. I have used the RE0 for at least 1 month now and after an opportunity to grab and try out the IE8, they seemed clearer than ever. Probably my IE8 needs a little more burn in time, but the sound is fun and extremely pleasant.

 

[ackers07]

I was considering buying the IE8 as a step up from my RE2s but hearing they sound veiled has put me off a bit as this is the problem I have with my RE2s....

 

[MadDog]

I agree that C710 sounds much more crisp and clearer compared to IE8 but never can deny that IE8's quite entertaining...

 

[scrane]

Quote:

Originally Posted by midoo1990 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hehe,you are not the only one .when I bought the ie8 and listened to them,I thought they did everything so good and thought that the instruments sounded natural,boy was I wrong!I bought the fx500 about a month ago and listened to songs and tracks with lot of instruments and drums and I was shocked!the ie8 seemed in comparison to have a thick layer coating the insteruments so it made them sound dull and thick while the fx500 sound so so natural and instruments sound so clear that I was amazed how I listened to instruments on the ie8 without noticing such a veil!I still love the ie8 very much and I use it for trance,techno,metal and house due to the superb soundstage and airness in the music,while I use fx500 for country,hip hop ,pop and rock.they definetly have a veil in them,no question.

Ah, yes. Typical symptoms of excessive burn-in. You should have put them down hours ago.

 

[midoo1990]

Quote:

Originally Posted by scrane /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ah, yes. Typical symptoms of excessive burn-in. You should have put them down hours ago.

No no,it can't be burn in issue because I only put them on pink noise for 34 and then listened to them for about 4 hours a day for 2 months!if they get worse as hours pass then sennheiser made a faulty product because sound should be consistent all the time and not worsen!

 

[average_joe]

Hmmm. The IE8 does have a much wider stage on some recordings than my C710 and is very smooth, however, the veil is distracting when I can't clearly hear the details I can with the C710 or WM2 (or C750E).

The weird thing is when I compared with the W3, I did not think the IE8 was veiled, so is the C710 (and others) just that much clearer, or did my IE8 change? So a question I have is do others perceive the IE8 as veiled compared to the W3?

 

[tstarn06]

Yes in my case. I felt the IE8 was veiled compared to the W3. When I owned both, and listened A/B, I quickly realized that the IE8s were expendable, and mainly because they lacked the clarity the W3s provided, and also sound somewhat dull by comparison. Maybe you didn't get a good listen or something. Not saying the IE8 was a bad IEM, just not my flavor.

 

[average_joe]

While I agree the W3 had a little more clarity than the W3, I didn't think the difference was as large as it is with the C710 and IE8. Maybe it was the tip configuration I used with the W3 (Comply).

I am also surprised I didn't feel the IE8 was veiled compared to the PFE.

 

[tstarn06]

I used the modded tri-flange with the W3, and also tweaked the treble a but. Always felt the large Comply muffled the highs, and that was no go for me. I never owned the PFE at the same time as the IE8, so can't remember, it seems so long ago.

 

[average_joe]

Oh well, I hope more people chime in to see what the community thinks. I thank those of you that have replied.