[cjkb90]

Hey everyone, first of all, even though its my first post I'm by no means new to Head Fi. I've been reading reviews and threads here for about a year, but I never got an account out of fear I might end up never being satisfied and spending thousands on audio (a situation I'm sure many of you might relate to). Currently, I have the Audio Technica M50s, fully satisfied with them and looking for their IEM brother.

Anyway, I've read many different comparisons between these products, but none really addressed my concerns specifically. I had narrowed down my choice to the IE8s because of the wide sound stage and the slightly colored, fun sound when compared to the SE530s or UM3X (so I've heard). However, when I stumbled upon the Monster Turbine Pros Copper/Gold/MD, it seemed like I found a rival for the IE8s. Although I know lots of people hate Monster, I'd like to hear the opinions of those who have actually heard at least two of the above mentioned products.

90% of the music I listen to is electronic dance music, house, trance, dubstep, etc. (all labelled under the fallacious umbrella term "techno"). Therefore, I would like IEMs that specifically enhance my personal music experience. Bass is important, but quality more than quantity, although I am willing to sacrifice some quality if it means a lot more bass (but at the same time, I don't want something with way too much bass). At the same time, bass isn't everything. Also, price isn't important.

So, yeah, sorry for the long question, but I really feel like what I am looking for is very specific, and I haven't found a place in NC where I can test IEMs myself. To sum it up, IE8s vs. MTP Copper/Gold/MD (any or all of these three) and how they would perform differently for house music.

Cheers, and thank you all for making Head-fi a gateway to audio nirvana

 

[Trysaeder]

IE8 really sucks at isolation, so if that is a factor then you should keep it in mind.
IE8 and MTPC/G both have a very similar frequency response, but the MPTC do bass better than the IE8 imo. I also listen to 'techno', but my sound tastes are far different from yours in the way that I prefer quick tight bass and lots of sparkle.

To sum up: IE8 and MTPC have a similar sound, but MTPC wins on isolation and overall bass presentation.

 

[cn11]

Hello there, and welcome to HF. You're right, you should have stayed away from the forum if you are afraid of spending way too much. It's inevitable.

As for the IE8 vs. Monster Pro line..... I have MD's and was just doing some back to back with the Sennheisers today. I marveled at how much more advanced the MD's were than the IE8's across the whole frequency range. The bass is better controlled, treble much more detailed and layered, and the biggest difference is in the mids. The MD's just sound so full, lifelike, and natural. They sort of join the rest of the range together into a cohesive sonic picture. The IE8's sound dull and distant by comparison, not just in the mids, but in all aspects. I listen to some industrial stuff, and the IE8's can make it a murky, dull mess, while the MD's convey it much better, further resolving all the electronic layering going on.

I've owned and enjoyed the IE8's for quite a while, and it's taken going through many high end IEM's, and returning/selling them off (Westone 3, Triple.Fi 10, Audio Technica CK90Pro), to finally find something which noticeably eclipses them. As a bonus, the MD's isolate better too.

If you can get past their 'exuberant' looks, the sound more than makes up for it.

 

[lucozade]

@cjkb90 , Hi, i dont have a lot of experience with your type of music but i do own the ie8, mtpc, mtpg.
The ie8 has the widest bass frequency response in my opinon,by that i mean it goes further down into the sub bass,but most of its bass power is concentrared in the upper mid bass which colours the vocals ,making voices sound warmer and deeper than they really are,this mid bass hump can be eliminated by eq'ng or by using a portable amp with a favorable combination of opamps,or a combination of both,and thats how i use the ie8,i could not listen seriously to the ie8 unamped and on a flat eq setting.

The mids are nice ,detailed and cyrstal clear and the treble is very detailed and can pick out the micro details and has a certain amount of sparkle to it.Over all the ie8 has a warm soft silky smooth sound to it.And the ie8 has the largest soundstage out of all three.

Isolation is not the best on the ie8 as it sits just inside the ear cannels and does not always feel like a secure fit for some people,but if you can get hold of a set of the monster large triple flange tips they fit the ie8 and increase isolation and give a deep secure fit without eny negtive impact on the sound apart from narrowing the soundstage just a bit.

The mtpg has a better quality to its bass than the ie8 and is a harder hitting bass than the ie8 ,with better deffinition and detail and impact ,and without the mid bass hump although it does not cover as wide a frequency as the ie8 in my opinon.Monster provide a large selection of tips that vairy the sound quite alot from very bassy to a more balanced less bassy sound.If you can get hold of the sennhieser double flange tips which fit on the monsters these really increase the bass giving a real pounding thump.

The mids on the monsters are slightly forward and bright with great detail and the treble again is very detailed and capable of picking out micro detail with a certain amount of detail.The bass does not over power the mids or treble in eny way

Over all the monster gold has a warm bright sound.

The mtpc is the more balanced neutral sounding one of the three,it has the same detailed bass as the golds but with less pressence than the golds or ie8, it has plenty of bass when asked to be there by the music but its not so in your face as the other two.

The mids are pretty much the same as on the golds and the treble again the same as the golds but with better detail retrieval and with more sparkle.

Over all the coppers have a less warm more neutral sound and are very well balanced.
All three have more analoge sound than ba drivers

These are just my opinon and everyones ears are going to hear things slightly diffrently,the best advice i can give you is if money is not a factor ,buy the ie8 and one of the monsters and keep the one you like best or even both and you get the added benifit of having the tips to interchange onto both

 

[justinxbailey]

I mainly listen to electronic (trance & house) and I just got the MTPC's... although I'm still burning them in, initially they sounded good. I was using the Hippo VB's for electronic and they sounded awesome, nothing beats their bass imo, but for overall enjoyment the MTPC's are looking promising...

 

[ethan961]

From what I've read and the above impressions, all the Turbine Pros are superior to the IE8s. I don't see a reason to buy IE8 anymore personally, unless you really like mid-bass. The Turbine Pros seem to be a cut above and offer better isolation.

 

[Poimandres]

These are but a few impressions on the monsters,there are also alot of reviews here by respected members that are not that favorable. I have not personally heard them but there are alot of reviews here on them, both favorable and not so much. Make sure that you do your research before deciding on a pair.

 

[happyxix]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trysaeder /img/forum/go_quote.gif IE8 really sucks at isolation, so if that is a factor then you should keep it in mind. IE8 and MTPC/G both have a very similar frequency response, but the MPTC do bass better than the IE8 imo. I also listen to 'techno', but my sound tastes are far different from yours in the way that I prefer quick tight bass and lots of sparkle. To sum up: IE8 and MTPC have a similar sound, but MTPC wins on isolation and overall bass presentation.

IE8 doesn't "really Suck" at isolation. Its just not jammed up the ear so its not as good as deeper IEMS like the turbines. IE8 fits (for me) well enough to isolate the busy bus and everything on a college campus and doesn't go in so deep that it feels like you are not wearing anything at all. Besides if you do hear background noise, it'll make the music seem live since I LITERALLY DO NOT FEEL THESE ON MY EARS after a while. Still tons better than portable cans or canalphones in term of isolation.

On that hand, the thing that IE8 does strong is in its soundstage and presence which I do not feel techno really needs. But it makes other genres sounds a lot better. If techno is your primary thing, get the MTPs

 

[lucozade]

Ive spent half of friday and most of saturday listening to the ie8 and today i switched back to the mtpc , while i think the ie8 still has the largest soundstage and holds up well in picking out details , i find the coppers to be superior in nearly every other way, the bass is faster and better defined, the midrange sound so much better and lifelike than on the ie8,its more crisp sounding with more room to breath ,more natural sounding then the thick soft very ,very warm sound of the ie8 Treble is as detailed on the coppers with more sparkle than the ie8.

I kind of think of the ie8 as a powerfull prehistoric lumbering dinosuor with a thick skin covering the mussels and guts of the beast.One of the kings of the jungle in there time

While the coppers are a step up on the evolutionary scale ,quicker ,brighter, more agile,a very able contender to challange the ie8 for dominance at the top.

 

[IpodHappy]

If you plan to use these while exercising outside, none of these are the best solution. The IE8 creates quite a bit of wind noise in any breeze. When I owned the Monster Turbines (not Gold, not Copper), the drivers were heavy enough that I got a "bouncing" noise in my ears with each step. A few posts have mentioned the same driver weight issue with the Golds or Coppers.

The following have worked well outdoors: Weston W3, Weston UM3X, Shure e500c, Shure SE530, Ultimate Ears 700.

 

[lucozade]

^^^^^ The monster golds and coppers are very light when in the ears and ive used the coppers and ie8 outside while working ,gardening etc and have never heard wind whistling through them if thats what you mean or footsteps or microphonics on eny of those three iems and ive done some very phyishcal work with the ie8s on in the past .One of the strong points of the monster pro range is there good isolation ,the ie8 is not great on isolation but can be with the large triple flange monster tips or other mods

 

[Kunlun]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lucozade /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ive spent half of friday and most of saturday listening to the ie8 and today i switched back to the mtpc , while i think the ie8 still has the largest soundstage and holds up well in picking out details , i find the coppers to be superior in nearly every other way, the bass is faster and better defined, the midrange sound so much better and lifelike than on the ie8,its more crisp sounding with more room to breath ,more natural sounding then the thick soft very ,very warm sound of the ie8 Treble is as detailed on the coppers with more sparkle than the ie8. I kind of think of the ie8 as a powerfull prehistoric lumbering dinosuor with a thick skin covering the mussels and guts of the beast.One of the kings of the jungle in there time While the coppers are a step up on the evolutionary scale ,quicker ,brighter, more agile,a very able contender to challange the ie8 for dominance at the top.

Ha ha, awesome! So, the monsters are like the rise of the mammals!?!

Just to second the part about moving in the MTPCs, I've also run (for my train) with the monsters in my ears many times now, they aren't heavy at all for that. I think they are heavy in the hands, but not in the ears at all.

 

[lucozade]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kunlun /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ha ha, awesome! So, the monsters are like the rise of the mammals!?!

@kunlun, you got it buddy

 

[cjkb90]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lucozade /img/forum/go_quote.gif the best advice i can give you is if money is not a factor ,buy the ie8 and one of the monsters and keep the one you like best or even both and you get the added benifit of having the tips to interchange onto both

Haha I wish this were an option right now. I called Monster, they said that the differences between the MD and Copper are negligible, and aside from the warmer Gold sound, they consider the coppers to be absolutely better.

Added with all the responses here and everywhere else, I'm soon becoming a Monster. I think bass is very important, accuracy much more so than quantity. Besides, theres much more to "techno" than the boom factor (i.e. retrieval), unlike hip hop (in my biased opinion).

 

[cjkb90]

Quote:

Originally Posted by justinxbailey /img/forum/go_quote.gif I mainly listen to electronic (trance & house) and I just got the MTPC's... although I'm still burning them in, initially they sounded good. I was using the Hippo VB's for electronic and they sounded awesome, nothing beats their bass imo, but for overall enjoyment the MTPC's are looking promising...

When saying that they look promising, you mean you think you do/will enjoy the MTPCs more than the VBs for electronic music?