[ScanSpeak HiFi]

Has anyone compared the IE800 against Sennheiser's other high end open back headphones? I love my HD650's but wonder if I could live with the IE800's as my only pair of headphones. My only gripe with the HD650 are the obvious ones that everyone has. They're not the best for portable on the go use due to size, their high impedance requires an amplifier to power them properly, and being open back isn't so awesome unless you're in a quiet room.

 

[tangfj]

I don't have a specific comparison to the HD600/HD650 but I do own the IE800's and they are awesome.  By far my favorite IEM's in terms of comfort, quality, and sound.  I have owned SE846's, AK Layla's, and several others but I keep coming back to the IE800's for their size and quality.  The only thing that is annoying about them is that in dimly lit situations it can be sometimes hard to differentiate left from right earbuds... I did once own the HD600/HD650 but ended up returning them.  I never compared directly to the IE800 but based on my memory of the HD600/HD650 I would say that I like the sound from the IE800 more but that was a while ago... so just going off of my memory on that.  Hope this helps...