[The Rino]

I just received a pair of IE8's with about 50hrs on them and here are my impressions and my questions for those who have IE8's that have been "burned in".
Impressions: When I first heard these I noticed immediatly that 'Senn veil' that I first fell in love with fom the HD650's. The signature coloration is one that I beleive adds depth and texture to an otherwise neutral sound. I have read numerous posts on here about how these drivers need time to burn in before they sound their best. When I played tracks that sounded great on my Denon AH-D5000's, HD650's, Darth Beyers and Shure E500's, on the IE8's they sounded very subdued on the high end. It was almost as if the vocal freguencies were recessed to the point of being muffled. Almost like the artist was standing behind a thin blanket. There were certain times in the track though when the blanket would be lifted for a split second revealing brighter highs not to the point of sibilance though. And on tracks that did not sound as good on other headphones sounded much better on the IE8's. The mids and lows of the IE8's sound very good IMO but almost intrude on the vocals but not to the point of degrading the vocals SQ, but the vocals still seem not very bright. None of the above traits did I hear in the E500's
Questions:
-Is the fact that I'm using 256kbps tracks making that much of a difference on the IE8's? I know they're very sensitive and I've read that they're very unforgiving and will make lower quality recordings sound horrible, but I'm getting the "muffled" sound on every track.
-Is placement and type of ear tips that crucial to the SQ in these?
-Do I just need to let these have proper burn in time? If so how long?
-Am I just delusional and/or need to schedule a hearing test?

 

[toughnut]

50hours not enough. Imo, it's sound crap until 100+ hours and i only like it after 250+ hours. The treble not "opened" yet, need to wait until 100+ hours. The veil will reduced too but still noticble at low listening volume. Best sound after 350-400 hours.

Your ears are normal, i guess. U can skip the audiologist appointment

 

[thechungster]

Most people will agree that burn in for the IE8s are at around 250-350 hours. I would say placement is crucial for them, and tips effects the sound. The foamies enhances the impact of the bass, but the mids and treble isn't as clear compared to the silicon tips. I would say 256kbps is definitely sutible and the IE8s uses a dynamic driver, not BA.

 

[Deffers]

Quote:

Originally Posted by thechungster /img/forum/go_quote.gif Most people will agree that burn in for the IE8s are at around 250-350 hours. I would say placement is crucial for them, and tips effects the sound. The foamies enhances the impact of the bass, but the mids and treble isn't as clear compared to the silicon tips. I would say 256kbps is definitely sutible and the IE8s uses a dynamic driver, not BA.

I agree with all the above.. I have had mine burning/playing for 230/250 hrs and they sound fantastic. I tried the foamies and a load of other tips UE and some stock Sony ones but I have found the supplied Med Silicons to be the best balance for fit/comfort and the sound is nicely balanced. I have now sorted most of my music on my PC to 256kbps minimum but I find the IE8 to be a little fussy, some albums just sound very good and others take your breath away..

 

[thechungster]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deffers /img/forum/go_quote.gif I agree with all the above.. I have had mine burning/playing for 230/250 hrs and they sound fantastic. I tried the foamies and a load of other tips UE and some stock Sony ones but I have found the supplied Med Silicons to be the best balance for fit/comfort and the sound is nicely balanced. I have now sorted most of my music on my PC to 256kbps minimum but I find the IE8 to be a little fussy, some albums just sound very good and others take your breath away..

I found Utada Hikaru took my breath away. Female vocals sound superb imo, and it's just awesome. Metal shows the speed of the IE8s, which is the best I've ever heard (IE8s are my first expensive IEM) and I'm glad with spending so much money on them

 

[ChroniCali]

You must burn it in quite a bit more for it to completely settle down.

 

[average_joe]

Agree with the above except the 256kbps. Some music I can't tell a difference, some music I can, even FLAC vs. 320kbps. And it took 200+ hours for my treble to open up, and a switch from T-400s to T-400s under silicon really helped the treble also. I would say the IE8s are well balanced!

 

[thechungster]

Quote:

Originally Posted by average_joe /img/forum/go_quote.gif Agree with the above except the 256kbps. Some music I can't tell a difference, some music I can, even FLAC vs. 320kbps. And it took 200+ hours for my treble to open up, and a switch from T-400s to T-400s under silicon really helped the treble also. I would say the IE8s are well balanced!

I can tell between 256-320-ALAC...I think.

 

[koven]

i think i'm going through the same thing with my IE7's, lol.

 

[elnero]

First up, I don't think you quite grasp what the Sennheiser veil refers, it's typically when one of the HD580, 600, 650 headphones are not driven adequately resulting in sound that seems to have a thin blanket over it, obscuring detail and dynamics, hence the veil.

Second, with any IEM some experimentation is usually needed before finding best combo for you. That does not mean the IEM will be for you though, in the case of the IE8's, while I quite like them I do find they still lack a bit in the upper registers and in some cases they're not quite as fast as something like the TF10's.

 

[Deffers]

Quote:

Originally Posted by average_joe /img/forum/go_quote.gif Agree with the above except the 256kbps. Some music I can't tell a difference, some music I can, even FLAC vs. 320kbps. And it took 200+ hours for my treble to open up, and a switch from T-400s to T-400s under silicon really helped the treble also. I would say the IE8s are well balanced!

A lot of my music was at 128/192 and whilst I can't really tell the difference between 256 and 320 I can from 128 to 256... I have not tried the T400 either on their own or with silicon as I am very happy with my stock med silicons, although I am getting a little curious. I tried the T500's I used with my UE5pro's and found them terrible..

I am going to give Utada Hikaru a try................. Should be with me in about 15 minutes..

 

[thechungster]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deffers /img/forum/go_quote.gif A lot of my music was at 128/192 and whilst I can't really tell the difference between 256 and 320 I can from 128 to 256... I have not tried the T400 either on their own or with silicon as I am very happy with my stock med silicons, although I am getting a little curious. I tried the T500's I used with my UE5pro's and found them terrible.. I am going to give Utada Hikaru a try................. Should be with me in about 15 minutes..

With the IE8s anyone can since they make 128kbps sound absolutely terrible.

 

[vii_haven]

Give it 100-200 more hours of pink noise and you should start hearing the details you're missing. Had a love affair with the atrios for a long while till the ie8s came along and wowed me with the huge, almost headphone like soundstage and of course awesome sound. I have almost given up on BA IEMs. Seems like dynamic drivers are the only ones so far that give me adequate bass impact when monitoring drums on stage.

 

[schneller]

So as far as the IE8s are concerned, the process should be:

1) Buy
2) Receive
3) Hook it up to computer playing pink noise
4) Go on two-week vacation (leaving computer on playing pink noise on repeat)
5) Come back to enjoy your $450 phones

 

[astroid]

250 hrs!!! how can you even remember what it sounded like 1 hr ago? this is bollocks, why would sennheiser create an earphone that needed 250 hrs burn in, in fact i think sennheiser doesnt even acknowledge burn in as a real event.
If i were them i would be burning them in before packing them up.
This may explain the unimmpressed reviewers in the hifi press.