MusicalMetal420
New Head-Fier
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- Dec 15, 2008
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Neither did i!
Originally Posted by nsx_23 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Woot! Playing around with my IE8 at the moment. Listening to my iRiver H332 + Corda XXS + Apuresound V2 mini-mini rig. 1) I'm absolutely obsessive fiddling with the bass adjustment. Minimum setting was a tad too little, maximum setting was a tad too overpowering. 2nd notch from Minimum seems to be good at the moment, but different types of music respond differently to any changes made. One thing worth noting is that the bass adjustment was much more subtle than I thought it would be. 2) When I popped these on, I thought I was listening to a set of full-size cans. The soundstage is really good IEM wise, and listening to the James Bond soundtrack collection (e.g. Diamonds are forever, Goldeneye), there's a nice balance to the sound. The vocals, at times, could be just a hint recessed compared to my SF5pro, but its nothing to worry about IMHO. 3) The fit took some playing around with. My eventual ideal fit is the stock medium tips with the earhooks. The earhooks take ages to adjust, but once done they're very comfortable. One gripe I have with them is that they sometimes don't hold the cable tightly enough. 4) Wearing them upside down made them sound rubbish. I also think some custom tips are in order. More to follow once I've done more listening. In the meantime, my basic impression is that they're quiet like my SF5pros. EDIT: Update 1 I think the thing with the SF5pro is that I find it tends to be much more "forward" and aggressive than other IEMs in its class IMHO, and I liked that. Anyway, more impressions. I've been mainly listening to Diana Krall, Norah Jones and Santana so far, and I've changed my source to my good old D2, which has now made things much more lively and fuller than the rather clean sounding iRiver H332. I've also found a better configuration: No earhooks, Large foams, bass up at 2nd notch from minimum. The black foams are very comfortable to me, and create a good seal which really brings out the bass and pretty much gets rid of that vocal problem I had before. As for isolation, I found it not too bad. I sat in front of my TV with Top Gear blasting at loud volumes, and I could still hear my music on a low volume setting. I guess recessed wasn't really the right word to describe what I'm hearing in terms of treble/vocals. Smooth and refined is probably a better word. Its not aggressive ,forward and slightly brash like the SF5pro. Instead, its much smoother, creamier, complex and more richly textured sound (I feel like I'm talking about baking cakes here), and it took me a moment to adjust my mind to that as I was expecting them to be bold and out-there from reading other people's thoughts. These things still seem to be a weird shape for my ears, and I think things will vastly improve once I get custom tips made. I'll also be getting mine recabled (If I decide to keep them) by Craig at Whiplash Audio in the not too distant future with his new TWcu wire (He's already made one cable for my UE, so look out for impressions). But that's sometime down the line. The IE8 really reminds me of my Ultrasones for some strange reason. I can't quiet put my finger on what, but the more I listen to the more I am constantly reminded of them. I'm now really curious to see how the TF10 and W3 compare. Can't wait to see what burn in will do for these babies. |
Originally Posted by ical /img/forum/go_quote.gif I own both. Prefer the more balanced and smoother IE8. |
Originally Posted by robinclp /img/forum/go_quote.gif oh wow.... i've got the hd600 and completing the senn family with the ie8 sounds intriguing. definitely gotta upgrade my e4c. btw ical which iem has less microphonics when rubbing against the wire? i would guess the ie8 right? The westone 3 has twisted wires so there should be no phonics. I can't stand the microphonic of my e4c and can only listen to them when sitting still or lying down... another thing is ... which is more comfortable to wear? The westone design makes over-the-ear wearing mandatory but no the ie8. which is better? |
Quick question here,
How many you wear the IE8 with the cables straight down (normal way) and how many of you wear them over the ear??
Is there a difference in the sound if worn straight down?? i just read a post above stating that "Wearing them upside down made them sound rubbish" ??As far as i was concerned, as long as you have a good tight seal in either way, they will sound the same...