Originally Posted by RAQemUP /img/forum/go_quote.gif This place ships to the US and it's a great price for the Sennheiser IE8. Don't know how long it will take to deliver though. HiFlight ordered from them and it took him a month to get his. I put in a order 2 days ago so will see when they arrive.
I'm very close to pulling the trigger and ordering them from the German site. I wonder what happens if there is any damage or the package gets lost? Also, are there any import fees here in the US?
By the way, does anyone know where these are built?
it seems as though its a devide between the continents. North America = W3 and Europe = IE8... each is their domestic product which factors in the price. so i'm pretty sure i'm gonna go down the road of the W3
I will go ahead and assume that the enclosure is also its carrying case. I have seen quite a few pictures of the carrying case but not what it looks like before opening.
@againstthegrain There are some European webstores that will ship items purchased to the US. I ordered my IE8 for just under 214 Euro ($278) shipped from computeruniverse.net .
Originally Posted by RAQemUP /img/forum/go_quote.gif I will go ahead and assume that the enclosure is also its carrying case. I have seen quite a few pictures of the carrying case but not what it looks like before opening.
@againstthegrain There are some European webstores that will ship items purchased to the US. I ordered my IE8 for just under 214 Euro ($278) shipped from computeruniverse.net .
I can't find them on their site at all, do happen to have a direct link?
Well, here it is after spending a day comparing both my W3s and IE8s!
Both were compared using my DAP output directly, without an external amp. I really wanted to see what the "native" sound of each was while auditioning several different genres. Rock was not included.
While both are fine products, maybe the best of their type, I find the IE8 to be more to my liking for the following reasons:
Build of the IE is more substantial, both the phone itself as well as the cable assembly.
I find the fit to my ear to be more comfortable with the IE8. After a few minutes, it just disappears, whereas I am always aware that the W3 is in place. Again, most likely an individual issue with my ears.
The deciding factor for me was that the IE8 just delivers a more realistic listening experience. The impact of the bass is of the same feeling as when adding a subwoofer to a high-quality speaker system. I can, at times, feel the lowest frequencies as well as hear them. I have been comparing the 2 phones with the bass trimmer on the IE8 set to minimum.
The soundstage of the IE8 is wider, and further away. I feel more like I am listening to a performance from the audience seats rather than from the conductors podium.
The W3, while tonally accurate, just seems to lack the ability to deliver the very subtle harmonics that more affect the perception of soundstage than individual instrument tones. There is no doubt that the W3 is a very accurate instrument, it just doesn't deliver the perception of realism to me as does the IE8. I also found that vocals, while sounding quite good in general, did not seem to be imaged as precisely in the W3 as they are when presented by the IE8.
Perhaps it is unfair to base my preference on the performance of unamped phones, but based on their impedances and sensitivities, they should be able to perform well without the requirement for amplifications.
I did briefly use both with several of my amps, and both did benefit, but my impressions overall remain the same.
I will continue to listen and compare as both phones accumulate listening time. I will likely settle on one or the other and sell the second place contender.
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