[duanepo]

yep! what i meant was that buying the IE7 seems to be a "downgrade" fromthe IE8. i cant seem to find a thread that compares the IE7 and the UM3X... people are usually comparing the UM3X with the IE8 outright which i believe has very different sound signatures.

 

[Cosmic Fool]

I still haven't made a up my mind, guys.

The last two days I am actually leaning more towards the UM3X. My main worry with the IE8 is that the bass will be too much for me. For instance when I bought my new speakers at the end of last year I chose the B&W 685's because I liked their strong (but tight and fast) bass. So why haven't you bought the UM3X you must be thinking.

1) At the end of next week I'll receive my paycheck; pretty important if you wan't to buy something rather expensive.

2) I haven't bought anything from the USA yet and I'm a bit afraid of customs charging me extra for getting these IEMs from over the Atlantic. The webshop I would buy them from (earphonesolutions.com) states it will put the name en price of the product on the package. Will this enhance the chance of being intercepted by customs? Any feedback on the service and quality of this webshop would be nice too.

3) What about warranty? Will Westone make a big deal of me not buying their product in Europe? Or don't they care about that at all?

FYI, I guess you won't be surprised if I tell you I'm a Libra of horoscope.

 

[HONEYBOY]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cosmic Fool /img/forum/go_quote.gif FYI, I guess you won't be surprised if I tell you I'm a Libra of horoscope.

haha that explains it. I'm a Libra too. I've heard all said phones and don't think you can go wrong with any to be honest. If you're scared that IE8 is gonna have too much bass then just get the UM3X, also you get better isolation with those. I must say though, that I don't find IE8 bass to be as dominant as most folks here claim. Seal them and push them deep in the canals and then you do get that overpowering bass. Seems that this is the way the majority of folks around here wear them. I am of the impression that they're not to be worn that way. Believe it or not, using the small senn foamies and just very shallow insertion. I actually have less bass quantity than both UM3X and W3. IE8s are my preferred IEM with this configuration. Isolation does suffer as a result though, but I don't mind.

 

[3X0]

Yes, with the IE 8 I find the least isolating insertions lend themselves to far superior sound, with wonderful bass that doesn't hurt. I, too, believe that many bothered by the IE 8's bass might have been using it with a more isolating insertion that certainly amplifies the bass and thickens the sound (in my opinion, unfavorably: it sacrifices the airiness and substantial amounts of clarity that the IE 8 is naturally capable of offering).

 

[HONEYBOY]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3X0 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yes, with the IE 8 I find the least isolating insertions lend themselves to far superior sound, with wonderful bass that doesn't hurt. I, too, believe that many bothered by the IE 8's bass might have been using it with a more isolating insertion that certainly amplifies the bass and thickens the sound (in my opinion, unfavorably: it sacrifices the airiness and substantial amounts of clarity that the IE 8 is naturally capable of offering).

Exactly! haha Much has been said about this, yet almost every time I see the IE8 in a sentence it's always about an overpowering bass. Sometimes I go back and forth to see what am missing and maybe my ears are just overly sensitive to these adjustments but I simply cannot listen to the IE8s with a strong seal. I need to go look at the decay Mods again haha

 

[Cosmic Fool]

You're not really helping me, guys.

Is there anybody - a European Head-fi'er - who can assure me that I don't have to fear customs? Or maybe tell me something about the aforementioned webshop?

 

[3X0]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cosmic Fool /img/forum/go_quote.gif You're not really helping me, guys. Is there anybody - a European Head-fi'er - who can assure me that I don't have to fear customs? Or maybe tell me something about the aforementioned webshop?

You could forgo customs altogether by getting the IE 8, and have no worries about "too much" bass.

 

[Cosmic Fool]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3X0 /img/forum/go_quote.gif You could forgo customs altogether by getting the IE 8, and have no worries about "too much" bass.

 

[ZARIM]

ATH_CK100 are pretty good if you want more details in mids with great bass extention n quality highs.

 

[music_4321]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cosmic Fool /img/forum/go_quote.gif You're not really helping me, guys. Is there anybody - a European Head-fi'er - who can assure me that I don't have to fear customs? Or maybe tell me something about the aforementioned webshop?

You've got a private message (PM).

 

[Cosmic Fool]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZARIM /img/forum/go_quote.gif ATH_CK100 are pretty good if you want more details in mids with great bass extention n quality highs.

Great, you want to empty my wallet even more.

I think I'll stay with my choice though.

@ music_4321: thanks, amigo!

 

[music_4321]

^^ Just replied to your PM

 

[GN85]

Quote:

Originally Posted by r@mside /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm using the iAudio7 + IE8 combo and can say they work well together. However, the IE8 doesn't sound much like the HD595 or PX100. Don't let that put you off, they sound a lot better imo.

The PX100 has a bigger midrange dip, but their sound signature isn't that far apart.

OP: I bought the IE8 specifically because I wanted to have a nice balanced sound with bass at a low volume. All I can say is that I was very satisfied. I think the IE8 will meet your criteria the best.

 

[3X0]

Haha, way to give him a hard time.

In all honesty, I don't believe you could go wrong with either the UM3X and IE 8 (though I have not heard the UM3X yet). I just believe that your fear, uncertainty, and doubt of the IE 8's bass is totally unfounded. I jumped from the iM716 (an Etymotic-derived IEM) to the IE 8 and down to the ADDIEM and have not found the changes in bass quantity during the two steps that significant. It's a different story when you plug up your ears with them and try to get 26dB of isolation or more, but that is not how you use the IE 8.

 

[Cosmic Fool]

I have decided to give the UM3X a try first. If I don't like them I will sell them and buy the IE8. And that's final!

Thanks everyone for the information!

Special thanks to Music_4321 for his decisive arguments!