[Beyerfan70]

I finally got rid of my Shure Se530's after being pretty upset with them,i wont go into detail but they were probably the biggest waste of money ever.
But a close friend wanted them so i was more than happy to let em go a bit cheaper to someone who will and indeed is enjoying them.
So to replace them i was wanting to try the klipsch custom 3,but couldn't find them anywhere in stock.
After seeing some close-up pics of the IE8 i fell in love with how they looked,and after reading as much as i could about them on here i thought let's give em a whirl.
This is after a days listening so things could change but this is what i think so far.
Packaging is really nice,and makes you feel really good when you hold the box and open it.
It reassures you that you have made a good decision.
So after getting them out i immediately hit a stumbling block,i couldn't get a fit with any tip which nearly turned my happiness into sheer frustration,but i tried the large double flange silicone tips and wahey i got a nice comfortable fit.
first thoughts on isolation were ok ish,not as good as my Se310's and a bit less than my super fi 5 pro.
It's ok but it doesn't really block out people talking next to you,so on a bus or train this would be a problem,certainly for me as i like and am used to my 310 isolation.
Because the plug is silver it crackles when you move it in the dap,not a huge deal but for the price i expect much better.
Build quality however is fantastic,thick sturdy cable with a lovely rubber feel to it,the phones themselves feel good too so thats a big plus.
For listening ive been using my Sony S639 and Rh1 Hi-md with high bitrate lame mp3's and Aac.
Ok so how do they sound.....hmmmmm,beefy is the best word i can come up with,the dynamic drivers create a sound that punches you square in the face! and doesn't stop till you turn off the player.
Ive got the bass set as stock on the lowest level......THAT'S AMPLE! even if you are a basshead if you turn it up full these things could cause damage and crush your skull!
For my rock and metal taste,Bowie,Sabbath,ACDC etc the bass is fine where it is.
Mids are for me spot on,rich and bursting with energy,and imo better than the 530.
Treble is a bit rolled off but not as much as the 530,it isn't as pronounced as the ue but i'd say it's halfway between the two,so you can listen for ages with no fatigue and it hits harder than the 530 so for me thats another thumbs up.
Its certainly a warm phone,but warm with an attitude problem is how i would sum it up. Soundstage is real big for an iem,i can pick out where every member of bowie's band are on david live.....smashing!
When you consider this is a single driver,albeit a dynamic one it certainly proves you do not need twin,triple drivers to make an iem sound high end!
So to sum it up at the moment imo these are the best iem i have heard period!
They even make metallica's death magnetic sound incredible,some feat i tell you.
Makes the 530 and even my beloved 310's sound positively tame in comparison and that is quite a statement for someone who until yesterday was content with the 310.
The dynamic drivers i feel is definitely the way to go,more power more clarity and certainly more soundstage.
Things may change but that's how i feel at the moment.
The only real negative is that the isolation isn't as good as i need it,whether comply tips will solve it i dont know but that's all i can think of that would make me give up with them.
And that would be a huge shame as these just sound so powerful.
I will try them with comply tips and see if that helps isolation,thats if i can get up after going ten rounds with these babies lol.

 

[BloodSugar00]

Nice impressions and thanks for sharing them! Chuffed you're (all-in-all) thrilled with your aquisition as, if ia remember rightly, you've been searching for a suitable upgrade to your SE310's for sometime now- weren't u the guy who threw out a set of SE420's just cos u didn't like them?! Anyway, could be wrong on that last bit I hope the senns continue to infatuate you. Best of luck.

 

[prscustom]

i actually tried the ie8 and i must say i was very impressed..but i have to buy and try them for longer time to say anything about it..im thinking about buying them when i sell the tf10 and give w3's back



Quote:

Originally Posted by Beyerfan70 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I finally got rid of my Shure Se530's after being pretty upset with them,i wont go into detail but they were probably the biggest waste of money ever.

thats pretty funny...i can say the same about w3

 

[zardos]

I use IE8 since over a month now. I use them every day and to me they also sound clearly better than my SE530 which I still own and which I have used for a year before. Both @Ipod Classic 160GB without amp.

To me IE8 sounds more balanced, airy and has better treble and soundstage. Sound signature is similar though. A bit dark with nice bass extension. Goes well with all music genres. also with classical music where SE530 is not as brillant.

Really love them, but I fear ear-wax could penetrate through the grate over time. Don't know what to do in that case.

I would not recommend to try to get very much isolation from them. From my experience they sound perfectly with a somewhat shallow seat. Do not insert them too deep into your ear canal because they tend to sound thuddingly as the result.

 

[schizo1989]

i didn't knowe death magnetic could ever sound good with that HORRIBLE mastering O_O

 

[soyama]

When I read reviews like these, I'm wondering if the sennheiser IE8 set I got was defect.. I have no amp except fiio 3, but the sound was not kickass to me.
The clarity however was very nice.
The bass was decent, I mostly used the lowest setting, it was pounding more on full effect.
The isolation was an issue with me too, the foamtips didnt go well with my ears, the small silicontip went very well, I've been using that type for a year now with akg's k324p.
The only difference between the 2 sets is that when i move around etc the IE8's loosen much faster than the akg's.. So I'm afraid the IE8's just didnt fit my ears..
They were stuck with the doubleflanges, but the sound took a loss, same with the isolation, and isolation is a big thing to me..
I really dislike all the kiddoes talking about who they gonna beat up or have intercourse with on the upcomming weekend.. the subway is full of them

 

[cassper]

Quote:

Originally Posted by soyama /img/forum/go_quote.gif When I read reviews like these, I'm wondering if the sennheiser IE8 set I got was defect.. I have no amp except fiio 3, but the sound was not kickass to me. The clarity however was very nice. The bass was decent, I mostly used the lowest setting, it was pounding more on full effect. The isolation was an issue with me too, the foamtips didnt go well with my ears, the small silicontip went very well, I've been using that type for a year now with akg's k324p. The only difference between the 2 sets is that when i move around etc the IE8's loosen much faster than the akg's.. So I'm afraid the IE8's just didnt fit my ears.. They were stuck with the doubleflanges, but the sound took a loss, same with the isolation, and isolation is a big thing to me.. I really dislike all the kiddoes talking about who they gonna beat up or have intercourse with on the upcomming weekend.. the subway is full of them

hmmm.. there must be more pair like this in circulation then. I got mine IE8 yesterday and even though they do sound good, the isolation is a big issue for me. I use medium double flanges and even though they sound good, the amount of outside noise is much highr than with my super.fi 5 pro. this thread is a godsend, I was thinking today of selling IE8 and getting SE530. not that I'm any closer to a conclusion at the moment

 

[pseudohippy]

Trade ya, hmmm... maybe.

 

[Beyerfan70]

Yeah unfortunately the isolation factor just isn't there.
I had to visit someone this evening so i took the ie8's with me and tried some comply tips but it just doesn't work that well,they were constantly losing the seal every 2 minutes.
Its such a great shame because i absolutely love the sound that these produce,its spot on,it really is,i couldn't ask for a better sound but the isolation just ruins it for me.
Senn claim that these isolate up to 26db which is the same as the ultimate ears,but this is simply not the case.
Dont know where they got that from cause my 5 pro's isolate far better.
Oh well another waste of time,what a shame.
I'm completely gutted!

 

[cassper]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beyerfan70 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yeah unfortunately the isolation factor just isn't there. I had to visit someone this evening so i took the ie8's with me and tried some comply tips but it just doesn't work that well,they were constantly losing the seal every 2 minutes. Its such a great shame because i absolutely love the sound that these produce,its spot on,it really is,i couldn't ask for a better sound but the isolation just ruins it for me. Senn claim that these isolate up to 26db which is the same as the ultimate ears,but this is simply not the case. Dont know where they got that from cause my 5 pro's isolate far better. Oh well another waste of time,what a shame. I'm completely gutted!

Probably the problem are sf5pro. My pro's isolate so good that even triple.fi 10 and now IE8 don't come close. We just got used to a too good isolation.
I just finished listening Bowie's Heathen on IE8 and I'm still blown away, these phones were built for the second half of this album

I'm going to try different tips for a better isolation, but I doubt the result and I'll probably end up getting SE530 (and if there will be the isolation problem again, I'm staying with sf5pro - I have a new flexible black cable on the way from UE so my biggest problem with sf5pro will be sorted)

 

[zardos]

@Beyerfan70:
I use standard silicon tips medium size with absolutely no problem. I apply nearly no pressure inserting them. Nevertheless they don't displace in my ears. Sound isolation is only mediocre. Sound quality and comfort is fantastic.

Just again made a comparison between SE530 and IE8 with one of my favourite Rock CDs, Sieges Even - Paramount. Damn, IE8 sounds so much better. It feels like IE8 makes music where SE530 makes clinical experiments with sounds streams. Also comfort is from another universe. Forget IE8's mediocre noise isolation. Play your favourite music loud. Problem fixed.

 

[cassper]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zardos /img/forum/go_quote.gif @Beyerfan70: I use standard silicon tips medium size with absolutely no problem. I apply nearly no pressure inserting them. Nevertheless they don't displace in my ears. Sound isolation is only mediocre. Sound quality and comfort is fantastic. Just again made a comparison between SE530 and IE8 with one of my favourite Rock CDs, Sieges Even - Paramount. Damn, IE8 sounds so much better. It feels like IE8 makes music where SE530 makes clinical experiments with sounds streams. Also comfort is from another universe. Forget IE8's mediocre noise isolation. Play your favourite music loud. Problem fixed.

Do SE530 have a better noise isolation than IE8? See my post just above yours - would it be a big trade-in on sound quality to try SE530?

 

[Beyerfan70]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zardos /img/forum/go_quote.gif @Beyerfan70: I use standard silicon tips medium size with absolutely no problem. I apply nearly no pressure inserting them. Nevertheless they don't displace in my ears. Sound isolation is only mediocre. Sound quality and comfort is fantastic. Just again made a comparison between SE530 and IE8 with one of my favourite Rock CDs, Sieges Even - Paramount. Damn, IE8 sounds so much better. It feels like IE8 makes music where SE530 makes clinical experiments with sounds streams. Also comfort is from another universe. Forget IE8's mediocre noise isolation. Play your favourite music loud. Problem fixed.

Lol i agree playing it loud does solve the problem.
Not sure about the comfort however,they are passable but after you've pushed them back in your ear for the 10th time in a minute it starts to hurt.
Even though i didn't find the 530 that comfortable either it blocked out more than these,and i think the 530 has poor isolation.
Yes sound quality should be the winner,but i bought these with isolation in mind and as they dont do what they claim to do that makes me 1 annoyed and 2 just downright let down.

 

[Beyerfan70]

Well one day on and my love of the look and sound of these iem's has now turned into absolute frustration and that i feel ive been had.
I still stand by the sound of these,that has not changed as they are the best sounding that ive heard.
But in order to enjoy that sound fully i need to be sitting down or still and in a quiet place because the minute i get up that's when the problems start.
No isolation and after having to push them in all the time it starts to become painful.
Even the large double flange tips keep falling out and as they are the only tips that fit me that is another problem.
Ive tried every tip i know to no avail,silicone,foam,comply and nothing works so i give up.
When you see these advertised they are supposed to have good isolation and it is not true at all.
It's certainly the last time i buy senn.
Oh well its back to my trusted and loyal 310's which from day one have never let me down and always bring me pleasure.
I do now think that i will not get any better than my 310's and to be honest i'm glad because all round nothing can touch these.
I do still want very much to try the klipsch custom 3 and the triple fi 10 but i'm no longer in a hurry to do so as these ie8's have been a rather upsetting episode that i'd like to forget.

 

[BloodSugar00]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beyerfan70 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well one day on and my love of the look and sound of these iem's has now turned into absolute frustration and that i feel ive been had. I still stand by the sound of these,that has not changed as they are the best sounding that ive heard. But in order to enjoy that sound fully i need to be sitting down or still and in a quiet place because the minute i get up that's when the problems start. No isolation and after having to push them in all the time it starts to become painful. Even the large double flange tips keep falling out and as they are the only tips that fit me that is another problem. Ive tried every tip i know to no avail,silicone,foam,comply and nothing works so i give up. When you see these advertised they are supposed to have good isolation and it is not true at all. It's certainly the last time i buy senn. Oh well its back to my trusted and loyal 310's which from day one have never let me down and always bring me pleasure. I do now think that i will not get any better than my 310's and to be honest i'm glad because all round nothing can touch these. I do still want very much to try the klipsch custom 3 and the triple fi 10 but i'm no longer in a hurry to do so as these ie8's have been a rather upsetting episode that i'd like to forget.

I know you're disappointed- that's only natural- however, I don't believe you're helping yourself by looking at this situation the way you are. When you buy a universal IEM theres evry chance it won't complement your ear anatomy as well as it would someone else. Even customs can be pain to get exactly right, as I'm sure you're aware, with a significant number of ppl needing to send back and forth to manufacturer's for adjustments and/or needing to pay for new impressions to be taken in the process. You should take this objective perspective and realise that, inevitably, you are taking some sort of gamble with any IEM you buy that it might fit well and/or just right with your ear shape, canal size etc. Although you're disappointed, take the above into acoount and either try more tips (possibly from other brands and/or mods) and/or methods of insertion- I have found that a degree of trial and error and feel is often required to find the best way of inserting a certain IEM; the SE530's frustrated me until I found that click albeit after an initial period of instrant success I the struggled to replicate (so I knew a 'perfect' fit and seal was possible in their case). Or, return or sell on the Senn's (they are a top model, never mind new, so should fetch a good price atm) and ply your trade with a new model. That's how I'd look at it anyway.