[MetroBBOY]

Were you referring to the bass knob 'dialled down'?

I like bass, but if its going to be drowning out the rest of the frequencies dramatically, then i'd rather something neutral. There are comments the IE8's bass tones down and the mids/high/soundstage start appearing once burnt in enough. Again im not an advocate for burning in headphones, but i dont mind the SQ signature on Sennheisers. Im sure i'll like them. I disliked my bro's CX300II's, but these are obviously a league of their own.

Are the IE8's that bad in isolation though?

 

[kwang411]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MetroBBOY /img/forum/go_quote.gif These sell for a very hefty $699... more than the top tier IEM's.. Its a shame there are not enough reviews, and have seen some negative ones too.. I absolutely adore AT's designs though. Their use of metals are niiiice!

oh my, the CK100s are so expensive where you live...
For me personaly, the CK100s are almost perfect.. sparkling trebles, forward mids and vocals, beautiful female voices, great soundstage (depth in particular), transparency, design and comfort. I think its only weekness is lack of excitement when listening to rock (but thats what my IE8s are for). Except for bass, CK100 pretty much doesn't need EQ at all.

IE8 on the other hand, i dont like at all without EQ, its too warm for my liking. But if i I EQ i am able to get asound i rly like (which is bascially similar to CK100's transparency but with more bass and excitement). IE8 isolation isnt that bad for me, i think it rly depends if you get a good seal or not. Its doesn't isolate as well as CK100, but its no slouch. Depending on where you are (even at the mall), you shouldn't be annoying by the ambient noise around you when you have ur music on.

 

[MetroBBOY]

Im sure the isolation isnt that bad, i mean i dont need absolute silence just to hear the full detail on IEM's, just hearing from in comparison to the SE530, they are generally considered bad? I guess the only way is to buy them.. I think if Sennheiser featured the IE8 with a headset mic for my iPhone, that would be a deal sweetener for me!

 

[james444]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MetroBBOY /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think if Sennheiser featured the IE8 with a headset mic for my iPhone, that would be a deal sweetener for me!

Well, you could get an iPhone headset adapter like this one and the short IE8 cable from Sennheiser.

Or you could go wireless (like me) with a 3.5mm A2DP headset at the cost of 10% SQ while gaining a lot more in convenience.

 

[MetroBBOY]

Quote:

Originally Posted by james444 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well, you could get an iPhone headset adapter like this one and the short IE8 cable from Sennheiser. Or you could go wireless (like me) with a 3.5mm A2DP headset at the cost of 10% SQ while gaining a lot more in convenience.

Excellent. I wasnt aware of a short cable for the IE8. I'll confirm with my local store if its possible to order.

Thanks for your suggestion but i would still prefer cables... Interesting though!

 

[midoo1990]

look,the ie8 isolation is not good at all if you intend to use them with any of the supplied tips,the only supplied tips that will isolate a little bit more than the others is the large foamy tips,otherwise they are not an isolating phones,SQ wise,i admit that these phones on some very bassy songs can be intolerable(but these songs are very rare in my collection,about 5 songs),but the soundstage is fantastic and the female vocals are lovely and you can hear easily the instruments seperation.if you like laid back mids and the instruments are back in your head and the vocals are in your face then these phones are for you.the bass from my opinion is sweet,it slams just right and is punchy in a very good way.if i were on your same boat i will definetly look for other IEMs that are cheaper than these,because frankly after fully burning in my ie8 and had extensive listen to them,they are definatly(and i say this confidently)not worth $400.i ordered now jvc fx500 from japan after tons of reviews i read about them and headfiers saying that they beat the ie8 in every way or are at least the same for only $140 with shiping included.if you are interested take al ook at jvc victor appreciation thread and read DUNCAN'S review comparing ie8 with jvc.

 

[iponderous]

Quote:

Originally Posted by scytheavatar /img/forum/go_quote.gif The IE8 at the end of the day is a basshead IEM... if you are not a basshead why did you get the IE8 in the first place? Many people hype up the new generation of $400 IEMs but IMHO they are barely an upgrade from the old generation of SE530, TF10 and UM2.

Apologies for derailing this thread but are there any other $400 new generation IEMs that you regard as barely an upgrade from the SE530, TF10 and UM2? I'm genuinely interested in your opinion. You can PM me if you like in order to avoid the likelihood of being flamed by the fanboys.

 

[thechungster]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MetroBBOY /img/forum/go_quote.gif Im sure the isolation isnt that bad, i mean i dont need absolute silence just to hear the full detail on IEM's, just hearing from in comparison to the SE530, they are generally considered bad? I guess the only way is to buy them.. I think if Sennheiser featured the IE8 with a headset mic for my iPhone, that would be a deal sweetener for me!

Well compared to my Shure SE110, isolation is poorer than them. Isolation for me and my small ear canals aren't "terrible" since the ear tips fit my ears perfectly. The IE8s are shallow insertion, so don't expect tons of isolation I guess. It's adequate.

 

[scytheavatar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by iponderous /img/forum/go_quote.gif Apologies for derailing this thread but are there any other $400 new generation IEMs that you regard as barely an upgrade from the SE530, TF10 and UM2? I'm genuinely interested in your opinion. You can PM me if you like in order to avoid the likelihood of being flamed by the fanboys.

I am talking about the Westone 3 and UM3X. The Westone 3 I do like a lot, but still I think that it isn't that much better than the UM2 than what some make it out to be. But it's certainly a nice IEM, just that it's questionable if it's worth $400. As for the UM3X I am still yet to determine any significance difference between it and the UM2. The sad thing is that people here seem to have forgotten how good the UM2 was, it's still my top recommendation.

 

[iponderous]

Quote:

Originally Posted by scytheavatar /img/forum/go_quote.gif I am talking about the Westone 3 and UM3X. The Westone 3 I do like a lot, but still I think that it isn't that much better than the UM2 than what some make it out to be. But it's certainly a nice IEM, just that it's questionable if it's worth $400. As for the UM3X I am still yet to determine any significance difference between it and the UM2. The sad thing is that people here seem to have forgotten how good the UM2 was, it's still my top recommendation.

So just to clarify, am I right in assuming that you have listened to these phones as well as the IE8, TF10 and the SE530?

 

[davidhunternyc]

Someone is selling their IE8 on this forum right now for $210. No, I do not think they are worth $400 but for $210, if I didn't already own them, I would grab these up in a nano-second.

 

[HONEYBOY]

I prefer the IE8 over the W3, UM3X, Se530 and triple fi 10, yet I don't think they're worth $400. I don't think any of the IEMs I've had the chance of listening to are worth $400. However, If I were told which of these IEMs I'd rather pay $400 for then it'd be the IE8s because they're the ones I really like. Someone else might choose differently. The SE530 and triple fi 10 are priced above $400 in my area. Talk about overpriced!!haha

 

[iriverdude]

I paid $275 for my TF10, certainly wouldn't pay $400 for them.

 

[average_joe]

I also prefer the IE8 over the W3 amd UM3X (haven't heard the others). I just got the Denon C710 and while it has a totally different sound sig, it has some exceptional qualities for a $100 IEM. I am still burning it in though, so I don't have a final take on it.

 

[HONEYBOY]

Quote:

Originally Posted by average_joe /img/forum/go_quote.gif I also prefer the IE8 over the W3 amd UM3X (haven't heard the others). I just got the Denon C710 and while it has a totally different sound sig, it has some exceptional qualities for a $100 IEM. I am still burning it in though, so I don't have a final take on it.

Average Joe I can't wait for the final verdict with the C710. My limited out of the box listening with them, left me quite impressed. Maybe it's the value we get from these lower priced IEMs that has us debating whether or not we should be paying $400 for the considered top tier ones.