Greetings all,
After having lived with the Sennheiser IE8 for about a year (June 2009), I feel this love affair drawing to a close as I am yearning for something more balanced. I'm considering selling the IE8 and going for a custom, and I've read the JH5 is a great value. I'm on the precipice and am in need of some advice, other options, or just a push over the edge if anyone's interested in a pair of used IE8's. (There are no pictures because this is not an advertisement, but I will or will not post a formal one depending on general interest here.)
(Very) Brief History: I tested both the IE8 and Shure SE530 at the Apple Store with my Macbook Pro line out, and comparing them to my then runabouts, the InMotion 616's. And after forty minutes listening to selections from Jurassic Park, Tears for Fears, Queen, and then finally Dark Knight, the IE8 came out sounding the most... different. Enough so that listening to those familiar tracks made me giddy. I missed the upper registers of the InMotions, as well as the isolation (possibly comparable to the Etymotic HF2, which costs roughly the same amount and has the same architecture) but I loved the more open soundstage and more present bass, which on the Dark Knight score especially rocked my socks off, but I knew did not sound natural----just fun. The SE530's added little to the experience to justify their cost, and rolled off at the top as well. Ideally I wanted something with the high-end and isolation of the Etymotics, the ergonomics and comfort of the Shures, and the soundstage of the Sennheisers. Alas, no such headphone in my budget existed at the time, so I went with the phones that made me grin. And in the subsequent weeks, I felt no need at all to give them up. Sorry that wasn't very brief...
Fast forward about a year to my current juncture, and I'm still using and pretty much enjoying the IE8 (specifically because I have no other working IEMs anymore and the IE8's are all I've got.) However, all the little faults I thought I could get over by progressively winding the bass screw to max and just dreaming about what I know I'm missing in the upper registers, are illuminated in stark relief. Perhaps it's just not in my nature to be monogamous? --(Then again, I'm still in love with my HD600's, which I've had for nine years and four cable changes.)-- In any case, I don't hate the IE8's, and if they were taken away from me and the SE530's (now defunct) placed in their stead, I'd likely miss all the things about them that everyone loves so much, none of which is lost on me, having lived with them these past fourteen months. Tender matters like this cannot be judged on the spot, least of all by an amateur like me, but must be lived-in.
And the packaging was so pretty I'd have it for dinner.
ANYWAY, I'm reaching out to those who've had experience with the IE8, the JH5/7, the Etymotic line, or even the new SE535, and help guide me on this decision. For instance how does the JH5 compare to other universals in its price range? Should I save up for the SE535 instead? Or maybe should I get the ER-4P with the APureSound cable mod?
I certainly wouldn't mind going custom, if not for the sound (yes that! and bragging rights) then for comfort and isolation---important when you ride subways and public transit everyday. And because it's something I've never tried before. Any words of wisdom are appreciated.
