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So, the IE8s arrived, and I've had a chance to listen to a few albums on them. Here are my initial thoughts:
jinx20001 is absolutely spot on. Senns in general are quite laid back, and the IE8s are no different. They certainly sound no worse than the SE530s, and at £170, are an absolute bargain in comparison.
With the treble extension and slight bass hump (the bass control does seem to boom if I turn the dial up, so I'm leaving it on the lowest setting), it's fun listening to my music again and hearing the differences. I'm looking forward to hearing how these burn in.
I can't say I'm a huge fan of the tips supplied. I've never found foamies comfortable, always opting for the round silicon type. The medium silicon tips are the most comfortable to me, but are much softer than the equivalent sized Shure tips I'm used to (a few tenths of a millimetre smaller too by the looks of them). I'm a little concerned that I'm not getting a good enough seal because of the flex in the tips, but I don't feel like I'm losing any bass, so I'll stick with them for a bit. I guess I can always try stuffing them or buying some third party silicone tips (any recommendations?) at a later date.
yeh the worst thing about the IE8 is the tips, alot of people recommend the ultimate ears silicone tips. and i would not recommend upgrading the cable, it has no major effect on audio quality ( if any ) IMO. and come on can you really fault the stock cable, its lighter, softer, and easier to wind up than the shures. the cable is highly regarded as one of the best stock cables, even with the non gold plated plug.
another advantage to owning dynamic driver earphones over armatures is they should be able to handle knocks better, balanced armatures are just that... balanced, they are sensitive and are often encased in protective material inside the earphones but its still not recommended to throw them about. dynamic drivers are a little simpler, ive splashed water all over home speakers and some have been poked, stabbed and ripped and still beat on today, dynamic earphones use similar tech and material as your typical home speaker.
kalicot is right about the shures in that they may produce a bit more detail thats just an advantage of armatures tho they are a little more advanced but you can rest assured the IE8 are ( i think ) the most expensive universal single dynamic earphones on the market it is well tuned and designed as you can hear for yourself.
you will know if you have the right fit because as with all IEM's sound will be isolated and your voice will boom in your head if you talk, plus the IE8 will be virtually flat fitting which is nice and you wouldnt think it when you look at them.
just some information for you, the IE8 uses an adjustable port, its more of a character change than a bass volume change, opening it will loosen the bass for more boom and slam, closing it makes the bass tighter letting less air escape from the rear of the driver. always adjust this screw for more or less bass and dont use EQ as this alters the signal the earphones receive, its much better to adjust the speaker than the player. you are right it does boom a little when open but some music is made to boom and slam, nice to have that option.
glad you like them anyhow i certainly think it was the correct choice its certainly value for money against the shures which are not better but in the same league.