Cence
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Apr 8, 2009
- Posts
- 14
- Likes
- 0
Hey everyone,
I'm looking for an IEM that fits my personal needs. I just bought the Sennheiser IE8 but there are some things that I just don't like about them which I stated in the appreciation thread of this IEM model. Also I do not know if I can trust, feel or hear the mysterious "burn in" if it should ever arrive. I just grabbed the IE8 because here in Europe they cost only about 260$ including shipping and taxes.
One thing I noticed is that because of the higher price in the USA the head-fi.org forum majority considers the IE8 high-end and everyone seems to hear the sound turning 180° from "meh" to "wow" after a few hours burn in.
On the other hand in an also very large European hifi forum from my country where the IE8 cost almost half of what people pay in the USA, the majority does not like them as much as the people do here and would not dare to put them on a level with the Westone 3 or SE530. Also people seem to label the burn in simply as voodoo.
Anyway, I did not get any buying advice yet and am not sure if I will keep the IE8 after the burn in. That's why I would like to ask you for help for finding my dream IEM. I will now show you some example clips from the music I generally listen to, a description of what I also listen to and what bonus features I would like.
Examples (MP3@320kbit/s, can offer FLAC from original CDs if needed):
Example 1
Example 2
Example 3
Example 4
Example 5
For me it's hard to describe what I like about these passages exactly. I have no audiophile ears and do not know what good highs or mids are. I want to make them sound "epic" to get the feeling that you get with... well, epic movies. The one that makes you want to run up to the highest hill of the world and scream or sing (like in example file 1) or stand up and salute with a tear in your eyes.
I hope that you know what I mean. Maybe it can be described as a voluminous sound.
To my surprise only my old Sennheiser PC150 gaming headset has the sound colouring that makes the first example sound "epic" even though it does not perform that well in other areas. But I just want to give you an idea as exact as possible.
All my files are encoded with the Apple Lossless codec so that I can get as much detail as possible.
My music taste (with 1 to 5 stars to rank the importance of good sound for these types):
- Movie/Game soundtracks (Lord of the Rings, Age of Conan etc.) *****
- Metal (Metallica, Hammerfall, Children of Bodom etc.) ****
- Rock (AC/DC, Guns 'n' Roses etc.) ***
- Modern instrumental music (Apocalyptica [Cellos], Joe Satriani [Guitar] etc.) *****
- More classical instrumental music (home made piano/keyboard stuff, random orchestra songs etc.) ****
Bonus features (not needed but very welcome):
- Possibility to sleep with the IEM on my side without them hurting me.
- Good stock tips so that I do not need to buy comply foam tips because they do not fit very well for me and not too hard to insert (my right ear canal seems to be a bit more narrow).
- Good and uncomplicated customer service (here in Europe). I rarely experience broken cables with my normal headphones or earbuds within the guarantee period but you can never know.
- A good price for me as an European or at least a way or person helping me to import them.
If the price is right for the quality, I will pay it but I have no problems to spare a nuance of bass if I can save 100$ for an almost similar sound.
Thank you. I appreciate your help!
I'm looking for an IEM that fits my personal needs. I just bought the Sennheiser IE8 but there are some things that I just don't like about them which I stated in the appreciation thread of this IEM model. Also I do not know if I can trust, feel or hear the mysterious "burn in" if it should ever arrive. I just grabbed the IE8 because here in Europe they cost only about 260$ including shipping and taxes.
One thing I noticed is that because of the higher price in the USA the head-fi.org forum majority considers the IE8 high-end and everyone seems to hear the sound turning 180° from "meh" to "wow" after a few hours burn in.
On the other hand in an also very large European hifi forum from my country where the IE8 cost almost half of what people pay in the USA, the majority does not like them as much as the people do here and would not dare to put them on a level with the Westone 3 or SE530. Also people seem to label the burn in simply as voodoo.
Anyway, I did not get any buying advice yet and am not sure if I will keep the IE8 after the burn in. That's why I would like to ask you for help for finding my dream IEM. I will now show you some example clips from the music I generally listen to, a description of what I also listen to and what bonus features I would like.
Examples (MP3@320kbit/s, can offer FLAC from original CDs if needed):
Example 1
Example 2
Example 3
Example 4
Example 5
For me it's hard to describe what I like about these passages exactly. I have no audiophile ears and do not know what good highs or mids are. I want to make them sound "epic" to get the feeling that you get with... well, epic movies. The one that makes you want to run up to the highest hill of the world and scream or sing (like in example file 1) or stand up and salute with a tear in your eyes.
To my surprise only my old Sennheiser PC150 gaming headset has the sound colouring that makes the first example sound "epic" even though it does not perform that well in other areas. But I just want to give you an idea as exact as possible.
All my files are encoded with the Apple Lossless codec so that I can get as much detail as possible.
My music taste (with 1 to 5 stars to rank the importance of good sound for these types):
- Movie/Game soundtracks (Lord of the Rings, Age of Conan etc.) *****
- Metal (Metallica, Hammerfall, Children of Bodom etc.) ****
- Rock (AC/DC, Guns 'n' Roses etc.) ***
- Modern instrumental music (Apocalyptica [Cellos], Joe Satriani [Guitar] etc.) *****
- More classical instrumental music (home made piano/keyboard stuff, random orchestra songs etc.) ****
Bonus features (not needed but very welcome):
- Possibility to sleep with the IEM on my side without them hurting me.
- Good stock tips so that I do not need to buy comply foam tips because they do not fit very well for me and not too hard to insert (my right ear canal seems to be a bit more narrow).
- Good and uncomplicated customer service (here in Europe). I rarely experience broken cables with my normal headphones or earbuds within the guarantee period but you can never know.
- A good price for me as an European or at least a way or person helping me to import them.
If the price is right for the quality, I will pay it but I have no problems to spare a nuance of bass if I can save 100$ for an almost similar sound.
Thank you. I appreciate your help!