[Cence]

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!

 

[fattiebomba]

Hey, i'm from europe too, where you from exactly? Cause i'd like to know the shop where they have them for that price....

 

[mark2410]

erm then what ever forum they are in id ignore it.

the IE8 most definitely deserve thier reputation as a top tier IEM

 

[walkingman]

I came in here to suggest the IE 8, but seeing as you have them already...

Anyway, are you implying that people in this forum tend to judge the IE 8 as good because some of us here paid more for them? That, sir, is crazy.

 

[Cence]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fattiebomba /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hey, i'm from europe too, where you from exactly? Cause i'd like to know the shop where they have them for that price....

Click me for the MP3-Player.de offer!

With just 189,90€ they currently offer them for the cheapest price here in Germany. With the shipping and their credit card fees I paid exactly 200,50€ there which equals just a tiny bit more than 260$. Shipping within the EU1 zone costs almost the same.

Quote:

Originally Posted by walkingman /img/forum/go_quote.gif I came in here to suggest the IE 8, but seeing as you have them already... Anyway, are you implying that people in this forum tend to judge the IE 8 as good because some of us here paid more for them? That, sir, is crazy.

Maybe it's the other way round and people on the other forum tend to judge them worse than they are. I don't say that it's true but that's what I have observed in average. Regarding almost all other headphones or IEM their opinioins are the same or very similar but if you read something about the IE8 the average opinion and general attitude towards them is worse there than here. At least everyone agrees that the soundstage is huge.

I just hope that maybe I can get a better IEM for my needs with some of the bonus criteria fulfilled.

 

[Nosoupforyou]

I think the Westone 3's might be "epic", in that they've got a very robust sound and great extension. You're the opposite of me, I wanted a laid-back mid-focused sound, so I got the 530's.

Try the Westone's. Certainly the IE8 should be epic enough, considering its renowned soundstage.

 

[Zalithian]

Yeah considering the IE8's soundstage they would be my definition of epic but I guess it's a bit laid back so perhaps the Westone 3's.

 

[Cence]

The Westone 3 would be my first choice to try it out but here it costs around 530$ and I do not know about any cheaper seller in the European Union.

These things would be worth importing (especially from China for around 200$) but I don't know about any shop who would send them to me. And the guarantee services might become an issue.

 

[ChroniCali]

IE7/IE8 for the expansive soundstage.

 

[YtseJamer]

You should try the Westone 3.

I know that you said IEMs but if you change your mind, the Audio-Technica ESW10JPN would be perfect for your needs.

 

[dragoonf144]

I paid AU$379 for my IE8s compared to AU$589 for my shures and the IE8s are better imo

Maybe you're expectations of IEms are too high?

 

[shigzeo]

yeah, the ie8 just may not be YOUR iem. we have our own expectations on sound, our own definitions of sound quality and our own subjective responses to the same stimuli.

 

[my.self]

i agree with shigzeo. its not that the OP thinks the ie8's are bad (well maybe he does) but the fact is that the ie8's are just not for HIM. if u look at his music genres and then compare that to what the ie8's are known for, tremendous bass, you might notice that maybe the ie8's just have too much bass for him.

 

[toughnut]

The IE8 definitely sound crap out of the box. Trust me, been there done that. Burn it for 300+ hours. It will sound EPIC but u need to turn up the volume a notch higher. The sound is quite laidback if listens at normal volume. If u prefer something more energetic, try BA iem.

 

[Cence]

I'm sorry but what IEM do you mean with "BA IEM"?