[Bob24]

Very bad luck, my Sennheiser IE8 disappeared from my pocket on the subway yesterday.

Life without decent earphones is difficult and I will buy a replacement asap. I am wondering if I will go for the IE8s again or if my experience of what I want from the phones and the extra year for the competition to release new products would give me a better option.

Here is what I like about the IE8S:
- Very good built quality (both the phones and the jack/cable. This is the opposite of the SuperFi 4vi I was using before and their crappy jack connector. I don't want to have to be extra careful)
- I find them very easy to put on and very comfortable (again the opposite of the Ultimate Ears SuperFi 4vi)
- Good soundstage and makes me feel the presence of the music
- The sound is detailed enough (but I could use more details)

Here is what I like less:
- Isolation is not as good as with other earphones, I could use a bit more (but I am not ready to sacrifice too much soundstage, and I like a bit of ambient noise to be safe when I cross the street)
- I find them a bit too bass heavy (even though this feeling has greatly weakened with time - not sure if this is because of burn-in or getting used to the sound signature). I probably could use a bit more neutrality (having said that I don't mind a bit a warm and fun in the sound).
- A cable with a mic and iPhone remote would be nice to have, but clearly not a requirement as I will use them mainly for listening to music

A few more things. I will use them mostly with my iPhone 3GS and I don't intend to use any portable amp. Also I will use them mostly on public transport (bus/tram/subway) or walking around the city. Finally I would like to be able to listen to every kind of music, but I listen mostly to rock and songs with mostly guitar / piano / vocals.

Does anyone has a better suggestion than the IE8s in the same price-range?

Thanks in advance!

 

[fenk]

If you won't mind it is In-ear type or not,I recommend Koss KDE250,or grib a se530 to get a difference expericence.................and,I don't think there is much choice for a HQ non-custom earphone on sale

 

[Bob24]

Thanks. I had a look at the Koss, and I am not really sold to their design (they look bigger and seem not too good for isolation ... plus I have to say I don't really like their looks).

The SE530 were on my list (even though the UK price has greatly increased since last year, as opposed to the IE8s.

What I am expecting from them compared to the IE8 is stronger mids, less bass, and a bit more details. Plus better isolation and on the downside a tighter soundstage.
I know there are many threads about this, but if anyone who has tried both wants to correct me if I am wrong (and also is there any downside that I might have missed?)

And finally last year I was looking at the IE8s, SE530s and W3 and decided to go the the Sennheisers. Is there any now equivalent product I should look at now? (or any expected one? ... even though still as good as when they started, the SE530s are getting old )

 

[iponderous]

The SE530 is a mid-centric IEM. So if you are looking for lush mids, then the SE530 should do that for you. However, it lacks the treble extension of the IE8. It is not more detailed than the IE8 to my ears. Yes, the SE530's soundstage is smaller and the bass is more tightly defined compared to the IE8. In terms of noise attenuation, you'd be hard-pressed to find an IEM that does this better than the SE530.

However, these are very different sounding IEMs. If you enjoy the spacious, airy quality of the IE8, you might miss that with the SE530. The IE8's musical presentation reminds me of full-sized dynamic driver headphones. The SE530's treble roll-off tends to dampen some details in the higher frequencies, such as the shimmer of cymbals. This might sound contradictory but the IE8 is a more relaxed, darker sounding phone overall compared to the SE530. All in my opinion of course!

As you already know, you tend to nestle the IE8 in the ear, whereas the SE530 inserts more deeply. This is why it is so effective at noise attenuation.

 

[Bob24]

Thanks iponderous for the confirmation of my assumptions and the few corrections.

One thing: I don't like foams too much because it tends to grab earwax (which i seem to have a lot of) and to be difficult to clean. I was using the IE8 with the default tips (the ones which are on them in the box), would you say the SE530 work well with the silicon tips? (I am reading most people prefer the Comply foams)

And still thinking about it but as it looks like the IE8 can be found for 170 pounds and the SE530 are more around 250, the balance is clearly on the side of Sennheiser (I think both have goods and bads and I would I liked to try the Shure which I am still thinking of, but the price evolution is a bit strange. Last year they were both 200 pounds...).

 

[jynjyn]

IE8 priced has dropped to 130 quid on amazon uk

May i suggest the Klipsch X10 or X5. It might interest you.

 

[beamthegreat]

Go for the IE8

 

[davidcotton]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jynjyn /img/forum/go_quote.gif IE8 priced has dropped to 130 quid on amazon uk May i suggest the Klipsch X10 or X5. It might interest you.

Actually its gone back up to £162.00 which is still relatively cheap.

 

[Bob24]

Mmmm ... I am a bit too late in my bad luck

Anyway still the price is reasonable and I guess I should decide quickly,

I was also tempted by the X10. But they don't seem to be priced as aggressively and based on what I read I have the impression the sound is not quite as good as the Share and Sennheiser offerings (but open for comments!). I have to admit their design and looks are very appealing though

(and in that case I would probably have to start a long wait for this version: http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f103/k...iphone-462629/)