[evillamer]

um3x is equal to the se530 in isolation and because um3x has high sensitivity and nonfatiguing sound, i can outvolume out any noise better than using the se530. ie8 probably require change of tips to get close.

 

[spyromezzo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by evillamer /img/forum/go_quote.gif um3x is equal to the se530 in isolation and because um3x has high sensitivity and nonfatiguing sound, i can outvolume out any noise better than using the se530. ie8 probably require change of tips to get close.

You mean custom ones? I read that its not easy to take a "non-sennheiser" tip onto the IE8.

Sound isolation is the only thing that keeps me sceptic about IE8. Without this concern, it's a probable winner (considering the availability in my country, meaning !Warranty!, taste, and price).

But don't count out Westones and Klipsch...bad thing is i cannot try them.

 

[krismusic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by spyromezzo /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well what i really like about IE8 is that you can adjust the sound, so maybe i can fine-tune it to my taste without EQ (what i never use on iPhone -> as it's blowing up the sound).

A word of warning. The effect of the bass knob is limited IMHO. To me, it only affects the low bass. You will never get rid of the "fat" sound that the bass hump gives.IME it is not an accurate sounding 'phone.

 

[lucozade]

Sound isolation is the only thing that keeps me sceptic about IE8. Without this concern, it's a probable winner (considering the availability in my country, meaning !Warranty!, taste, and price).

But don't count out Westones and Klipsch...bad thing is i cannot try them.[/QUOTE]

Well ive still got my ie8s in my ears at the moment and am loving them,i really have no desire to pick up my 530s, or westone 3 or even my custom 3. the ie8s sound just awsome, coupled with my ibasso p3+ ,and ipod, this seems to be a MARRIAGE MADE IN HEAVEN, there is no trace of the ie8s midd bass hump which i was hearing when i had them unamped on the ipod,

although these are not the best isolating phones out there if you like heavy bass and a good volume level your not gona hear the outside world when using these enyway.
i would never go back to portable listning without an amp after this, it adds so much to the sound ,not just more volume.:

 

[spyromezzo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lucozade /img/forum/go_quote.gif Sound isolation is the only thing that keeps me sceptic about IE8. Without this concern, it's a probable winner (considering the availability in my country, meaning !Warranty!, taste, and price). But don't count out Westones and Klipsch...bad thing is i cannot try them.

Well ive still got my ie8s in my ears at the moment and am loving them,i really have no desire to pick up my 530s, or westone 3 or even my custom 3. the ie8s sound just awsome, coupled with my ibasso p3+ ,and ipod, this seems to be a MARRIAGE MADE IN HEAVEN, there is no trace of the ie8s midd bass hump which i was hearing when i had them unamped on the ipod,

although these are not the best isolating phones out there if you like heavy bass and a good volume level your not gona hear the outside world when using these enyway.
i would never go back to portable listning without an amp after this, it adds so much to the sound ,not just more volume.:

[/QUOTE]

hehe, keep enjoying your music on those 'phones! Looks like i'm going to sell the Shures at the end of next week, after that, looking for the new one

Well i don't listen to my music at very high, but either at very low volumes. On my iPhone 3Gs, i use volume control, so i say i listen about 50%-65% of the maximum output level (i don't wanna screw my hearing up

). Hope i'm not gonna hear the outside world on this level, if i stick with the IE8s. Well see what future brings

 

[lucozade]

Well i don't listen to my music at very high, but either at very low volumes. On my iPhone 3Gs, i use volume control, so i say i listen about 50%-65% of the maximum output level (i don't wanna screw my hearing up

). Hope i'm not gonna hear the outside world on this level, if i stick with the IE8s. Well see what future brings

[/QUOTE]

Klipsch custom 3s and westone 3 both isolate as good as se530 ,but for me custome 3 is a far more injoyable phone,it presents the music in a far more musical way than the w3s which presents all the freqeuncies seperate from each other to my ear ,and have that wierd soundstage and they are sibilance monsters! however they are the most detailed of my iems ,but just dont present the music in a fun musical way .the custom 3s sound more like floor standing speakers than phones ,and they dont need an amp to sound fantastic

 

[spyromezzo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lucozade /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well i don't listen to my music at very high, but either at very low volumes. On my iPhone 3Gs, i use volume control, so i say i listen about 50%-65% of the maximum output level (i don't wanna screw my hearing up ). Hope i'm not gonna hear the outside world on this level, if i stick with the IE8s. Well see what future brings

Klipsch custom 3s and westone 3 both isolate as good as se530 ,but for me custome 3 is a far more injoyable phone,it presents the music in a far more musical way than the w3s which presents all the freqeuncies seperate from each other to my ear ,and have that wierd soundstage and they are sibilance monsters! however they are the most detailed of my iems ,but just dont present the music in a fun musical way .the custom 3s sound more like floor standing speakers than phones ,and they dont need an amp to sound fantastic

[/QUOTE]

And how would you compare the Custom 3s to the IE8s? As i see the weak point of the W3s is sibilance, so what about the two mentioned?

Are the IE8s detailed enough (maybe compared to SE530s which i found very good in the mids)?

 

[lucozade]

And how would you compare the Custom 3s to the IE8s? As i see the weak point of the W3s is sibilance, so what about the two mentioned?[/QUOTE]

I have yet to try the custom 3 with my portable amp so can't advise you on that piont ,but unamped out of the ipod there was no contest, custom 3 walked all over the ie8s ,the ie8 just sounded weak and too soft in the mids and treble and yet to warm sounding they really need amping to shine ,to bring out the mids and treble and tighten up the bass and now they may even be better than custom 3 now i have them amped, the ie8 has the larger soundstage even when unamped and the bass is as deep as custom 3 but softer ,if your looking for solid punchy bass with plenty of boom to it you cant go wrong with custom 3s ,and the case is very nice too, solid build and big enough to fit iems ,ear tips and ipod/iphone inside.
what country you in ?

 

[spyromezzo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lucozade /img/forum/go_quote.gif And how would you compare the Custom 3s to the IE8s? As i see the weak point of the W3s is sibilance, so what about the two mentioned?

I have yet to try the custom 3 with my portable amp so can't advise you on that piont ,but unamped out of the ipod there was no contest, custom 3 walked all over the ie8s ,the ie8 just sounded weak and too soft in the mids and treble and yet to warm sounding they really need amping to shine ,to bring out the mids and treble and tighten up the bass and now they may even be better than custom 3 now i have them amped, the ie8 has the larger soundstage even when unamped and the bass is as deep as custom 3 but softer ,if your looking for solid punchy bass with plenty of boom to it you cant go wrong with custom 3s ,and the case is very nice too, solid build and big enough to fit iems ,ear tips and ipod/iphone inside.
what country you in ?[/QUOTE]

I live in Hungary, so IE8 is the only one i can get from store with warranty, all the others from eBay.

Well as i said i like boomy bass, bot i don't like when it's too much. But definitely, i need more than what my 530s deliver. Specially for my funk fusion jazz taste. But i don't want to lose the detail what 530s has in mids and highs.

(Anyway Custom 3s would be the cheapest for me, there are very good deals around 150-200dollars on eBays. So next week is all about searching for my new loved ones

)

 

[lucozade]

Quote:

Originally Posted by spyromezzo /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have yet to try the custom 3 with my portable amp so can't advise you on that piont ,but unamped out of the ipod there was no contest, custom 3 walked all over the ie8s ,the ie8 just sounded weak and too soft in the mids and treble and yet to warm sounding they really need amping to shine ,to bring out the mids and treble and tighten up the bass and now they may even be better than custom 3 now i have them amped, the ie8 has the larger soundstage even when unamped and the bass is as deep as custom 3 but softer ,if your looking for solid punchy bass with plenty of boom to it you cant go wrong with custom 3s ,and the case is very nice too, solid build and big enough to fit iems ,ear tips and ipod/iphone inside. what country you in ?

I live in Hungary, so IE8 is the only one i can get from store with warranty, all the others from eBay.

Well as i said i like boomy bass, bot i don't like when it's too much. But definitely, i need more than what my 530s deliver. Specially for my funk fusion jazz taste. But i don't want to lose the detail what 530s has in mids and highs.

(Anyway Custom 3s would be the cheapest for me, there are very good deals around 150-200dollars on eBays. So next week is all about searching for my new loved ones

)[/QUOTE]

IE8 does have the advantage of having a bass control nob on each ear piece ,so you can taylor the bass response to your liking ,deciousons,deciousons ! choosing which phones to go for next is half the fun of this hobby

 

[spyromezzo]

IE8 does have the advantage of having a bass control nob on each ear piece ,so you can taylor the bass response to your liking ,deciousons,deciousons ! choosing which phones to go for next is half the fun of this hobby

[/QUOTE]

Just like you say! It's fun, but it's big dilemma also. I want to get the BEST for my taste. But there are still 3-5 contenders

If price would decide: C3

If warranty: IE8

If design: IE8

If love: W3

If sq: ??

i should get all of them...and sleep under the bridge that night.

 

[mvw2]

Nice review. I've used a good portion of those, the TF10, SE530, IE8, and I do agree largely with what you say. You hear a lot of the same things I do, and we're pretty on par with each other.

I will suggest if the W3 intrigued you, you might want to give the UM3X a try for something very similar but with a different sound signature.

If I had one gripe with the review it was with the SE530. While the upper bass response is good and well pronounced, if you do any frequency response tests or specifically listen to songs with low frequency information and compare what should be there to something like the IE8, you will see the SE530 is lacking. The high bass is there but the low end just doesn't exist. There is a lot of sensitivity roll off on the bottom that requires a considerable amount of EQing to extend. You'll basically have to stick a 10dB boost at 30Hz to 40Hz to get it to dig low, and even then it can't produce notes under 40Hz.

It's rare to get good low frequency information out of an earphone. The 20Hz to 40Hz range is the range that creates the visceral sense, the feel, the rumble. Without it, bass can have punch but lacks some substance. Out of the earphones I've used, really only the IE8 and UM3X are the two that could really produce notes down to 30Hz and without any significant loss in sensitivity doing so. These are the only two earphones I've used that could produce a full, visceral bass experience. I assume the W3 is similar but with different drivers and a different frequency response to the UM3X.

 

[lucozade]

If I had one gripe with the review it was with the SE530. While the upper bass response is good and well pronounced, if you do any frequency response tests or specifically listen to songs with low frequency information and compare what should be there to something like the IE8, you will see the SE530 is lacking. The high bass is there but the low end just doesn't exist. There is a lot of sensitivity roll off on the bottom that requires a considerable amount of EQing to extend. You'll basically have to stick a 10dB boost at 30Hz to 40Hz to get it to dig low, and even then it can't produce notes under 40Hz.

I agree with you that the se530 bass defently lacks something in its bass response,its very detailed but does not have the umph and power of the ie8,
When i first done my review of the ie8 i was not hearing them at there full potental ,now i have a portable amp im really loving my ie8s , i would put above the se530s now and maybe above the custom 3 too ,i really in love with them now

 

[schneller]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lucozade /img/forum/go_quote.gif I agree with you that the se530 bass defently lacks something in its bass response,its very detailed but does not have the umph and power of the ie8, When i first done my review of the ie8 i was not hearing them at there full potental ,now i have a portable amp im really loving my ie8s , i would put above the se530s now and maybe above the custom 3 too ,i really in love with them now

So how would you now rate the IE8 against the Triple.fi 10?

 

[mvw2]

I can give my take on them...

Completely different focuses really but both really quite good. Both offer a sizable sound stage (relative to the other options). The TF10 focuses on the top end while the IE8 focuses on the low end. Both are largely well balanced in response with the IE8 having a slight bump around 100Hz and the TF10 a bump above 10kHz. The TF10 does roll off under 100Hz though. The IE8's bass is visceral. The TF10's treble is endless. I personally consider the IE8 to be slightly soft on detail. I also consider the TF10 to be slightly constrained on dynamics. I say these things relative to other products on the market. The IE8 is pleasant, natural, and visceral. A touch of EQing can cut down the midbass bump if desired. If I could change one thing with the IE8 it would be a little more edge/detail, personal preference really. If I could change one thing for the TF10 it would be a more extended bass response. It can get to 30Hz with a lot of EQing, but it'd be better if it could do it on its own. There isn't another IEM on the market that is as balanced and visceral as the IE8. There isn't another IEM on the market that is as balanced and refined as the TF10.

...all in my opinion of course.