[nmatheis]

Glad you got em Dsnuts!

I'll try to post some impressions tonight...

 

[canetsbe]

Listening to my Primo8 as I type this! Very cool. I hope they're great.

 

[B9Scrambler]

Glad you got em @Dsnuts!

I'll try to post some impressions tonight...

 

[klove4252]

The HE8 look pretty appealing. The two day Amazon shipping for these is also very enticing... I know its early, but is anyone really happy with the sound quality?

 

[nmatheis]

Very brief descriptions while I've got a minute...

HEM2 is just on the warm side of neutral. Quite balanced and natural sound.

HEM4 is the odd man out, being the leanest / coolest of the lineup. I'd like more bass here, but you get that with the rest of the lineup so NuForce is covering their bases.

HEM6 and HEM8 are closest in presentation, both having a full, rich, warm sound. HEM6 is a bit more energetic up top. HEM8 is more restrained / refined in comparison. Which you prefer will be a matter of taste. I need a bit time with both before I decide.

 

[klove4252]

I just received the HEM8 today. My very initial impressions are very positive. I played around with some different tips, and I am enjoying Spinfits the most with them. They seem easier to drive than my K10U so far. The more I listen to the HEM8 the more I like them. 

 

[Dsnuts]

I have been running my pair in with music the entire time I got them. They seem to have opened up some. On very first listen I was worried a bit as the treble was just about gone. 5 songs later and the treble opened up..I am also very impressed with them. These are definitely an upgrade from the older Primo 8 in several ways. Will have a full review up soon.
 
 
I will also reveal an easy tip mod which allows for larger bore tips to be used with these, which open up the incredible dimensional sound of these phones. 
 
In short I think NuForce got a winner here. Can't wait to hear the rest of the line up.

 

[nmatheis]

Going to play with tips tonight. Def going to try Dsnuts mod and will also throw on some spinfit if mine will work with the nozzles.

 

[nmatheis]

I have been running my pair in with music the entire time I got them. They seem to have opened up some. On very first listen I was worried a bit as the treble was just about gone. 5 songs later and the treble opened up..I am also very impressed with them. These are definitely an upgrade from the older Primo 8 in several ways. Will have a full review up soon.


I will also reveal an easy tip mod which allows for larger bore tips to be used with these, which open up the incredible dimensional sound of these phones. 

In short I think NuForce got a winner here. Can't wait to hear the rest of the line up.

Holy bejeebers Dsnuts, the tip mod you recommended just blows the HEM8 sound wide open!!!

Sound with stock tips is like yeah, this is nice but the sound is too bass-skewed. With the tip mod (from his Primo8 review), the bass is still quite prominent but the clarity up top is unleashed.

jyri, please take stock of what Dsnuts recommended. Widenening the nozzle on these would really take these to another level!


Oh yeah, I tried them with my spinfittips, but they're the wide bore size and wouldn't fit unless I tried a mod like Dsnuts recommended.


Final update for the night. Tried the tip mod on the HEM6. Works nicely for them, too. Before trying the tip mod, I think I was leaning towards HEM6. After the tip mod I'm not so sure. HEM8 definitely has the more expansive soundstage yet is fuller sounding. HEM6 sounds more energetic but soundstage isn't as big. Both are enjoyable, but I can see listening to HEM8 for longer periods. It's nice to have choices.

 

[Armaegis]

It's been a crazy week for me, but I plan on marathoning some impressions tomorrow. This will be an interesting time, considering it wasn't too long ago I had the Perfect Seal family in house (and kinda thrashed them, but that's another story).

 

[jyri]

Holy bejeebers @Dsnuts, the tip mod you recommended just blows the HEM8 sound wide open!!!

Sound with stock tips is like yeah, this is nice but the sound is too bass-skewed. With the tip mod (from his Primo8 review), the bass is still quite prominent but the clarity up top is unleashed.

@jyri, please take stock of what @Dsnuts recommended. Widenening the nozzle on these would really take these to another level!


Oh yeah, I tried them with my spinfittips, but they're the wide bore size and wouldn't fit unless I tried a mod like @Dsnuts recommended.


Final update for the night. Tried the tip mod on the HEM6. Works nicely for them, too. Before trying the tip mod, I think I was leaning towards HEM6. After the tip mod I'm not so sure. HEM8 definitely has the more expansive soundstage yet is fuller sounding. HEM6 sounds more energetic but soundstage isn't as big. Both are enjoyable, but I can see listening to HEM8 for longer periods. It's nice to have choices.

 
Interesting. I took bigger tips from our BE6 earphones and did this tip mod. Then I tried the tips with the HEMs and other manufacturers´ IEMs.
 
The mod makes the below tip work like a horn (modifying the nozzle would not be a good idea as it would change the behaviour and whole frequency response). It´s quite fun for the HEMs but not so much for some other IEMs. Based on my brief listening I would say that this tip mod loses the very detailed, natural and balanced sound but at the same time makes the soundstage slightly bigger. While diffusing it though...
For my ears some higher frequencies became too harsh and listening certain recordings with female singers was not so enjoyable. However - listening electronic music for example was very fun and makes me feel like I want to increase the volume louder than normally. While I personally might prefer listening the HEMs with the Comply tips (yes, work very well for me) I can imagine using this tip mod when I want to have some fun. 

 
From my point of view, as a manufacturer we need to make sure that our sound is balanced, neutral and immersive so that a listener can use different sources, amps, tips etc and hear the difference those make. There is no right and wrong as long as the sound makes listener happy and emotionally involved.
 
Having said all this... I will discuss with our R&D guys and see if we could make this kind of "horn tips" and include those with our future products as some fun accessory. Thanks for the tip @Dsnuts. If we ever create these tips I guarantee that I won´t forget who gave the original idea. 

 

 

[nmatheis]

Good on you for trying the mod and reporting back jyri!

 

[shotgunshane]

I typically do that mod with all Shure/Westone style narrow bore nozzles. This is why Shure Olives typically sound great on these nozzles- you get the benefits of foam without overhang issues and the horn effect, without need of an adapter. Someone should try those if they have them.

 

[nmatheis]

Wish I had some Shure Olives. I don't have many IEM with such narrow nozzles, so I haven't bothered to get any.

 

[klove4252]

I just tried the tip mod... and the sound difference is incredible. I have Shure Olives I can try as well to see if there is any major sound difference.