[LittleJP]

Alright, I'm a layman who likes his sound ok, so please, keep technical terms to a minimal.

Ok, currently, I have a pair of sennheiser mm50's that I use with my iphone, and I've noticed it doesn't have the same crisp sound as the sennheiser PC350.

Now, I've noticed on several reviews that the IE8s were comparable to the HD 600s, which is a step up from the HD 500s the sennheiser PC 350s, and the only thing stopping me from upgrading are several things.

The iphone uses a 4 pin 3.5 mm jack, instead of the 3 pin standard found on most earphones I've seen. Now, there's an adaptor I can use to fix that, but I have no idea what that will do to the audio quality, and where I can get one.

Also, I've no idea if the iphone's sound quality is good enough for me to justify upgrading.

Now, finally, how durable are the IE8s? I listen to music a lot when I work and excersice, and most cords tend to snag on different objects when I move around a lot.


EDIT: Should I invest in a portable amp? If so, what kind do you recommend?

Ok, this is kind of a lot, but I like to do a lot of research before I make a huge purchase like this.

 

[koven]

all i can contribute is that the IE8's cable is very durable, it's thick and also reinforced with kevlar.. and also detachable/no microphonics

 

[LittleJP]

That's fine, I mostly text people, rarely have to call people, and I'm not old enough to drive yet to make use of the mm50's microphone as a hands free feature.

 

[Zalithian]

The IE8's have the best cable I've seen, from a universal at least, but if you're going to be using them to work out and have them get snagged often - I'd probably not use $400 iems for that.

 

[3X0]

The iPhone will not bottleneck the IE 8.

 

[LittleJP]

Ok, because I remember seeing somewhere that the ipod touch had somewhat poor SQ quality, and wasn't sure if the iphone 3gs was the same.

 

[kloan]

The iPod Touch audio quality is very good. The IE8 sound great out of it.

You won't need an adapter for them either, just plug them in.

 

[LittleJP]

Oh, I see now, those articles were talking about the original iphone.


....slap me for stupidity.
Ok, and about an amp, would I hear any major improvement?

Oh, another question too.

The carrying case. What should I use that's rather more......compact than the one that sennheiser provides.

 

[Ed Seedhouse]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LittleJP /img/forum/go_quote.gif ...the only thing stopping me from upgrading are several things. The iphone uses a 4 pin 3.5 mm jack, instead of the 3 pin standard found on most earphones I've seen. Now, there's an adaptor I can use to fix that, but I have no idea what that will do to the audio quality, and where I can get one.

It will very likely make no difference in sound quality at all.

Quote:

Also, I've no idea if the iphone's sound quality is good enough for me to justify upgrading.

It almost certainly will be. Apple knows how to make an amp (it is by no means rocket science) and the IE8's are extremely sensitive. The IE8's will limit the aavailable sound quality, not the iphone.

Quote:

Now, finally, how durable are the IE8s? I listen to music a lot when I work and excersice, and most cords tend to snag on different objects when I move around a lot.

This seems to be a weak point with the IE8. Not so much the wire as the connections in the jack and the stability of the jack. I ran into problems with this after a few of weeks as the sound turned into mono. Sennheiser replaced them under waranty with no fuss, but the jack seems a weak point to me.

Quote:

EDIT: Should I invest in a portable amp? If so, what kind do you recommend?

Not at all necessary for the IE8. They are extremely efficient and go far to loud to listen to safely with just my iPod classic. I have a headphone amp but it is overkill with the IE8s.

 

[LittleJP]

Ah, looks like a purchase.
Now, I rarely have more than two sets of working headphones, what do you suggest I do with the ones I currently have?

Sell them?

Keep them?

Frame them and mount it to my wall?

 

[kloan]

I found the sound improved significantly with my custom made cmoy paired with the IE8s... I had the bass turned up to 3 and it sounded amazing. The mids and highs were also improved, as well as a little better transparency.

 

[icedtea_chao]

I have been looking at the IE-8s for quite a while now after getting sick of having an entire IEM rendered useless by a break in the cable. Before I blow away $400 AUD, I have a question about their lifespan.

I will use the IEM for commuting and it runs under my shirt/jacket so it shouldn't snag onto anything. When I'm not listening to them, I'll probably just place them in my pocket.

Based on this treatment, how long should I expect one IE8 cable to last? More importantly, how long will the IE8s themselves last.

 

[LittleJP]

They list the ie 8 s as having Kevlar reinforced replaceble wires, won't be able to tell you how durable it is until a little while after I get my pair