[muzic4life]

Just playing mine for more or less 4 hours. Initial impression is that i am so impressed with the micro detail IE800 can reproduce. It is amazingly good. 
 
The Bass - this is the thing that surely can make you go oooomph...!! very delicious bass. It is solid, meaty, impactful and you can definitely feel the punch ! i am talking a kind of bass in bass-head territory (if u like to say so) but with audiophile quality. Very nice textured.
 
The mids - this is where my cons laid on IE800. The mids is GOOD. Very rich resolution but for my taste i need just a tad more forward and lush. The mids does not have that kind of lust feeling to it, but the resolution is quite good. Everything is very clear. But i may prefer something more lush so is more enjoyable for jazz or vocal songs. The upper mids has a bit of edgy. Is not so natural. But i can live with that. Still pretty good for me. Remember...even though the mids is not that thicker and lusher...but i can tell i blown away by how good the instrument played on this thing with jazz or blues songs. The strings of the guitar, trumpet, saxophone is excellent sounding !
 
The highs - is very smooth and crystal clear. It can be too sparkling for some...but none of sibilant that i could fine so far. everything is just smooth sounding.
 
Overall...i am VERY happy with this IE800 

 
NB: I would not compare this with my SM3/SM64/Shure 535red, because i believe IE800 is not at the same level...is higher of course !

 

[3nenbgumi]

^^ Thanks a lot for the impressions. They were extremely helpful. Sounds like the IE800 possesses all I'm looking for in my next purchase target: microdetailing, resolution, detailed but not forward mids and some nice sparkling in the upper part of the spectrum 

.

 

[muzic4life]

Sure. Thanks
If that description u looking for...so this is it ! U'll be amazed. Just be aware with that "ooomph" i was talking about. U have got to love bass to love this thing even MORE.

 

[3nenbgumi]

Darn you, folks, for dragging me to the dark side! The damage is done 

 

[eke2k6]

I just fished out the IE800 from my mailbox, and I'm floored.
 
I'll be damned to hell if these aren't the best mids I've heard. I still need to do a proper A/B with my HD600 from the same amp, but wow!
 
I'm listening to Mumford and Sons' Sigh No More album, and the IE800 is just effortlessly beautiful at rendering everything well. I notice the thin treble, but it's not a bother at the moment.

 

[muzic4life]

Congrats with your new ie800 !
Give a little more time of listening. After a couple days and your ears are fully seasoned with the SQ...everything is even sweeter !
Here's some album you may try to make you more floored

Asian Roots - Takedake with neptune
Journey of Souls - Brent Lewis

--- the whole album makes my jaw a big dropped !!

Happy listening

 

[windcloud]

Very good reviews, Does the IE800 suitable for popular songs? For IE 80, I think only classic can make you think it worth buying.

 

[muzic4life]

You mean like a pop song? I do not listen much to pop. But i did try with some of jenifer lopez/celine dion/and some of other r&b songs. Sound VERY good. U will indeed satisfied by how good the bass of this thing for that kind of genres. What bothering me so far...is when i play a jazz song. Most jazz song presented quite well. But some slower pace song with 4 strings bass guitar going on....somehow i feel the bass is annoying. Is a bit too axaggerated and too dominant. It makes me think sennheiser should use a triple exhaust instead of twin on the housing.

For blues/rock/country/instumental songs this ie800 is almost performing quite perfect for my taste.

 

[muzic4life]

Okay guys...this is my update after a week using my ie800.
 
This ie800 is truly between my love and hate. I am trying to not hate this iem, but still i find it somehow not very pleasurable during my listening. And considering about the price...i really expect higher for an audiophile kind of sound. 
 
The highs sometimes i feel like perfect for my taste, but sometimes i also find it a bit too thin. It is not like being harsh, sibilant or like that, is just too thin and makes it sounded a bit sharp for my taste. However, in some songs, this ie800 is really able to fire up the flame within me and create such an emotional feeling and got me very excited with the music. Switching back to other iems (sm64), they don't excite me much they way ie800 do to me. That clear sparkling on ie800 is really mean something. It makes the sound is so alive. Is that mean good? I still can not confirm my self to say YES. Somehow it excites me much...but i also feel is not too perfect either.
 
The mids i kind of like it. It is not the most neutral mids out there. but i would say a bit of colored. Though sometimes i feel like the mids has enough muscle to be stretched, but the sparkling highs makes it a bit of edgy sounding, and the exaggerated bold bass makes it more laid back. So bye bye lush sounding mids. I never get satisfied during jazz session of listening. It sounds very clear, very transparent, but is just not quite make me satisfied. However, playing modern instrumental, blues, and rock (some pop and RnB songs), this boy really can scream and makes you a jaw dropped. Is just so darn GOOD. But unfortunately, i love jazz MORE. So a bit of a down here for me.
 
The bass...yeah..this is the most controversial among other aspects when it comes to audiophile term. The BASS is definitely NOT an audiophile kind of bass. Period. Though some songs required this kind quantity of bass to really shine, but for audiophile songs, i thing the bass is just too MUCH. This is not a kind of bass that i would spend my cash that much. The quality is perfect. Is bold, solid, very good textured, and it does not leak to the mids. Is just there stays where it should be and they really kicks you hard when you need it. So sad. I just don't get it, why Mr. Senn creates the bass like this on their flagship model. While for some...the bass could be perfect, but also could be quite disappointing to others in term of hifi-bass. Once we heard the words "flagship"...all we expect is somewhere within the sense of an audiophile, but this particular bass, is more in the FUN bass category.
 
So is it worth it? If jazz is the only genre you are listening to or most of the times, this could be not the one for you. And you will be disappointed for the paid price. BUT if you listen to mostly all genres, i think is fair enough. The sound is kind of unique. And definitely above average kind of sound. Very dynamic and pumping. And i do believe this ie800 will make some listener just WOW.
 
Hopefully the longer i listen...the more i would love it. Cheers 

 

[james444]

Quote:

Okay guys...this is my update after a week using my ie800.
 
...

 
Thanks for your honest and straightforward impressions!

 
While I agree with most of it, I'd argue that the IE800's mids are in fact less colored than some of these overly lush and seductive mids you get from Earsonics, JHA or Unique Melody (just to name a few suspects .

 

[muzic4life]

Hi James...

 
After reading your post...i refresh my memory and tested once again...hmmm okay..i might agree with you about the mids..though i still not too sure in term of less colored as you said and i thought my shure 535 red is the one with NO COLOR 

 (and i find it so darn boring iem) . Btw, just now i plugged again my ie800/sm3/sm64/FAD6...and yes especially with my sm3v2....after listening to ie800 and go back to sm3v2...is sounded darn too flat like no life 

. My FAD6 and Sm64 has a bit more of lush sound to it...but again...this ie800's clarity and transparency on the mids is a truly winner. Anyway, you might be right...the mids is not that colorful i supposed. Maybe I've just been blurred by its sparkling highs.

 

[vrln]

Good impressions, I agree with most if not all of it too. For me the IE800 is a strange combination of intentional coloration ("fun bass") and audiophile resolution (mids). Never heard anything else like it, but I also often get the feeling I want to listen to my other IEMs more. Lately I´ve been using EQ to tame their bass to more neutral levels and found it to work quite well with most music. I´ve recently added the Sony EX1000 to my collection and if only it isolated as well as the IE800 while keeping the same imaging and soundstage (impossible, I know - the open sound is a direct result of the lack of isolation) I would overall prefer the Sony even though the IE800 does mids better. Soundstage, imaging and bass are superior on the Sony.
 
muzic4life: I´m looking at perhaps adding the SM64 to my collection in the near future... How does it compare to the IE800?

 

[muzic4life]

Quote:

For me the IE800 is a strange combination of intentional coloration ("fun bass") and audiophile resolution (mids). Never heard anything else like it, but I also often get the feeling I want to listen to my other IEMs more. 
 
muzic4life: I´m looking at perhaps adding the SM64 to my collection in the near future... How does it compare to the IE800?

 
Hi Vrln, thanks.
 
During i wrote my impression, once i had a thought and feel "exactly" the same as you mentioned above 

 --- is a love and hate iem.
 
About the sm64, there are two versions. The sound of sm64v1 is almost identical with ie800 which has a sparkling highs too, though ie800 has it more. Other than too much bass, i think ie800 is better in every aspects. If you want something a bit different, you may consider sm64v2 which i like. The v2 shares the same signatures of the v1 but the highs is tamed and not as aggressive as the V1. The mids of V2 is more forward than V1 and resulted a more neutral presentation. I really like it and i do prefer listening Jazz songs through my sm64v2 compared to my ie800. But again....overall presentation, ie800 is the winner in term of resolution/texture/layering.

 

[music_4321]

Quote:

Quote:

Okay guys...this is my update after a week using my ie800.

 
Thanks for your honest and straightforward impressions!

 
Yes! Thanks for your impressions, muzic4life
 
--------------
 
Seems I tend to rate the IE800's treble more highly than a couple of people who have shared their impressions — it could well be a fit issue, or simply that these grumpy old sparrow's ears aren't quite as sophisticated as he thinks.

 

[eke2k6]

Not sure I understand all the issues with the IE800's bass. I find it to be on a similar level as, if not less than, the bass of the 334 (IIRC). I don't find it obtrusive at all, at least not compared to my HD600.