[lordofbahamut]

Hi,

I'm having a Sennheiser IE7 for a year now, and I want to try a new earphone. I was gonna go for IE8 or UM3X but then I read a lot of compliment on the FX500, as such they are as good as IE8 and much cheaper price. I wonder how are they compare to IE7.
Thanks

 

[mark2410]

differently, wthats how

7 is warm and rich, the 500 is bright and excitable. probably a good cobo to have as they are quite different, just dont be expecting a leap in quality. both are really very good but not quite top tier stuff like the IE8, hell its not like the 8 is a leap above them anyway.

 

[lordofbahamut]

The FX500 sounds like my old ex-90lp then, bright and excitable. Hmm to tell the truth, the ex-90lp wth my sony A818 sometimes sound better than my IE7 with the A818 (probs both of them are too warm). One more question, is the high of IE8 better than IE7? I dont think i need more bass than IE7 but I like the sennheiser sound signature.

 

[mark2410]

yes the highs are better on the 8 than the 7 but you also get a shed load more bass too.

btw the 500 doesnt have more bass than the fx500, i was really surprised as i expected it to be like the IE8 but there is nowhere near the same amount.

 

[iponderous]

The FX500 has a very different sound signature to the IE8 in my opinion. To my ears, the highs are sharper with the FX500, mid-range is recessed and the bass goes very deep. It has remarkable clarity but I think this is related to its recessed mids. It's a dry, austere sounding phone to me.

The IE8 on the other hand is a warmer sounding phone overall. It doesn't have the pristine quality of the FX500 but it does have more mids. Again, I think this is why it lacks the clarity of the FX500. The highs extend nicely and are not at all harsh. It has more mid-bass presence than the FX500 but its bass doesn't go as deep. It has a noticeably larger soundstage than the FX500 and nice instrument separation. I would describe its overall presentation to be organic and fun. It is not an analytical phone but I think it is a very musical and engaging listen.

My FX500's are for sale at a very reasonable price if you are interested, and they are in as new condition with a little over 20 hours burn-in on them.