Senn ie800 vs Klipsch x11i
Mar 28, 2014 at 2:24 AM Post #20 of 31
The x11`s are very convenient as they are impossibly small, light, and isolate well, despite this, they have a warmer and bassier sound sig that definitely doesn`t suit their diminutive size. They aren`t at all much different from the x10`s so it may not be worth paying $200 for a better cable since klipsch has great customer support and warranty anyway. Apart from this, the sound quality is nothing particularly exemplary, everything is good but not great, details are there but they tend to be more laid back than revealing, bass is nice and smooth but doesn`t extend to the deepest of deeps and mids follow suite with a smooth, laid back presentation that feels neither intimate nor distant, treble is where my gripes begin, they are rolled of to a degree and aren`t at all sparkly or extended, soundstage is pretty poor in general and separation and imaging are not that great, they are an absolute steal at $120 but at 300-400, their only redeeming features are their convenience as sound is probably inline with more $200 earphones. Ie800`s are much nicer in terms of sound but their awkward fit and lack of isolation will be crippling, it may be best to pick up two pairs of earphones, one for travel with good isolation and portability such as the klipsch and one for home with some really nice sq but a more eccentric, less ergonomic form factor.
 
Mar 29, 2014 at 4:41 PM Post #21 of 31
I don't have the budget to keep both unfortunately. But I did get both of them in the mail. 
 
I didn't do any "burning in" of either earphones so my impressions are straight from out of the box. In terms of comfort both of them are really comfortable in my opinion and offer a decent, maybe a slight edge to the x11i in terms of seal. I can both wear these for multiple hours without being bothered. (Comfort is one of the key aspects as to why I liked these two earphones.) I can also see myself walking around with either without an issue. 
 
Sound quality..hands down to the ie800. Mids, highs, lows are amazing. Greater SQ. Bass is also more predominant than than the x11. When tested on the same source the x11 sound pretty muddy in the background, I'm not too sure what it is. But it definitely sounds more distorted and less clear than the ie800's. For instance if I open up a movie score that has a snare drum, the ie800's sound like an actual snare drum as if I at at a concert. In contrast snaredrum on the x11i's just sound dull. Same can be said about the bass. 
 
Since it seems the 11i's don't really need to be burned in, I'm not too sure if I'm impressed with the current sound quality. And with the ie800's sounding this good without being burned in yet.
 
I'm still going to play around with them for a few more days. But right now I'd have majors buyers remorse if I kept the x11i's instead knowing the ie800's produced better sound lol. Are the ie800's worth $500 more for the sound? Eh, I don't know, but it would definitely bother me knowing there was something with better sound with similar comfort. 
 
Mar 29, 2014 at 9:51 PM Post #22 of 31
I just audit ie800 at Jaben, but i didn't get to audit long. The sound is very very interesting. The sound stage is super wide (so much wider than ie80, which i thought it's supposed to this wide). The Hi was what caught my attention for the first impression, it's really bright, detailed and crisp. Bass is airy i feel, not huge and thick like ie80 & xba-h3. It leaves space for mid come in nicely.
 
I think in terms of sound ie800 probably beats klipsch hands down technically but for that price it better call for a whole new experience hahaha.
 
Personally, i think you should try more iems before committing more than $1000 for the ie800. And, i don't think x11 is worth that much too, westone umpro10 can beat x11 at half price. There's always preference that makes a different. :wink:
 
Mar 29, 2014 at 10:05 PM Post #23 of 31
I'm all down for further recommendations given my preferences stated in my OP. Like I said I got these IE800's for around $700 so I wasn't paying 1k for them. But the klipsch x11's just didn't cut it for me. (Despite liking the comfortable feel)
 
Mar 29, 2014 at 10:53 PM Post #26 of 31
shadow82x said:
I did look into them. Looks like there is some debate as to whats better the ie800's or shures se846. I could be wrong but they look pretty uncomfortable compared to the ie's. Plus I'd be paying $300 more for them, I don't see any discounted prices anywhere
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Not discussing the sonic differences but just the comfort, having owned both the ie800 and the SE846 I found them both comfortable with the edge going to the ie800. But that edge comes with a price, the ie800 is very tip dependent in order to sound as they should and they are proprietary tips. If you cannot get a good fit you are out of luck. With the Shure, it has the same 2.5mm nozzle as Westone and UE so there are a lot of choices. I use the Westone Star tip with my 846.
 
Mar 31, 2014 at 3:21 AM Post #27 of 31
spook76 said:
Not discussing the sonic differences but just the comfort, having owned both the ie800 and the SE846 I found them both comfortable with the edge going to the ie800. But that edge comes with a price, the ie800 is very tip dependent in order to sound as they should and they are proprietary tips. If you cannot get a good fit you are out of luck. With the Shure, it has the same 2.5mm nozzle as Westone and UE so there are a lot of choices. I use the Westone Star tip with my 846.
Click to expand...

Kind of an odd question..but are you able to put the SE846 directly in the ear like the ie800's? Or must you always wrap it around your ear?
 
Apr 2, 2014 at 12:35 PM Post #29 of 31
So today I'm returning back the Klipsch x11i. Can't say I was too impressed with the quality of the sound bat all. In fact I couldn't even tell much of a difference between the klipsch and my standard apple earpods. The difference between them was minimal. The ie800 however blew both of them away in that sense. I'm also crossing off the SE 846's since I'm not really a fan of the over the ear style. I like something light and goes directly in my ear like the ie800's.
 
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