[andre56]

Hi all,
I'm currently looking for a new pair of IEM's to replace my re0's that unfortunately had my sisters rabbit bite through one of the wires leaving only one earphone working. Anyway at the moment i'm stuck between the sennheiser ie8's and the hippo vb's. I want a very good overall sound really but would prefer IEM's with more emphasis on bass rather than highs. I have had CX300's, CX500's, and most recently RE0's. I really liked the warm sound and bass of the CX's but loved the clarity of the RE0's, truly amazing, but for me the sound was too harsh on my ears, not warm enough and they didn't have enough bass. So what im looking for really is warm sounding, bass heavy IEM's but with clarity and good highs. The sennheiser seems to fit my brief but the hippo's are sounding increasingly good and are cheaper. Which would you say has a more heavy, impacting bass and which has a warmer more enjoyable sound? Also which has better highs and which would you say for an average sized ear is more comfortable?

Thank you in advanced for any comments.

 

[andre56]

Any comments?

 

[JxK]

Try asking dfkt. As far as I know he's the only member to have both.

 

[ysksky]

IMO, to be honest you cant compare a sub $100 iem with a x5 price iem. IE8 alot better than hippo vb in bass and IE8 have fantastic soundstage. i own a hippo vb, I had the same problem like you when i was picking an iem in between this two. If gv me choose again, definitely i will go for IE8.

Anyway this is my ears, try it out b4 you buy if possible.

 

[andre56]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ysksky /img/forum/go_quote.gif IMO, to be honest you cant compare a sub $100 iem with a x5 price iem. IE8 alot better than hippo vb in bass and IE8 have fantastic soundstage. i own a hippo vb, I had the same problem like you when i was picking an iem in between this two. If gv me choose again, definitely i will go for IE8. Anyway this is my ears, try it out b4 you buy if possible.

Thanks for the advice, I think I prefer the IE8's the only thing is they are £100 and that's more than I wanted to spend and I've got a few other offers that have come up. I can get SE420's for £70 or super fi 5's for £50. How do the sound quality of these compare to the IE8 and are the IE8's worth the extra money?

Thanks

 

[sdotfire]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ysksky /img/forum/go_quote.gif IMO, to be honest you cant compare a sub $100 iem with a x5 price iem. IE8 alot better than hippo vb in bass and IE8 have fantastic soundstage. i own a hippo vb, I had the same problem like you when i was picking an iem in between this two. If gv me choose again, definitely i will go for IE8. Anyway this is my ears, try it out b4 you buy if possible.

I own both and it really depends on what you are looking for. The VB's have much much better sub-bass with somewhat harsh highs, but for the price they are the best bang for your buck. The IE8 has great soundstage and is a great IEM but suffers from a mid-bass hump which requires it to be EQed to really appreciate it. I would recommend any of the Turbine Pro models over the IE8 btw, the only thing the IE8 does better is it's incredible soundstage. But if you want amazing bass that compares to the UE11 ($1000 IEM, yes I said it) then get the VB. Best bang for your buck: VB, best overall IEM IMO: TBP MD's. Just my two cents.

 

[sdotfire]

The VB has WAYYYYY better bass than the IE8, even amped. The IE8 is an overall better IEM but the TBP's are the way to go IMO, I have yet to hear the HA-FX700 which I have heard good things about but right now I rank the MD's the highest. I sold both my UM3X and 3, that should show you how much I love my TBPs.

 

[andre56]

Wow, are the TBP's that good. They are way out of my league though. Way too much money.

 

[SolidVictory]

Quote:

Originally Posted by andre56 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for the advice, I think I prefer the IE8's the only thing is they are £100 and that's more than I wanted to spend and I've got a few other offers that have come up. I can get SE420's for £70 or super fi 5's for £50. How do the sound quality of these compare to the IE8 and are the IE8's worth the extra money? Thanks

Don't go for the SE420, they have really bad reviews compared to the SE530's, which is far better than all other Shure IEMs. All of Shure's IEMs have a focus on the midrange and their bass is not necessarily the most raved about. However, they (the SE530's) do offer an unfatiguing sound with a fairly neutral presentation of music, which is why I presume many people enjoy Shure's sound signature. It is well detailed and articulated. However you mentioned a warm sound signature with bass, which can be better with Sennheiser IEMs.

If you don't want to shell out the extra money, then you don't necessarily need to pay for an IE8. You can try the IE6 or IE7 which both have good bass quality and quantity, but cost significantly less. I would also recommend the meelectronics M9 or M11 which offer a very good value for their price (both under $60). Although I haven't heard the M9 or M11, they have gotten great reviews here on head-fi.

 

[Anthonym]

Quote:

Originally Posted by andre56 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for the advice, I think I prefer the IE8's the only thing is they are £100 and that's more than I wanted to spend and I've got a few other offers that have come up. I can get SE420's for £70 or super fi 5's for £50. How do the sound quality of these compare to the IE8 and are the IE8's worth the extra money? Thanks

Pardon me for hijacking your thread but if you don't mind me telling, what shop is offering IE8 for £100?Is it online shop? Cuz all the shops I came across are selling them for at least $280 and that's almost £200.

 

[SolidVictory]

Double post

 

[andre56]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SolidVictory /img/forum/go_quote.gif Don't go for the SE420, they have really bad reviews compared to the SE530's, which is far better than all other Shure IEMs. All of Shure's IEMs have a focus on the midrange and their bass is not necessarily the most raved about. However, they (the SE530's) do offer an unfatiguing sound with a fairly neutral presentation of music, which is why I presume many people enjoy Shure's sound signature. It is well detailed and articulated. However you mentioned a warm sound signature with bass, which can be better with Sennheiser IEMs. If you don't want to shell out the extra money, then you don't necessarily need to pay for an IE8. You can try the IE6 or IE7 which both have good bass quality and quantity, but cost significantly less. I would also recommend the meelectronics M9 or M11 which offer a very good value for their price (both under $60). Although I haven't heard the M9 or M11, they have gotten great reviews here on head-fi.

Thanks for the help. I am considering the IE7's and they should be in my price range. I'll also take a look at the M9 and 11's. What about the image X5's? are they any good because i've heard good things about them.

 

[andre56]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anthonym /img/forum/go_quote.gif Pardon me for hijacking your thread but if you don't mind me telling, what shop is offering IE8 for £100?Is it online shop? Cuz all the shops I came across are selling them for at least $280 and that's almost £200.

Ebay. you can always find good deals on ebay.

 

[/Fail]

^I wouldn't risk it. There's a good chance that they're fake.

 

[Anthonym]

Quote:

Originally Posted by andre56 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ebay. you can always find good deals on ebay.

Thanks. Since there are a lot of fake ie8 out there and I don't know how to spot the fake one, ebay is offlimit zone for me.