Sennheiser IE8 harsh treble

[ProjectDenz]

I still doubt it's the tips, I use the same tips on my IE8 and the treble is anything but harsh.

 

[159650]

Its not the tips. The IE8s just sound harsh at 50-150 hours of burn in thats all. Just get it past 200 even and they'll smoothen out. 

 

[beamthegreat]

where did you buy it from? Check out this website to see if yours are fake or not.

 

[adsmithy]

I got them from Play.com and from what I can tell they are real.
 
Play have given me the option of returning them, but I'm going to continue to burn them in to see if they get better.
 
If not, I'll return them for a replacement set.
 
Thanks for the help.

 

[anadin]

Where they sold directly from Play.com or a 3rd party seller using Play.com.

 

[adsmithy]

Directly from Play.

 

[Pianist]

IE8 does sound harsh in the treble to my ears too. Yes, it is recessed compared to the bass and the mids if the seal is tight, but with a tight seal, the bass becomes so prominent that it overpowers everything else IMO, so IE8 can only really sound good with a shallow fit (using silicone tips, preferably the stock ones, which IMO sound best with IE8) or heavy EQing on a good source. And with a shallow seal, the highs are indeed peaky, harsh and a little muddy as well. After running some test tone sweeps, I found a noticeable peak around 12 kHz or so. With a tight fit, the treble looses the harshness because it just becomes really recessed compared to the overly dominant upper bass/lower mids.
 
@OP: I recommend that you try RE-ZERO or RE252 (I would personally go with RE252). These IEMs will provide much higher treble quality than the IE8 while retaining excellent bass and mids.

 

[159650]

I've given many advice regarding the IE8. I'll be completely honest when I say that I've owned them for about a month now, but they've never seen that much use. Why? because I'm prone to ear infections and I had to take a break. And although personally, I love my SE530s a tad more than the IE8s, it is never fair to judge them outright.
 
Firstly, they're a coil driver IEM, that requires traditional burn ins. You have no such problems with BA drivers like the Shure SE530, which may exhibit slight sonic differences after an hour or two, but nothing discernible thereafter. So I don't like hearing people say that they've read a ton of reviews and that they're disappointed with the sound quality of their IE8. Well, if they've read so many reviews, then they should know that the IE8s have the longest burn in time of any IEM. So in fairness, any bad reviews that may have been read, were probably unjustified. Same goes for any positive reviews as well. They sound alright up to the 50 hour burn in, but after, be prepared for harsh treble, recessed mids and dominant lows. That said, you should continue burning them in and here is why.
 
The first thing I did with my IE8 was to burn them in. I didn't have to be over excited about them because I had my Shures which I haven't had too long at that point. So I burned them in and waited patiently. because I took no breaks between burn in as and left them on for extended periods of time, it was easy for me to evaluate the differences, and I can tell you that the sound will change dramatically even up to the 300th hour after burn in. The sound stage will continue to widen, the highs improve and become crystalline in quality. The mids become more dominant, never quite as good as the Shures in my opinion, but beautiful all the same. And the bass? it becomes tighter, more controlled but still punchy and powerful. So be patient. I honestly wish people would give the IE8s a break and let them burn in before complaining.
 
I admit that I will always have a slight preference for my SE530, but thats because I love human vocals. I love the voices of singers, and therefore have an inclination toward mids. But in terms of overall presentation and balance and beauty, the IE8s are hard to beat. 
 
So mate, don't plan to go and sell them off or give up on them just yet. I went through the exact same stages as you did. I had my doubts, fears and regrets. All of it. But after 300 hours of patient burn in and hope, I can tell you right now that I can kiss my IE8s and say that I love them. (disturbing, yes I know...)
 
So sit it out. Burn up to 250 hours, and if you still don't like them, then decide whether or not you'd wait it past 300, or sell them. Its up to you. But I can honestly say that at 250 hours, they start to sound as they should. 

 

[adsmithy]

I've continued to burn them past 300 hours now and they still sound the same to me - much too harsh. On certain vocals and instruments e.g. cymbals - They make me wince!
 
I'm going to try a replacement set as I suspect these are faulty.
 
Thank you to everyone for the advice.

 

[HONEYBOY]

Quote:

I've continued to burn them past 300 hours now and they still sound the same to me - much too harsh. On certain vocals and instruments e.g. cymbals - They make me wince!
 
I'm going to try a replacement set as I suspect these are faulty.
 
Thank you to everyone for the advice.

I do hope that you get this resolved. Your description deviates markedly from that of the majority of folks here including my own. That does not mean that your experience should be negated but I am more inclined to believe that the phones may be "faulty".Do keep us posted.