[tstarn06]

Tried every OEM sleeve again, and luckily, the large single flange silicones seal nicely and don't muffle/veil the mids/highs. The T400s really are not gonna work unless these phones really change down the road, just too dark. But these large silicone sleeves really sound nice, are pretty comfy, but certainly do not isolate enough for loud environments like planes, etc. So, to me, these phones are really for relatively quiet environments, unless you want to blast them or not ever listen to quiet music. Too bad, cause they are starting to sound very nice. But I have a long way to go before that 150-hour mark and beyond.

At $241, a very nice IEM and worth the price (again if fit isn't a problem). But at $449? I don't feel they they are worth $300 more than the Turbines or PFEs. And since the burn-in suggestions range from 20 hours to 250 hours, I guess I will start just listening, burn them overnight, and hear what transpires.

 

[PhilS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tstarn06 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Tried every OEM sleeve again, and luckily, the large single flange silicones seal nicely and don't muffle/veil the mids/highs. The T400s really are not gonna work unless these phones really change down the road, just too dark. But these large silicone sleeves really sound nice, are pretty comfy, but certainly do not isolate enough for loud environments like planes, etc. So, to me, these phones are really for relatively quiet environments, unless you want to blast them or not ever listen to quiet music. Too bad, cause they are starting to sound very nice. But I have a long way to go before that 150-hour mark and beyond.

I had the same experience as you, i.e., I settled on the Comply's at first, found them to be dark, and really found these phones to sound great with the stock tips (for me the foamies), which is not surprising since that's what Sennheiser obviously designed them for.

As for isolation, maybe you listen to lower volumes than I do, although I don't think I listen crazy loud. Anyway, I've used them in a plane, and regularly at the gym (where there is music playing over the speaker) and I find the isolation quite acceptable and not materially worse than my custom IEM's that I had.

BTW, with the stock foamies, I don't squeeze them at all to insert. I put them in my ears gently as far as they will go without pushing too hard, then pull on my upper ear, and this opens up my ear so that the foamie slips in to whatever depth I want (but not too far). You might try that and see if it makes the foamies more functional for you. Perhaps the foamie will give you the isolation you're looking for.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tstarn06 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Tried every OEM sleeve again, and luckily, the large single flange silicones seal nicely and don't muffle/veil the mids/highs. The T400s really are not gonna work unless these phones really change down the road, just too dark. But these large silicone sleeves really sound nice, are pretty comfy, but certainly do not isolate enough for loud environments like planes, etc. So, to me, these phones are really for relatively quiet environments, unless you want to blast them or not ever listen to quiet music. Too bad, cause they are starting to sound very nice. But I have a long way to go before that 150-hour mark and beyond. At $241, a very nice IEM and worth the price (again if fit isn't a problem). But at $449? I don't feel they they are worth $300 more than the Turbines or PFEs. And since the burn-in suggestions range from 20 hours to 250 hours, I guess I will start just listening, burn them overnight, and hear what transpires.

Agreed. We'll have to trust the "it needs 250 hours" people and see what happens.

 

[PhilS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeadphoneAddict /img/forum/go_quote.gif Agreed. We'll have to trust the "it needs 250 hours" people and see what happens.

I won't deny that the sound may change with burn in, but I would not expect burn in at 200+ hours to remove the dark sound that these phones have with the Complys. I just don't see that happening -- IMO.

 

[tstarn06]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhilS /img/forum/go_quote.gif I had the same experience as you, i.e., I settled on the Comply's at first, found them to be dark, and really found these phones to sound great with the stock tips (for me the foamies), which is not surprising since that's what Sennheiser obviously designed them for. As for isolation, maybe you listen to lower volumes than I do, although I don't think I listen crazy loud. Anyway, I've used them in a plane, and regularly at the gym (where there is music playing over the speaker) and I find the isolation quite acceptable and not materially worse than my custom IEM's that I had. BTW, with the stock foamies, I don't squeeze them at all to insert. I put them in my ears gently as far as they will go without pushing too hard, then pull on my upper ear, and this opens up my ear so that the foamie slips in to whatever depth I want (but not too far). You might try that and see if it makes the foamies more functional for you. Perhaps the foamie will give you the isolation you're looking for.

This is weird, but I had a pair of white bi-flange silicones I got with some phones (Head-Direct RE2, not sure) that are just a little more narrow than the one's from ebay (the cheap ones mark suggested) and I gave them a try. They work great, much better iso than the single flanges. And the mids and highs are not veiled with them. I can alternate with the single flanges, but I don't think the stock foamies are gonna work for me. I will give them one more shot.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tstarn06 /img/forum/go_quote.gif This is weird, but I had a pair of white bi-flange silicones I got with some phones (Head-Direct RE2, not sure) that are just a little more narrow than the one's from ebay (the cheap ones mark suggested) and I gave them a try. They work great, much better iso than the single flanges. And the mids and highs are not veiled with them. I can alternate with the single flanges, but I don't think the stock foamies are gonna work for me. I will give them one more shot.

Thanks for the tip. My ebay tips are not in yet, so I'll go try my RE2 bi-flange later...

 

[joincoolkidclub]

40 more hours of burn!

 

[joincoolkidclub]

sorry to post again so quickly, but are these revealing enough to allow a clear distinction between 320kbps and lossless? or is it based more on the listener?

 

[average_joe]

Wow, amazing how much one can miss in just one day!

Quote:

Originally Posted by soozieq /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think it's quite common to have an 'overflow' from one thread into another, especially when people are curious about both phones. And anyway, they're being compared with each other, so it's still on topic

I wasn't complaining, just sayin', as I have done the same thing in the PFE thread talking about the IE8s.

Quote:

Originally Posted by moseboy /img/forum/go_quote.gif First, I have a great seal. Trust me, like I have isolation. Maybe not as good as my SE530, but there is isolation, and I can feel that I have a good seal. Second, I don't have any Comply tips .

So the only tips I have that work for me (that I have) are either T-400s, the modified/extended silicon tips or sony silicon tips with a T-400 under it. Tonight I realized that I didn't have a good seal as the foam under the silicon had slipped down, so I pushed it back up and there is a HUGE improvement in the sound. My point is I thought I had a good seal, but didn't.

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeadphoneAddict /img/forum/go_quote.gif That reminds me of my cat.

Hilarious pic, I can just picture all the headphones everywhere at your place! On the couch, counter, shelf, dresser, cat, etc

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ihatepopupads /img/forum/go_quote.gif On mine the treble sounded "off" and harsh (no extension or air) out of the box, after about 20-30 hours I thought the treble was better then the se530 and I had plenty of splash on the cymbals. They did sound weird for a while during the burn in peroid, like they didn't sound as good as before, the sound stage got weird. I just don't remember when. I don't have my se530 to compare anymore as I sold them as soon as these started to sound good. I just couldn't listen to the thinness, and thought the ie8 had better detail. I might try the PFE just to see how they stack up , but right now I have nice mids, bass and treble.

The treble didn't open up for me until maybe 200 hours, and all my listening was with T-400s due to fit. Although at 170 hours or so I thought the IE8s surpassed the PFEs.

Quote:

Originally Posted by toughnut /img/forum/go_quote.gif moseboy, i understand how u feeling right now. Cuz i'm having the same problem. My IE8 currently at 63hours burn in but the overall sound still feel veiled and warm. Everything sound weird and off especially the high and soundstage. P.S: I just tried the bass knob, right FULL bass, left on DEFAULT, no different between both channels :O

The bass knob does change things (for me) if you have a seal (unless it is broken, but it is much more likely to be a fit issue, IMO). And 63 hours IMO isn't fair to the IE8s. I can stick them in my ears partially, not get a good seal, and the bass knob won't make a difference. Another way to tell is if you have the IEMs in your ear with bassy music playing and cover the port, the bass should pretty much go away, it does for me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by thechungster /img/forum/go_quote.gif For me after 250 hours, you will be able to hear differences. At 60 hours, there was no real difference to my ears as well. 150 hours is what you should be looking forward to, that is when the everything comes together.

x2, except with T-400s I still had to wait for the treble to come out and play at about 200 hours. But silicon is still a big improvement in treble quantity and detail, as even with 250+ hours the T-400s make the IE8 sound dark compared to the PFEs.

Quote:

Originally Posted by moseboy /img/forum/go_quote.gif Alright, so we're doing something wrong.... But what? I've tried all the tips, and I get a good fit with pretty much all of them. I've tried different insertion depths, and I just can't get it to sound really good. It doesn't make sense to me.

Gotta keep trying different tips. Maybe UE tips. Maybe T-400s. Maybe ebay.

Quote:

Originally Posted by soozieq /img/forum/go_quote.gif moseboy - can you stand to leave them alone till they reach 250 hours? Maybe when you go back to them after full burn-in, you might find they sound very different.

Wow, now that would take some restraint!

Quote:

Originally Posted by ottoyu34 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Less air when it's deeply inserted

I don't get that, I actually get the best, airiest sound with them jammed as deep as I can get them (and the best bass).

Quote:

Originally Posted by tstarn06 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Tried every OEM sleeve again, and luckily, the large single flange silicones seal nicely and don't muffle/veil the mids/highs. The T400s really are not gonna work unless these phones really change down the road, just too dark. But these large silicone sleeves really sound nice, are pretty comfy, but certainly do not isolate enough for loud environments like planes, etc. So, to me, these phones are really for relatively quiet environments, unless you want to blast them or not ever listen to quiet music. Too bad, cause they are starting to sound very nice. But I have a long way to go before that 150-hour mark and beyond. At $241, a very nice IEM and worth the price (again if fit isn't a problem). But at $449? I don't feel they they are worth $300 more than the Turbines or PFEs. And since the burn-in suggestions range from 20 hours to 250 hours, I guess I will start just listening, burn them overnight, and hear what transpires.

T-400 foam under the silicon, man, how many times do I have to tell everyone here

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeadphoneAddict /img/forum/go_quote.gif Agreed. We'll have to trust the "it needs 250 hours" people and see what happens.

Thank you! Many people have tracked it, and others have just stated that it keeps sounding better!

 

[madmax7]

Got about 30 hours so far. I'm really enjoying these little guys. New RSA amp should be here tomorrow. Ahhhhh!

 

[average_joe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by joincoolkidclub /img/forum/go_quote.gif sorry to post again so quickly, but are these revealing enough to allow a clear distinction between 320kbps and lossless? or is it based more on the listener?

Depends upon:
- Your ears
- Your source
- The song/mastering/recording

I have done A/Bing of 192K, 256K, 320K, and FLAC with my wife creating the play list randomly, and I write my observations down.

Sometimes I can hear differences between the 320K and FLAC, which are more of a presence thing with more realistic timbre and space. Sometimes I can not hear a difference between 192K and FLAC, depends upon the song for me. Older pop (80's and 90's) songs generally don't improve from 192K to my ears with my equipment. Electronic music does improve a lot of the time, such as ATB, Armin van Buuren, Massive Attack, DJ Tieso, etc., but then that is electronic, not actual instruments, but the space definitely improves. As far as real instruments, Sublime is one I can think of that I have heard a difference between 320K and FLAC.

But when I do hear differences between 320K and FLAC they are slight.

 

[joincoolkidclub]

thanks avg. joe- I didn't mean to take things off topic, but remember people referring to different phones as revealing (analytical) or forgiving and was wondering which camp the ie-8 fall in to.

 

[average_joe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by joincoolkidclub /img/forum/go_quote.gif thanks avg. joe- I didn't mean to take things off topic, but remember people referring to different phones as revealing (analytical) or forgiving and was wondering which camp the ie-8 fall in to.

Others would be able to answer better than I (HPA, where are you?). To me the IE8 is somewhere between revealing and forgiving. Only the poorest recordings, lowest bit rates sound bad to me. Now some music is much more involving.

The PFEs showcased the faults of poor quality songs much more than the IE8s, but the IE8s didn't lack in anything IMO comparatively. I could hear ll the same details, but timbre seemed a little better on the IE8s. The PFEs did resolve instrument details/space slightly better than the IE8s IMO. All with the grey filters for the PFEs. With the black filters the PFEs smoothed things out, but also lost detail, especially in the treble.

The W3s, from what I have read are very revealing, as are the ER4p.

 

[thechungster]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhilS /img/forum/go_quote.gif BTW, with the stock foamies, I don't squeeze them at all to insert. I put them in my ears gently as far as they will go without pushing too hard, then pull on my upper ear, and this opens up my ear so that the foamie slips in to whatever depth I want (but not too far). You might try that and see if it makes the foamies more functional for you. Perhaps the foamie will give you the isolation you're looking for.

Yeah, the foamies were designed to be just inserted... I found that out when I tried to compress the foam, but the stem is just too fat...

 

[dunnowho]

are the given foamies better at retaining the mids and highs or is the shure olive better?