[Usama]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dranoel4190 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hi guys. Would anyone know where to get the cheapest on-stock IE8? Ive tried a couple online stores and they are out of stock. Thanks!

I am not 100% sure if this price applies to you but £170 it is.

Sennheiser IE 8 500772 - PC World Business Online Store UK - Buy The Best Deals Online.

edit: Actually, they seem to be out of stock, I would reccomend watching the link below, until they update it with a better deal. There is usually a seller that sells it in the £170 range.

http://shopping.trustedreviews.com/U...uct/700525492/

 

[Lord Mike]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aimlink /img/forum/go_quote.gif Actually, you just think they're fitting perfectly .... Not to worry... if they fit great, good for you.

Thanks, that...means the world to me.
Your approval, that is, lol.

 

[aimlink]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mecc /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've had these for a few days. 30+ hours of burn in, bass is more controlled, highs are less harsh. My preference for IEMs is now IE8 > SE530 > Westone 3. I prefer the SE530 over the Westone 3 just for midrange. ........

Interesting experience. I think the Westone 3's are great and would be really tickled if I were to find the IE-8's to be even better when I get them. I'll certainly be making my experience known!

 

[moseboy]

Mecc and anyone else who currently has both the IE8 (mostly burned in) and the SE530, this is directed at you.

I'm about 50 hours into burn-in with my IE8 and to me, it still sounds off, at least with all of the included tips which all seem to fit and seal very well for me. I can't truly describe in words what I am hearing, so this is what I did. I chose a list of 5 very different songs, listening to each of them with both my SE530 and my IE8. Then, while listening to each of these songs and switching between the two earphones over and over (and over), using foobar 2000, I EQ'd my SE530s so they sound like my IE8s. This is the result.

Listening to my SE530 (medium olive foam tips) with this EQ setting and my IE8 (large bi-flanges) with no EQ yields, to my ears, an extremely similar sound. The remaining differences under these conditions include the following:

- vocals on the SE530 are still more upfront
- the soundstage of the IE8 is better than the SE530
- there is an airiness to the IE8 that you can't EQ into the SE530
- the IE8 is more detailed than the SE530

The two things that really bother me about the way the IE8 sounds right now is the huge bass and that dip toward the upper-mids. So my question to you is, is this how the IE8 really sounds? If not, I simply haven't found the right tips and/or my IE8 isn't burned in enough. If that is how it really sounds and is supposed to sound, I may not like the IE8.

Please let me know.

 

[average_joe]

Just wanted to share (also a side note on burn in and soundstage): went to Digital Ear today and listened to a pair of Focal Grand Utopia speakers (for only $180Ka pair), talk about soundstage! The sales person told me they were still burning in (and connected to a stereo amp, not 2 mono amps) so I asked him about burn in. He say any specific time but explained burn in as the softening of the driver [spider and surround] and resistance changes in the voice coil.

Unfortunately I didn't get a long audition and did not listen to my music as I ran out of time (and was looking at things in a different price range). But the soundstage was very different than the IE8s, like the band was right in front of me, and I could pick out each person playing an instrument. I can see the IE8 soundstage described as headstage in comparison.

 

[vedye]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dura /img/forum/go_quote.gif Someone like HPA is trying to get an professional reviewlike comparison and has a large collection of all kind of phones, so his approach is burning-in for 250 to get the best impression of the IEM's. but if you are an ordinairy mortal like me and bought them to use as your main IEM, 20 hours burning-in is enough to get rid of the treble harsness and midbass hump. After that, use them for what they were made and bought, enjoy the music and forget about further burning-in, it will happen automatically.

Totally utterly agree.

My own experience says the same. As I'm not purposely burning my IE8's in or I had expectations every time I put them on. I put them on my walkman for two nights playing my normal playlist when i received them. After that I just use them about 4 hours everyday(I use them when I'm at work). If you have read my initial impressions somewhere in this thread(in Nov 2008), you'll know I was not happy about the bass(strong but not deep impact), and thought they were dark.

I've long forgotten about that feeling. I didn't notice since when, but now to me they are very detailed, surrounded, passionate, have the magic airy impact with every beat, and even with a bit crispy highs.

These phones are definitely pretty awesome. If you are not doing auditions pair by pair, I think you can drop the worries and just enjoy the music.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

I listened to my 160 hour IE8 today - to me the bass seems to be back to being too much today, but the mids are slightly fuller and the treble is starting to come up, although unevenly in places. I have been using the bi-flange tips from the head-direct RE2 since yesterday, but I'm still not sure about the sound with them - they might be the cause of the extra bass. I get a seal but the level of isolation is still not acceptable to me.

So, Naamanf listened to my top 3 IEM and liked my 160 hour IE8 a little better than the Phonak which he thought with grey filters and silicone tips were a little bright on his iPhone 3G, although he still complained of a "peaky" treble on the IE8 as well. His top pick was my Westone 3 which he liked the most, and he usually doesn't like to use IEM. For his trouble I gave him a free pair of Z.buds to try and keep or sell.

I will hit 185 hours about 6pm tomorrow and will listen again.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Crazy - I KNOW THE DOUBLE POST WASN'T ME.

 

[zardos]

mouseboy, like you wrote there are qualities in the IE8 sound we cannot EQ into the SE530. The other way round I cannot discover as much "EQ-stable" sound qualities from the SE530. To me the latter sound slightly narrow, clinical, timbre off from natural, as soon as my ears (brain) have fully acclimated to the IE8 frequency response signature. Then my brain translates the FR from IE8 into perfect flat. But my ears never will acclimate to the loss of airiness, soundstage and overall naturalness in timbre when I switch back to SE530. That's my personal experience from about 3 month comparison between SE530 and IE8.

Todays IE8 play tip

Very transparent, wide and airy sounding Brazilian music. A delicacy for the IE8.

Good luck to all new IE8 users.

 

[myk7000]

I've compared the se530 to the ie8, not the w3 tho as I've never listened to them.

However even after only 20 hours of burn in, the ie8 gave me a much more fun and exciting musical experience, no comparison! People complain about the bass but the bass really reminds me of my old D2000s which I personally thought had amazing bass. In fact, sometimes I feel like putting up my bass to knob 3 to take in that awesome head experience of bass that is hard to achieve with most headphones. The IE8s really do remind me of a fullsize headphone (obviously a closed one).

At first though, I was very dissapointed but even 20 hours was enough to really show me how amazing these little things are. They have replaced my d2000s without remorse on my end.

I have to admit though isolation is much better on the 530s but other than that, i would take the ie8s RIGHT away over the se530 anyday.

 

[moseboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zardos /img/forum/go_quote.gif mouseboy

moseboy (pronounced "mozie-boy").

Easy mistake, cuz nobody gets it, and nobody gets it cuz it's a lame name....

moseboy -> MOSEboy -> MSOE boy

Milwaukee School of Engineering - MSOE - Milwaukee School of Engineering

But I agree with the other things you said

.

 

[toughnut]

That's meant you're from MSOE?

Currently i'm on 90ish hours on my IE8. One word. Awesome. Good fit using dual flange mediums size but still lack isolation. The treble still less refined than i want to, the bass still sound off. Other than that, i'm enjoying it. But i dont enjoy it on rock/complex music yet. It still seem lost playing those tracks.


P.S: I just notice a big problem last night, i'm listening to it too loud =_=
It requires lower volume compare to triples.

P.S2: Previously burn in using pink/white/freq sweep and music in 8:2 ratio, at higher than normal listening volume (15/30 on S639F). Currently start burning in at normal listening volume (12/30).

 

[moseboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by toughnut /img/forum/go_quote.gif That's meant you're from MSOE?

Lame, right? We say MOSE instead of MSOE for some things because it's easier to say. Like instead of "my-M-S-O-E," we say "my-MOSE."

I'm a sad person....

 

[nsx_23]

Ooh, school of engineering. What type of engineering?

 

[moseboy]

Computer.