[dfkt]

I listen to doom metal and play bass as well. For that the IE8 are a nice choice for sure.
 
The HJE900 are a very good choice too, but their treble might need a bit of taming, at least for my ears (easily done with a bit of foam stuffed in their nozzles). The e-Q5 probably won't have enough bass for your liking, although they're the most refined of the bunch. The TF10 have horrible fit, I wouldn't get them for that alone.

 

[jleewach]

hey Dfkt, totally non-ie8 related, but are there any plans to give the new Atrios w/ MG7 driver a listen/review on abi? I recently gave them a try & noticed a huge improvement over the older version Atrios. Huge improvement, especially in the treble region. Honestly, I'd say they come pretty darn close to equaling the SQ of the IE8. Not quite there, but close.

 

[Inks]

I wouldn't say the TF10s have horrible fit, they're big but for some users like me it works pretty well. I did fine with them but yes your mileage may vary but I wouldn't say they're going to be horrible for most, it's nothing like the DDMs for ex. 

I listen to doom metal and play bass as well. For that the IE8 are a nice choice for sure.
 
The HJE900 are a very good choice too, but their treble might need a bit of taming, at least for my ears (easily done with a bit of foam stuffed in their nozzles). The e-Q5 probably won't have enough bass for your liking, although they're the most refined of the bunch. The TF10 have horrible fit, I wouldn't get them for that alone.

 

[dfkt]

Quote:

hey Dfkt, totally non-ie8 related, but are there any plans to give the new Atrios w/ MG7 driver a listen/review on abi? I recently gave them a try & noticed a huge improvement over the older version Atrios. Huge improvement, especially in the treble region. Honestly, I'd say they come pretty darn close to equaling the SQ of the IE8. Not quite there, but close.

I sometimes miss my Atrio 5 and regret that I sold them... then again, to my ears the Hippo VB sound like an upgrade to the old Atrio in most aspects, just not isolation. Improved treble on the new Atrio sounds very interesting, especially since that's one of the weaker points of the VB as well. Maybe I'll drop Future Sonics a mail, see if they're interested in a review.

 

[HawkinsT]

It's a third party with only 3 pieces of feedback and the seller has poor English... I wouldn't trust it for the sake of potentially loosing £130 (price has lowered now). Play had similar offers when I bought my pair, though they all looked pretty suspect too, so I opted to pay £180 from Amazon in the end. If you're spending that much on iem's I don't think it's worth the risk as you can't be sure what you're going to get with that little information on the seller - I do know for a fact fakes have been sold through play.com third party sellers in the past though.

 
Quote:

 
They're £150 on Play.com!  Although they do tend to use third parties, and there's always the risk of counterfeits I suppose.  I might buy these, I have the CX300 and am looking to upgrade, and I must say, being a bass player I do enjoy the bump in the mid-bass region!
 
I'm currently trying to decide between these, the EQ-5, Monster Turbines, TF10s or HJE900s...  not 100% made my mind up yet though.  I did read a comment that the IE8s are awesome for doom metal due to their full and rich bass and low mids, and wide soundstage, that's what's swaying me towards these at the moment!

 

 

[159650]

Hello. I've had my IE8 for a while now, and although I love them, I felt that they were too expensive for daily use. So I bought a pair of used IE7 for 74 bucks on Amazon. And they're authentic!! 
 
My question is. Is it just me or does the IE8 lose out a bit in the Highs? The IE7 seems to have better highs although it loses out on all else.
 
anyone can confirm?

 

[HawkinsT]

So I haven't heard the hf5's yet, although the re0's I ordered arrived a couple of days ago so I've been giving them an extensive listen. I was right before, the ie8's really are unable to reproduce certain details in the highs, that considering their price I really don't think they should.
 
Anyway, I've listened to the ie8's enough now to give an observation that I noticed right from the outset - at least to my ears; the apple earbuds (apple's original iem's, not the newer addiem's) have an almost identical sound signature to the ie8's. The ie8's are slightly more engaging and the difference is noticeable in songs with heavy quantities of bass. Also apple's earbuds have more clarity in the highs (which is something you can hear in songs when A-B'ing, though I don't perceive under normal listening). Aside from that though listening to either iem it sounds like I'm listening to exactly the same performance, just with the ie8's from the middle of the stalls and with apple's iem's from the gallery. Were I to A-B the two iem's, with certain tracks I do believe I would have a hard time discerning which is which.
 
Perhaps this is only due to my lack of experience with high end iem's, but any other iem I have experience with I know I can tell which is which far easier and so I did hope that for the money I would have got a larger change from a set of £30 iem's than I did.
 
Quote:

Yeah, I tried to make a few corrections to the previous post, than the text just disappeared so I didn't see the point retyping it.
I certainly agree that the T3 is not your best option for the IE-8, I like the D2 a lot more with them. I'm very curious of your findings regarding the hf5. I have the ER-6i, but they are one of the most uncomfortable plugs I ever wore, producing a weird "piston"effect on my ear drums, so I can't tolerate them for too long, otherwise I love their sound.

 

[wkamil]

Lucky You (and your wallet too)

 

[blackburner]

Is it me or the female vocals sound a little laking? They are kinda boring but they help me concentrate when I'm studing

.

 

[Technocrafts]

Quote:

So I haven't heard the hf5's yet, although the re0's I ordered arrived a couple of days ago so I've been giving them an extensive listen. I was right before, the ie8's really are unable to reproduce certain details in the highs, that considering their price I really don't think they should.
 
Anyway, I've listened to the ie8's enough now to give an observation that I noticed right from the outset - at least to my ears; the apple earbuds (apple's original iem's, not the newer addiem's) have an almost identical sound signature to the ie8's. The ie8's are slightly more engaging and the difference is noticeable in songs with heavy quantities of bass. Also apple's earbuds have more clarity in the highs (which is something you can hear in songs when A-B'ing, though I don't perceive under normal listening). Aside from that though listening to either iem it sounds like I'm listening to exactly the same performance, just with the ie8's from the middle of the stalls and with apple's iem's from the gallery. Were I to A-B the two iem's, with certain tracks I do believe I would have a hard time discerning which is which.
 
Perhaps this is only due to my lack of experience with high end iem's, but any other iem I have experience with I know I can tell which is which far easier and so I did hope that for the money I would have got a larger change from a set of £30 iem's than I did.
 

The lack of high resolution on the IE-8 you noticed is definitely not your imagination. I switched back to the TF-10 because of that, though I always miss the comfort of the IE-8 since they don't need the airtight seal as the TF to perform their best. How is the sound stage of the RE0?
 

 

[Train]

 
Quote:

Sadly, my right ear likes to poop out IEMs after an hour or so of listening if I leave it alone. That side's ear canal is also smaller than the left side. I'm already using the stock medium bi-flange tips which work much better for me than the stock single flange tips with generating a good seal and staying inserted. I've yet to try the small bi-flange for the right side, but my experience with tip sizes for previous IEMs makes me think they will be much too small for my right ear. I'm hesitant to try foam tips from what I've heard of them muffling some of the sound, not to mention the high cost of lifetime replacements.
 
Anyone else had a similar predicament? I could really use some suggestions.

Anyone wanna help? I could still use any and all advice.
 
I've since tried using the small size stock biflange for my right ear and, as I expected, it was too small for a proper seal. I also tried using the stock medium foam tips....which were a complete disaster and propably some of the worst tips I've ever experienced. They weren't all that superb comfort-wise, and my right ear pushed the thing out in three seconds flat. For the time being, I'm back to using the stock medium biflanges on both sides.
 
I hear a lot of people use the UE silicone tips with the IE8. Do people find that those stay in a bit better? Or should I try Sony Hybrids or something else? This fit issue is the only thing keeping me from fully enjoying my IE8s.

 

[ickle97116084]

I had a really really annoying issue with fit of the IE8 and tried all the tips provided by Senn and I also tried some decored Shure foamies and a pair of Sony hybrids. In the end I bought t500 comply tips and these transformed the sound of the ie8s. Plenty of treble, mids and bass. These are a very bass heavy IEM even at the lowest setting but after owning several IEMs that seriuosly lack any punch in the low end (Shure se310s, e2cs and soundmagic PL30s) the IE8s are very refreshing.
 
I was really disapointed with the IE8s until I got the seal right by using the comply tips. I would suggest trying this out before giving up on the IE8s.
 
Cheers,
 
Ickle. 

 

[Burma Jones]

Quote:

 


Anyone wanna help? I could still use any and all advice.
 
I've since tried using the small size stock biflange for my right ear and, as I expected, it was too small for a proper seal. I also tried using the stock medium foam tips....which were a complete disaster and propably some of the worst tips I've ever experienced. They weren't all that superb comfort-wise, and my right ear pushed the thing out in three seconds flat. For the time being, I'm back to using the stock medium biflanges on both sides.
 
I hear a lot of people use the UE silicone tips with the IE8. Do people find that those stay in a bit better? Or should I try Sony Hybrids or something else? This fit issue is the only thing keeping me from fully enjoying my IE8s.

The Sony Hybrids are a very secure and comfortable fit but you might want to try the Super Tips from Monster Cable. I ordered a sample kit from Earphone Solutions and I basically use them for all my other iems. You get a set in various sizes of the foam type tips and another set of the gel type tips in the kit. They are super comfortable and they enhance the sound quality of the IE8. With the gel tips the sound of the IE8 becomes more balance, there is more transparency and the mid bass hump is taken down a bit. With the foam tips the sound becomes fuller, the low bass have better coherence with the mid bass, and there is still more treble extensions compare to the stock tips. Hope that helps.
 

 

[essbee1964]

Train,
 
Both the single-flange and bi-flange medium tips are ever so slightly too small for my ears, could not get a good fit.
 
I replaced them with the medium tips from my old UE Super.Fi Pros.
 
They now fit perfectly without hurting even after long sessions, very slightly larger than the Senn tips. Sound better than ever with good isolation.
 
Shaun

 

[MusiCol]

For anyone struggling with fit - or a lack of treble/mids - I have discovered a solution which has totally blown me away by its fit and improved sonic characteristics... It's a pair of custom sleeves made for my IE8's by a UK company called ACS (Advanced Communication Solutions - I'll put a link below) who also make full custom IEM's and a lot more. You need to get a set of impressions of your ear canal taken by an audiologist first, and the total price was £90 (roughly $150) but once you get them you'll have no more problems with fit. Before getting them I'd want to take my IE8's out after 1-2hours, but I now regularly wear the same IE8's but with the custom sleeves for 6hours or more with no fatigue of any kind - and no risk of them ever popping out! And the increase in sound quality is simply breath-taking - Everyone who uses good quality universal-fit IEM's should get these things! It's like having all the fun of the IE8's bass with the clarity in mids and highs usually only found in more expensive balanced armature type IEM's.
 
 http://www.acscustom.com/uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=39&Itemid=49
 
PS. I have no connection with the company at all and stand to gain nothing by recommending their products. I'm just a Very happy customer! I ordered a pair of their "T1" triple driver full custom IEM's at the same time as the custom sleeves (IE8+sleeves for outdoors/travelling and T1 for at home). Having experienced the improvements their custom sleeves alone make, I can't imagine what the full custom IEM's are going to sound like!
 
PPS. There is a dedicated thread to the combination of IE8's and ACS Custom sleeves here on Head Fi which I will post to soon. And hopefully I'll be able to add my experiences to the dedicated ACS T1 thread next week (yep, there's one for those too)!