[Technocrafts]

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This is going to seem like a stupid question but I did a search and could find nothing. Right now I have Imgae S4 out of the Clip+, the sound is decent for the gym, chores, etc, but I'm looking for a pair of real high quality IEM's for more serious listening. I like the lushness of the S4's, but they seem a little dull in general, and I feel they could be much clearer, instruments could be more separated, and the highs could be smoother/more engaging. I guess my question is how would the IE8 compare with the S4? Does the IE8 clearly blow it away in basically every way (which is what I'm hoping/assuming), or are they just different? I do like lots of bass, but I also REALLY like a strong mid with plenty of detail, and a smooth extended high end. I feel the mids on the S4 are pretty boring, and highs are unrefined. Any comments?

 
There is no such thing here as a stupid question. I do own the Image S-4 as well, but it's been awhile since I used them, once I moved up to a few good high end IEMs ( the Image X-5 among them), I can't tolerate The S-4s any longer, it seems I'm only hearing bloated one note bass and some mid-range out of them, forget sound stage. The IE-8s would blow those out of the water any day. Depending on sound source ( I never owned the clip+) and personal preference, you may find here what you looking for. Good luck and welcome to this tread!
 
P.S.
I didn't mean to trash the S-4s, those are very good IEMs for the price, but they were not meant to compete with the higher tier segment, therefore they are no match for the IE-8.

 

[i2ehan]

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I feel like the ie8 has great highs but I wish it was a little more emphasized.  When listening to the ie8 you kind of feel that way because of the super mid bass bloat, it kind of smears everything in the 100hz to 1000hz range.  That's why if you look at that EQ graph above, you'll see someone EQ'n out the mid bass and loving the hell out of this iem.  I'm personally one of those people because the ie8 minus all the mid bass bloat = a really really good iem.
 
You got the incredible sound stage, clearer mids, more accentuated highs, and you have that great dynamic driver sub bass.

Spot on what I'm hearing myself after the EQ. 

 

[lee730]

For me it actually put more focus on the treble to my ears so it may not work for him as well.
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Than most definitely you are very sensitive to hf sound. The TF-10 is my most favorite, to me they are irreplaceable for their high resolution and silky smooth, sparkling extended highs. The IE-8's hf range is more tamed, these should work for you once you find the right source to drive them. Beside the IE-8 I can't think of any IEM that would give you a decent sound stage with reasonable sound quality. If you haven't done so, try the Sony hybrid tips with them, those dampen the hf a lot. I hope this helps.
 

 

 

[lee730]

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Spot on what I'm hearing myself after the EQ. 

Precisely that is why I emphasize eq the midbass down and they are much more enjoyable. And to get that extra treble extension change to silver cable and you should be happy. The difference is quite noticeable at that. My IE8s had to go through some burn in again due to the cable change. They treble was even more piercing than the Sony EX1000s which I consider to be quite treble happy as is. After a few days the drivers settled down but maintained the extended treble, improved mids and tightened bass.

 

[i2ehan]

Could you kindly link me to this silver cable? 

 

[sjondenon]

Does anybody here uses his IE8 with a sony walkman player? Wat are your eq settings? I' d like to kill th midbass and make them more analytica just like l2ehan did with wmp.

 

[i2ehan]

If anyone here happens to have PowerAMP on any mobile phone operating on Android, its available as both a free app as well as a paid app. Either way, the app has an  excellent 10-band adjustable EQ, as well as adjustable preamp/bass/treble settings. It's the only reason I'm currently without an MP3 player, as I've no need for one thanks to PowerAMP. The very same results I achieved through the WMP EQ, I can achieve through PowerAMP. I highly recommend it to all those with an Android smartphone! 

 

[i2ehan]

Quick question regarding the red wire said to be visible in the right earpiece of the authentic IE8's, and NOT the fakes. For those who've ever encountered both the real and fakes, does this hold true under all circumstances, where if there is no visible red wire in the right earpiece, it's a dead giveaway?
 
From the fake IE8 comparison thread...
 

 

[lee730]

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Could you kindly link me to this silver cable? 

Your wish is my command . Note: I originally started off with his Red angel cable (listed as $70.00) and loved how that sounded as well. The silver cable is even more of an upgrade in my opinion and especially emphasizes on the treble the most. But it also tightens the bass bloat and makes vocals more intimate along with mids being more forward and less veiled. Can't really say they are veiled now especially with my UHA4 which also adds transparency to the mids.
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Advanced-Upgrade-Cable-UE-Ultimate-Ears-Galaxy-/110572888631?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19bea86237
 
 

 

[lee730]

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Does anybody here uses his IE8 with a sony walkman player? Wat are your eq settings? I' d like to kill th midbass and make them more analytica just like l2ehan did with wmp.

 
The Sony may be a bit warm still for the IE8s but you could get the mid bass down some. On my Hifiman and Sflo2 I turn the 300Hz down by -7 or -8 and only on the Hifiman do I turn the bass down a bit so -2 on the 60Hz. On the Sflo2 I only turn down the 300Hz to -7 and all is well. I don't recommend adding to the EQ though as that is when you add distortion and ruin the sound. When you minus you have no ill effects to the sound at all . Using Media Money 4 I had a bit more of a tricky time getting things right but I EQ by -2 db on the 63, 125, and 250 Hz and all is well. I use Media money 4 with the WASAPI plug in using my DACport LX and Fiio E9 amp (very nice setup). I'm still debating though on keeping my Sony EX1000's or not. Very irritating at the moment.

 

[lee730]

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If anyone here happens to have PowerAMP on any mobile phone operating on Android, its available as both a free app as well as a paid app. Either way, the app has an  excellent 10-band adjustable EQ, as well as adjustable preamp/bass/treble settings. It's the only reason I'm currently without an MP3 player, as I've no need for one thanks to PowerAMP. The very same results I achieved through the WMP EQ, I can achieve through PowerAMP. I highly recommend it to all those with an Android smartphone! 

An Sflo2 or Hifiman will still sound better I would figure. My iphone 4 and sansa fuze all used via line out dock still can't compete with what the Hifiman and Sflo2 ouput through even their Headphone outs. But for convenience I would completely understand. That is why I have the iphone4 and Sansa Fuze. But I haven't been really using them though lol as I love to have the best sound I can.
 
 

 

[lee730]

Sorry for multi-posing lol but I find it easier this way. To answer your question I think they should have that red chip to indicate if its authentic. Its best to buy from a Sennheiser Authorized dealer anyways. But if you do take the risk and you do get a real pair (I did this with my first pair) you can always buy a square trade warranty for the IEMs and be covered (I am proof of this as I did actually redeem the warranty for my broken IE8s and I ended up purchasing another pair (Auth this time though).
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Quick question regarding the red wire said to be visible in the right earpiece of the authentic IE8's, and NOT the fakes. For those who've ever encountered both the real and fakes, does this hold true under all circumstances, where if there is no visible red wire in the right earpiece, it's a dead giveaway?
 
From the fake IE8 comparison thread...
 

 

 

[i2ehan]

Thank you my friend, but the question remains: does the presence of said red wire guarantee that they're indeed 100% authentic. In other words, is it really that simple, where if after spotting the red wire, one can firmly say their IE8's are authentic, regardless of where they were purchased from? In all honesty, it isn't at all impossible to assume that those behind the counterfeits may very well have caught onto the absence of the red wire from the right earpiece, and made necessary changes. Not to mention, the comparison thread between the fake/real is relatively old.
 
I apologize for my paranoia, but I'm asking on behalf of a friend, who recently purchased a new set through an unauthorized reseller (I can't recall the name), claiming they're 100% authentic (then again, don't they all? 

). But based on the fake/real comparison shots, there are just as many signs of them being fake, as there are real, which has left the poor guy utterly confused. 

 Because he hasn't much to compare to, so whether or not they sound good to his ears is of little use at this point. Hence the only way to offer him some peace of mind is to confirm through those here who've encountered both whether or not their confirmed fake IE8's always expressed the absence of the red wire, or not.

 

[sjondenon]

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The Sony may be a bit warm still for the IE8s but you could get the mid bass down some. On my Hifiman and Sflo2 I turn the 300Hz down by -7 or -8 and only on the Hifiman do I turn the bass down a bit so -2 on the 60Hz. On the Sflo2 I only turn down the 300Hz to -7 and all is well. I don't recommend adding to the EQ though as that is when you add distortion and ruin the sound. When you minus you have no ill effects to the sound at all . Using Media Money 4 I had a bit more of a tricky time getting things right but I EQ by -2 db on the 63, 125, and 250 Hz and all is well. I use Media money 4 with the WASAPI plug in using my DACport LX and Fiio E9 amp (very nice setup). I'm still debating though on keeping my Sony EX1000's or not. Very irritating at the moment.

On my walkman  (A845) I can only adjust: 0.4 khz, 1khz, 2.5 khz, 6.3 khz and 16khz. (all +3 db to - 3db). I've got the 16khz on +1db which gives me a bit more clarity. To decrease the middbass should I turn 0.4 khz  (400hz) down by 1 or 2 db? I have a fiio e5 but I never use it because of the background noise.
 

 

[lee730]

Note its not red wire. Its a red chip inside of the wire. So be wary of that. And how much did he pay for his set? Also you should be able to tell if they are fake. They will not  have a large sound stage and with all the burn in in the world they will still sound like ****. The only way we could determine if they are real is to take some very good pictures and post them or actually have him give you his pair for testing? Do you own a pair of IE8s and know how they should sound?
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Thank you my friend, but the question remains: does the presence of said red wire guarantee that they're indeed 100% authentic. In other words, is it really that simple, where if after spotting the red wire, one can firmly say their IE8's are authentic, regardless of where they were purchased from? In all honesty, it isn't at all impossible to assume that those behind the counterfeits may very well have caught onto the absence of the red wire from the right earpiece, and made necessary changes. Not to mention, the comparison thread between the fake/real is relatively old.
 
I apologize for my paranoia, but I'm asking on behalf of a friend, who recently purchased a new set through an unauthorized reseller (I can't recall the name), claiming they're 100% authentic (then again, don't they all? 

). But based on the fake/real comparison shots, there are just as many signs of them being fake, as there are real, which has left the poor guy utterly confused. 

 Because he hasn't much to compare to, so whether or not they sound good to his ears is of little use at this point. Hence the only way to offer him some peace of mind is to confirm through those here who've encountered both whether or not their confirmed fake IE8's always expressed the absence of the red wire, or not.