[shootertwist]

its been hard to find these nowadays and saw someone selling it for usd99  used (for how many years i dont know hehe), is it a good buy, or should i get an ie80 instead? i just want something for when i need a bass fix and for rnB/hip hop. i used to have both but not at the same time so i cant compare. I really miss the ie8 sound and plan to get the second-hand ie8... should i go get it? is there no other alternative to new iems coming out today? thanks in advance

 

[james444]

  its been hard to find these nowadays and saw someone selling it for usd99  used (for how many years i dont know hehe), is it a good buy, or should i get an ie80 instead? i just want something for when i need a bass fix and for rnB/hip hop. i used to have both but not at the same time so i cant compare. I really miss the ie8 sound and plan to get the second-hand ie8... should i go get it? is there no other alternative to new iems coming out today? thanks in advance

 
The IE8 and IE80 sound pretty much identical. The main difference is that the IE8 cable is a little bit better than the IE80 cable imo.

 

[HONEYBOY]

Does anyone know where I can get a genuine pair of IE8s? I know that they have been discontinued, but with all their flaws these phones get me into the music like nothing else I've tried. I just bought the IE8i from Amazon thinking I had a decent deal for $220. They sounded horrible and are absolute fakes, but reminded me how much I miss these.

 

[MeggaMortY]

  Does anyone know where I can get a genuine pair of IE8s? I know that they have been discontinued, but with all their flaws these phones get me into the music like nothing else I've tried. I just bought the IE8i from Amazon thinking I had a decent deal for $220. They sounded horrible and are absolute fakes, but reminded me how much I miss these.

 
 
 
They do still sell them in some of the commercial electronics stores here in Berlin, were a bit more expensive (~270 Euro so around 300 bucks), and should most definitely be genuine. I don't know if any of those stores (Saturn, Mediamarkt) do any international shipping. I might ship them to ya just for the heck of it, I'm not sure how things with import charges go tho.
 
P.S. It was the IE8i version they sell tho, so the cable will have a mic on it.
 
Cheers,
Branimir

 

[Gosod]

What kind of custom cable to use for these headphones? copper or silver?

 

[HONEYBOY]

   
 
 
They do still sell them in some of the commercial electronics stores here in Berlin, were a bit more expensive (~270 Euro so around 300 bucks), and should most definitely be genuine. I don't know if any of those stores (Saturn, Mediamarkt) do any international shipping. I might ship them to ya just for the heck of it, I'm not sure how things with import charges go tho.
 
P.S. It was the IE8i version they sell tho, so the cable will have a mic on it.
 
Cheers,
Branimir

That's very nice of you man. I decided to try the portable closed headphones route and decided I'll use some Momentum 2.0 for now. They have that cohesiveness to the sound as the IE8s. Thanks though!

 

[icedtea_chao]

I purchased my IE8s 7 years ago and the stock cable finally started developing a fault near the connection to the right driver. IEM cables lasting 7 years with regular use during 1.5-2hr commute? Pretty impressive considering I store my IE8 by simply wrapping it around my palm and shoving it in my pant pocket along with my Cowon J3.
 
After a few days of wiggling the right cable around to get the sound to work, I purchased this cheap aftermarket replacement cable (which I also spotted on ebay) hoping it would arrive before my flight back to Australia in 10 days. Shipping took only 2 days. It would have taken around 20-40 days for delivery had I purchased this from ebay in Australia. One of the perks of living in China I guess.
 
My first impressions after a few days of use is that for ~12AUD, the build quality isn't bad. The cable is pretty much the same thickness as the original cable, the same length, both low friction surfaces to prevent tangling, the split into left and right is in essentially the same location (very slightly lower on the aftermarket cable) and the connection to the drivers is tighter than the original cable (though the original is 7yrs old at time of comparison) so you don't need to worry about the driver randomly getting detached from the cable.
 
The two obvious differences between this aftermarket cable and the original is that this aftermarket cable is a lot more springy http://i.imgur.com/7NNy449.jpg When I coil both cables around my palm and place it on the table, the stock cable will maintain its shape most of the time while the aftermarket cable springs out. When I straighten both wires, the stock cable will comply easily while the aftermarket is left with curls. Due to this characteristic, the aftermarket cable is more prone to fall into a tangle when straightening it out after pulling it out of my pocket. The other main difference is the slider adjusting the split between left and right wires is a lot more smooth on the original cable. The aftermarket cable's slider is pretty tight and will require both hands on the cable to adjust the slider as opposed to the convenience of using one hand with the stock cable.
 
As for the sound, I'm a cable skeptic so take that as you will.
 
Overall, I'd be surprised if this Chinese cheap aftermarket cable lasts anywhere near as long as the stock one but for its price, I'm pretty happy. Once again, I'm very impressed that the stock cable managed to last so long and I'll probably look into whether I can buy another one from Sennheiser when I'm back in Australia.

 

[Sir Metal]

Rather belatedly I have a pair of these in the post. If they surpass my CX870s then they'll be kept! These seem to fit the bill for relaxed, musical, non-analytical listening for falling asleep to.

 

[Gosod]

this is a good headphones on all the time.

 

[Technocrafts]

Curiosity got the better of me, after I came across the latest IE80 deal on Amazon, and grabbed a pair(years ago I tried in vain to fall in love with the IE8, and I got rid of them a long time ago). To my surprize, the IE80 is vastly improved in terms of sound quality, and I am delighted to discover that the bass port tuning actually effective on these earpieces, as opposed to the pair of IE8 I owned a long time ago. It mattered not what I tried, there was no way to dissolve the drowning mid-bass hump from the produced sound by the IE8, I was only able to tolerate them with leaky seals. My very first action upon opening the box today with the new gear after unpacking, was to turn the bass port adjuster screws all the way down, before I attempted to try the gear, but the sound initially was still muddy, in comparison to the M2-IEG I'm currently addicted to (Sennheiser's best ever affordable IEM). I was rapidly adjusting to the sound of the IE80 though, and I ventured to try tuning the bass ports, to hear the difference if any. It didn't take long to find the sweet spot, by a tiny bit of opening the ports (the slot of the screw between the first and second mark) I was able to get the best bass response, eliminating the claustrophobic effect I experienced initially. The fabled ultra-wide sound stage of the IE8 has also materialized with the bass ports slightly open, so I was a happy camper for the evening. The question I'm getting ready to ask, was probably discussed here many times before, but I don't want to spend days going back through all the treads, I hope you guys won't frown at me... I'm curious if any of you were able to brighten up these phones with inexpensive cable upgrade? I would love this gear more, if it would reach into the higher realm of airy- treble of the Momentum IEM, or the now defunct UE TF-10. While this is non-issue, I would appreciate any advise!

 

[Gosod]

In my opinion Ie8 softer!

 

[Chivalry]

Picked a pair of new IE8i from superfi who had them in a sale at £119..  which i think was a good price?        but i want a cable with no mic.. wondered if anyone knew a good quality cheap one?

 

[Technocrafts]

  Picked a pair of new IE8i from superfi who had them in a sale at £119..  which i think was a good price?        but i want a cable with no mic.. wondered if anyone knew a good quality cheap one?

I ordered this one for the IE80 to upgrade the cheap stock cable, hoping to produce a more extended airy treble: 
 
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MTB74Q6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
I won't know the results for at least another week, until my order arrives. Well, if you enjoy the sound, the price was definitely right!

 

[Gosod]

  I ordered this one for the IE80 to upgrade the cheap stock cable, hoping to produce a more extended airy treble: 
 
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MTB74Q6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
I won't know the results for at least another week, until my order arrives. Well, if you enjoy the sound, the price was definitely right!

it's no accident the Chinese cable?

 

[Technocrafts]

  it's no accident the Chinese cable?

 
Well, the gear is Chinese as well, isn't it? I doubt any single one of these ear pieces are made in Germany, lol. On the box it is clearly printed "Made in China"...( If any US maker would offer that cable for the same price, I would be more than happy to order it )