[dura]

1000th post.
and...double too!

 

[dura]

Hello Sennies,

same as Peter here.
The cable of my SA6 got damaged after 3 months of usage, while waiting for a replacement cable I listened to my Sony A808 with the supplied MDR-EX82...hmmm, not too bad I thought, there is something about dynamic drivers...and while I love the delicated yet weighthy sound of the SA6, its build-quality doesn't seem to be good enough for daily outside use.
So I wrestled through this whole threat, got curious about the IE8 and just ordered them, they are supposed to arrive tomorrow.
I'm planning to pair them with the upcoming 32GB Sony touch Dap, but only after SoozieQ (gets it, sells it, rebuys it again and then) gives it a thumbs up.

 

[soozieq]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dura /img/forum/go_quote.gif So I wrestled through this whole threat, got curious about the IE8 and just ordered them, they are supposed to arrive tomorrow.

Hey Dura, you finally got on board the IE8 boat. Congrats

They're very very different to the SA6, but then you've probably already gathered that from the thread. I think you'll love the bass, soundstage and treble (no sharpness there), but maybe you'll find the SA6 vocals come across as even more prominent than the IE8, (maybe because the IE8 bass impact is so much stronger than the SA6.)

Quote:

I'm planning to pair them with the upcoming 32GB Sony touch Dap, but only after SoozieQ (gets it, sells it, rebuys it again and then) gives it a thumbs up.

Ha ha, hey! Are you implying I buy things, sell them, and then buy them again? That makes me sound totally nutty. Oh, wait, hang on, I am, so that's okay then

Anyway, really looking forward to your impressions of them. I think they're pretty amazing (as do most people in this thread), but that won't mean anything to you unless you get the right fit. The angle of insertion (as already mentioned), is very important. When I had them the first time, I found it really easy to insert them the wrong way!! I didn't quite have the cable sitting properly over my ears, so they didn't stay put for long. But now it takes me about 5 seconds to insert them.

And congrats on messing up your 1000th post!!
I made my 1500th post in this thread, and couldn't think of a nicer thread to post it in

 

[dura]

Hahaha, I knew you would react immediately on that little sentence.
Yes, thanks to this treat I got an idea about the IE8, probably something like my humble but fun HD485, big bass, large sound, and indeed completely different form the detailed SA6s.
(BTW, I use the word large sound instead of soundstaging, i'll add a post about that).

 

[mark2410]

LOL

soozieq you know your never going to live that down

 

[dura]

I read alot about soundstaging in this treat but I think IEMs are not capable at all of soundstaging, and headphones aren't very good either.

It's all rusty and perhaps outdated by newer insights but 20 years ago I got myself a MD psychology and I was interested in sensory information; I seem to remember that the direction of sound is made up by a large amount by the shape of the earshelves. Different directions give different distortions (frequency dependent damping of volume) which act as a cue for the brain in placing the source.
Ok, easy, so just add those distortions and you got soundstage, right?
No, it is a little bit more complex; everyone has different earshelves, so every ear adds an individually determined distortion; the brain learns how to interpret the distortions by learning, f.i. together with visual clues (among others, blind people are very good in locating the source of sounds).

There are other mechanisms at work too (left-right fase differences f.i. for lower frequencies), and there is volume and 'grayness' (lack of transients) that determine distance, which combined with the left/right balance manages to conjure up a spatial illusion, but a realistic soundstage for f.i. an orchestral with all instruments correctly placed...forget it.
Headphones aren't very good either; the earshelves are in the game, but the individual 'tuning' is not.
For speakerbased system it's easier; you already got the left-right line in front of you instead of right through your head, you can create distance by 'graying' out sounds (which happen automatically by placing the mics right) and there you have it, direction and distance, albeit in 2-dimensional space. (yes, a speakerbased system can give the illusion of height, but it is not possible to let a sound go up and down).

So, for IEMS you got left and right, and distance, the rest is spatial illusion. A big sound is certainly possible, f.i. by adding cues that give the impression of reflections in a space and that distance-thing, but a real soundstage with different sources in different place in 2 or 3 dimensions...no I don't think that is possible, unless someone manages to make spatial clues dynamic and individually adaptable in soundsources.
This is a very rudimentary description of the soundstage-mechanisms, far from complete and perhaps faulthy here and there, but I hope it gives an idea of what you can and cannot expect from IEMs.

 

[average_joe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dura /img/forum/go_quote.gif I read alot about soundstaging in this treat but I think IEMs are not capable at all of soundstaging, and headphones aren't very good either.

From my experience it is possible, but the spacial info has to be in the source info, as I would say a small percentage of my music give me an out of head stage. And binaura recordings are exceptional at providing SS for headphones.

The SS hype is because the SS of the IE8 is wider than most, if not all IEMs regardless of original recording quality.

Bottom line is I hear out of head sounds with my IE8s that I don't hear with my other IEMs, and that is the most important thing to me

 

[khtse]

I emailed Sennheiser USA and asked if they have any plan to make an iPhone adapter cable with mic and remote control for the IE 8. This is their answer

"There are several discussions about the iPhone adapter cable, but at this time there is no cable."

I also asked Null Audio (Null Audio Studio), who produce after market cable for UE and Shure earphones, the same thing . This is their answer

"the IE8 cables and cables with mic are in our RnD plan and might be released in within months."

 

[walkingman]

If either makes a mic cable for the IE 8, I'll seriously consider getting the Nokia 5800 or N97 as my next phone.

 

[thechungster]

Just modded some Olives, and put some silicon tips over it and it's odd... Treble definitely comes out, but mids seem different for some reason... It doesn't seem as natural for me.
Edit: I think I'll stick the the small foamies that came with the IE8's. I find them very comfortable as they don't go in as far. I don't mind about isolation whilst using these at home, so I'm ok.

 

[ottoyu34]

Quote:

Originally Posted by khtse /img/forum/go_quote.gif I emailed Sennheiser USA and asked if they have any plan to make an iPhone adapter cable with mic and remote control for the IE 8. This is their answer "There are several discussions about the iPhone adapter cable, but at this time there is no cable." I also asked Null Audio (Null Audio Studio), who produce after market cable for UE and Shure earphones, the same thing . This is their answer "the IE8 cables and cables with mic are in our RnD plan and might be released in within months."

If there's going to be Sennheiser mic cable for the IE8. This IEM is going to be very competitive at High-end. Many will be very happy with this.

I am looking forward for Null Audio's upgrade cable... umum..

 

[cn11]

The thought of cable options, like Null Audio, is making me very excited as well. I'm so glad to have such a fine IEM, and also have the capability to tweak them in the future. Fun times!

 

[ottoyu34]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cn11 /img/forum/go_quote.gif The thought of cable options, like Null Audio, is making me very excited as well. I'm so glad to have such a fine IEM, and also have the capability to tweak them in the future. Fun times!

"sound tunning" as on the retail package

 

[abitdeef]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeadphoneAddict /img/forum/go_quote.gif I believe NCIXUS shipped mine so fast to make up for all the trouble I have had, and it's hard to believe they un-canceled my original order Wednesday and I had them here by Thursday. That was some nice service there.

Yes, they took care of me really fast once I got a hold of them. I will buy from them again. Only took one day to get here for 17.95 nice! On the phone they were really nice.

 

[kjk1281]

Well, this is strange. It appears that NCIXUS.com no longer carries Sennheisers. The IE8s are still available on the Canadian site, however.

NCIX.com Search: "Sennheiser"

NCIXUS.com Search: "Sennheiser"