[HeadphoneAddict]

56 hours - nothing major to report - slight improvements in bass, no change in treble. Still need to try the Shure E2c tips, waiting for my generic bi-flange to arrive.

 

[dura]

I gave them 20 hours of burn-in on my Tivoli radio (great radio btw, it is in my kitchen, I love listening to its pleasing sound while cooking).
The bassheaveness is completely gone, so is the treble harshness. The IE8s sound very pleasant; full and effortless, yet detailed, but totally different from the details coming from the Sleek SA6s, which seem to sound detailed by accentuating the midtreble. The SA6 do not have midbasswarmth, yet maintain their tonally balanced sound by adding some weight, kind of a deepbass warmth...
The Sens do not do this, tonal balance is less midtreble, more basswarmth, yet somehow still giving a lot of detail without artefical highlighting, no sibilance at all. Neither phone needs any EQ-ing on my Sony A808.
No soundstaging to speak of, nor was I expecting any (I posted a few pages back about how IEMs can't possibly give a soundstage anyway).
In short I love these, the full big smooth-yet-detailed sound is very pleasing to my ears.

About the tips I wrote this in the tip-complain-treat:
Got the IE8s yesterday, and tried nearly all suplied tips. None of them gave a good fit; because these do not go in deep I need a large tip, my earcanals are larger at the opening, I suppose I'm far from alone in this.
Luckely the large tips that Sony supplies with their IEMs gives a very good and comfortable seal.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dura /img/forum/go_quote.gif I gave them 20 hours of burn-in on my Tivoli radio (great radio btw, it is in my kitchen, I love listening to its pleasing sound while cooking). The bassheaveness is completely gone, so is the treble harshness. The IE8s sound very pleasant; full and effortless, yet detailed, but totally different from the details coming from the Sleek SA6s, which seem to sound detailed by accentuating the midtreble. The Sens do not do this, tonal balance is less midtreble, more bass. And this, in combination with the detail gives that pleasant full sound to my ears. About the tips I wrote this in the tip-complain-treat: Got the IE8s yesterday, and tried nearly all suplied tips. None of them gave a good fit; because these do not go in deep I need a large tip, my earcanals are larger at the opening, I suppose I'm far from alone in this. Luckely the large tips that Sony supplies with their IEMs gives a very good and comfortable seal.

I would take these IE8 over an SA6 any day. After 56 hours of burn-in they would probably beat my previous Image X10 as well (which I have compared side by side with a loaner pair of SA6 and liked more). I agree the IE8 have a "pleasant full sound". Rich might be another term that fits. So far they are just a bit less detailed than my Westone 3 with a bit less treble sparkle than the W3 as well - they remind me a bit of the HD650 but in an IEM, while the W3 remind me more of an Ultrasone.

 

[Daeregaol]

Yay, love the IE8s, great sound+soundstage, only problems with seal :/

otherwise great IEM

good first exp overall with first time trying an IEM..

 

[PeterDLai]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeadphoneAddict /img/forum/go_quote.gif I would take these IE8 over an SA6 any day. After 56 hours of burn-in they would probably beat my previous Image X10 as well (which I have compared side by side with a loaner pair of SA6 and liked more). I agree the IE8 have a "pleasant full sound". Rich might be another term that fits. So far they are just a bit less detailed than my Westone 3 with a bit less treble sparkle than the W3 as well - they remind me a bit of the HD650 but in an IEM, while the W3 remind me more of an Ultrasone.

Sounds like the IE8 is closing the gap on the W3, even if very slowly.

Looks like burn-in is ever so important with these as almost every review I've read on these report...

 

[thechungster]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PeterDLai /img/forum/go_quote.gif Sounds like the IE8 is closing the gap on the W3, even if very slowly. Looks like burn-in is ever so important with these as almost every review I've read on these report...

It is very important imo, to my ears, they fully burned in at around 200-250 hours.

 

[dunnowho]

hello can i ask, is the ie8 sound signature more laid-back? if so, will pairing it with an ibasso t4 or fiio e5 bring out the mids better?

 

[R3SET]

About 200 hours on my IE8 now, very satisfying sound i can say. Too bad my amp needs a new cooling fan, but i'm now comparing it to the HD600 from pc-out.

 

[moseboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by R3SET /img/forum/go_quote.gif but i'm now comparing it to the HD600 from pc-out.

That would be a very interesting comparison.

 

[ottoyu34]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dunnowho /img/forum/go_quote.gif hello can i ask, is the ie8 sound signature more laid-back? if so, will pairing it with an ibasso t4 or fiio e5 bring out the mids better?

The vocals is kind of like in front of your face.

 

[moseboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ottoyu34 /img/forum/go_quote.gif The vocals is kind of like in front of your face.

Really? I've always read that the vocals are a little further back and that they mix into the music, unlike the Phonak Audeo PFE that has a much more upfront vocal presentation:

Quote:

Originally Posted by average_joe /img/forum/go_quote.gif Midrange: PFE – ★★★★☆ - The vocals are immaculate, pristine, clean, and oh so clear. Voices have a clarity that I have never heard be reproduced, weather it is a slight nasality, or voice inflection, it is all there and very clear. They seem to stand out against the music, not blended in at all.... IE8 – ★★★★☆ - With 200+ hours of burn in the midrange is very detailed and instrument placement is very precise. While vocals are good and still clearing up, but are not as separated from the music as with the PFEs making the PFEs vocals clearer....

 

[ottoyu34]

Quote:

Originally Posted by moseboy /img/forum/go_quote.gif Really? I've always read that the vocals are a little further back and that they mix into the music, unlike the Phonak Audeo PFE that has a much more upfront vocal presentation:

Yes, in comparision IE8 could be less upfront. Also I don't have any IEM to go head to head.

But if IE8 has a larger soundstage. imo it would be weird if the vocals are as upfront as others

 

[cn11]

Larry-
Glad they're mellowing out for you as you keep listening. I'm curious, can you do a quick comparison of the bass of the IE8's, Phonaks, and Sleeks (I suppose which bass port/ treble tube combination is important here- I used bass + and treble =)? I'd love to know how they're stacking up....no need for tons of detail, just wanted to know a brief ranking.

Thanks in advance!

 

[dura]

I'm not Larry, but I can add my two cents about the Sleeks.
The IE8s are much better; the Sleeks have good detail but that is because the accent on the midtreble, counterbalanced by some bassweight so that the tonality seems balanced. But you loose warmth and get sibilance. The Sens have an incredibly smooth sound without an accented tonal area (I don't find them bassy at all) and somehow still manage to sound detailed.
As a result they are completely fatigue-free yet very musical and suitable for all I threw at them (jazz, pop, electonics, acoustic music mainly); for me they bring out the character of the music like the artist intended it.
Untill the cable broke, I was quite satisfied with the Sleeks, they are musical and enjoyable too.
However, once I heart the IE8s there is no turning back, and I'll sell my Sleeks as soon as I got the replacement cable.

 

[moseboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ottoyu34 /img/forum/go_quote.gif But if IE8 has a larger soundstage. imo it would be weird if the vocals are as upfront as others

X2