[ddkyd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by shigzeo /img/forum/go_quote.gif i see... it won't be an easy decision but may i'll do that. i checked canada computers yesterday who sell for cdn 349 which is like 280 usd and they did not have it locally but could be ordered. i have the money too, sort of. i thought the recall was told by voltage3 or someone like that in another thread. i think it was not from davidnyc. he said, 'an ie8 recall', not 'the ie8 recall'. big difference there.

You can order fom NCIX.ca. They should have them in stock real soon. I was told that Senn is sending them shipment on April 10th. By boat, which would take another week or so for NCIX to restock.

 

[Cence]

I unpacked my IE8 today and am quite impressed that for the first time I hear things in my songs that I did not even hear with my AKG K530 like band members from Apocalyptica breathing during their instrumental songs.

I am no real audiophile even though I try make sure to get good sound quality from the things I buy. Also I have never owned an IEM before but some things bug me with the IE8:

1. The sound feels quite inconsistent somehow. There are passages that feel very dull compared to what I am used to from my AKG K530 or the stock earbuds from my Cowon D2 but then there are passages that are lively, airy, extremely clear and detailed. In short it feels great.

2. The IE8's fit is very strange. I bought the Comply T-400 tips in advance because here and on several other forums people have reported that they have the best fit. I did not hesitate and directly put them on the IE8 after unpacking it but unfortunately they did not fit very well as I seem to have very narrow ear canals. The IE8 fit very loose with the comply tips and do not really penetrate the ear well.
I don't know if it is supposed to be like that but I expected to put an IEM deep into my ear canals so that they almost disappear and touch my eardrums in a metaphorical sense. This way I expected to be able to sleep with the IEM lying on my side but the IE8 really stick out of my ear partially (espcially the back side).
I am now using the the single silicone tips that were mounted in the IE8 when they were in the package coming out of the factory. This way they feel quite comfortable without putting too much pressure on my ear canals. Unfortunately the T-400 were quite a waste of money for me.

I might need some more practice inserting them. It would be nice to have an example video on how to insert them or a picture of the perfect fit.

3. I heard many reviews and comments about the need to "burn in" the IE8. Are there any profound facts regarding this or is this just a mental burn in to justify the price paid for the IEM? Again, I am no real audiophile and very skeptical regarding this need to burn in the IE8. Anyway, I will let them play music for a few hours at a slightly higher volume to try this out.

4. Can I simply put the IE8 into my computer's/notebook's line-in jack or do I damage them? What does the low impendance (16 Ohms?) mean for me as a consumer? My main music source is an iPhone 3G but I would like to use the IE8 as my main IEM and headphone replacement so that I don't mess up my hair anymore.

5. I heard about people breaking the IE8's nozzle especially when pulling off the Comply T-400 tips. Is there anything I need to becareful with? I had no problems pulling off the T-400 tips after I realized that they don't fit me but that was after only about an hour of use.

Thank you for reading this! I would be glad to get some "starter" advice!

 

[Zalithian]

The IE8's will need a long burn in before you'll be able to fully enjoy them and have them be consistent. They'll start to sound much better after 24 hours, and continue to do so for up to 300 hours of burn in after owning them. I personally like the foamies included, the small silicons and Comply T400's. I would put them aside for at least a week and keep them continuously playing on either a spare DAP plugged into a wall or somewhere else with them playing music. The reasoning for this is they are dynamic drivers and they need time to loosen up etc to be working properly. It's definitely not mental to me at least. They sounded poor out of the box, but after less than a day sounded much better.

I agree on the IE8's fit but as long as you are hearing solid bass it's safe to assume you have a good seal for them despite poor isolation. Make sure you've tried all the tips and compare the sound for them. For me, the bigger the ones I use the worse the seal. I can barely hear the bass with the large/mediums but I can hear it really good with the Comply's, Small Silicon and Small Foamies.

Out of all my IEMS, the IE8's are by far the shallowest insertion. They barely go inside your ear at all. Don't let your expectations fool you. They don't need to go in very far to have a good seal and be working properly. I think the bass is the best judgement for the seal with them.

Not sure on the nozzle, but I'd just be as careful as you can. They seem pretty sturdy to me compared to other IEMS I own, though.

Low impedance really just means how hard they are to drive or power. Higher resistance such as 80 Ohms would be very difficult for any DAP like an Ipod to power, but 16 Ohms is very easy and means you can use higher volume and get the most out of them without an amp. I would just stay away from higher output amps as they do have the possibility to damage them due to their low sensitivity, if you do decide on one. I don't think many people find an amp worthwhile with the IE8's either.

 

[gameboy115]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cence /img/forum/go_quote.gif I unpacked my IE8 today and am quite impressed that for the first time I hear things in my songs that I did not even hear with my AKG K530 like band members from Apocalyptica breathing during their instrumental songs. I am no real audiophile even though I try make sure to get good sound quality from the things I buy. Also I have never owned an IEM before but some things bug me with the IE8: 1. The sound feels quite inconsistent somehow. There are passages that feel very dull compared to what I am used to from my AKG K530 or the stock earbuds from my Cowon D2 but then there are passages that are lively, airy, extremely clear and detailed. In short it feels great. 2. The IE8's fit is very strange. I bought the Comply T-400 tips in advance because here and on several other forums people have reported that they have the best fit. I did not hesitate and directly put them on the IE8 after unpacking it but unfortunately they did not fit very well as I seem to have very narrow ear canals. The IE8 fit very loose with the comply tips and do not really penetrate the ear well. I don't know if it is supposed to be like that but I expected to put an IEM deep into my ear canals so that they almost disappear and touch my eardrums in a metaphorical sense. This way I expected to be able to sleep with the IEM lying on my side but the IE8 really stick out of my ear partially (espcially the back side). I am now using the the single silicone tips that were mounted in the IE8 when they were in the package coming out of the factory. This way they feel quite comfortable without putting too much pressure on my ear canals. Unfortunately the T-400 were quite a waste of money for me. I might need some more practice inserting them. It would be nice to have an example video on how to insert them or a picture of the perfect fit. 3. I heard many reviews and comments about the need to "burn in" the IE8. Are there any profound facts regarding this or is this just a mental burn in to justify the price paid for the IEM? Again, I am no real audiophile and very skeptical regarding this need to burn in the IE8. Anyway, I will let them play music for a few hours at a slightly higher volume to try this out. 4. Can I simply put the IE8 into my computer's/notebook's line-in jack or do I damage them? What does the low impendance (16 Ohms?) mean for me as a consumer? My main music source is an iPhone 3G but I would like to use the IE8 as my main IEM and headphone replacement so that I don't mess up my hair anymore. 5. I heard about people breaking the IE8's nozzle especially when pulling off the Comply T-400 tips. Is there anything I need to becareful with? I had no problems pulling off the T-400 tips after I realized that they don't fit me but that was after only about an hour of use. Thank you for reading this! I would be glad to get some "starter" advice!

you can try sony hybrid silicone which mentioned in this thread before. It has 4 sizes in a package, most likely one of them will fit your ear well. IE8 dun need a deep insert to make it shine as Zalithian said. Right now My IE8 is about 160-80+ hours, it sound different from the time it was first out of the box. To be honest, it is still a little veil when the vol is low, for my current DAP, 1 st iphone, below vol 3 out of 17 is very dull, and sound is laid back, at least vol 4/5 to unmask and I can really enjoy the detail it performs

 

[kobayashi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ddkyd /img/forum/go_quote.gif You can order fom NCIX.ca. They should have them in stock real soon. I was told that Senn is sending them shipment on April 10th. By boat, which would take another week or so for NCIX to restock.

You can order them from a certain authorized dealer in the US who will beat NCIX's advertised price and not have to wait for the backorder.

 

[Cence]

Thanks for the answers so far. Is it normal that my ears feel muffled with the IE8 inserted? The sound feels alright but there is this muffled feeling in the background. I guess I have to get used to this feeling.

 

[kloan]

Ever worn earplugs?

 

[maverick777]

So my IE 8's came in the mail today. Woohoo!

First impressions out of the box is not so great, but is what I expected after reading on the forum.
Highs Nothing special so far, but I haven't tested any material that really pushes this area.

MidsThe mid sounds very veiled. Almost like it's a good distance away. But with proper burn in, this will probably be fixed in a few hundred hours.

BassThese definitely have the most bass of all the IEM's I have trade by a good margin. But it's definitely a bit boomy out of the box. With burn in, hopefully it'll be a bit more punchy and refined as many have posted.

Overall, they sound as I expected from all the posts here.

Build quality The ear pieces seem very well contructed. A notch above my Super.fi Pro 5's and much more solid than my SA6's.

Cable No suprises with the L cable and thick cable. However, I wish more companies would use braided cables. They are removeable/replaceble which is a huge plus and a key selling point for me.

Packaging/Extras The packaging doesn't really stand out. It get's the job done. Not nearly as nice as Ety ER-4P packaging. The storage container gets the job done as well, but I definintely prefer my old Super.fi Pro metal container. It's the best IEM container I've come accross. Too bad the newer ones no longer have the spindle inside. I'd like to buy a few more.

Fit I have boxes and boxes of tips for all my IEM's and after these last few years I've come to the conclusion that there are really only 2 types of tips that are comfortable and fit well for my ears. First are comply tips, which I have quite a few. I have not tried the T400's on the IE 8's yet. Instead the first thing I did was use the Sony hybrid silicon tips, the one with the green stem.

They fit great, both for seal and comfort. I may try other tips later, but the Sony ones are working very well.

Those are my first impressions for now. They are now slowly burning in. I'll listen to them again tomorrow when they have 20+ hours of burn in.

 

[LordBread]

I'm happy for you!
And I use the sony hybrids as well, very comfy. You'll start lovin your ie8 once they burn-in. Luckily for me, I bought mine used. Pre-burned in.

 

[Zalithian]

Using my IE8's right now. The soundstage is so big it's scary.

 

[Surrealsky]

I have the best results in tonal balance from the UE single flange medium tips.

 

[cn11]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Surrealsky /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have the best results in tonal balance from the UE single flange medium tips.

Same here. That's my tip of choice. Very nice sound.

 

[Surrealsky]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cn11 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Same here. That's my tip of choice. Very nice sound.

On the contrary the UE double flange muffled everything making it almost nasally for me.

 

[cn11]

Same thing here. After my experience with their double flange tip (which I had purchased for the TF10's way back when) I'd given up on using any UE's for the IE8. Then I read way back in this thread that the single flange tips were awesome... Thankfully a friend of mine had extras and sent me a pair of the mediums, and that was it right then and there. I knew that was the best tip for me.

 

[Cence]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kloan /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ever worn earplugs?

The IE8 are my first earplugs. So I need to get used to the feeling I guess, right?