[dbrodie]

Hi I thought I would just recommend another tip alternative that I find to be better than all the others posted, at least to my ears. Try a large UE silicone under a large Sony silicone. The bass and isolation is improved vastly and the treble and midrange opens up considerably.

The sound is massive to the point where you could be actually listening to full size headphones on some songs.

Give it a go,

cheers.

 

[tonyfiore75]

I surely will, dbrodie- thanks. I actually have some UE silicones on the way to me right now so as soon as I get them I'll try your idea. I hope it works out for me although I must say, what I'm using right now if pretty darned GOOD!

 

[dura]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tonyfiore75 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Here's a note for you following this thread- I actually DID receive my Sony Hybrid tips today. In my opinion they are nothing special. I tried the mod, the one I described a few posts ago, where I stuck the stems of the Sony Hybrids into the double-flanges. Truth be told, I was happier with the Sennheiser large silicones than I was with the Sony Hybrids. Why? Because the stem fit of the Senn large silicones is TIGHTER, therefore there's no way that they're coming off of the double flanges when I take them out of my ears. Comprende? The Sony Hybrids stems fit more easily into the double flanges, which is nice initially, BUT when removing them from my ears I noticed that they moved- as in, they could conceivably come OFF of the double flanges after several uses. This is did not like. And as far as isolation and sq... I found them to be about equal. In fact I think the Senn silicones fit just a tad more snug in my ear canals which I prefer because the seal itself might actually be just a smidgen better. There you have it. That's just my ears talking. -T

Hi, about the hybrids: since they don't slide down all the way on the Senns they stick out a little anyway. So no need to create dualtip-constructions; just fit them on the IE8s as far as the go (to where the stem gets narrow) and they are okay.

I experimented putting foam or de-cored olives under them; IMO that adds to isolation but ruins the sound, the deep bass gets a dry tactile character, like the 'phones are physically tapped.

So just use the hybrids solely; I find they fit comfortably, give more isolation then other single flanged silicones and clean up the midbass a little.

 

[sanke1]

Grr Double post dunno why.

Read next post

 

[sanke1]

Got IE8 after trying IE7. Got them here UK ebay from some user with name starting with raj. 140 GBP brand new boxed and shipped royal mail special delivery

Out of the box, these completely crush IE7s in every respect. First and foremost: More treble, finally. The soundstage is larger than life. Boy sometimes i feel that the sound is coming from mile away, lol, but sounds spectacular. IE7s need to be crushed and thrown away in Thames.

IE8 sound like miniature version of HD650

 

[mark2410]

they dont crush, just different thats all

 

[sanke1]

@ mark
I tried my best to love IE7s but ended hating HD595s and IE7s both.

If I have to say how much better IE8 is compared to IE7, I say whopping 70% better.
This claim is not exaggerated. In simple terms, they are just better for any type of music. I still don't consider myself audiophile and use those jargons to prove my point. And you can get them at around 150 quid (even lesser on ebay) now so there's no point in wasting money over previous models.

I also heard to Shure SE530 yesterday and there is simply poor high frequency response. Only mids. lol.

So all newbs must try IE8 right away and need not worry about missing anything full sized cans provide.

my 2 pennies

 

[mark2410]

well they are different beasts

very different sound signatures which is unusal for most makers but those two are very different. lol see my ears like the 7 and 530 sound more but i can totally get why you love the 8, they are very impressive at what they do

 

[tonyfiore75]

As some of you have read in recent posts I have been experimenting with different tips and tip combinations. Initially I decided to use the large silicone domed tips. They were "ok" but didn't provide the kind of isolation I was used to. I didn't get a proper seal but at least they fit in my ears better than any of the other included Senn tips.

Next I tried putting those same silicones atop the included double flanges. That was a HUMONGOUS improvement and I thought I had found the ultimate modification for my Senn IE8s. The isolation was VASTLY improved, the fit was more snug and comfortable, the sound quality seemed to go up for my ears, and I was sure I really didn't need to do anything else. I was happy. UNTIL...

I had read about these Sony Hybrid tips that everyone kept talking about. I figured I would try these out and see if any more sq and/or isolation could be squeezed out of these puppies. I was kind of disappointed. For me and my ears they didn't do much. I tried them alone and I also tried them along with the bi-flanges. Like I had stated in an earlier post, the fit of the Sony INTO the bi-flange wasn't as tight as I had wanted it to be and felt like I may lose one or both tips eventually. SQ wise I couldn't decipher any difference between the included Senn silicone tips and the Sonys. I don't doubt that many people have had great successes with the Sonys but for my ears they didn't do much at all. So I went back to my original success- which was the bi-flanges teamed with the Senn large silicones.

UNTIL...

I remembered that I had great success with the UE large silicone sleeves. I read that these would fit on my Senns so I figured I might as put an order in. Well, I just got them today and this is now my #1 sleeve of choice. Firstly, I don't HAVE to pair them with the bi-flanges if don't want to. I get a much better seal with these (alone) than with the Senn sleeves or the Sony Hybrids. Anyway, I then decided to try these out with the bi-flanges to see how it compared to my other favorite combo. It's great. Really superb. The perfect fit, great isolation, etc. This is how I am listening to my IE8s now. The UE silicones are slightly more stiff than the Senns or the Sonys. This is what does the trick for me. I find the other two to be a little flimsy. I find the UE tips to be a lot stronger and less malleable. This is obviously what my ears require.

So... my winning combo is most definitely the UE large silicones and the Senn bi-flanges, fit over one another for improved isolation, fit and sq. It's a marriage made in heaven for these ears.

-T

 

[HONEYBOY]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tonyfiore75 /img/forum/go_quote.gif So... my winning combo is most definitely the UE large silicones and the Senn bi-flanges, fit over one another for improved isolation, fit and sq. It's a marriage made in heaven for these ears. -T

Congrats haha. The UE silicon tips are the best for the IE8s to me as well. I use the small flanges instead of the large ones and boy do they deliver haha!
EDIT

Oh I'll give that a try when I get back the IE8s, I just used the UE tips directly.

 

[tonyfiore75]

Yeah, you really should. I mean, like everything else, it may not work for your ears but it sure has for mine. The real difference is in the isolation because of the more snug fit. and what I had always read about the IE8s was that they isolated poorly- which I would have to agree with when trying the stock tips. A few experiments, though, and they seal/isolate as good as any other high end IEM that I've tried- with AMAZING soundstage. They really do sound very similar to my HD600s.

-T

 

[rebski]

My attention to fit is becoming more focused now. I have only just realised that my left ear canal is larger than the right, to the extent that even with the large Sony Hybrid the left phone is on the point of falling out. The right one is OK though, just about.

My experiment with the large Senn mushroom over the BiFlange wasn’t that successful and, after tonyfiorer75’s comments, I decided to try the Sony Hybrid in place of the Senn mushroom. The installation is much more satisfactory. The Hybirds stem slots into the biflange easily and the IE8 nozzle makes a strong fit into the Hybrid stem.

The comfort rating is exceptional and seal and isolation is superior too. I don’t detect much difference in the sound quality but the presentation seems to have more presence and impact. The music I listen to is not produced and engineered with hifi in mind so it is hard for me to be analytical in the HeadFi tradition.

For the time being at least, this is my preferred choice. I do wish that Sony would make an Extra Large version of the Hybrid though.

I still haven’t given up on the possibility of having a custom mould made either.

 

[tonyfiore75]

I agree, rebski. If Sony were to make an XL Hybrid sleeve, that might be absolutely perfect. And also like you I have definitely noticed that my right ear canal is ever so slightly larger than my left. This makes getting the "perfect" fit a little tougher with a universal. This is why I went the custom route with my UE10s.

 

[scrane]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tonyfiore75 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yeah, you really should. I mean, like everything else, it may not work for your ears but it sure has for mine. The real difference is in the isolation because of the more snug fit. and what I had always read about the IE8s was that they isolated poorly- which I would have to agree with when trying the stock tips. A few experiments, though, and they seal/isolate as good as any other high end IEM that I've tried- with AMAZING soundstage. They really do sound very similar to my HD600s. -T

Seal and isolation for the ie8 are not the same thing in that the rear of the dynamic driver is not sealed and exterior sounds will pass through the driver's membrane. They do sound great, though.
Sandy.

 

[tonyfiore75]

Good point, Sandy. The IE8s are indeed a semi-open IEM. I will say, though, that when i speak of "seal" and "isolation" the sleeves DO make quite an impact on both. It's as simple as what you hear and what you don't. When I used the Senn silicones alone I definitely heard a lot more background noise from the outside world. This tells me that the isolation was not great. And as far as the seal goes, that's just fit. When you have a better fit you tend to get a better seal and therefore a better overall listening experience.