Sennheiser IE8 vs Klipsch Image x10 vs JAYS q-Jays

[renegade999]

Quote:

I've done a bit of thinking, at it has just occurred to me that the Sennheisers are probably not mean't to be twisted to removed the tips. I suggest that you refrain from doing that next time. Also, Why not consider buying a Shure SE530? I mean, their price have dropped a lot since the release of the SE535. Their sound signature is neither warm nor clinical, neither bassy or weak. They favor mids, which I love, and their highs and lows are good too. I think that they may be more to your liking. Just watch out for models produced before June 2008. They're sure to break. pun intended.

Thanks Kwangsun for your inputs and suggestions! I will take a look, but they are still kinda expensive at 340 euros...that's almost twice the price of the IE8s.
 

 

[aSunshine]

Oh my god, burning earphones 24/7 for 19 days! Its like super-rape marathon. I just listen to them and when i do a brake for a day or two i can return to them and realize that my little ie8 now sound little better:3
I also can say it again about tips - you can buy whatever tips you want, theres thousand of them on the market and you'll find ones that fit you for sure.
PS Guys, thanks for the idea of making less bass with EQ, i just never use EQ, so this thought couldn't come to me by itself

Now i wanna go and make some tests on how mids will behave after making less bass.

 

[159650]

Wow, I had no idea that the shures cost so much over there. I guess the Sennheisers are a much better deal then. The Senns cost 500 dollars in the US. 
 
I personally prefer the sound of the Shures to the IE8s. I've alway been a fan of the Sennheiser sound signature. The warm bass driven sound is so fun to listen to. But the Shures are clean, clear and much more realistic in my opinion. But I'll admit that the Shures are NOT twice the earphones that the IE8s are. So it's not recommended at that price. 
 
hahahah super rape marathon...hahaha
Well, I never burned in my IE8s for that long either. After a week I couldn't do it anymore. I just had to get them in my head and have a listen. Honestly, When you buy a new pair of earphones, you'd wanna spend some time getting to know them even if you know they're don't sound their best.
 
The Senns are still loads of fun to listen to. Honestly, I can't go back to listening to cheap stuff anymore. I own a pair of Koss Portapros, Grado SR60 and Sennheiser CX500...and they've been seeing a lot less use these days. That's what buying a pair of 500 dollar earphones will do to you. And If you own earphones that get horrible rep like Bose, you'd go from liking them to hating them in an instant. A few weeks into owning my Shure SE530s, I've sold all my Bose headphones cause I hated them so much after listening to the Shures. 
 
Basically where I'm going at is that A. The Senns are definitely a good pair of earphones, B. Bose Suck C. Bose Suck. D. Some of your old audio gear might see less use. Long live the 400-500 dollar earphones!!!!

 

[rawrster]

No sane person would buy the IE8 at MSRP. You can easily get them for $300

 

[Bennyboy71]

£135 at the moment from Play.com
Quote:

No sane person would buy the IE8 at MSRP. You can easily get them for $300

 

[renegade999]

Yeah it'd make sense, Shures are American while Senns are German...

I just got hold of the Klipsch x10s and truth be told, I'm rather disappointed...The base is good, but otherwise SQ and soundstage are above-average...I remember having a lot more fun with the IE8 and the bass is thunderous on the Senns.
 
Anyway, I think I've almost decided on the DBA-02. Gave the lady rep a call today, apparently I'd have to have it shipped in either from Estonia or Moscow! Sure hope it's worth the trouble.
 
Quote:

Wow, I had no idea that the shures cost so much over there. I guess the Sennheisers are a much better deal then. The Senns cost 500 dollars in the US.

 

[159650]

Well, I can't comment of the DBA-02. Tell me how it turns out if you buy them. I paid 300 USD for my IE8. A good deal in my opinion.

 

[josesol07]

I've been listening extensively to IE8 for the last month and way above the 400 hours mark for "burn-in".
Sound has smoothen a lot, and really got to like them.... until yesterday when I got back my DBA-02 replacement.
Oh boy!!  what a revelation, DBA-02 has an amazing sound. Smooth mids, cristal clear highs, tight and controlled bass and superb balance.
Now I realized how much music details were buried in the IE8's warm and diffuse sound.
I might be killed by saying this, but I don't even  miss IE8's bass. Actually, even IE8's soundstage is not missed at all.
As I got a second pair of DBA-2, IE8 goes back to the former owner.
Renegade999, you should try these little gems!!
regards,
Jose
 
 

 

[renegade999]

Hello everyone,
 
After a nice long vacation and an even sweeter break-up I'm back! I ordered the DBA-02 a couple of weeks ago. They arrived yesterday and sound terrible out of the box!! Jose did you have a burn-in on the DBA02? I did buy them from an authorized retailer, but they sound like a pair of $20 monitors!
 
Kudos,
R
 
Quote:

I've been listening extensively to IE8 for the last month and way above the 400 hours mark for "burn-in".
Sound has smoothen a lot, and really got to like them.... until yesterday when I got back my DBA-02 replacement.
Oh boy!!  what a revelation, DBA-02 has an amazing sound. Smooth mids, cristal clear highs, tight and controlled bass and superb balance.
Now I realized how much music details were buried in the IE8's warm and diffuse sound.
I might be killed by saying this, but I don't even  miss IE8's bass. Actually, even IE8's soundstage is not missed at all.
As I got a second pair of DBA-2, IE8 goes back to the former owner.
Renegade999, you should try these little gems!!
regards,
Jose
 
 

 

[josesol07]

Oh my!! are you getting a proper seal?
If it is not a seal problem, there has to be something wrong with your set.
DBA-02 sound quality does not change with burn-in.
Could you elaborate on the sound you are getting?
Coming from IE8 give time for your brain to adjust to DBA's sound signature!
I got perfect seal with Etymotics three flanged tips (modded to 2-flanged) and the stock black single flange tips.
I recommend reading the long DBA-02's thread at http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/484569/review-fischer-audio-s-dba-02 for several tips recommendations.
A few people did not manage to get a good seal with DBAs
regards,
Jose.
 

 

[renegade999]

Hey Jose,
 
Good to see you're still around! The seal is fine, the silicon tips suit me just fine...They sounded absolutely tinny right out of the box and when I say tinny I mean it was almost as if all instruments were made of CONDEMNED TIN! I really dont know how else to describe it, if I tried banging two empty bean cans together that's the kind of sound I'd get!!!
 
After about 7 - 8 hrs they seem to have improved, but still nowhere near as good as what others claim..

 
I'm shipping it back Monday and will request for a replacement. If the replacements also sound crappy (which I'm really hoping they dont), I'm selling the DBAs and sticking with the IE8s...
 
P.S: I haven't listend to music for over a month now (on the IEMs I mean)...So the transitionary effect from IE8 to DBA shouldnt be there.
-Renegade

 

[159650]

Ouch. It just comes to show that people have preferences. I prefer my SE530s. I love them more than my IE8s. Rolled off highs be D*&^ed. I love them anyway. The IE8s have a sound signature that is appealing to most in my opinion. Wide sound stage, warmth, V curve SQ with an affinity for lows and bass. I hope Renegade will be happy with the IE8.
 
I paid more for the IE8 than my Shures, so I am a bit bitter about it seeing as how I love my Shures more. But in the end, I love them both and I try to warm up more to the IE8s. 
 
Well, best of luck Renegade999
BTW, the SE530s do sound tinny in comparison to the IE8. But thats actually because the IE8s have such a warm sound. I guess jose just prefer the cleaner and more straight forward sound of the DBA-02 like the way I love the clean and crystal sound  of the 530s. 

 

[renegade999]

Hi Kwang, I guess you're right - it was indeed the warm sound that I was missing...I had another audiophile friend of mine try it out and he was pretty impressed!
Damn the DBAs - I'm sticking with the IE8s - too bad

 

[Spurt]

No one put up a fight for the IE7s

Not as much bass as the IE8s, narrower soundstage (slightly) but i got mine for £100 thanks to Play and i'm so impressed with them. I used to have the X10s - cable broke after a few months. Trying to get a replacement was a nightmare. I've got the IE6s too - i listened to a pair of IE8s thanks to a mate who has had his for months. My IE7s have been going for 100 hours and the bass is just right for me.

 

[159650]

The Snob in me won't settle for anything less than the very best. Thats why I've never owned the SE420 or the IE7. And I'm not likely going to buy the UE700 either. I'd go straight for the best TF10. I'd probably do the same for headphones. HD800, forget anything below in the Sennheiser line. I actually think this is better value in the end, because when you buy something that expensive and have intentions to keep, then you wouldn't want to end up with something that isn't quite as good as the best.
 
Thats just me.