[high-fidelity]

  I like IE800's sound signature more. Shure is good but IE800 is better, I think. Plus, they don't look like hearing aid unlike Shure, they look cool.

IE800 is different earphone for me.It is a different world.Only one and very tiny driver.And it renders amazing sound. 
 
It is incredible engineering.

 

[Raiton]

ok this is good news, that they aren´t worse than the shure. How durable is the cable and the bottom of the headphones is made of rubber? I mean this part http://tinypic.com/r/28mpe0h/8   is it easy to wear down? Well i will buy them probably anyway, sicnce they are with the shure best available IEMs in my country.

 

[Black Label]

Okay folks, this is not good!
 
Owing to the first precipitation here in Perth for the past four months, a sizable quantity of water managed to, seemingly, enter the right earpiece.  I am unsure as to which part, however I highly suspect that the water breached the mesh and made its way into the driver.
 
I would be a lot less worried if it entered the tubes (if it's even possible), for once evapoured I should imagine sound will right itself.
 
The sound in the right ear sounds somewhat muffled; bass especially.  It is said not to power them up when wet, however something more would have happened by now if I had fried an internal component (it is either that or it happened immediately).
 
I have contacted Sennheiser AU/NZ via their Facebook page, awaiting reply.
 
The pair of IE8s I had lasted four years and got wet countless times with nary a problem!
 
If all else fails there might be a chance of having them replaced on warranty (in spite of water damage), nevertheless I have a bad feeling about this, but will report back.

 

[superachromat]

  I think IE800 is better.It is my idea.I sold my 846 to my friend.And he says IE800 better.But,he loves Shure,that's the reason why he didn't buy IE800.
 
Maybe 846's mids are better.Because 846 has amazing mids.Shure's best hit is mid.

 
I have tried the 846 and I also owns a few earphones.
 
I would say the 846's tonality is my main concern for it. The male vocal is simply "not correct".

 

[Black Label]

I'm sure my cable was flexible in the beginning, like the lower part still is. It suddenly became stiff when I started to fall asleep with them in my ears. It probably has something to do with sweat. I'm not sure how long the warranty is for you. For me in Germany it is 2 years. They don't replace the cable. You would get a new ie800 from them.
Sennheiser, at least the headquarter in Germany, is known to have excellent customer service. Even if your warranty would have been expired, you still would have a good chance to get the replacement I think. I really hope they can fix the issue. I'm sure they are aware of the problem. I know of people who have the 4th ie800 from them, because of the cable issue.

I had been looking through the pages of this thread to see if anyone had experienced this as well as myself.  I am glad I am not the only one!
 
I wear my headphones over-the-ear and the cable towards the earpiece has become horridly stiff, which may be more of a contributing factor to the aforementioned muffling in the right ear.  I have treated the cable with alco-swabs however this only reduced the stiffness in part.  It is worth noting that I too sleep with my headphones in and wear them for a good portion of the day.
 
Sennheiser AU/NZ responded to my query this morning and said to return them to their services centre however this is not an option.  I am hoping that Jaben Audio Melbourne can replace them on the spot on Saturday.  I developed a healthy relationship with them and talked warranties and such during the several times at which i auditioned the IE800so it should hopefully be sweet.

 

[Vladimir_F1]

I have been reading a lot about the poor microphonics of the cables of the IE800, but is the microphonics of these so bad that it is pointless to use them "on the go"?

 
For me this was one of the main reasons why i sold them. It's awful.
Cable clip helps, but not fixing the problem.

 

[coco8579]

  Okay folks, this is not good!
 
Owing to the first precipitation here in Perth for the past four months, a sizable quantity of water managed to, seemingly, enter the right earpiece.  I am unsure as to which part, however I highly suspect that the water breached the mesh and made its way into the driver.
 
I would be a lot less worried if it entered the tubes (if it's even possible), for once evapoured I should imagine sound will right itself.
 
The sound in the right ear sounds somewhat muffled; bass especially.  It is said not to power them up when wet, however something more would have happened by now if I had fried an internal component (it is either that or it happened immediately).
 
I have contacted Sennheiser AU/NZ via their Facebook page, awaiting reply.
 
The pair of IE8s I had lasted four years and got wet countless times with nary a problem!
 
If all else fails there might be a chance of having them replaced on warranty (in spite of water damage), nevertheless I have a bad feeling about this, but will report back.

 
 
I'm curious about the tubes on the back. don't they go straight to the drivers? I'm worried because when I bring them outside I'm afraid that dust would go straight to the drivers from the tubes over time and alter the sound. 

 

[shadow04]

For me this was one of the main reasons why i sold them. It's awful.
Cable clip helps, but not fixing the problem.

Yea, I'm inclined to agree with you. I finally had the chance to try these, while I always knew that the microphonics are bad but I certainly did not expect it to be this bad.

Which is a shame really. Had they kept the IE8/80's design/cables, these would be perfect. I was convinced that these will be the natural successor to my IE80 but now I'll try other "TOTL" earphones before deciding if I can live with this flaw.

 

[Vladimir_F1]

 I always knew that the microphonics are bad but I certainly did not expect it to be this bad.

I think that this is not acceptable for the product in this price range.

 

[Black Label]

coco8578:  You raise an interesting point there...  I will forward the question to Sennheiser forthwith.
 
Thankfully....  the right earpiece has returned to normal.  I am so relieved!  At least now if someone else experiences the problem and they Google " waterdamaged headphones " or similar, they will find documented advice that suggests their headphones will be okay.  I must say I am a little surprised, and curious as to where the water actually ended up.
 
Also for the record, while it has been said before by myself and countless others, Sennheiser's customer service really is unmatched.
 
As for cable microphonics, they are practically non-existent when the calbe is worn over-ear.  In saying that, alco-swabs are needed to keep the cables flexible when worn this way.

 

[headwilier]

I nearly bought these as the sound was so airy and clear, but they kept falling out or moving around in my ear. Can't beat the ergonomic fit of a Westone or Shure...

 

[Eide]

I was also very annoyed by the poor microphonics of the cable. It was almost like a stetoscope. (I could actually hear blood pumping from the veins in my ear or neck) But then I tried
the over the ear sollution. And WOW, the microphonics was completely gone. On my head they fit perfectly this way. And I even got a secure fit. (I used to reposition the earphones once a minute before). So before you dissmiss them because of loose fit and microphonics, try them over the ears.

 

[Eide]

One more thing... Just remember to put the left earphone in the right ear, and right earphone in the left ear when you are wearing them over the ears. (Because of the angle the phones are made in).

 

[Caruryn]

The ie800 is a fantastic iem but only when amped.I have demoed shure se846 and i liked it's signature more.After extensive listening with my dx90 my fa 4e xb is a little clearer with ortofon tips.I also preferred my modded shure se535 with guitars,strings and vocals although it lacks transparency and details partly because of its musical and spacious character.However when paired with pico slim ie800 went into high gear and destroyed both of them amped.It changed in all sonic respects and became a worth $5000 house system.I can not stress how important it is to pair it with the necessary(capable) equipment.Ibasso dx90 + slim and ie800= endgame.The amplification in dx90 happens from the dual sabres instead of the built in amp so slim has more than enough power even for hard to drive cans.

 

[Duncan]

Caruyn,

Agreed, being the centrepiece of my new portable setup (FiiO X5 & E12 as source and amp) the IE800s are really singing at the moment, had them for six months now, and thought I knew how they sounded in the time i'd had to get used to them, but - very very wrong, I am now seriously considering selling my 'main' rig, so as to get a spare pair of IE800s and an even more expensive DAP / amp...