[Kunlun]

I usually did it with putting the earpieces in the holes first and wrapping the cables around the case as tightly as possible. Normally the end plug would end up getting plugged into the lower hole on the side of the case.

Wrapping the cables tightly is bad for the cables, particularly where the cable bends at the corners of the case.

 

[invisiblekid]

Yeah I don't think I'll bother with the case. It simply isn't fit for purpose. This along with the cable issues, it does suggest Sennheiser didn't appear to want to bother finishing of a very nice headphone. It stings a bit I must admit and I bought mine for a lot less than retail. 
 
But then everyone forgives Grado for pretty poor packaging and comfort in exchange for great sound so I suppose we all have to let it slide since we can't even change the cables. 
 
However I love the sound and as someone mentioned, I've tried using them upside down. Huh wow that really works! The seal is probably not any better, but I can get that seal instantly. The other benefit is that they now sit more flush to my ears and are more comfortable to wear lying on my side in bed. 
 
I also like the treble as is, but my last in-ears were SoundMagic PL50's and they were VERY bright so the 800's being a step down from them is fine by me. 

 

[VictorRomeo]

Quick update on fit.  So the Comply T500 (medium) tips arrived and and set about inserting the barrel from the small-round tips I butchered. They were tricky enough to insert and needed a little stretching first - used a Bic biro top!  I got there in the end and the barrel sits very snugly inside the T500 - not coming out any time soon.  In fact it actually looks somewhat original and professional, albeit a little stubby given the stretch.  But how does it sound?  Well, how does it sound to me, is more the appropriate question...
 
The sound better than the original medium tips cable-down.  A bit tighter and reasonable bass.  Extremely comfortable too.  But not getting in deep enough. I might need to try the large tips instead of medium. 
 
The original medium tips inserted cable-up still sounds superior to me - I'm evidently getting a deeper fit and better seal that way.  
 
Note - I did try the "upgraded" T500 inserted cable-up.  A silly thing to do as it does achieve a deeper tighter seal than the silicone tips and easily disconnects from the iem when removing and remain wedged in your ear canal.  This required my wife to remove it with a tweezers!  Not good!
 
Anyhow, cable-up is working for me but I'll order up a set of T500 large tips and have another shot...

 

[dsincere]

Quick update on fit.  So the Comply T500 (medium) tips arrived and and set about inserting the barrel from the small-round tips I butchered. They were tricky enough to insert and needed a little stretching first - used a Bic biro top!  I got there in the end and the barrel sits very snugly inside the T500 - not coming out any time soon.  In fact it actually looks somewhat original and professional, albeit a little stubby given the stretch.  But how does it sound?  Well, how does it sound to me, is more the appropriate question...

The sound better than the original medium tips cable-down.  A bit tighter and reasonable bass.  Extremely comfortable too.  But not getting in deep enough. I might need to try the large tips instead of medium. 

The original medium tips inserted cable-up still sounds superior to me - I'm evidently getting a deeper fit and better seal that way.  

Note - I did try the "upgraded" T500 inserted cable-up.  A silly thing to do as it does achieve a deeper tighter seal than the silicone tips and easily disconnects from the iem when removing and remain wedged in your ear canal.  This required my wife to remove it with a tweezers!  Not good!

Anyhow, cable-up is working for me but I'll order up a set of T500 large tips and have another shot...

It's good that you tried it, as I had said once you mod the tip and press the comply on it attaches and end the end looks as if it should've been there from the start...and I assure you it won't fall off...when you discard the comply just tear it off to the core then in squeeze and work the core off of the locking core...pretty straight foward....glad you liked the mod....

 

[willyvlyminck]

Quick update on fit.  So the Comply T500 (medium) tips arrived and and set about inserting the barrel from the small-round tips I butchered. They were tricky enough to insert and needed a little stretching first - used a Bic biro top!  I got there in the end and the barrel sits very snugly inside the T500 - not coming out any time soon.  In fact it actually looks somewhat original and professional, albeit a little stubby given the stretch.  But how does it sound?  Well, how does it sound to me, is more the appropriate question...

The sound better than the original medium tips cable-down.  A bit tighter and reasonable bass.  Extremely comfortable too.  But not getting in deep enough. I might need to try the large tips instead of medium. 

The original medium tips inserted cable-up still sounds superior to me - I'm evidently getting a deeper fit and better seal that way.  

Note - I did try the "upgraded" T500 inserted cable-up.  A silly thing to do as it does achieve a deeper tighter seal than the silicone tips and easily disconnects from the iem when removing and remain wedged in your ear canal.  This required my wife to remove it with a tweezers!  Not good!

Anyhow, cable-up is working for me but I'll order up a set of T500 large tips and have another shot...

i use Comply tips on all my in Ears.

 

[bolinao]

I just bought my second pair of ie800's,this pair are for my daughter.
But I have noticed that the cable connected to the actual cans are very flimsy and dare I say cheap compared to my original pair which I still use daily.
The cable on the first pair are very hard and stiff and not soft and flimsy like the new one.
Does anyone know if Sennheiser changed the  type of material used for this cable within the last 12 months ?
 
thanks

 

[dsincere]

I just bought my second pair of ie800's,this pair are for my daughter.
But I have noticed that the cable connected to the actual cans are very flimsy and dare I say cheap compared to my original pair which I still use daily.
The cable on the first pair are very hard and stiff and not soft and flimsy like the new one.
Does anyone know if Sennheiser changed the  type of material used for this cable within the last 12 months ?

thanks

Return your stiff pair as there was a problem with the cables hardening over time I think they've made some improvements on the cable to make them more pliable "they aren't flimsy you should be glad you have by what I can tell the newer pair....as I have two pair of these and the first pair was sent back and replaced ....the second pair was sent back and has been back waiting for pick up...

 

[dsincere]

i use Comply tips on all my in Ears.

Going to try the TS-500 comfort Comply today if they're back in stock to see how those work as well as they're more rounded as the stock Senn tips but Comply

 

[bolinao]

Return your stiff pair as there was a problem with the cables hardening over time I think they've made some improvements on the cable to make them more pliable "they aren't flimsy you should be glad you have by what I can tell the newer pair....as I have two pair of these and the first pair was sent back and replaced ....the second pair was sent back and has been back waiting for pick up...

I actually prefer the stiff pair the way they are,I am able to tell left from right with these without having to look for the "L" or "R" on them,we all know how annoying that is.
They sort of bow left and right which lets me tell the difference immediately.
Unless it causes the iems not to work properly I will keep them.But so far they still work perfectly.
 
Thanks for letting me know that the second pair are not faulty though.

 

[chawya22]

 
I actually prefer the stiff pair the way they are,I am able to tell left from right with these without having to look for the "L" or "R" on them,we all know how annoying that is.
They sort of bow left and right which lets me tell the difference immediately.
Unless it causes the iems not to work properly I will keep them.But so far they still work perfectly.
 
Thanks for letting me know that the second pair are not faulty though.

Just curious, did your IE800 cables start out stiff from the start or did they become stiff as time went on? Not an expert, but I've had cables on other phones that became so stiff that they cracked. This caused all kinds of problems and eventually rendered the phones useless. If it's a progressive thing and you are still in warranty, you may want to look into a warranty replacement. This is a known problem. $800 + dollars is a lot of money to end up throwing it in the bin. MHO    

 

[daseinpdx]

If his were like mine, they were stiff from the very beginning.  The one+ year i had them, they never got brittle.  There was no indication of poor quality.   It was just that they were stiff, probably from them using insulation that was extra heavy duty, maybe they thought this would be a good selling point.   In any case, it didn't seem like the wires were getting brittle over age.   I had to return them because one of the drivers got blown.
 
I much prefer the soft cables because they do not interfere with fit.  The stiffness of the old ones would cause the phones to dislodge from movement.    The soft ones also allow easier use with a shirt clip.  

 

[bolinao]

  Just curious, did your IE800 cables start out stiff from the start or did they become stiff as time went on? Not an expert, but I've had cables on other phones that became so stiff that they cracked. This caused all kinds of problems and eventually rendered the phones useless. If it's a progressive thing and you are still in warranty, you may want to look into a warranty replacement. This is a known problem. $800 + dollars is a lot of money to end up throwing it in the bin. MHO    

 
They were stiff from the beginning,I havent noticed any change since I got them.

   
 
I much prefer the soft cables because they do not interfere with fit.  The stiffness of the old ones would cause the phones to dislodge from movement.    The soft ones also allow easier use with a shirt clip.  

 
 
But dont you find it annoying having to look at them closely every time looking for the left or right one ?
 
Also is there any link to say the stiff cable is a warranty issue,so I can show the seller if I decide to return them..... thanks

 

[chawya22]

   
They were stiff from the beginning,I havent noticed any change since I got them.
 
 
But dont you find it annoying having to look at them closely every time looking for the left or right one ?
 
Also is there any link to say the stiff cable is a warranty issue,so I can show the seller if I decide to return them..... thanks

As far as I know, there is no official statement or recall by Sennheiser but I, as well as a number of other members, have had this same problem. Sennheiser, as far as I know, replaced all without any complaint. Mine went from extremely supple to hard, at the point where the cables rest against the ear, in one month. I returned them to Sennheiser and had a new pair in one week, no questions asked. Since yours seem stable since purchase, maybe it's a non issue for you. How you would deal with a retailer, I have no idea. On page 140 (I think) of this thread, a member stated serial numbers starting at around 20000, is where the problem was resolved by Sennheiser. The texture of my replacement was very different from my original. I've had it for a few weeks now and so far, all is well.

 

[daseinpdx]

   
They were stiff from the beginning,I havent noticed any change since I got them.
 
 
But dont you find it annoying having to look at them closely every time looking for the left or right one ?
 
Also is there any link to say the stiff cable is a warranty issue,so I can show the seller if I decide to return them..... thanks

 
Actually, i find them easier to distinguish compared to some of the other iems i own.  The ie800s aren't completely symmetrical.  I just look for the angled side that looks like it fits the thumb.  In the past, i have put a little rubber band on a cable to help distinguish them quickly.  You might try something like that.
 
As long as you have your receipt from an authorized dealer, you should be able to return them directly to sennheiser - bypassing your dealer completely.   In fact, my dealer told me to do that anyway because they only handle warranty issues for the first 60 days from purchase.

 

[dsincere]

They were stiff from the beginning,I havent noticed any change since I got them.


But dont you find it annoying having to look at them closely every time looking for the left or right one ?

Also is there any link to say the stiff cable is a warranty issue,so I can show the seller if I decide to return them..... thanks
[/quote

Left and Right.....the left has a dimple on the cable stress relief just run your finger over it and you'll feel it on the inside ....very easy way to tell left from right.....second just hold them up tips pointing away from you they should two out "meaning left will toe out to the left right will two out to the right away from you" very easy to tell this way too

Oh I think you should return them if your cables are stiff because they have updated the cables since then if I'm not mistaken because as you said the other pair is not like this ....if you like it it's cool but don't bash them later if they stiffen up over time and you didn't return them because I believe they've worked on this issue.....if you wear over ear though the stiff cable is ok because they will slightly mold behind the ear "if you can most people can't or don't like" I wore them this way for a while but I actually prefer cable down as if you wear glasses or sunglasses as well it's just something you don't have to think about .....I never thought about this before because I always had over ear IEMs