[M-13]

I was half joking guys, Hence the devil face.

 
But yeah the K3003s are really great and worth a listen

 

[Dinerenblanc]

  I was half joking guys, Hence the devil face.

 
But yeah the K3003s are really great and worth a listen

 

[M-13]

Wow...

 

[Dinerenblanc]

  Wow...

hehe I had to. 

 

[M-13]

Yeah I noticed that people who proclaim the SE846 to be the best universal IEM only own the SE846. Strange how that happens
 
You never get guys like me who own the IE800 + K3003 + SE846 saying the SE846 is clearly the best of the three. Yes some people auditioned the other ones but auditioning and owning is so different.
 
I personally think the 846 is the weakest of the three and the K3003 is clearly better in most of the categories. I'm kind of surprised by how dismissive people are of the IE800 too, as it's got some fantastic qualities that give the other two a run for their money.

 

[Dinerenblanc]

  Yeah I noticed that people who proclaim the SE846 to be the best universal IEM only own the SE846. Strange how that happens
 
You never get guys like me who own the IE800 + K3003 + SE846 saying the SE846 is clearly the best of the three. Yes some people auditioned the other ones but auditioning and owning is so different.
 
I personally think the 846 is the weakest of the three and the K3003 is clearly better in most of the categories. I'm kind of surprised by how dismissive people are of the IE800 too, as it's got some fantastic qualities that give the other two a run for their money.

Hey, your opinions and that should be only thing that matters. I'm not a guy like you who owns a multitude of different high end IEMs, but plenty of the people on the SE846 thread has tried some of the ones you've mentioned, and they have their own opinions, which is just as legit as yours. I'm just playing up the joke made a page back that we're a cult, but that's hardly the case. If you feel that the K3003 is the best universal IEM, good for you, but don't make the assumption that others have not tried other IEMs before purchasing the 846. 

 

[ryanjsoo]

I couldn`t agree more with M-13`s experiences, and I swear, from looking at this forum, being an audiophile is akin to a disorder somewhere along the lines of megalomania.

I`ve owned a few of Shure`s high end models, notably the se846 and 535 LTD and I have some experience with the AKG`s, but not nearly enough to make sound judgement and I do own and enjoy the ie800`s. The ie800`s are around 600 now but the Shures and AKG`s have retained their initial 1000 rrp, which essentially makes the ie800`s a much better buy. Now in this price bracket, many are probably willing to pay, or rather can afford that little bit extra anyway but it certainly doesn`t mean the Shures or AKG`s are any better.

I can see why people complain though, the cable, the seal, the design screams problematic, I was fortunate enough to get a good seal out of the box with the stock tips but they definitely do not seal as well as non-vented armature iems and a far cry from the super isolating Shure iems. This is not helped by their small housings which unlike the vented fx700`s do not rest elsewhere on the ear and tend to lever out of the canal and fall out completely which is aggravating, and although this is not so bad for me it is definitely not preferable. There is also the microphonic problem but honestly the AKG`s have this problem too, their cable is also not removable and they also exhibit similar microphonics to the ie800, plus they are larger and less comfortable than the ie800`s whilst isolating less due to the shallow fit. The Shures are quite a deal larger, but they sit well in the ear and won`t dislodge due to over ear, etc, the isolation is also some of the best in universal iem`s and the olive tips are just superlative. The sound of the ie800 is probably what tips the scales in their favour for me, I find it very neutral with very mildly elevated mid bass and elevated sub bass which i personally enjoy. To top it off their immaculately clear mids and highs have an immense but sometimes artificial clarity. The treble, although refined, is quite harsh and cymbals can sound like smashing glass, the se846`s are on the opposite end of the spectrum and come of to me as a bit rolled off, so they`re about equal. However the mids and bass on the 846 are definitely not neutral and I enjoy my ck100`s mids more than I enjoyed the 846.

So I`ve kept my ie800`s and garner plenty of enjoyment out of them which in the end is all that matters in this hobby. Of course your mileage may vary but its really up to preference and I`ve just recounted some of my personal experiences with the 846 being more of a complete package than the k3003 and ie800 yet perhaps inferior in sound and comfort, I would personally rank the k3003 the lowest of the three but again that`s up to debate.

 

[zerokx]

Anyone think this is real? The price seems too good to be true...but reading the 160+ comments, all of them said the item was genuine and they were able to register the product on sennheisers website...
http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=41523902085&ali_refid=a3_420434_1006:1105308363:N:ie800%B6%FA%BB%FA:c614b78335fdb07b74223de43ae673b9&ali_trackid=1_c614b78335fdb07b74223de43ae673b9&spm=a230r.1.0.0.oPUIwC

 

[zerokx]

anyone knows how to spot a fake? I've seen cheap sennheiser ie800s online with 100+ feedbacks saying its authentic and can be registered on sennheiser's website

 

[M-13]

*Now I'm not trying to bash the SE846. This is a comparative impression against the IE800 and K3003. It does not mean I don't like the 846. In fact I like it a lot for when the mood strikes. The coloration is very well done for that dark/lush type of sound. I will go so far as to say that I love it and don't plan on selling them.
 
I think getting the a good fit right out of the box is probably what's key to enjoying the IE800's sound. I've noticed that those who think less of the IE800 had a lot of fit issues and them popping out of their ears. They're often using non-standard tips as well to try in vain to get them to fit. If you have "average" ears and the stock tips fit you like a glove than the IE800 is a tremendous performer and a value. I would definitely pick it over the 846 if I could have only one because it's balanced sound is less fatiguing in the end. While the 846's colored presentation can be quite unique and fun for some time but in the end it gets annoying more quickly than the IE800s more neutralish presentation.
 
It probably helps that the SE530 was my first nice IEM back in 2006, so that I've had years to get sick of the Shure house sound. I upgraded to the SE535 and even enjoyed that for some time, messing with different cables and tips etc. Been there done that is what I'm thinking when I go read the SE846 thread, except it was with the SE535. It's a nice coloration but you do eventually get sick of it and want something better balanced as a 2nd phone.
 
I personally think the K3003 is actually a step or two above both of them because it's just way more transparent and clear sounding, it picks up lots and lots of micro-details the other two miss out on, but with drastically different frequency balance. It's actually the most techinically neutral (like flat monitoring speakers). The IE800 is close but is slightly warm and dark (very slightly and tastefully done though) and the SE846 is fully dark with pretty much no treble. It's got a little bit of lower treble and upper-mids but that's it, the mid-treble and anything beyond just falls off a cliff. That's the secret to the lush upfront mids, and that's why someone used to this coloration might think the IE800 sounds "thin" instead of accurate or think the 846 is giving more details because the mids are just louder because there is no treble to drown it out or put it in its proper place.
 
The IE800 has much more air/space between the instruments because it includes the 1/3 of the frequency response the 846 is missing and is also more detailed, picking up things the SE846 just misses.
 
 

 

[Caruryn]

  I think getting the a good fit right out of the box is probably what's key to enjoying the IE800's sound. I've noticed that those who think less of the IE800 had a lot of fit issues and them popping out of their ears. They're often using non-standard tips as well to try in vain to get them to fit. If you have "average" ears and the stock tips fit you like a glove than the IE800 is a tremendous performer and a value. I would definitely pick it over the 846 if I could have only one because it's balanced sound is less fatiguing in the end. While the 846's colored presentation can be quite unique and fun for some time but in the end it gets annoying more quickly than the IE800s more neutralish presentation.
 
It probably helps that the SE530 was my first nice IEM back in 2006, so that I've had years to get sick of the Shure house sound. I upgraded to the SE535 and even enjoyed that for some time, messing with different cables and tips etc. Been there done that is what I'm thinking when I go read the SE846 thread, except it was with the SE535. It's a nice coloration but you do eventually get sick of it and want something better balanced as a 2nd phone.
 
I personally think the K3003 is actually a step or two above both of them because it's just way more transparent and clear sounding, it picks up lots and lots of micro-details the other two miss out on, but with drastically different frequency balance. It's actually the most techinically neutral (like flat monitoring speakers). The IE800 is close but is slightly warm and dark (very slightly and tastefully done though) and the SE846 is fully dark with pretty much no treble. It's got a little bit of lower treble and upper-mids but that's it, the mid-treble and anything beyond just falls off a cliff. That's the secret to the lush upfront mids, and that's why someone used to this coloration might think the IE800 sounds "thin" instead of accurate or think the 846 is giving more details because the mids are just louder because there is no treble to drown it out or put it in its proper place.
 
The IE800 has much more air/space between the instruments because it includes the 1/3 of the frequency response the 846 is missing.

Very good analysis M13.Now post that to the other thread.Don't be shy.

 

[M-13]

  Very good analysis M13.Now post that to the other thread.Don't be shy.

Nah man I don't have a death wish.

 

[Zurbul]

  Anyone think this is real? The price seems too good to be true...but reading the 160+ comments, all of them said the item was genuine and they were able to register the product on sennheisers website...
http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=41523902085&ali_refid=a3_420434_1006:1105308363:N:ie800%B6%FA%BB%FA:c614b78335fdb07b74223de43ae673b9&ali_trackid=1_c614b78335fdb07b74223de43ae673b9&spm=a230r.1.0.0.oPUIwC

 
http://audio4you.ru/index.php/review/345-poddelnye-sennheiser-ie-800-fake
 
Very hard to spot. To me, the barcode and fonts are like the fake version.

 

[axismundi]

Quote:

  Anyone think this is real? The price seems too good to be true...but reading the 160+ comments, all of them said the item was genuine and they were able to register the product on sennheisers website...
http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=41523902085&ali_refid=a3_420434_1006:1105308363:N:ie800%B6%FA%BB%FA:c614b78335fdb07b74223de43ae673b9&ali_trackid=1_c614b78335fdb07b74223de43ae673b9&spm=a230r.1.0.0.oPUIwC

 
I haven't opened my IE800 to check, but in all Sennheiser materials where they show the internals (such as here http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/Sennheiser_IE800_Photo_Exploded.jpg), the membrane is white - which is by the way very unusual and sort of a "trademark" for IE800. The one in taobao is transparent, as virtually all the other dynamic drivers nowadays.
 
That's the "in your face" hint.
 
Other than that, the drivers look flimsy, irrespective of the membrane colour. I think comparing this picture on taobao http://gd4.alicdn.com/imgextra/i4/1637122066/TB2rR5aaVXXXXa1XpXXXXXXXXXX-1637122066.jpg with http://www.audionet.com.tw/a/data/attachment/forum/201301/23/1435478rxjm1qv768zvtwn.jpg or with this http://www.phileweb.com/news/photo/audio/119/11909/IE800-rear.jpg is a pretty good giveaway that something is not right with the ceramic finish either...
 
Lastly, the barcode for which the last 5 digits are supposed to match the product number on the case (as I just learned yesterday, btw) does not look ok. At least on my original box this barcode is a sticker, on the taobao box it is obviously printed. Now I'd like to see the company manufacturing these being able to change the number for each box they print in order to match the product serial number on the case as it should...
 
And so on and so forth. Come to your senses and stop chasing ghosts.

 

[dleblanc343]

I don't want to rain on a party here. But I've owned the K3003i, then the SE846 and finally the IE800. Preferences are definitly IE800>SE846>K3003i, but they all have their advantages!
 
They're all gone besides the IE800's... But now that I have JH Roxanne customs... I have to sell the IE800 

 
Message me if you want a really good price on the Senns. They're in like new condition