[cooperpwc]

Plus the Shure 535 is sloppy up top. Nice mids though.

 

[GSARider]

I have a set of Shure E5's and have never got on with them at all, wouldn't buy another set of Shure's again. Was very disappointed with them.

 

[Mini0510]

Quote:

 
the Shure SE535LTD-J + Baldur MKII cable got clearness + mids + trible and all of these with this combination beat all the other IEMs with less than 700$ and for the sound staging the after market cable does really super  so why would the people go for IE800?

 

that seems very opinionated

 

[lee730]

Shures have always been way overrated. My IE80 with silver cable and tape mod destroys the Shure SE530 and SE535. Just no comparison between them. The Shure sounds very artificial, overly emphasized mids, small sound stage (in your head) weak treble, and bass isn't convincing. But people do like the sound. I just never could understand why. I even preferred the IE7s mids to the Shures. .
 

 

[gearofwar]

Quote:

This was the hands on review from T3...

Delivering a huge amount of bass when required, the Sennhesier IE 800s are all about sonic detail even when passed a tricky dose of Skrillex. We tried some Apple Lossless John Lee Hooker followed by The Race by Yello on iPad: all trumpet parps and fast beats.
The tracking of the pace and sound staging was excellent and the vocal detail is clearly defined against loud percussion. In short, you’ll struggle to find sound quality like this is any in-ear headphones - or many on-ear headphones, in fact.
Sennhesier IE 800: Verdict
As the most expensive in-ears we’ve played with, the Sennhesier IE 800s manage to beat all comers and the closest rivals are pro audio Shure headphones with custom ear-moulds, the kind of headphones you see live musicians use during concerts. The IE 800s are more attractive and consumer friendly.
They scream luxury and deliver the goods from first listen. At twice the price of a very good pair of giant, over ear headphones, you’ll need to be convinced that in-ear headphones are your favoured option for commuting though...

i bet those guys haven't even touched high-end CIEM before.

 

[DMinor]

I have expected a 'wow" performance from this expensive toy and it appears that won't happen.

 

[GSARider]

I'll reserve judgement until I try them myself and when we have more of a consensus on head fi.

 

[lee730]

Quote:

I'll reserve judgement until I try them myself and when we have more of a consensus on head fi.

Yeah it really depends on how much time you spend with it as well. The best IEMs won't necessarily WOW you on first listen. What really matters is if they can continue to WOW you for the long run. That can take a little time to really grasp that concept. Most of the IEMs that wowed me immediately have already been sold FWIW .

 

[james444]

Quote:

How about the sound quality in general? I know this is very opinion heavy, but it can still be objective in ways.
For examples, the deepness in bass, timbre on all the instruments especially.
 
From what I read so far, I think I will like the sound signature. But I won't dish out $1k unless the sound quality is "better", meaning that it's not necessary to compare FX700 and IE 800 side by side, just from memories, a person would say, " yes, it's better."
And at this, you only auditioned the IE 800 for a short period of time, so I'm just wondering, from your memories, how does the sound quality of FX700 compared to IE 800?
Well, I'm not sure if you still have the FX700 or used it recently.
Thanks

 
Well, I've re-read our prior PM-conversation and think the IE800's sound signature may be what you're looking for (in comparison to your FX700). But you won't catch me saying that they're "better", because I simply didn't get that impression from my listening so far.
 
Oh and yes, I still have my FX700 and will be able to do a more conclusive A/B comparison soon.
 
Quote:

I have expected a 'wow" performance from this expensive toy and it appears that won't happen.

 
Well the mids are definitely "wow", and so is overall detail and clarity, with minor deductions for bass.
 
Long story short, since yesterday I've got my own pair of IE800s, and further listening has confirmed most of my first impressions. Their highs are definitely borderline thin and sibilant to my ears, at least with stock tips. However, even though I get a seal (and plenty of bass), it's not as secure as I'd like it to be, so I'm trying to mount additional tips beneath the stock ones for better support (did I say that I *loathe* these proprietory tips?
 
More news, they're not as well isolating as I first thought, still better than the IE8/80, but short of Shures/Westones. And they have back vents for sure, since covering them attenuates bass (a bit).
 
tbc... 

 

[Kaffeemann]

^ James, when/if you post a full review, can you please open a new thread? This thread is full of useless stuff.
 
And have you tried to equalize them? According to the FR I posted earlier they have a small treble peak at ~6kHz and a bigger one at ~10kHz. Probably one of them causes the thinness.
Shallow insertion can also lead to treble spikes but I guess you know that.
 
Quote:

(1) I'll reserve judgement until I try them myself

(2) and when we have more of a consensus on head fi.

(1) Very good, please post your impressions.
(2) Nooooo, please ignore any consensus! Consensus will lead to delusion and disappointment. The more opinions, the better.

 

[Ultrazino]

Quote:

But you won't catch me saying that they're "better", because I simply didn't get that impression from my listening so far.
 
Oh and yes, I still have my FX700 and will be able to do a more conclusive A/B comparison soon.

 
I am also very interested in that comparison! Thank you very much in advance.

 

[james444]

Quote:

^ James, when/if you post a full review, can you please open a new thread? This thread is full of useless stuff.
 
And have you tried to equalize them? According to the FR I posted earlier they have a small treble peak at ~6kHz and a bigger one at ~10kHz. Probably one of them causes the thinness.
Shallow insertion can also lead to treble spikes but I guess you know that.

 
Will do (open a new thread and watch it getting filled with useless stuff again ). Don't expect a full review soon though, as I'd like to compare the IE800 to the EX1000 and K3003, which are on loan atm. In the meantime, I'll keep on posting impressions/comparisons here.
 
I haven't tried EQ so far. Regarding shallow insertion and treble spikes, yes I know that. But the design of earpieces and tips don't even allow for deep insertion, since those right-angled strain reliefs are only 15mm from the tip opening. Over-ear lets you put them in a bit further than downwards, but it's still far from what I'd call a deep insertion.

 

[GSARider]

Well what I'm hoping for is a similar sound signature to the 80's but with more clarity in the MUDs and highs...I'll be happy with that and of course I expect excellent build quality at this price point.

 

[3nenbgumi]

Quote:

 
the Shure SE535LTD-J + Baldur MKII cable got clearness + mids + trible and all of these with this combination beat all the other IEMs with less than 700$ and for the sound staging the after market cable does really super  so why would the people go for IE800?

 

 
Quote:

yet what will does better you think?

To be honest at under 700 bucks there are a lot of universals that can beat the SE535 LTD hands down without the need of an aftermarket cable. Do some more research.
Quote:

Well the mids are definitely "wow", and so is overall detail and clarity, with minor deductions for bass.
 
Long story short, since yesterday I've got my own pair of IE800s, and further listening has confirmed most of my first impressions. Their highs are definitely borderline thin and sibilant to my ears, at least with stock tips. However, even though I get a seal (and plenty of bass), it's not as secure as I'd like it to be, so I'm trying to mount additional tips beneath the stock ones for better support (did I say that I *loathe* these proprietory tips?
 
More news, they're not as well isolating as I first thought, still better than the IE8/80, but short of Shures/Westones. And they have back vents for sure, since covering them attenuates bass (a bit).
 
tbc... 

 
I found it kind of surprising that up to this point no one has mentioned burning in. Given that the IE800 is coming from Sennheiser, I'd hold my firm belief until at least 100 hours have passed on your pair, james444. Hopefully bass will settle down, soundstage will open up and the treble will get a bit more refined.

 

[james444]

Quote:

I found it kind of surprising that up to this point no one has mentioned burning in. Given that the IE800 is coming from Sennheiser, I'd hold my firm belief until at least 100 hours have passed on your pair, james444. Hopefully bass will settle down, soundstage will open up and the treble will get a bit more refined.

 
Well, I wouldn't hold my breath:
 
Quote:

I'm quite a fan of the IE8, they're excellent IEMs apart from their bass hump - and the latter is easily correctable. I've had my first pair since they came out in 2008 and recently bought one of the last remaining pairs from a local shop as a backup (since they've been discontinued and replaced by the IE80).
 
You know what, both pairs sound exactly the same and I couldn't tell the four year old from the brand-new one in a blind test.
 
Of course that's just one person's statistically insignificant observation. And I can't rule out that my old pair might have meandered through a myriad of burn-in induced sound signature changes over the years, only to arrive where it startet off.