[soundofmed]

Just got myself a pair of IE800's and my oh my are they breath-taking.

The detail is pretty amazing, soundstage mesmerising, and the bass is spot on.

However, the treble was a little too much for my tastes. I wonder of they'll calm down a little with some burn in...

congrats on the purchase, i just received mine today after listening to them a few months ago at a store (im not a IEM guy at all)

if anyone is wondering i got mine for probably the best price out there for 540 shipped from B&H audio which is you may already know is an authorized dealer

 

[Audiofiend1]

I just got myself a pair of IE 800 and i am impressed! I was not planning on buying these at all, but a guy was selling a new pair for only $400 i made him an offer for fun at 150 and he said 175 and it's a deal, i could not believe he was letting them go so cheap so i simply had to take them. I already have the Shure 846, 535 LTD and SE325 so i was not sure how these would compare, but here are my initial impressions verses the Shure 846. Keep in mind this is coming from a die-hard Shure fanboy, so i was really not expecting the IE800 to even come close to my 846's.

IE 800 - Bass is much tighter and more controlled. I find the bass to be more balanced on these as compared to the 846, it bleeds in and plays nicer with the treble and mid-range. The sound-stage and treble is where i can really see a difference. Bigger sound-stage and the treble response is unreal, i can hear details that were harder to hear with the 846. Although i do find these to be a bit bright for certain songs and at times harder on the ears.

Shure 846 - Bass is more present and overpowering, i find it has more impact which can be fun but can also get a bit much at times as it can sometimes overpower the other frequencies. Still if i want too really feel the bass these are my go too over the IE800. The Treble is simply not on par with the IE 800, although these are darker sounding which can be nice when i am in the mood. The mid-range is still slightly better with these in my opinion, but i am unsure yet as i have not listened to enough of a variety. I prefer the comfort and fit of the 846.

All in all i am thoroughly impressed, i can't wait to break them in some more.

 

[Levanter]

I just got myself a pair of IE 800 and i am impressed! I was not planning on buying these at all, but a guy was selling a new pair for only $400 i made him an offer for fun at 150 and he said 175 and it's a deal, i could not believe he was letting them go so cheap so i simply had to take them. I already have the Shure 846, 535 LTD and SE325 so i was not sure how these would compare, but here are my initial impressions verses the Shure 846. Keep in mind this is coming from a die-hard Shure fanboy, so i was really not expecting the IE800 to even come close to my 846's.

IE 800 - Bass is much tighter and more controlled. I find the bass to be more balanced on these as compared to the 846, it bleeds in and plays nicer with the treble and mid-range. The sound-stage and treble is where i can really see a difference. Bigger sound-stage and the treble response is unreal, i can hear details that were harder to hear with the 846. Although i do find these to be a bit bright for certain songs and at times harder on the ears.

Shure 846 - Bass is more present and overpowering, i find it has more impact which can be fun but can also get a bit much at times as it can sometimes overpower the other frequencies. Still if i want too really feel the bass these are my go too over the IE800. The Treble is simply not on par with the IE 800, although these are darker sounding which can be nice when i am in the mood. The mid-range is still slightly better with these in my opinion, but i am unsure yet as i have not listened to enough of a variety. I prefer the comfort and fit of the 846.

All in all i am thoroughly impressed, i can't wait to break them in some more.

For that price there is a high chance it might be a fake IE800. Try to get it checked out at a Sennheiser outlet. If it really is genuine then congrats on your deal

 

[Audiofiend1]

For that price there is a high chance it might be a fake IE800. Try to get it checked out at a Sennheiser outlet. If it really is genuine then congrats on your deal

Do you or anyone here have any ways that i can check if they are authentic? I mean they look authentic and they sound really good so i would have a tough time believing they were fake. Also they have a sennheiser serial number with the badge so couldn't i just use that to check or call sennhesier?

 

[kuebler]

Do you or anyone here have any ways that i can check if they are authentic?

There is help: even a specific thread for just your (potential) problem: https://www.head-fi.org/f/posts/13214769/

I can feel your frustration, but please be relieved: even if it is a fake, that must not be bad at all.

About a year ago there was a large and vital IE800-fake-industry (I'm not kidding) which meanwhile has dried out a bit.

I had bought some used ones in Germany via Ebay for $200, only to find out via the mentioned thread, that they were fake.
Initially I was very frustrated, but I found their sound not bad at all, and in the thread I stumbled upon a poster (IIRC Rob80b or so) who had possessed real ones and fakes, and he told that his fakes were not 100% exactly the same as the original ones, but as good soundwise, and sometimes he preferred them over the original.

So I went to a German Sennheiser dealer and made a thorough comparison with an authentic IE800. I ended liking my fakes more than the authentic ones, although money was no objective. Ok, such is life, very specifically in the psycho-acoustics arena...

Then I tried to get via AliExpress a 2nd pair of fakes as good as the ones which I initially got by "bad" luck. Because I wanted to have a reserve in case my 1st one would get broken. This attempt went into a cumbersome journey taking many trials, and at the very end I now own 2 nearly identical excellent fakes, 1 low quality fake, and 1 very bad fake.

That's my story. And I continue to be happy with my specific fakes. I will do a new comparison only once the IE 800 S has become sufficiently available for testing.

 

[Audiofiend1]

There is help: even a specific thread for just your (potential) problem: https://www.head-fi.org/f/posts/13214769/

I can feel your frustration, but please be relieved: even if it is a fake, that must not be bad at all.

About a year ago there was a large and vital IE800-fake-industry (I'm not kidding) which meanwhile has dried out a bit.

I had bought some used ones in Germany via Ebay for $200, only to find out via the mentioned thread, that they were fake.
Initially I was very frustrated, but I found their sound not bad at all, and in the thread I stumbled upon a poster (IIRC Rob80b or so) who had possessed real ones and fakes, and he told that his fakes were not 100% exactly the same as the original ones, but as good soundwise, and sometimes he preferred them over the original.

So I went to a German Sennheiser dealer and made a thorough comparison with an authentic IE800. I ended liking my fakes more than the authentic ones, although money was no objective. Ok, such is life, very specifically in the psycho-acoustics arena...

Then I tried to get via AliExpress a 2nd pair of fakes as good as the ones which I initially got by "bad" luck. Because I wanted to have a reserve in case my 1st one would get broken. This attempt went into a cumbersome journey taking many trials, and at the very end I now own 2 nearly identical excellent fakes, 1 low quality fake, and 1 very bad fake.

That's my story. And I continue to be happy with my specific fakes. I will do a new comparison only once the IE 800 S has become sufficiently available for testing.

Thanks for pointing me to this thread! I have just read through it and agonized on all the little details to check if i have a fake. I can with about 100% confidence say that i do indeed have an authentic IE800, spent the last hour meticulously looking at all the pictures and going through the steps to make sure it is not a fake. I also checked the codes on Sennheisers website and it all checks out. I guess good deals really do come around even a legit pair of IE 800's for only 175, the guy did tell me he really needed the money, and i guess when you need the money, YOU NEED THE MONEY!

Can defiantly sleep easier though! I also gave them a listen for another 3 hours tonight and i am amazed that such small IEM's, especially compared to my 846's can produce such a wide soundstage. The attention to detail is simply stunning. I'm not sure yet but i might actually like these more then my 846's although i don't want to jump the gun just yet, time will tell!

 

[saj2001ind]

my experience with ie800 just to tame the splashy treble sometimes use the comfly foam tips and everything becomes amazing, also comfort increases

btw guys I wanted to get a over ear headphones but with same sound signature as ie800...van anyone recommend any option for me pls ?

 

[franz12]

my experience with ie800 just to tame the splashy treble sometimes use the comfly foam tips and everything becomes amazing, also comfort increases

btw guys I wanted to get a over ear headphones but with same sound signature as ie800...van anyone recommend any option for me pls ?

I had both ie800 and hd800s, though both are gone now. Hd800s is a big junp from ie800

 

[saj2001ind]

I had both ie800 and hd800s, though both are gone now. Hd800s is a big junp from ie800

thanks buddy, cant really afford hd800s...any other option in the range of $700

and I want it to drive with fiio x7ii

 

[Dobrescu George]

thanks buddy, cant really afford hd800s...any other option in the range of $700

and I want it to drive with fiio x7ii

Either Ultrasone Signature DJ or Signature Studio - nothing else has a similar signature as far as I know and tested. HD800S has a different signature. Love that headphone, but they go for something else

https://audiophile-heaven.blogspot....ure-studio-exquisite-eccentric-excellent.html

 

[saj2001ind]

Either Ultrasone Signature DJ or Signature Studio - nothing else has a similar signature as far as I know and tested. HD800S has a different signature. Love that headphone, but they go for something else

https://audiophile-heaven.blogspot....ure-studio-exquisite-eccentric-excellent.html

thanks buddy great review and comparison...so will Meze 99 Classic will sound close to ie800 or this one ?

 

[Dobrescu George]

thanks buddy great review and comparison...so will Meze 99 Classic will sound close to ie800 or this one ?

Meze 99 Classics are not like ie800

ie800 has a bright and lively top end, where 99c without EQ are smooth and relaxing

99C has larger soundstage, where ie800 has more instrument separation

99C has more midbass

SigStu has less bass in general than ie800, and especially less subbass

SigStu has similar separation, similar top end and similar midrange

SigStu has much larger soundstage than ie800, with similar levels of instrument definition.

SigStu has slightly less detail than ie800, but slightly. Similar signature besides the lower bass. IF you feel that ie800 has the right thickness, you will like SigStudio a lot. Meze 99C is thicker without EQ.

I keep saying without EQ not because 99C cannot sound good without EQ, but because they are angles with EQ, they respond incredibly good to EQ, and they can sound considerably better with it, leaning closer to a signature like ie800. They need around 10dB of 16kHz treble though, so you have to make sure that your DAP / EQ app can do that.

Between sig Stu and 99C, 99C is also a bit more comfortable.

 

[gc335]

congrats on the purchase, i just received mine today after listening to them a few months ago at a store (im not a IEM guy at all)

if anyone is wondering i got mine for probably the best price out there for 540 shipped from B&H audio which is you may already know is an authorized dealer

They are now sold out! Same here! I got mine last week from B&H. Good thing we picked them up when we did. They now show as discontinued on B&H and Crutchfield.

 

[kuebler]

They are now sold out! Same here! I got mine last week from B&H. Good thing we picked them up when we did. They now show as discontinued on B&H and Crutchfield.

Interesting! The necessary prerequisite for the IE800Ss to become cheaper...

 

[jwbrent]

Interesting! The necessary prerequisite for the IE800Ss to become cheaper...