[Progisus]

What is an good upgrade from IE800 or something similar/worth trying if IE800 is your go to IEM?

This might seem silly but what about 800s. I have both and the s is definitely an upgrade while maintaining that smooth senn sound.

 

[xuserx]

It's definitely not an upgrade but the Hifiman RE600 is really a bang for a buck. For me, it's like the in-ear version of HD600 with better bass extension and a great all-rounder if you're into neutrality.

 

[sqz0914]

As detailed below, the IE800 beat out six other top-flight IEMs for excitement, to my ears:

Motivation

As my signature line can direct you with its links, I have compared well over 100 IEMs and headphones on various acoustic criteria such as transparency, soundstage, treble detail, bass depth, and the like.

But what about... EXCITEMENT? That is what can change your mood from bad to good, or make your head bob or feet dance. I decided to compare seven IEMs purely on the excitement that they generated.

Factors of Excitement

I had encountered a piece of music a few years ago, "I Will Survive" as sung by Enrique Inglesias, that I used to start to collect a playlist of music that excited me. The first minute or so of the piece starts with the bite of violin bow on string and preserves the microtexture roughness that comes from tacky rosin dragging then releasing the violin string, despite the smoothness of overall sound. It moves on to include rhythmic tom-tom and kick drum with cymbal, all undergirded by a wonderful, taut bass line. Then a male voice begins the singing and filling out the midrange.

As I compared IEMs for excitement on that piece, I learned that for me, excitement consists of:

* Treble zing (almost tizziness) that gave spark to cymbals;
* Taut bass, with more twang than thump, to undergird the foundation;
* Drums (tom toms and snare) with a blow so sharp as to seem like an impulse;
* Mid-range internal structure... lots of counter rhythms going on in instruments and percussion;
* Spaciousness, so that instruments were airy, surrounding me, and separated in space.

IEMs Compared

These IEMs are shown in the next figure with their case and with the Sony PHA-3 driven by the Sony NW-45 player that I used to compare them. The subsequent figure moves in to the earpieces themselves.


Figure 1: IEMs with their case, clockwise from top: Shure SE 535LTD with Norne Draug 2 custom cable (red and black), Sennheiser IE800, Grado GR10e, AKG K3003i, Sony XBA-Z5, Sony NW-45 with Sony PHA-3 DAC/Amp, Sony XBA-N40, and Final Audio Design Heaven VIII.


Figure 2: Closeup view of the earpieces of IEMs as shown in Figure 1

Comments on Excitement Factors of Each IEM

Shure SE-535LTD with Norne Draug 2 cable: This IEM was very high on the factor of "treble zing," having almost a tizziness about its sound (the red, or LTD, version of the SE-535 is known to be brighter than the standard bronze version). However, when heard after the FAD Heaven VIII, it had a hollowed-out sound to its midrange and exhibited a need for more bass. I also had to spend over a minute each time I inserted these to get the earpiece fully seated and the memory wire placed properly over my ears... a big inconvenience.

Sony XBA/N40: I love these IEMs, in part because I admired them longingly when they came out perhaps six years ago and could not afford them, in part because now, when I can, they are only available from Japan and are rare in the US, and in part, because their gold and white look so good with my gold and white iPhone SE. As a four-driver balanced armature, they have good bass (better than the Shure). The instruments and voice feel closer to you than other IEMs, and they do not feel spacious. They do not have a tizzy feeling to their treble. They are just "push and play," i.e., push them into your ears, no fuss, and they are ready to go.

Grado GR10e: I am a real Grado fan, and these IEMs capture the bright treble excitement of the Grado headphone line. They are overall brighter than, say, the Sony XBA-Z5. I found that their brightness becomes a bit of a deterrent to turning the volume up enough to start to get the mid-range and bass detail that also add to the excitement. The drums have exciting impact with these, though their bass is less than that of the XBA-Z5 and their is a bit of hollowness to the mid-range when compared with the fullest of these IEMs, as well as less spaciousness than some.

Sony XBA-Z5: These have more bass, and more bass excitement, than the other Sonys, the XBA/N40. The bass has the impulse/impact that gives excitement, and there is little treble tizziness, so you can turn the volume up to allow your ear to reach into the depths of the bass and midrange detail, adding to the excitement. The memory wire and ear-shaped modules cause putting these on to become a one-minute operation, similar to the Shures, which made me fume with impatience at times.

AKG-K3003i: These have long been my top-of-the-line IEMs based on comparisons of acoustic features. They have the most tizzy of the treble brightness of the IEMs here, which gives a lot of excitement, and they put the treble right into the middle of your head (a good thing). However, unlike the Grados with their bright treble, the AKGs allow turning up the volume and digging into the bass and midrange detail without becoming fatiguing in the treble.

Final Audio Design Heaven VIII : Wow! These are very exciting. They both give great treble tizz and deep-reaching, grab-it bass detail. They have great bass speed, while at the same time the bite of bows on violin strings at the start of the piece is strong and exciting. They have a very spacious sound, though not quite so much as the Sennheisers below. They are super convenient to put on - just push and go.

Sennheiser IE800: These were the most exciting, besting the FAD Heaven VIII by only a small bit. They have more bass than the FAD, but are just a bit less in the treble. You can easily turn up the volume to reach even further into the bass and mid detail of the music. They provide the best spaciousness, moving the instruments apart, introducing air between them, and showing a large soundstage, all increasing the excitement.

Ranking of IEMs By Excitement

Based on the observations for each IEM given above, I conclude that the most exciting is the Sennheiser IE800, while the least exciting is the Shure SE535LTD.

In short with ">" used to mean "is greater than," the excitement factor goes as:

Sennheiser IE800 > FAD Heaven VIII > AKG K3003i > Sony XBA-Z5 > Grado GR10e > Sony XBA/N40 > Shure SE535LTD.

A ranking of these IEMs based on the 10 acoustic factors I have used in past comparisons (see my signature line) would give a different ranking, but I wanted to concentrate on the excitement factor as its own feature, which I have done here.

Nice review. I have the IE800 for about 5 years and I haven't found a replacement for this IEM yet. It is an amazing IEM with lots of potentials. By using better equipment, you would get better sound performance. I am currently using a Vorzuge Duo II to feed it. The sound is clear and full of details. The bass is punchy but not overwhelmed. The soundstage is quite big with no edges. Literally, it has some attributes of a headphone.

 

[W1ll1eTheP1mp]

This might seem silly but what about 800s. I have both and the s is definitely an upgrade while maintaining that smooth senn sound.

Nash, not willing to pay for the S model when I have the IE800..

 

[CaptainFantastic]

I recently bought the IE 800S from Sennheiser. I am so impressed with their performance that I read through that entire thread here on Head-Fi. I saw that a minority who also owned the IE 800 thought the 800S is not necessarily an upgrade, just a version with certain differences. The majority is on the side of it being an upgrade in terms of smoother treble, more controlled bass, better vocals, more natural sounding in general.

Nonetheless, I was intrigued to find out for myself. Immediately I ran into the problem of the IE 800 being out of production and the used models for sale out there being suspicious in terms of authenticity (could one MORE eBay seller state that it was bought by someone else for their birthday so they don't have the receipt ). Plus the thought of owning used IEMs... So I was giving up on the idea of hearing/owning the IE 800, then I found a shop in Belgium that still had 2 brand new ones! Not used, not open box or demo, but brand new. I grabbed one.

This whole message is to say that if anyone is interested, the other one is available -- and for a good price. (I am in no way affiliated, etc., etc. and I haven't received mine yet, but it looks like a proper HiFi shop)

belhifi.com

 

[mainguy]

I recently bought the IE 800S from Sennheiser. I am so impressed with their performance that I read through that entire thread here on Head-Fi. I saw that a minority who also owned the IE 800 thought the 800S is not necessarily an upgrade, just a version with certain differences. The majority is on the side of it being an upgrade in terms of smoother treble, more controlled bass, better vocals, more natural sounding in general.

Nonetheless, I was intrigued to find out for myself. Immediately I ran into the problem of the IE 800 being out of production and the used models for sale out there being suspicious in terms of authenticity (could one MORE eBay seller state that it was bought by someone else for their birthday so they don't have the receipt ). Plus the thought of owning used IEMs... So I was giving up on the idea of hearing/owning the IE 800, then I found a shop in Belgium that still had 2 brand new ones! Not used, not open box or demo, but brand new. I grabbed one.

This whole message is to say that if anyone is interested, the other one is available -- and for a good price. (I am in no way affiliated, etc., etc. and I haven't received mine yet, but it looks like a proper HiFi shop)

belhifi.com

I found a pair in CEX too for £125, granted they're used but perfect condition. Amazing what tech is lying around in these places.

 

[xuserx]

I found a pair in CEX too for £125, granted they're used but perfect condition. Amazing what tech is lying around in these places.

I got them for 270 used and thought it's a bargain. That's cheap.

 

[CaptainFantastic]

I got them for 270 used and thought it's a bargain. That's cheap.

They are 499 eur new at that BE shop. Probably among the last new pairs available.

 

[W1ll1eTheP1mp]

They are 499 eur new at that BE shop. Probably among the last new pairs available.

I bought my IE800 in " open box" condition for CA 230 usd with receipt and confirmation from both shop and producer. It was just tried 2 times in 2016 when it was bought. Absolute the best deal I've ever done

 

[xuserx]

I bought my IE800 in " open box" condition for CA 230 usd with receipt and confirmation from both shop and producer. It was just tried 2 times in 2016 when it was bought. Absolute the best deal I've ever done

Lucky you. I thought the initial price was around 900 euros. Even in Zeus Review it's around 699.

 

[W1ll1eTheP1mp]

Lucky you. I thought the initial price was around 900 euros. Even in Zeus Review it's around 699.

Yeah,I know. Extremely lucky sometimes. Probably used it up though

 

[Tybot]

What is an good upgrade from IE800 or something similar/worth trying if IE800 is your go to IEM?

You might consider sending them to Vesper to convert to MMCX. I did and really enjoy cable rolling, though the cable they also made for me for the IE800 sounds spectacular. Also, try the Blon BL03. I am late to that party, but to me they have a similar sound sig to IE800 at about 3% of the cost! I modded them to fit better. On the other side of the spectrum, I moved up to Noble Khan which is probably my endgame.

 

[meomap]

You might consider sending them to Vesper to convert to MMCX. I did and really enjoy cable rolling, though the cable they also made for me for the IE800 sounds spectacular. Also, try the Blon BL03. I am late to that party, but to me they have a similar sound sig to IE800 at about 3% of the cost! I modded them to fit better. On the other side of the spectrum, I moved up to Noble Khan which is probably my endgame.

No, Empire Odin should be endgame for me in next 2 years, saving up now.
Had 800, K10C, Kaiser.
Using Khan right now.
Read reviews online and Youtube: better than Sultan and Tia Foute also.
Should switch to different vendor in the future.

 

[W1ll1eTheP1mp]

You might consider sending them to Vesper to convert to MMCX. I did and really enjoy cable rolling, though the cable they also made for me for the IE800 sounds spectacular. Also, try the Blon BL03. I am late to that party, but to me they have a similar sound sig to IE800 at about 3% of the cost! I modded them to fit better. On the other side of the spectrum, I moved up to Noble Khan which is probably my endgame.

I have Blon 03, but what??!? Its a good IEM for the price for sure, but it doesnt sound anything like IE800 at all. Totally different! My girlfriend doesnt like the IE800 cause of the more "bright/trebly" sound. So she uses the Blon's that its a darker sounding.

Its never gonna happen that i pay for MMCX to IE800. Huge waste of money since i dont believe in cables. Never heard any difference. Either when playing instruments or with speakers/headphone/IEM's.. When i did electro and electronic at school, the cable question came up regularly and we learned that its mostly snake oil. So that is what i think. But a good quality cable is important. For durability/flexibility.

Thats what i think though. But i also mean its important to respect other peoples meaning It would be cool(or more expensive) if i could hear difference with cables for tweakabilty etc. But i just dont.

 

[Tybot]

For me, converting to MMCX was almost required. The IE800 fits me by wearing over ear and the factory cable combined with my big head made it pretty much impossible to wear/use with the factory fixed cable with their short Y split. I do find a difference with cables though I agree the biggest factor is probably quality of build and looks.

I think I have a crazy pair of BL03. I am overpowering them with a Musical Fidelity desktop tube setup, but mine sound similar to my IE800 and also beat out any IEM I have under $400.