[coco8579]

I also thought that the ie800 with the dx90 alone would be enough but as soon as i amped it with my pico slim it just made the sq better. The pico improved the slightly thin treble of the ie800, more space between instruments and it also tames the ie800's sub bass. its just has good synergy with the ie800. The slim is so small that its still very portable, i wouldnt call it a stack, mini stack maybe?

 

[M-13]

I also thought that the ie800 with the dx90 alone would be enough but as soon as i amped it with my pico slim it just made the sq better. The pico improved the slightly thin treble of the ie800, more space between instruments and it also tames the ie800's sub bass. its just has good synergy with the ie800. The slim is so small that its still very portable, i wouldnt call it a stack, mini stack maybe?

Okay, that sounds reasonable. The Pico is slim. I have no doubt that amping the DX90 and X5 can bring improvements. It usually does. I'm just not sure the extra hassle is worth it for me as my portable rig is not my reference rig. I just want some decent quality sound when out and about, not looking for small improvements. I'll probably build up a big heavy desktop rig again soon. I'm thinking the new Schiit Vahalla 2 + HD800, still undecided about the DAC, but probably the X-Sabre.

 

[Caruryn]

 
Okay, that sounds reasonable. The Pico is slim. I have no doubt that amping the DX90 and X5 can bring improvements. It usually does. I'm just not sure the extra hassle is worth it for me as my portable rig is not my reference rig. I just want some decent quality sound when out and about, not looking for small improvements. I'll probably build up a big heavy desktop rig again soon. I'm thinking the new Schiit Vahalla 2 + HD800, still undecided about the DAC, but probably the X-Sabre.

Go big M-13 seeing as money is not a problem for you.http://redwineaudio.com/mods/rwak240.
Throw in a chord hugo and you won't need a desktop setup . As far as k3003 i would suggest shure se846,it compliments ie800 very well.You get lush mids in contrast to the natural mids of senn and thunderous bass and a more sculpting sound.

 

[M-13]

  Go big M-13 seeing as money is not a problem for you.http://redwineaudio.com/mods/rwak240.
Throw in a chord hugo and you won't need a desktop setup . As far as k3003 i would suggest shure se846,it compliments ie800 very well.You get lush mids in contrast to the natural mids of senn and thunderous bass and a more sculpting sound.

Rofl. Money is always an issue. I'm not a retired millionaire (I wish bro, I wish). Of course I can go nuts and spend all my savings and build crazy expensive rigs (don't even get me started on my dream rigs), but I don't want to do that. I'm trying to find the right balance. Plus I'm not the most discerning of audiophiles. I'm a little picky but that's it. I think the really high end stuff would just be wasted on me. I'm a guy who was perfectly happy with a LCD-2/HE-500 combo for nearly 3 years.
 
I'm kind of moving away from lush mids, as that was my "thing" for the last few years. Shure SE530 then 535, HD650 then LCD-2/HE-500, etc, etc. All dark/lush beautiful wet vocals and all that jazz. I'm more into dry/netural clean sound these days. Thus my fascination with the K3003 and my urge to build an HD800 rig now. I find the IE800 to sound pretty close to neutral. It does have a slight sub-bass emphasis, but it's not as annoying as a mid-bass hump (which I absolutely can't stand anymore). For my tastes it's neutral and extended enough, especially for an IEM.
 
My absolute ideal frequencey response curve in the Focal Spirit Pro, which I consider to be the most neutral headphone I've ever heard/owned to date

 

[Caruryn]

We only live once 

.Who needs savings?Besides you can always sell a kidney.You only need one

 

[Raiton]

I recieved my today, they are good, small easy to plug in and out and easy to clean, but isolation is not one of the best, it is decent but not the best. But I try to find out, if the are not fake at page qr.sennheiser.com and the Id cant be found, which is strange to me, because I bought them from authorised retailer. I wrote them already, if this is normal. And second question I discovered, that at the bottom of cable,where the 3,5 jack is two white stripes on the cable on two sides so the cable is scratched, damaged or what? It isnt dirt or something like that .Or it is normal pics here: http://tinypic.com/r/a9wtwm/8
Thanks for replies

 

[Syvere]

  I recieved my today, they are good, small easy to plug in and out and easy to clean, but isolation is not one of the best, it is decent but not the best. But I try to find out, if the are not fake at page qr.sennheiser.com and the Id cant be found, which is strange to me, because I bought them from authorised retailer. I wrote them already, if this is normal. And second question I discovered, that at the bottom of cable,where the 3,5 jack is two white stripes on the cable on two sides so the cable is scratched, damaged or what? It isnt dirt or something like that .Or it is normal pics here: http://tinypic.com/r/a9wtwm/8
Thanks for replies

I don't know about the QR code as I haven't checked mine, but I know it's not fake. I can check my code when I get at home if you want.
 
Those two stripes are normal and you can scratch them off. They seem to be glue residue or something similar. Don't worry about it.
 
The IEMs are hand assembled so there can be some cosmetic imperfections, but as long as the cable is structurally fine you shouldn't worry about it. For example I had a minor scratch on the headphone jack rubber straight from Sennheiser. And since it's rubber and can pretty much scrub off scratches from it.

 

[davidcotton]

Would these have enough isolation to block out people talking (loudly) in an office environment?  Fed up with the hassle of customs and am after something that is literally fit and forget.  I'm sitting at a desk for 8 or so hours a day but can listen to music.
 
Thanks

 

[high-fidelity]

  Would these have enough isolation to block out people talking (loudly) in an office environment?  Fed up with the hassle of customs and am after something that is literally fit and forget.  I'm sitting at a desk for 8 or so hours a day but can listen to music.
 
Thanks

 
IE800 has enough isolation.It is good but not like Shures,Westones or customs.

 

[Carlsan]

Any non-propriety tips work/available for these?

 

[0rangutan]

Any non-propriety tips work/available for these?

Covered a few times in this thread now - Comply T500's work well.

 

[Duncan]

...with the comply xx200 range snapping onto the little nub perfectly, so may be worth sampling both the 2 and 5 series

 

[Carlsan]

Thanks I'll give both a shot, don't really care for comply's, but I"ll do try them with the ie800's.

 

[sue4]

Anyone hear a whistling sound every time they are inserted and pressed into ears? My left unit do so while the right one do not. As if there is a small fistula channeling between the front and the rear chamber of the driver, so the air moves between those chambers through the fistula and create the whistling sound whenever the unit is pressed into the ear canal. Is this normal?

 

[joey99]

I'm very tempted in trying these and I'm into female vocals. At the moment I have the XBA-H3, ATH-IM70, Heaven IV and they all do vocals really well and I enjoy all of them a lot. I also have the UE900 but they sound too flat in comparison. Just wondering for something costing 3-4 times as much as the ones I own ... would the IE800 be a clear upgrade? Can someone who has tried these compare how female vocals compare ... like are they prominent or more recessed on the im800 etc ? thanks