[Duncan]

Hey Duncan is the increase in sq big enough to justify purchasing Hugo  as opposed to driving ie800 from  x5 alone?A lot are riding the Hugo wave but there are are others who are a bit dissapointed saying it's not worth the money.I'm debating if i should combine it with dx90 but ie800 already sound very good especially after the lenghty burn in.

depends on what you want from the IE800...

The Hugo increases definition for sure, it also extends the frequency extremes as well, so if you think the IE800 is bordering on bright, or too bassy at the moment, then I would hesitate to recommend without you having your own audition.

Lucky for me, it is the magic combination (the extra detail on offer is nothing short of phenomenal! ) but, to each their own, and I know the IE800 is already bordering on too bright for some...

 

[SilverEars]

depends on what you want from the IE800...

The Hugo increases definition for sure, it also extends the frequency extremes as well, so if you think the IE800 is bordering on bright, or too bassy at the moment, then I would hesitate to recommend without you having your own audition.

Lucky for me, it is the magic combination (the extra detail on offer is nothing short of phenomenal! ) but, to each their own, and I know the IE800 is already bordering on too bright for some...

I've noticed that the harsh treble is not forward like other DACs, it seemed laid back and at the same time you notice the details those frequencies offer.  IMO, this is how treble should be done, not dropping the frequency and at the same time not pushing it forward, if anybody can understand what this means.  

 

[Duncan]

I've noticed that the harsh treble is not forward like other DACs, it seemed laid back and at the same time you notice the details those frequencies offer.  IMO, this is how treble should be done, not dropping the frequency and at the same time not pushing it forward, if anybody can understand what this means.  

I can, and you conveyed it better than me

 

[florence]

   
I have.  It isn't that it pairs poorly, but i prefer the ie800s with ak products - ak100 or ak240.   I find the sound on the dx50 murkier.   The highs and lows have distinct personalities on ak products.   Amazing treble presentation along with very good bass.  In addition, the dx50 sound tends to change with firmware updates.
 
The primary advantage of the dx50 (other than price) is that it provides plenty of power with its higher voltage amp.  Sometimes on the ak100 i max out or come close to maxing out the volume.   ie800 does seem to benefit from higher power, probably why it also sounds better amped too.  Despite the power issue, i still prefer the sound of these iems on the ak100 - but i can see why someone might go with the dx50 instead.

Thanks for the detailed comment. So could you say that dx50 would be way better than macbook pro and iPhone 5s line outs to enhance music/sound pleasure?

 

[daseinpdx]

 
Thanks for the detailed comment. So could you say that dx50 would be way better than macbook pro and iPhone 5s line outs to enhance music/sound pleasure?

 
Since I am not a fan of apple, i don't really use any of those devices.   I can't speak directly to those comparisons.   You might want to ask in the DX50 discussion thread.
 
From my experience with phones in general though, the iphone probably will not have enough power to drive a lot of headphones - including difficult to drive IEMs.  From what i have heard, the iphone has more power than a lof of phones, but it will probably still be limited compared to the DX50.   The iphone might be able to drive the ie800s but you might not necessarily get full volume.   Not sure.   If you plan to add full size headphones in the future, the DX50 will allow for more options.  Also, most laptops and computers don't have enough amp power to drive bigger headphones or even some difficult iems either.

 

[macbug]

The IE800 is only 16 ohms and is a dynamic with no real changes in impedance curve, how can it possibly be hard to drive with an iphone, and for that matter, why would different DAC make any actual difference if they are supposed to output flat signals?  If it actually sounded dramatically different then couldn't you simply achieve the same thing with EQ?

 

[daseinpdx]

  The IE800 is only 16 ohms and is a dynamic with no real changes in impedance curve, how can it possibly be hard to drive with an iphone, and for that matter, why would different DAC make any actual difference if they are supposed to output flat signals?  If it actually sounded dramatically different then couldn't you simply achieve the same thing with EQ?

Impedance is only one consideration.  Things like sensitivity and efficiency also matter.  On the ak100, i often had to max out the volume with the ie800.  This would of course depend on the recording and what you are listening to, but they do require more power than you might expect to get the best sound out of them.    EQ doesn't really factor in here because it is about getting them to play louder - not a different sound signature.

 

[0rangutan]

IE800's sound superb direct from an iPhone 5S with plenty of volume to spare. It is good to hear that they could sound even better with further amplification, but this is certainly not required in order to really appreciate how fantastic they are.

 

[ryanjsoo]

The ie800`s are more sensitive than my se535`s and have a lower impedance, despite this, I was surprised they were very resistant to hiss, more so than my 50ohm klipsch x10`s and only slightly more volume,  a lot less than the 535`s, out of HTC M8 sounds sublime, amped through a modded jds labs cmoy bb, very little difference unfortunately, soundstage is already great, bass is always there, amping maybe cleans up the sound a bit but it never loses composure anyway....., anyway that`s just my personal experience, i`m sure others have benefits from amping but I don`t think its worth the hassle on a portable orientated iem.

 

[James-uk]

The ie800`s are more sensitive than my se535`s and have a lower impedance, despite this, I was surprised they were very resistant to hiss, more so than my 50ohm klipsch x10`s and only slightly more volume,  a lot less than the 535`s, out of HTC M8 sounds sublime, amped through a modded jds labs cmoy bb, very little difference unfortunately, soundstage is already great, bass is always there, amping maybe cleans up the sound a bit but it never loses composure anyway....., anyway that`s just my personal experience, i`m sure others have benefits from amping but I don`t think its worth the hassle on a portable orientated iem.

I agree. My home rig is hdvd800 > hd800/hd600 balanced plus an O2/odac as reference to hear how good these iems can sound . I can confirm that straight from my I phone 5 these little beauties shine. I don't think there is any difference between O2 and phone other than I have the phone at about 3/4 volume and O2 at a quarter if that.

 

[joey99]

I also have the O2+ODAC and a iphone 4 ... both sound just as good with the IE800 to my ears.

 

[rrRazr]

Has anyone tried the ie800 with the woo audio wa7 fireflies?

 

[RapidPulse]

Yup.  They sound great!

 

[macbug]

$599 again at NCIX Canada through their weekly sales page link

 

[Duncan]

Great bargain at that price

Wish the UK would have a similar sale, would pick up a spare pair for sure!!