[Dragonsan]

 
The best I can describe it is "fullness". 

 
You're correct in that this is the result of forward mids. It's not something driver burn-in will affect; you really just have to listen to it.
 
I've been doing so non-stop (since these are the more comfortable of the two), and on the rare occasion I do listen to the SE846s, I don't want to say they sound muffled, but I find myself longing for the airiness the IE800s provide.

 

[joshnor713]

   
You're correct in that this is the result of forward mids. It's not something driver burn-in will affect; you really just have to listen to it.
 
I've been doing so non-stop (since these are the more comfortable of the two), and on the rare occasion I do listen to the SE846s, I don't want to say they sound muffled, but I find myself longing for the airiness the IE800s provide.

 
I've been switching between them today.  I am really split down the middle with these two.  They both have what each other is missing.  If you can merge them together they'd be the perfect IEM.
 
The ie800 has the treble and airy-ness that the se846 is missing.  The se846 has the sub-woofer and mids that the ie800 is missing.  I really don't know what I'm gonna do.  I can't keep them both, my wife would kill me!

 

[frankrondaniel]

   
I've been switching between them today.  I am really split down the middle with these two.  They both have what each other is missing.  If you can merge them together they'd be the perfect IEM.
 
The ie800 has the treble and airy-ness that the se846 is missing.  The se846 has the sub-woofer and mids that the ie800 is missing.  I really don't know what I'm gonna do.  I can't keep them both, my wife would kill me!

 
Lol - that was my dilemma at one point.  I ended up keeping both since my wife was unaware!

 

[musiclvr]

The tonality of the two is the main difference IMO. I find the Dita more tuned towards mastering purposes, as opposed to the IE800 which I find are much more natural sounding. What I mean by natural is that vocals and instruments sound like what I hear in real life(live performance), I find the timbre of the Dita a bit lacking(the Dita does drums exceptionally well though), they sound "cold" whereas the IE800 expresses quite a bit more "emotion" in the music. 


The vocals on the Dita are more forward compared to the IE800, bass and treble are about the same with maybe a slight advantage to the IE800(Dita do sound less peaky if memory serves). At first listen, I thought the Dita resolves micro-details better but upon further listening, I find that those micro-details are also present in the IE800, just not as obvious as the Dita portrays them. That said, I don't remember getting fatigued listening to the Dita but the IE800 are certainly more laid back - music just flows without throwing every little details my way unless I specifically want to look out for them. Dita is more suitable for portable use, its cable is very supple and has zero microphonics, whereas IE800 it is not at all ideal to use on-the-go. Neither has isolation like BA-based IEMs, but I find the Dita isolate a little better than the IE800. As for fit, I tend to get a sore on my left ear after 1-3 hours with the Dita while the IE800 is probably the most comfortable and fuss-free IEM I've ever had.

Both are fine IEMs in their own rights, in terms of technicality I'd say they are about par, in the end I think it comes down to the type of sound sig you are after and how much you intend to use them on-the-go. I very much prefer the IE800 myself. 

shadow04 thank you for your reply as it is appreciated. Was the Dita model you tried the entry iem "Answer edition" or the "the Truth Edition"? I feel like that based in your impressions I am leaning towards the Dita Answer " The Truth"edition. This is because I am looking for a true reference level iem that incorporates a dynamic driver vs balanced armatures. This is due to issues with phase coherency that is a potential issue with multi-BA iem's as well as having less internal parts to worry about failing. Even the $1100.00-2.5k JH Audio Siren Series still have a .01 milliseconds delay. Can I be able to honestly detect/hear that minuscule of a delay? Probably not. It is still a delay nonetheless. Truth be told, that If I am being honest with myself I have seriously been considering the JH Audio Siren Series Angie. I also feel like the cardas EM5813 (that are veiled in the treble, have very controlled bass/sub-bass, and warm mids IMO) are a pleasant non-fatiguing experience enough for me to not want another lightIy colored SQ. I want pure transparency or as close as I can afford in an iem. Thanks again for your insight!

 

[joshnor713]

Lol - that was my dilemma at one point.  I ended up keeping both since my wife was unaware!

Dang, you live on the edge dude. Props

 

[Spyro]

  Just got my pair of ie800 in.  Coming from the se846, my initial impressions:
 
OMG, these things are tiny.  My first thought is there's no way they can compete with the 846, they're 1/4 the size!  So after getting over that and opening my mind, I put them on.
 
 And then there's something weird.  I can't put my finger on it yet, but I feel like something is missing in comparison with the 846's.  The best I can describe it is "fullness".  I listen to a good amount of rock and I feel like the 846's capture more of the fullness of all the different frequencies together.  Did anyone else get this as well?  Maybe it's the foward mids and low-pass filter of the 846?  I feel like the ie800 might be better for "softer" music (don't know a better way to describe it atm).  Need to do more listening...

 
Very simple explanation.  IE800 has very little mid bass (that is the void you are talking about).  This completely eliminates any sense of veil or cloudiness and allows great texture and detail for deep bass and also allows for great detail in the upper registers.  In doing this, the midrange, while still extremely clear, just comes across a little recessed or faint.  It's a different approach.
 
In contrast, too many IEM's have waaaaay to much mid bass.  It just goes to show you its still about personal tastes and finding which IEM gives more great traits and has the fewest bad traits (in your own vision) that you can't live with.

 

[joshnor713]

Very simple explanation.  IE800 has very little mid bass (that is the void you are talking about).  This completely eliminates any sense of veil or cloudiness and allows great texture and detail for deep bass and also allows for great detail in the upper registers.  In doing this, the midrange, while still extremely clear, just comes across a little recessed or faint.  It's a different approach.

In contrast, too many IEM's have waaaaay to much mid bass.  It just goes to show you its still about personal tastes and finding which IEM gives more great traits and has the fewest bad traits (in your own vision) that you can't live with.

Good explanation, thx.

 

[potatoe94]

why does so little of you guys write reviews on the IE800 ? 

http://www.head-fi.org/products/sennheiser-ie800

 

[deltronzero]

So I picked up a pair of SE846's out of boredom and just wanting a pair of IEM's with better isolation for flights.  I've demoed the SE's at a couple of stores before and weren't terribly impressed, but I didn't want to pick up the 3003's since the isolation is just okay and still the "bud" style of IE800's.  After listening to the SE846's paired with the DX90 and C5, I still have to say the IE800's is more impressive across all spectrum, the SE's bass may hit a tad deeper.  IE800's mid is more clear and detailed and has a much bigger soundstage.

 

[Caruryn]

  So I picked up a pair of SE846's out of boredom and just wanting a pair of IEM's with better isolation for flights.  I've demoed the SE's at a couple of stores before and weren't terribly impressed, but I didn't want to pick up the 3003's since the isolation is just okay and still the "bud" style of IE800's.  After listening to the SE846's paired with the DX90 and C5, I still have to say the IE800's is more impressive across all spectrum, the SE's bass may hit a tad deeper.  IE800's mid is more clear and detailed and has a much bigger soundstage.

It's all about synergy especially at this high level of revealing iems.The ie800 is better match with the dx90,the shures better with sony daps,mainly tonality(partly because sony keeps making paltry amps that can't flesh out the dynamics of ie800).Aks either way based on impressions by those who have both iems.So since you bought se846,buy the sony a15 or start saving for zx2.

 

[Broslowski]

Hey mate: here is mine review of IE800 on DX90 however, only in Slovak - hope you can use Google translate  
 
http://topaudio.sk/sennheiser-ie800-univerzalne-iem-nevidanych-kvalit/

 

[shadow04]

shadow04 thank you for your reply as it is appreciated. Was the Dita model you tried the entry iem "Answer edition" or the "the Truth Edition"? I feel like that based in your impressions I am leaning towards the Dita Answer " The Truth"edition. This is because I am looking for a true reference level iem that incorporates a dynamic driver vs balanced armatures. This is due to issues with phase coherency that is a potential issue with multi-BA iem's as well as having less internal parts to worry about failing. Even the $1100.00-2.5k JH Audio Siren Series still have a .01 milliseconds delay. Can I be able to honestly detect/hear that minuscule of a delay? Probably not. It is still a delay nonetheless. Truth be told, that If I am being honest with myself I have seriously been considering the JH Audio Siren Series Angie. I also feel like the cardas EM5813 (that are veiled in the treble, have very controlled bass/sub-bass, and warm mids IMO) are a pleasant non-fatiguing experience enough for me to not want another lightIy colored SQ. I want pure transparency or as close as I can afford in an iem. Thanks again for your insight!

I have the Answer. I tried both before buying the Answer, and if I'm honest, I think the difference between the two is small. There seems to be a more extended treble on the Truth while the Answer has a fuller midrange to my ears which suited my preference more, but what ultimately made me choose the Answer was the cable, the Truth's cable is a little stiff and crumblesome(although it looks very nice aesthetically), whereas the Answer's cable is more supple and comfortable. You can go through the Dita thread to get a gist of our fellow head-fiers' opinion of the two, some of them do think that the Truth is more clinical(which probably suits your preference more). Hope this helps! 

 

[BensonTT]

Hey guys, you know when you put the earphones in your ear and you hear that pop sound.. Will this damage the speaker in anyway?

 

[joshnor713]

   
I've been switching between them today.  I am really split down the middle with these two.  They both have what each other is missing.  If you can merge them together they'd be the perfect IEM.
 
The ie800 has the treble and airy-ness that the se846 is missing.  The se846 has the sub-woofer and mids that the ie800 is missing.  I really don't know what I'm gonna do.  I can't keep them both, my wife would kill me!

 
So after some very tough deliberation, I've decided to keep the se846.  Although in a technical sense the ie800 are the clear winner, the se846 is more lively, get my blood pumping, and rocks me out.
 
Sennheiser made these as an engineering marvel, but the soul got lost in the mix.  That's what music is built on after all, right?  I have huge admiration for the ie800 for what they are.  Unfortunately, I cannot keep both
 
This was a really fun experiment.  Can't wait to do it again with the next set of flagships

 

[Dragonsan]

Arghhhh.... this is REALLY hard. I'm in love with both the SE846 and IE800. They both have their own unique qualities. Both are definitely TOTL IEMs. 
 
It's a shame that I have to get rid of one of them :'(
 
Time to continue listening...