[Dobrescu George]

 
If you haven't ....try all the different pads....proper fit not comfort can make all the difference in the world...having both is great though.
And as Gheorghe mentioned, hopefully you have a legit pair or it could be what you're accustomed to....but IMHO the mids are about perfect for an IEM.

 
I totally think that ie800 has THE perfect mids. And treble. And bass. 
 
I really like it's sound lol. 
 
Well, they do bring out the best or worst in a track, poorly mastered tracks will sound really poor. And I love this level of overdetail. 

 

[Amictus]

  You might not be listening to genuine ie800. 
 
Mid are completely fine, even better than with most IEMs out there. Slightly lower volume than bass and treble but totally not sucked out. 
 
EDIT::: Ie800 is not mid centric though, what were you listening to before?

 
 

 
If you haven't ....try all the different pads....proper fit not comfort can make all the difference in the world...having both is great though.
And as Gheorghe mentioned, hopefully you have a legit pair or it could be what you're accustomed to....but IMHO the mids are about perfect for an IEM.

 
 

   
I totally think that ie800 has THE perfect mids. And treble. And bass. 
 
I really like it's sound lol. 
 
Well, they do bring out the best or worst in a track, poorly mastered tracks will sound really poor. And I love this level of overdetail. 

I bought the IE800 after having been introduced to them by Dr Axel Grell at last year's London Canjam. I was immediately struck by the soundstage and detail. I then carefully looked at descriptions of the counterfeit versions and went to a reputable dealer (Graham's Hifi in London N1) and bought a set. The tell-tale signs of a fake don't seem to be there (the logo, for example).
 
My best IEMs before that were the Shure EC4-N (now long-in-the-tooth, but sounding glorious now that I have the Chord Hugo). With the Shures, the midrange is particularly satisfying, the soundstage good if a little approximate, the timbre of instruments etc excellent. Very much the case with the HDTracks version of Strauss's Four Last Songs with Elizabeth Schwarzkopf.
 
I am listening to the last of the songs. Switching to the IE800, the sound is less refulgent at the beginning. Schwarzkopf enters and the sound is less detailed with less 'contact' with the singer (compared to the Shure). Everything is set back a little. Things improve a lot if a pull the little monitors out of the ear canal so that they are almost falling out. There is a 'sweet spot' where they sound a lot better.
 
I need advice about third party tips before I decide to move on. All suggestions very gratefully received. I am after the best sound possible, not comfort. I don't use IEMs on the move much. Thank you all in advance.

 

[Dobrescu George]

   
 
 
 

I bought the IE800 after having been introduced to them by Dr Axel Grell at last year's London Canjam. I was immediately struck by the soundstage and detail. I then carefully looked at descriptions of the counterfeit versions and went to a reputable dealer (Graham's Hifi in London N1) and bought a set. The tell-tale signs of a fake don't seem to be there (the logo, for example).
 
My best IEMs before that were the Shure EC4-N (now long-in-the-tooth, but sounding glorious now that I have the Chord Hugo). With the Shures, the midrange is particularly satisfying, the soundstage good if a little approximate, the timbre of instruments etc excellent. Very much the case with the HDTracks version of Strauss's Four Last Songs with Elizabeth Schwarzkopf.
 
I am listening to the last of the songs. Switching to the IE800, the sound is less refulgent at the beginning. Schwarzkopf enters and the sound is less detailed with less 'contact' with the singer (compared to the Shure). Everything is set back a little. Things improve a lot if a pull the little monitors out of the ear canal so that they are almost falling out. There is a 'sweet spot' where they sound a lot better.
 
I need advice about third party tips before I decide to move on. All suggestions very gratefully received. I am after the best sound possible, not comfort. I don't use IEMs on the move much. Thank you all in advance.

 
 
The best sound for me was with large round tips, but best seal => best sound for a longer period is with round medium. 
 
I recommend trying every tip for a day and see how it works out. 
 
Ie800 has, shockingly, the only mids that I really fell in love with on using IEMs. I had ie80, and while they were fun, Sennheiser really did a totally different scale job with ie800. 

 

[Gutter]

Using my IE800 again how deep do you guys insert them in your ears?


Mine just rest in my ear like earbuds....

 

[Duncan]

Horribly sucked-out mids. At the moment.

agreed.

Compared to most other mid to top flight IEMs the mids are recessed (V shaped signature) which makes vocals sound potentially thin, but that is just IMO... Just putting it out there that they don't need to be fake as others have hinted, for you to feel that way.

 

[Amictus]

agreed.

Compared to most other mid to top flight IEMs the mids are recessed (V shaped signature) which makes vocals sound potentially thin, but that is just IMO... Just putting it out there that they don't need to be fake as others have hinted, for you to feel that way.

Very strangely, they sound rather better straight out of an iPhone 6S Plus than out of the Hugo in terms of the mids. Much less precise, of course, but that's odd. I am going to buy some other tips to try, and then burn them in for a v-e-r-y long time, just in case, despite the many assurances that they don't burn in much, if at all.
 
Re fakery: The good things about the sound are good enough for me to believe that they are genuine...

 

[Rob80b]

 
Very strangely, they sound rather better straight out of an iPhone 6S Plus than out of the Hugo in terms of the mids.......

Could it be that the much more linear (IMHO correct) sound-scape of the ie800s, therefore wider, deeper, and set farther out of the head (more speaker like) is not to your liking, as opposed to a narrow stage and a more concentrated fuller centre image, which many associate with the mid-range.
I find this opposition quite often in the headphone community and one reason IMHO folks found the Sennheiser HD700s not to their liking while I was one of the die hard supporters of the 700s sound staging capabilities.
The Hugo may produce the better sound-field while your phone has less stereo separation and depth....just a thought.

 

[Rscotth]

Been following this thread for a while. Just pulled the trigger and should have my ie800 next week. Hope I can get a good fit. Impressions to follow. Moving from Etymotic and Westone W60's

 

[Dobrescu George]

Been following this thread for a while. Just pulled the trigger and should have my ie800 next week. Hope I can get a good fit. Impressions to follow. Moving from Etymotic and Westone W60's

 
 
I really hope you're going to have a time as good as we have with ie800! 
 
Ety are much colder, ie800 will fell like having a really juicy mid range and a really bigger bass compared to Ety, while Westone are warmer from what I remember. 
 
At any rate, you should be having fun! 
 
 
 
BTW, thinking about it, ie800 might change a tiny bit with burn in. 

 

[Rscotth]

I really hope you're going to have a time as good as we have with ie800! 

Ety are much colder, ie800 will fell like having a really juicy mid range and a really bigger bass compared to Ety, while Westone are warmer from what I remember. 

At any rate, you should be having fun! 



BTW, thinking about it, ie800 might change a tiny bit with burn in. 

Thanks for your feedback and insight.

 

[Smileyko]

I am now 75 hours of my new IE800 burn in. The sound really did come on full and sweet after 50 hours or so. I love the fit, I never liked the over the ear cable placement and this one it's great to let it hang straight down. You guys are correct on the no deep insertion of the 800. This is the very first IEM I did like. My SE535LTD now will be given away to my sister's kids. I never like the fit on that thing. Cheers.

 

[Amictus]

   
 
The best sound for me was with large round tips, but best seal => best sound for a longer period is with round medium. 
 
I recommend trying every tip for a day and see how it works out. 
 
 

Well, interesting. I am now using the largest tips and the mids are much better. I shall try these out for a while on a variety of material. Thank you, @Dobrescu George ! This is much more the sound that I first heard at Canjam 2015. Mea culpa. I did not realize that the difference between identically manufactured tips of various sizes could affect the balance of the sound so much...

 

[deltronzero]

On the topic of tips...where do you even buy some OEM replacements?  A quick google leads to me Sennheiser who charges 48 bucks for a pair of L tips?  Come on...

 

[Rscotth]

Been following this thread for a while. Just pulled the trigger and should have my ie800 next week. Hope I can get a good fit. Impressions to follow. Moving from Etymotic and Westone W60's

Well, I got my ie800's and have had some time with them.  The sound is very full and revealing.  I love almost every aspect of the sound signature.  I run Tidal on my iPhone 6s with Audioquest Dragonfly.  I also have an Oppo HA-2.  I've found the best sound is through the Oppo.  They are also very good straight off the phone, but I prefer a better DAC and amplification.  I feel it brings out more.  My only gripe, like others, is the fit.  I've tried all the tips and have settled on the medium round.  I've been used to deep insertion of my Ety's.  It's taking time to get used to the new tip position.  I'm able to overlook the fit, because the sound is "Just right"!  Yes, the cord could be a bit longer and there should be a shirt clip, but these are minor issues.  For me, the best way to use these is sitting still.  Walking around affects the fit, so if I just sit down to enjoy the music, there is no need for me to complain.  Overall, I'm very pleased with these and I prefer the sound over Etymotic ER-4, Westone W60 and Cardas.  Those are all good, but these just seem to be right across the frequency range, to my ears!
 
I'll keep and enjoy these for a long time.
 
Best
Scott

 

[Rob80b]

  On the topic of tips...where do you even buy some OEM replacements?  A quick google leads to me Sennheiser who charges 48 bucks for a pair of L tips?  Come on...

Got to agree, except for the integrated screen the pads are not all that different from the Momentum in-ear tips I ordered direct from Sennheiser, believe they cost me $11.99 Canadian for a quantity of 10”.
So I’ve no problem recommending these ie800 copies from China...I have some for backup, they fit just fine like the OEMs and only $9.99  US plus free shipping.

http://www.aliexpress.com   just search for ie800 tips.