Sennheiser IE800 IEM's
Sep 13, 2020 at 1:26 PM Post #7,786 of 7,990
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. :)

I think you are reducing the cable swapping to attempts to improve sound quality. It may or may not be there, I have my own opinion on it.

But consider that most people change cables for improved ergonomics, fit, best use for their setup. I have aftermarket cables on all of my Sennheiser overears because I wanted a different length and different feel to the cable. If I use my overear headphones 95% of the time at my workstation, I don't need a 3m cable, it gets in the way. And if I use it 8 hours per day, I can choose to pay much more than the price of the stock cable to have a more suited sleeve rubbing against my workshirt all day. I may even get a small enjoyment out of plugging in a full metal Furutech 6.3mm connector compared to the flimsy stock cable that has a bit of a bend to it from the box.

What I am trying to say, cables are about much more than just changed acoustics. :)

Now, I personally like the cable on the 800S, less so on the 800. But I would only change them to MMX if they broke in the distant future. As it is, they work for me as overears (but almost at the limit) and the thinness of the current connection to the earbud is an advantage for me. I can see how someone would need to adapt them to MMX just if they can't get the overear to work because of the length of the stock cable. I like the feeling of the cable coming together just under my chin, someone else might hate it. Conversely, I did not like the look of the 800s after MMX conversion (based on a picture here), someone else might love it.
 
Sep 13, 2020 at 1:40 PM Post #7,787 of 7,990
I think you are reducing the cable swapping to attempts to improve sound quality. It may or may not be there, I have my own opinion on it.

But consider that most people change cables for improved ergonomics, fit, best use for their setup. I have aftermarket cables on all of my Sennheiser overears because I wanted a different length and different feel to the cable. If I use my overear headphones 95% of the time at my workstation, I don't need a 3m cable, it gets in the way. And if I use it 8 hours per day, I can choose to pay much more than the price of the stock cable to have a more suited sleeve rubbing against my workshirt all day. I may even get a small enjoyment out of plugging in a full metal Furutech 6.3mm connector compared to the flimsy stock cable that has a bit of a bend to it from the box.

What I am trying to say, cables are about much more than just changed acoustics. :)

Now, I personally like the cable on the 800S, less so on the 800. But I would only change them to MMX if they broke in the distant future. As it is, they work for me as overears (but almost at the limit) and the thinness of the current connection to the earbud is an advantage for me. I can see how someone would need to adapt them to MMX just if they can't get the overear to work because of the length of the stock cable. I like the feeling of the cable coming together just under my chin, someone else might hate it. Conversely, I did not like the look of the 800s after MMX conversion (based on a picture here), someone else might love it.

Very well said. I probably would like the original IE800 cable if I lost about 50lbs. As it is now, it's not too much unlike a noose for me. My MMCX conversion came out very nice and am actually using a pure copper cable that is much thinner than the stock cable and with zero microphonics.
 
Oct 17, 2020 at 2:24 PM Post #7,790 of 7,990
So, I've had my IE800 for almost 7 years now, and for me it is the best sounding IEM I've ever experienced. But, they've been languishing in the box for a couple of years now because I got fed up with fit issues. I just never could settle on tips that would: (1) consistently stay in my ears, (2) maintain a good seal, and (3) not negatively affect the sound signature (i.e., the Comply tips, while achieving the first two qualifications, deadens the high end too much for me, making them unacceptable). Over the last couple years I just decided IEM's in general were not for me.

The other day something made me pull out the IE800 just to reacquaint myself with the sound signature. I plugged the rather stiff Kevlar cable into my Mojo and buried the stock silicone ear tips as deep as I could in my ears to create a good seal (at least as long as it would last). When I started the music, I was immediately reminded how brilliant the IE800 is and what a shame that the fit issues I experienced made me stop using them.

I am now committed to solving my fit issues so I can fully enjoy these babies on a consistent basis. For those who have tried, what is the best solution for modding in order to solve the fit issue: (1) investing in a Vesper Audio recabling for a proper and comfortable over the ear fit while eliminating the stiffness, length and microphonics of the stock cable; or (2) investing in a custom-fit ear tip from Snugs or Adv. Eartune Fidelity? I really want to solve the fit issue once and for all, but with as little affect on the sound signature as possible.
 
Oct 17, 2020 at 4:41 PM Post #7,791 of 7,990
So, I've had my IE800 for almost 7 years now, and for me it is the best sounding IEM I've ever experienced. But, they've been languishing in the box for a couple of years now because I got fed up with fit issues. I just never could settle on tips that would: (1) consistently stay in my ears, (2) maintain a good seal, and (3) not negatively affect the sound signature (i.e., the Comply tips, while achieving the first two qualifications, deadens the high end too much for me, making them unacceptable). Over the last couple years I just decided IEM's in general were not for me.

The other day something made me pull out the IE800 just to reacquaint myself with the sound signature. I plugged the rather stiff Kevlar cable into my Mojo and buried the stock silicone ear tips as deep as I could in my ears to create a good seal (at least as long as it would last). When I started the music, I was immediately reminded how brilliant the IE800 is and what a shame that the fit issues I experienced made me stop using them.

I am now committed to solving my fit issues so I can fully enjoy these babies on a consistent basis. For those who have tried, what is the best solution for modding in order to solve the fit issue: (1) investing in a Vesper Audio recabling for a proper and comfortable over the ear fit while eliminating the stiffness, length and microphonics of the stock cable; or (2) investing in a custom-fit ear tip from Snugs or Adv. Eartune Fidelity? I really want to solve the fit issue once and for all, but with as little affect on the sound signature as possible.

I HIGHLY recommend having Vesper convert to mmcx. I have 2 pair done by then and have zero issues with either one. Wearing them overear without the constraints of the stock cable was a game changer. As for tips, I bought some knock-off/non-sennheiser ie800 tips and cutoff the outer part of the tips, leaving only the tune with the locking part intact. I put some wide bore spin fits over the tubes. Once I got it right, I did it with the stock tips. The knock-off tips actually work ok but they are a bit hit and miss from tip to tip
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Nov 22, 2020 at 5:14 PM Post #7,792 of 7,990
My old (six years?) IE800s have broken my heart. The right transducer now rattles just a bit. This is one of those things one could learn to ignore, probably, but I am a perfectionist and it bothers me. I looked at the Sennheiser website and there apparently is a flat fee of about $450 for repair of these IEMs. I will actually call next week to find out if replacing one transducer is actually a thing. $450 seems like a lot of money, but then again, a new pair of 800S is close to a grand these days.

Has anyone had their IE800 repaired? Has anyone suffered a rattle? I read one thread in Head Fi where someone got a new one that rattled and Sennheiser replaced it. Fair enough. But my unit is way, way out of warranty and I would never claim that the problem is a "factory defect."

Doug Greenberg
 
Nov 22, 2020 at 10:14 PM Post #7,793 of 7,990
So, I've had my IE800 for almost 7 years now, and for me it is the best sounding IEM I've ever experienced. But, they've been languishing in the box for a couple of years now because I got fed up with fit issues. I just never could settle on tips that would: (1) consistently stay in my ears, (2) maintain a good seal, and (3) not negatively affect the sound signature (i.e., the Comply tips, while achieving the first two qualifications, deadens the high end too much for me, making them unacceptable). Over the last couple years I just decided IEM's in general were not for me.

The other day something made me pull out the IE800 just to reacquaint myself with the sound signature. I plugged the rather stiff Kevlar cable into my Mojo and buried the stock silicone ear tips as deep as I could in my ears to create a good seal (at least as long as it would last). When I started the music, I was immediately reminded how brilliant the IE800 is and what a shame that the fit issues I experienced made me stop using them.

I am now committed to solving my fit issues so I can fully enjoy these babies on a consistent basis. For those who have tried, what is the best solution for modding in order to solve the fit issue: (1) investing in a Vesper Audio recabling for a proper and comfortable over the ear fit while eliminating the stiffness, length and microphonics of the stock cable; or (2) investing in a custom-fit ear tip from Snugs or Adv. Eartune Fidelity? I really want to solve the fit issue once and for all, but with as little affect on the sound signature as possible.


My experience with the IE 800 has been the same as yours. When there is a good fit, they sound really good.

The IE 800 S phones are supplied with comply foam tips. These ones: https://www.complyfoam.com/products/sen-isolation/

See also https://spares.sennheiser.com/en-us/catalog/sparepart/508201

I tried them last week on my IE 800 phones and they fit well and the sound is close to the stock silicone ear tips. The Comply’s are secure on the phones and provide a nice seal.
 
Nov 22, 2020 at 10:28 PM Post #7,794 of 7,990
My old (six years?) IE800s have broken my heart. The right transducer now rattles just a bit. This is one of those things one could learn to ignore, probably, but I am a perfectionist and it bothers me. I looked at the Sennheiser website and there apparently is a flat fee of about $450 for repair of these IEMs. I will actually call next week to find out if replacing one transducer is actually a thing. $450 seems like a lot of money, but then again, a new pair of 800S is close to a grand these days.

Has anyone had their IE800 repaired? Has anyone suffered a rattle? I read one thread in Head Fi where someone got a new one that rattled and Sennheiser replaced it. Fair enough. But my unit is way, way out of warranty and I would never claim that the problem is a "factory defect."

Doug Greenberg

I had my IE800 converted to MMCX by Vesper Audio. If I recall correctly, they warned me that the drivers could be damaged during disassembly but they could replace if needed. They ended up not damaging anything and the surgery was a complete success. I would ask them if they can replace it for you.
 
Nov 23, 2020 at 10:29 AM Post #7,796 of 7,990
I had my IE800 converted to MMCX by Vesper Audio. If I recall correctly, they warned me that the drivers could be damaged during disassembly but they could replace if needed. They ended up not damaging anything and the surgery was a complete success. I would ask them if they can replace it for you.

Am I wrong, or is Vesper Audio overseas, somewhere? I live in the U.S. I have no real interest in changing the cables to MMCX, just want a set of drivers that don't rattle. I will write to them and see what they tell me. Sennheiser has a flat fee for "repair," which I suspect means they will sell me a refurbished or new unit (probably 800S) for the $450.00. Probably worth it. I hate the damn rattle in my right ear :frowning2:,
 
Nov 23, 2020 at 10:47 AM Post #7,797 of 7,990
Yes, Vesper Audio is in Europe. I have sent my IE800 to them for the MMCX recable job, but don't have them back yet. I have heard nothing but good things about Vesper. The only downside, for those of us in the US, is you have to be very patient waiting for shipping.
 
Nov 28, 2020 at 3:40 PM Post #7,799 of 7,990
Has anyone tried to send to Sennheiser the ie800 to replace the cables for the cables in the ie800s ?
That's a very nice idea although I think no one has ever done that before.
 

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