[wkamil]

Look here http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/528724/quality-eq-apps-for-ipod-new-app-updated-4-28-11

 

[DaBomb77766]

Yeah, get an app like EQu or Equalizer, they'll do what you want.

 

[iancraig10]

My first impression from straight out of the box was a very pleasant surprise at the scale of the sound and the 'spread' out soundstage. Much more like a full blown headphone than any other iem I have tried.
 
I have toyed around with getting a pair of these for a long time but the combination of price and some of the 'dodgy' reviews I've seen kind of put me off.
 
Trouble with iem's is the fact that it's just not possible to try them in a shop so you rely on guys reporting what they hear in order to make your mind up.
 
I bought mine for £169 and feel that they are the best iem I've ever heard and they get even better with an amp like the Neco soundlab which is a Cmoy design.
 
If burn in exists with these, I can't wait. They're brilliant straight out of the box.
 
Never heard such a big sound from a little headphone!!!

 

[FidelityFreak]

Quote:

Look here http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/528724/quality-eq-apps-for-ipod-new-app-updated-4-28-11

 
I dont use any Equaliser settings on my iPod touch as I see no need for them as they artificially enhance the audio.  This then seems to negate the use of an Equaliser App, especially when people are saying the iPod touch amp is not the best.
 

 

[FidelityFreak]

Quote:

My first impression from straight out of the box was a very pleasant surprise at the scale of the sound and the 'spread' out soundstage. Much more like a full blown headphone than any other iem I have tried. I have toyed around with getting a pair of these for a long time but the combination of price and some of the 'dodgy' reviews I've seen kind of put me off.  Trouble with iem's is the fact that it's just not possible to try them in a shop so you rely on guys reporting what they hear in order to make your mind up.  I bought mine for £169 and feel that they are the best iem I've ever heard and they get even better with an amp like the Neco soundlab which is a Cmoy design.  If burn in exists with these, I can't wait. They're brilliant straight out of the box.  Never heard such a big sound from a little headphone!!!

 
Hi Ian
 
The problem is I have heard conflicting stories, some sites say "burn-in" is merely just a theory and not required, while others say its recommended, yet for some odd reason Sennheiser themselves make no mention of this to get the best out of these high end IEM's - seems odd to me.  I use the current gen iPod touch, no equaliser and my music is MP3 320kpbs.  My IE8's will arrive on Monday from a genuine Sennheiser Reseller (checked beforehand), and set me back AU$ 491, as retail is about AU$ 599.  I already have a pair of IE7's which I've had for almost 2 years and their audio is amazing, but unfortunately to my ear the sound the same as day one - no difference.  Its either my hearing, or the type of music I listen to, so its got me baffled.

 

[mastershake2393]

There is no "burn in theory" with the IE8s: they take a substantial amount of time to burn-in, thus achieving the best sound they can manage. I haven't personally burned in the IE8s, which I sold, but know the guy(s) who previously had them burned them in. And for the love of God don't use the Comply TX-400! For one, they don't fit quite right on the IE8; when I tried to take them off I felt I was going to break the nozzle off. Secondly, they make the IE8 sound really muffled. What I mean by this is the Complys muddle the mids and highs of the IE8s and bring the bass, which is already excessive, forward, creating a very unenjoyable experience IMO.

Oh and one last thing: 479 Aus$, 600 MSRP?!?!?!? That's an absolutely nuts price!

 

[iancraig10]

My biggest bother with them is being assured that they are actually sealed properly on my ears. I have found that the bass comes in big time once a seal is there but pushing them deeper makes the bass fatter and as soon as you let go, it returns to where it was. (I'm sure I do actually have a seal) However, it kind of makes you feel that they aren't in properly because they sit quite shallow on the ear.
 
For me, that means there is no outward pressure from the pads onto the inside of your ear, making them really comfortable.
 
IMO, it's the ear fit that causes all the differing reviews; particularly with regards to bass. I'm keeping the bass control to minimum and there's plenty.

 

[HONEYBOY]

Yes the depth of insertion  has an effect on the quantity of the bass produced. I don't seal them in too much as the bass becomes too pronounced and I feel that they sound better with a lighter seal in my opinion, of course. Just received a new pair of IE8s and they sound excellent out of the box. This is the third pair that am listening to out of the box and they all sounded great. As the saying goes, correlation doesn't necessarily imply causation. I feel that there are too many variables to account for before one can definitively attribute any such changes in sound to burn in. Nevertheless, this is my experience. People hear what they hear and who am I to negate their findings.

 

[iancraig10]

Well, I'm a happy old bunny with these!! I think that I've become so accustomed to jamming these types of iem hard into my ear in order to get some decent bass, whereas these just go in very lightly and they feel really well balanced to me.
 
Funnily enough, I went from the ie8 coming from a Neco amp to a Senn hd650 from a modded X-Can V8 with a Little Pinkie SE power supply which is absolutely superb, and that's a surprise. It makes you realise just how good the ie8 actually is. (If you like the Senn HD650 sound)
 
I've been using headphones for 30 years now and I have never heard such a satisfying sound from such a tiny device!!  I've been through so many of these things over the years from the Denons to the lower end Senns to the Klipsch X8 and X10 but I'm really glad I gave in now and got the ie8. (Not mentioning all the nasty cheap things I've used as well!!)

 

[AngryBaconGod]

I use eQu with my IE8's.

My curve consists of 5 points.

32Hz (lowest possible) = 0dB
100Hz = -3dB
1kHz = 0dB
4kHz = 0dB
16kHz = 0dB

To be honest the 4kHz is probably not necessary, but it slightly helps to flatten the spline between 1kHz and 4kHz.

The result has a wonderful bass biased sound without starving out the rest of the frequency spectrum.

EDIT: Oh, and I use Comply TX-500's.

 

[FidelityFreak]

Quote:

Oh and one last thing: 479 Aus$, 600 MSRP?!?!?!? That's an absolutely nuts price!

Considering the IE8's sell for AU $599 RRP (including GST - 10%), thats about the best you will get with price and these are from a Genuine Sennheiser Reseller (I emailed Sennheiser to check the company beforehand).  There are cheaper options online, but with so make fakes floating around I wasnt willing to change a chance.
 
 

 

[Dobrescu George]

if you raise the 1khz and 4khz, they get a lot better with vocals, and guitars...
 
(this is just my experience)....
 
they are probably the best iems at this price.... althought i do not have any ideea how they could compare with shure se 535 series, i am pretty sure that sennheiser will do better with acoustics....

 

[scrane]

 
Quote:

There is no "burn in theory" with the IE8s: they take a substantial amount of time to burn-in, thus achieving the best sound they can manage. I haven't personally burned in the IE8s....

 

Hmmm.
 

 

[iancraig10]

Quote:

 
Hi Ian
 
The problem is I have heard conflicting stories, some sites say "burn-in" is merely just a theory and not required, while others say its recommended, yet for some odd reason Sennheiser themselves make no mention of this to get the best out of these high end IEM's - seems odd to me.  I use the current gen iPod touch, no equaliser and my music is MP3 320kpbs.  My IE8's will arrive on Monday from a genuine Sennheiser Reseller (checked beforehand), and set me back AU$ 491, as retail is about AU$ 599.  I already have a pair of IE7's which I've had for almost 2 years and their audio is amazing, but unfortunately to my ear the sound the same as day one - no difference.  Its either my hearing, or the type of music I listen to, so its got me baffled.

Hi,
 
I don't worry about what people say about 'burn in'. If the headphones sound good, then they sound good whether burned in or not. If they improve, all the better, if they don't, then they sound good anyway!!
 
One headphone that changed a lot for me (whether it was my imagination or not) was the ATH-A9. I really didn't like it at first and about a week later, I suddenly felt the sound had changed and was really liking them. I have no idea why they felt as though they had changed so much, but these in particular really changed or I became accustomed to them extremely quickly!!! (However, I wasn't wearing them over the week) Or maybe it was just the mood I was in at the time.
 
I don't know but I certainly don't worry about what is said about the 'theory' of burn in.
 

 

[FidelityFreak]

Hi all
 
Just a quick reply before I head off to work, my IE8's arrived so will give them a spin with my iPod with the same tips I used with the IE7's and the Bass level is set to the first notch out of the packet.