Have only had a couple of hours listening to the pair that were delivered earlier today, so far not disappointed, but not blown away either.
This isn't an attempt at a full review, I'll leave that to more capable posters, just a few comments.
Packaging - very nice looking but a bit too clever in that it would benefit from opening instructions on the outside.
Carry case - probably in the same category as the packaging, looks great but may not prove too practical in the long run.
Comfort - good, but I could only get the larger foam tips to seal and they didn't pass my yawn test (do they still seal when I yawn?) so I swapped them for the same Comply tips I use on my Triple Fi's. Otherwise fine though.
Ear loops - I think I will lose these soon as they don't grip the wire very well and are bound to fall off. I know that many posters don't like memory wire but in this case I think it would be a better option. It may be that with some further use I'm proved wrong, I hope so anyway.
Sound quality - I love my HD 650's and was hoping for a portable equivalent so took the plunge and bought the IE 8's before reading a review, something I don't often do. In reality I didn't expect true equivalence, just more than I get from the IEM's I own at the moment (ER-4P, Triple Fi, and UM2) and I'm not sure that I'm getting that, but it's early days. I'm a believer in both burn in, and as these are dynamics there should be some, and in the user adjusting to the sound over a period of time. With regard to the latter, switching from the UM2's to the ER-4P's the sound is initially very thin and almost unbearable but after a few minutes their strengths start to shine through (there isn't a 'faster' IEM on the market IMHO) and their weaknesses don't seem to be there any more. So in the case of the IE 8 I'm hoping a combination of the two work some magic and I find myself won over by them.
To describe the sound, nothing stands out, which is probably a good thing, bass is full (at the lowest setting), treble is definitely there but not as noticeable as the triples or ER-4P but better than the UM2's, and the mids sound nice, but vocals don't seem as good as the UM2's. Soundstage seems very wide though, and placement is nice.
I'm sorry I can't be more positive but at the moment the Triples sound significantly better to my ears, as do the HD 650's (probably a dumb remark).
When I get time I'll post an update but it probably won't be 'til next week as I'm snowed under with work and can't do much listening, but will burn them in.
