[Deeman]

Hello world. Making my first high end IEM purchase here. Been doing a lot of research and narrowed it down to the two mentioned above. I realise that both have very different sound signatures. Because from what was described in other reviews and what not, I like both kinds of sound signatures. No, I will not settle for something inbetween.

Where I am located, i don't have the chance to really audition these IEM's. so I'm relying on you guys to give me an accurate description of what the sound sounds like to you. And maybe make a wise purchase from the info I glean from you knowledgeables. anyway, if you could, and only if you could, it would be nice if you could compare the sound to the xba3 which I had the chance to audition. But if you can't really compare because you've never heard the xba 3 that's fine.

I don't know if it helps, but I listen to dub step, rock, pop, hip hop, rap, country, acoustic, instrumentals and orchestral arrangements. Thanks in advance guys.

 

[Deeman]

I guess the kind of sound I like is a pronounced midrange, with lots of bass.

If i Eq'd the shures, could i get it to reproduce more bass while retaining the mids?

 

[Deeman]

Wow...no one...did I post this in the wrong forum?

 

[StyleElements]

Hey Dee, it's in the right forum. No clue about the XBA-3 as I've never heard them, sorry man!
 
I have the Sennheiser IE80 (not sure why you'd want the IE8, as it's been discontinued - the IE80 is the same thing, but tweaked a little for better sound, while retaining excellent bass slam and soundstage), and have heard the SE535 for a brief 10 minute audition at Jaben. Obviously it's an unfair comparison, but my thoughts are as follows:
 
I think your 'lots of bass' requirement rules out the 535, which has excellent detail retrieval and pretty good imaging, but a smaller soundstage... Furthermore, your request for 'pronounced midrange' rules out the IE8(0), which does not have a forward midrange at all to my ears. I suppose you could pick depending on which one you like more. Also the 535 isolates way better than the IE8(0).
 
Alternatively, since you didn't want to settle for an in-between, you could try an IEM which does both well in your price range! I'm not an IEM expert, so perhaps try ClieOS or ljokerl's threads on those.
 
Based on your criteria, I feel that you will probably find the IE8(0) is severely lacking 'pronounced' mids, so perhaps check out the W3 (slamming bass, not sure about the mids but I haven't read that they're bad) or, if you're going high-end, the PFE232 (changing the filters can increase the bass, and the mids are excellent according to planx's detailed review). These are not recommendations - I have heard/own neither - just more options.
 
Personally, I love my IE80. I think its midrange is just fine - sure, it's shrouded by the bass just a shade (I listen on bass level 2/5), but still quite rich in its own way and satisfactory to my ears. If you did wanna buy an IE80, it's pretty cheap on amazon.de, but genuine (I have claimed an official warranty on its cable, so it's definitely legit).
http://www.amazon.de/Sennheiser-504771-IE-80-In-Ear-Kopfh%C3%B6rer/dp/B005N8W27I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357011361&sr=8-1
 
Good luck!

 

[Deeman]

I can't really go high end. Don't have the money, I'm only sixteen so all I got is 400 dollars. You have any suggestions at this price range for headphones with a sound sig that's got thumping bass but still aggressive in the mid and high freqs? Thanks for the advice btw, i really appreciate it.

Is there a lot of mid bass bleed into the midrange on the ie80?(didn't know the ie8's were discontinued). And could it be Eq'd to have an aggressive mid and high end without sacrificing the bass?

You see, the reason I was stuck between the shures and the Sennheiser's were because I love both the sound signatures. I love the thumping bass, but I want aggressive and detailed mids and highs at the same time. Oh and thanks for the info, gonna read up on the w3's.

Thanks.
Dee

 

[ej8989]

ue900

 

[jump3r]

ie8 for natural sound. and good noise insolation.

 

[LFC_SL]

If the IE80 is anything like the IE8 then anything with that much bass quantity - whilst catering for consumer tastes - cannot be described as "natural" by any subjective measure because it adds bass undernote to songs which do not even have it. 

 

[Deeman]

...

 

[proton007]

Also consider the fact that an emphasis on mids tends to mask lower frequencies.
Still, from your description, it seems like the Sennheiser sound is more suitable.

 

[Deeman]

But I like an aggressive mid end and a good hard bass line. Hmmm....ok, could the ie80's provide a good level of detail? I guess I could Eq it to tone up the midrange. Leaning toward the ie80's now.

 

[proton007]

Quote:

Hmm... I'm so torn between the two. The ie80 don't exactly make the mids and highs recessed right? Just that there's an emphasis on the bass?

Shure SE535 Frequency Response:
 

 
Sennheiser IE80 Frequency Response:
 
 

 
 
Looks like the Sennheiser has more treble and bass.
But then the mids will be recessed. Shures are good at mids IMO.

 

[Deeman]

Oh my god, that was a great help. Leaning more and more to the ie80's, if I get those, I think I could tweak the midrange to fit my tastes.

Thanks.
Dee

 

[StyleElements]

Quote:

But I like an aggressive mid end and a good hard bass line. Hmmm....ok, could the ie80's provide a good level of detail? I guess I could Eq it to tone up the midrange. Leaning toward the ie80's now.

 
"good hard bass line"... You'll like the IE80s if the mids suit you. I suggest you try them out - I like mine a lot. They provide a 'good' level of detail for sure, just not microdetails like an SE535 would. I enjoy listening to live recordings with my IE80s, I don't feel like I'm 'missing out' on anything.

 

[Deeman]

What are examples of micro detail? Just asking though. Mind is pretty set on the ie80's. Btw, how much did you get your ie80's for?

"good hard bass line"... You'll like the IE80s if the mids suit you. I suggest you try them out - I like mine a lot. They provide a 'good' level of detail for sure, just not microdetails like an SE535 would. I enjoy listening to live recordings with my IE80s, I don't feel like I'm 'missing out' on anything.