[sugakandrey]

Has anyone compared se846s to um merlins? I'm in the market for high-end iem/ciem and it basically between these two now. Would appreciate if you point me to any comparisons or give any other suggestion for sub 1k$ iems with bassy, energetic and fun yet detailed sound signature.

 

[kino lau]

  Has anyone compared se846s to um merlins? I'm in the market for high-end iem/ciem and it basically between these two now. Would appreciate if you point me to any comparisons or give any other suggestion for sub 1k$ iems with bassy, energetic and fun yet detailed sound signature.

 
Campfire Audio Andromeda is getting a lot of attention. I'll have mine Tuesday and will be able to better express personal thoughts.

 

[sugakandrey]

   
Campfire Audio Andromeda is getting a lot of attention. I'll have mine Tuesday and will be able to better express personal thoughts.

That would be cool!

 

[csglinux]

thanx but im oversatisfied with blue filter mod. I think after that there are minimal chagen in sound. Blue filter mod is more than enough for normal user like me

You'll never know what you're missing if you don't try it. The improvement may surprise you!

 

[csglinux]

Has anyone compared se846s to um merlins? I'm in the market for high-end iem/ciem and it basically between these two now. Would appreciate if you point me to any comparisons or give any other suggestion for sub 1k$ iems with bassy, energetic and fun yet detailed sound signature.

Bassy, energetic and fun yet detailed = Andromeda

 

[Caruryn]

lol but dont u think shure want to be the top in the market. Compare to ie800 shure 846 had less treble extension and soundstage l.but after blue filter mod they just wash away the ie800. Definately shure has a reason for blue filter foam. Otherwise dont u think they have experimented that during 4 year of development period of 846?

Seriously the one can be better than the other depending on (high end)source matching.Se846 is way above ie800 in terms of soundstage depth,detail,instrument separation,articulation and treble smoothness with ZX2 and TRRS (pseudo balanced plug).It's the other way around with Cayin N6 because of synergy,the se846 sounds harsh because treble of dap doesn't match well with shure which has some treble spikes and tonality is uneganging due to brightness of dap and the somewhat dry se846 vocals.I would imagine the situation the same with something like QP1R which gives me the impression of being N6 on steroids(vast amounts of clarity,detail,soundstage delivered in a somewhat clinical manner),perfect partner for the warm ie800 playing to its stengths.
 
I don't know why shure put the foam on blue filter,it is an acoustic filter affecting frequencies,maybe so that average listeners don't find them too harsh with bad source matching and if they want more clarity and treble they can put the white filter which doesn't have a foam inside.I definitely don't agree with putting 2 foams on stock  inside the latter batches as seem to be the trend,clarity and details will surely be reduced imo.

 

[kino lau]

Personally, I've found that the most minuet variances impact the sound. Such as cleaning all of the contact surfaces of the cables and source. Maybe I've just become so sensitive to presentation that I'm hearing, that I find (or think I find?) that the little bit of effort makes a difference. Another member posted a mod where the filter was removed form the nozzle completely, and simply inserted the foam directly into the end of the nozzle. I haven't tried that yet, but I need to because I do understand from my own experience, that it's another variable that I haven't heard yet. 

 

[Jamnperry]

I've mentioned this before but I'll repeat the offer. I have a mostly complete set of the Knowles already pretty much ready to go to at least make it easy to try. If you would like to hear them send me a pm and I'll mail them to you. If there's more that want to hear them I'm happy to set that up.
They really are better than the blue mod and certainly better than the no damper mod. Everyone so far has been happy with them. The difference is clear and not subtle IMO

 

[sharon124]

Hi,
Iam willing to sell my SE846. Item is in mint brandnew condition including full set of box.sell due to upgrade.
Just 975USD(without shipping ).

Anyone who interest pls pm me.

Note: if this is not right place to post this. Pls advice me to where i post this.

 

[Tranman409]

Hi,
Iam willing to sell my SE846. Item is in mint brandnew condition including full set of box.sell due to upgrade.
Just 975USD(without shipping ).

Anyone who interest pls pm me.

Note: if this is not right place to post this. Pls advice me to where i post this.

http://www.head-fi.org/f/6550/headphones-for-sale-trade

 

[sq3rjick]

http://www.head-fi.org/f/6550/headphones-for-sale-trade

And considering you can get brand new in box with full 2 year warranty from several authorized retailers for $750 or lower, that really isn't a great deal.

 

[bigbung]

And considering you can get brand new in box with full 2 year warranty from several authorized retailers for $750 or lower, that really isn't a great deal.

+1. bought mine for usd750 shipped sealed and brand new on eBay

 

[koven]

And considering you can get brand new in box with full 2 year warranty from several authorized retailers for $750 or lower, that really isn't a great deal.

 
can you provide me a link? i am about to pull the trigger on se846 but only see $950+ at reputable shops 

 

[moedawg140]

Shure SE846 Knowles Damper Modification


The Brown Knowles damper inside of cable insulation


​

Introduction

I would like to say a huge thank you to my friend @csglinux for introducing me to the Knowles dampers by giving me some of the dampers at the last The Source AV Summer Series event. I have heard about the dampers, but didn't really think about them too much as I've been pretty busy with writing reviews and taking care of my baby daughter. I am really glad that @csglinux talked about them to me and also glad that there is a difference to the sound of each pair of dampers that are much like the machined valve pairs of my Torque t096z IEM.


"Knowles" your role

The acoustic impedances of the Knowles dampers are:

Grey: 330 ‎Ω
White: 680 ‎Ω
Brown: 1k ‎Ω
Green: 1.5k ‎Ω
Red: 2.2k ‎Ω
Orange 3.3k ‎Ω
Yellow: 4.7k ‎Ω

You can purchase the various colored dampers for the SE846 here (posted originally by @csglinux)

Grey: http://www.mouser.com/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?qs=3unH/Dqlvl9jDj9uyvmVwA==
White: http://www.mouser.com/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?qs=3unH/Dqlvl%2bz0DHih1fc5w==
Brown: http://www.mouser.com/Search/Produc...00virtualkey66550000virtualkey721-BF-1860-000
Green: http://www.mouser.com/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?qs=3unH/Dqlvl/u8b73ZrZUpQ==
Red: http://www.mouser.com/Search/Produc...00virtualkey66550000virtualkey721-BF-1921-000
Orange: http://www.mouser.com/Search/Produc...00virtualkey66550000virtualkey721-BF-1922-000
Yellow: http://www.mouser.com/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?qs=3unH/Dqlvl%2byyYubQJkbrQ==

You'll need to use something like cable insulation for the dampers to insert into because the dampers are too small to fit in the SE846 nozzles. Also, once you do this, the cable insulated dampers can't fit into the SE846 nozzle inserts/filters, so you will need to insert only the damper into the nozzle and use each damper instead of the nozzle inserts/filters. I personally put the side of the damper that has the acoustic material the closest to the top inside the SE846 nozzle first.

Acoustic Knowles damper material on top-inside of the damper, inside of SE846 nozzle


Top view


Side view


Top view - zoomed​

Brown Knowles damper inside of SE846 nozzle


​

Knowles damper sound impressions

Now, to the different color Knowles dampers, my listening results:

The Grey sounds a little muffled compared to the other dampers. You may hear it as bright, though.

White is slightly clearer in sound than the Grey.

Red is pretty vibrant and an enjoyable listen.

Green is a little warmer and enveloping. Also enjoyable.

Orange is more of a laid back sound...

...and Brown...Brown is magic. I love the Brown! A good second place is Red for me, but Brown is really, really good! Wow. Clear and vibrant, treble extends far to my ears, and is really enriching to my senses. Everything sounds so articulate and coherent. It's really cool how these different color dampers can change the sound so much - kind of like my Torque IEM with the 6 interchangeable valves. I even tried the Brown against my Black modded, which didn't sound as vibrant in comparison, and filterless (full After Burner), and that didn't have the same emotion and richness (but still highly detailed) sound of the Brown. The Brown is my favorite out of all of the Knowles dampers, nozzle inserts including modded, and filterless (full After Burner).

Add in a third party cable such as the Ted Allen Silver Litz, Sensaphonics Custom Sleeves - paired with your favorite source, and you have a combo that is simply amazing, to my ears.

To take out the Knowles damper: use a paper clip, making sure to angle the paper clip so you push only the cable insulated part of the damper, and not damage the actual damper or acoustic material in any way
​

Beautiful sound, in a small package

The SE846 has risen an even higher level now with regards to my enjoyment of the IEM.


Conclusion

For the price of the dampers, I would highly recommend them to every SE846 owner to help tailor the sound even more to your ears.

 

[tbritton]

Awesome!
 
A very thorough piece! Thanks, Moe!
 
(DEFINITELY saved to Evernote!)
 
Terry