[Stranger Than Fiction]

@Pepito: I figured that might be the case, and started looking in the Noble thread too. I gave up the ghost as the script errors when viewing this site on mobile + pinch to zoom are horrendous. (Seriously guys what happened to the option to view this site in desktop mode...?)

Indeed my avatar was inspired by Apollonia’s Fabric cover, as well as my love for all things chilli.

Brisbane seems to get the good stuff lol. Perth barely gets a scrap which is one reason why I moved to Melbourne. But even there the scene is dead these days. The club you described in Montreal sounds incredible! A must visit much like Fabric in London.

There is a dedicated techno thread in the music forum here but I prefer to talk music in theMixingBowl forum; Disciples of J00F, Anjunadeep recommends Facebook pages. I used to frequent the Inthemix forums back in the day and Christ almighty are techno heads undiplomatic. Especially if one’s first love is progressive trance!

You’ve inspired me to take the 846s out for a spin today. Never mind the rest of the spectrum, that bass is such a thing of beauty.

 

[Rlin987]

Let me make it as simple as I possibly can then. Good sound quality with Etymotic-like isolation. Which other IEM has that?

From the gears I’ve tried/owned
Andromeda, Jupiter, dorado, lyra2, Polaris, Vega , Xelento, qdc anole, Gemini.. um mentor universal.
Ak t8ie mk2, Oriolus mk2...
Fidue Sirus, InEar Sd4s.
There are more that I haven’t tried. I don’t try to turn someone’s mind, but I do love to try more.

 

[csglinux]

From the gears I’ve tried/owned
Andromeda, Jupiter, dorado, lyra2, Polaris, Vega , Xelento, qdc anole, Gemini.. um mentor universal.
Ak t8ie mk2, Oriolus mk2...
Fidue Sirus, InEar Sd4s.

You're free to prefer the FR of all of those headphones over that of the SE846, but none of them isolate as well as the SE846.
Here are the two problems I have with your stance on all this.

1) You don't seem to understand the general tenet of headfi: your opinion is nothing more than that. Your preference for a different headphone doesn't mean it's "better".

2) Your general lack of respect in jumping into a thread and rubbishing the product, just because it doesn't suite your tastes. There are plenty of issues I could point out with your QP2R (price relative to QP1R, noise floor, single SDcard slot, limited Linux OS with no 3rd party apps or streaming capabilities) or CA Andromeda (non-tunable IEM with short stubby nozzles, poor isolation and uncomfortably sharp, boxy metal housings). Do you think it would be helpful for those product owners if I posted those thoughts directly on the QP2R and Andromeda threads, along with comments like, "this product is inferior - it's only worth about $500 at most"?

A negative opinion on a product is useful feedback too, if couched in an informative, non-combative tone. Your post was borderline trolling.
In fact, no, I take back the word "borderline".

 

[Rlin987]

You're free to prefer the FR of all of those headphones over that of the SE846, but none of them isolate as well as the SE846.
Here are the two problems I have with your stance on all this.

1) You don't seem to understand the general tenet of headfi: your opinion is nothing more than that. Your preference for a different headphone doesn't mean it's "better".

2) Your general lack of respect in jumping into a thread and rubbishing the product, just because it doesn't suite your tastes. There are plenty of issues I could point out with your QP2R (price relative to QP1R, noise floor, single SDcard slot, limited Linux OS with no 3rd party apps or streaming capabilities) or CA Andromeda (non-tunable IEM with short stubby nozzles, poor isolation and uncomfortably sharp, boxy metal housings). Do you think it would be helpful for those product owners if I posted those thoughts directly on the QP2R and Andromeda threads, along with comments like, "this product is inferior - it's only worth about $500 at most"?

A negative opinion on a product is useful feedback too, if couched in an informative, non-combative tone. Your post was borderline trolling.
In fact, no, I take back the word "borderline".

Nice long paragraph, good luck on your lonely journey. It’s a pity that you haven’t tried something good yet. I’ve owned 846 since it was out, and sold them one year ago. I know how much I love and how much I hate them.

 

[FactoryStock]

You're free to prefer the FR of all of those headphones over that of the SE846, but none of them isolate as well as the SE846.
Here are the two problems I have with your stance on all this.

1) You don't seem to understand the general tenet of headfi: your opinion is nothing more than that. Your preference for a different headphone doesn't mean it's "better".

2) Your general lack of respect in jumping into a thread and rubbishing the product, just because it doesn't suite your tastes. There are plenty of issues I could point out with your QP2R (price relative to QP1R, noise floor, single SDcard slot, limited Linux OS with no 3rd party apps or streaming capabilities) or CA Andromeda (non-tunable IEM with short stubby nozzles, poor isolation and uncomfortably sharp, boxy metal housings). Do you think it would be helpful for those product owners if I posted those thoughts directly on the QP2R and Andromeda threads, along with comments like, "this product is inferior - it's only worth about $500 at most"?

A negative opinion on a product is useful feedback too, if couched in an informative, non-combative tone. Your post was borderline trolling.
In fact, no, I take back the word "borderline".

Preach. My sentiments exactly.
After testing so many treble-tilted and harsh IEMs i.e. F9, F9 Pro, Andromedas, I keep thinking "Yikes, my treble sensitivity needs to deteriorate bad before I will need this kind of signature. I'm not that old yet". Goodness knows my hearing loss might even accelerate faster if I force that kind of brightness on my eardrums.

When colleagues ask me what the best earphones are, I keep telling them "My earphones will prolly sound like sxxt to you. I don't have your ears, buddy. I only have mine. Have faith in your own ears, and your hearing prowess".

 

[csglinux]

Nice long paragraph, good luck on your lonely journey.

My journey will indeed be lonelier now that I've started an ignore list with you as its first addition. But time is a great healer...

 

[The Jojo]

I adore my SE846, but I've noticed that the rubber seal on both sides (the so-called nozzle interface seal) is almost gone - after not more than six months of regular use. So far I don't notice any difference regarding sound quality, but I'm thinking of contacting Shure. I bought from them directly - do you folks have any experiences to share regarding their customer service?

 

[FactoryStock]

I adore my SE846, but I've noticed that the rubber seal on both sides (the so-called nozzle interface seal) is almost gone - after not more than six months of regular use. So far I don't notice any difference regarding sound quality, but I'm thinking of contacting Shure. I bought from them directly - do you folks have any experiences to share regarding their customer service?

From my experience with flashlights, I think you can get rubber o-rings from hardware stores. Heck, there's even silicon grease to lube them and reduce friction/increase water resistance somewhat.

I'm not sure tiny sizes like these 8's exist though. Might wanna check witht the store assistants.

I haven't experienced Shure's customer service yet. Hopefully I never have to, I want these 8s to last.

 

[joshnor713]

I know I'm opening a whole new can of worms here, but now I'm finding out not only can you change the cables to get better sound , but different ear tips as well. As was previously mentioned, I started looking into the spin fits. I am more of a silicone tip person I tried the conplys that came with the shures, and they were kind if annoying in my ears. I read a review on another site that said the yellow foam tips thought they gave the best sound because they didn't muddy anything up, but the yellows degrade after time. I haven't tried those yet, waiting on my dac (which has yet to ship still) before I start comparing sound qualities. Since I prefer silicone wonder if it's beneficial to look into those spinfits.

I too prefer silicone, but after many different trials have settle on the yellow foamies. Yes, they annoyingly degrade quickly but they're so clear and balanced sounding. Second to me are the Westone star silicone tips, then the Shure black foamies, followed by the Shure silicone. I tried Spinfits, and while they sound great, the poor isolation was a deal-breaker for me. Good luck on this, not the easiest thing to find your ideal pair!

 

[moedawg140]

I adore my SE846, but I've noticed that the rubber seal on both sides (the so-called nozzle interface seal) is almost gone - after not more than six months of regular use. So far I don't notice any difference regarding sound quality, but I'm thinking of contacting Shure. I bought from them directly - do you folks have any experiences to share regarding their customer service?

Shure’s customer service has been exemplary to me, in my experience. I was able to get a replacement SE530 when my first SE530 cable frayed (many a year ago).

You shouldn’t have issues with regards to being able to obtain replacement gaskets from Shure’s customer service department, especially if you purchased the SE846 from a reputable retailer such as InMotion, Amazon, et cetera. Edit: you purchased from Shure directly, so you should be good to go!

Good luck!

 

[Stranger Than Fiction]

My unit went in for repair three times in as many years, with the rubber seal and washer being particularly problematic.

 

[Varekai]

I too prefer silicone, but after many different trials have settle on the yellow foamies. Yes, they annoyingly degrade quickly but they're so clear and balanced sounding. Second to me are the Westone star silicone tips, then the Shure black foamies, followed by the Shure silicone. I tried Spinfits, and while they sound great, the poor isolation was a deal-breaker for me. Good luck on this, not the easiest thing to find your ideal pair!

Yeah, I actually tried the yellows tonight, and wow what a difference. I finally got some of that bass that people praise. Especially this one track by t.a.t.u. (yeah I still listen to them) that he bass was hitting so hard my vision was vibrating, I loved it. Only thing about once an hour I had to pop them out because my ears were hurting. Still going to give the spinfits a shot, they're cheap enough.

 

[mathi8vadhanan]

Yeah, I actually tried the yellows tonight, and wow what a difference. I finally got some of that bass that people praise. Especially this one track by t.a.t.u. (yeah I still listen to them) that he bass was hitting so hard my vision was vibrating, I loved it. Only thing about once an hour I had to pop them out because my ears were hurting. Still going to give the spinfits a shot, they're cheap enough.

Also do try the westone star tips. They were the closest (shallow insert) to yellow foamies for my ears. I had fit issues with spinfits on my right ears and they did not offer sampler pack, back then.
Yellow foamies were great but they do start to itch after 30-45 mins.

 

[Marvellous_DAP]

Another vote for Westone Star Tips. Using the foam type (the standard pack comes with both silicon and foam type) which is more comfortable than Shure Olives and stay longer in ears without itch or discomfort. It is also more durable than Comply tips, but if you would like to try out Comply, look for the P-series.

Also do try the westone star tips. They were the closest (shallow insert) to yellow foamies for my ears. I had fit issues with spinfits on my right ears and they did not offer sampler pack, back then.
Yellow foamies were great but they do start to itch after 30-45 mins.

 

[Stranger Than Fiction]

I used the Star tips for a while but found the Spinfits to be just that little bit more open in sound.

A&Bing the Shures and K10s with The Digital Blonde’s “Earth Tone” now and the way the 846s presents the kickdrum... It takes me back to John 00 Fleming’s most recent Melbourne show. It’s presented almost as though you can feel the pounding in your head but in a completely imaginary sense. The K10s are for getting lost in music, the Shures are for getting up close and personal.

There is no way I can give them to a family member as promised (I should be ostracised from this thread for even considering it lol - not least because it wrongly suggests one is better than another, they’re both excellent at different things).