[hertzsogood]

http://versus.com/en/shure-se846-vs-shure-se535

 

[Mitchell4500]

Haha here we are arguing over sound signatures and frequencys one ~1k headphones . What a luxury to have!

Anyway coming from my SM3s and UM3x these headphones confuse me with their sound signature and EQ response. Its fun. It's kinda like going from driving a plain old sedan to a luxury sports car. You gotta get the feel for everything.

Speaking of which I did end up removing the memory wire. Was easy enough and the fit is much more comfortable for me. Reminds me of my Weston's fit which was excellent.

I'm 18 and find myself using the warm black filter because the highs can be quite high occasionally. But then in some tracks I crave more highs. I dunno. Confusing..

 

[SomeGuyDude]

  Please find ANY DATA to dispute these two truths!  and find me data showing SE846 is anything more than a SE535 with a subwoofer.   I'm still waiting after a year now.....
 

 
Let's see. There's the wildly different response curves that only meet in the middle.
 

 
That took me a whopping 5 seconds to find. You couldn't figure that out in a year?
 
And so we have learned much...

 

[SomeGuyDude]

  http://versus.com/en/shure-se846-vs-shure-se535

 
And that, my friends, is what we call the final nail in a coffin. Different impedance, different frequency range, different response curve. But no, no. After a year of dogged searching, there was no data. 
 
EDIT: Oh and if you go on shure's website you'll find they have different sensitivity ratings as well. So the better question is what is the SAME on these?

 

[M Coupe]

Spyro- I am more than okay with your preference. Please drop the "son" and "newbie" though... No need for that as an expereinced veteran . Also, you might want to check out the W60. It seems like it might be an even better fit for your personal tastes. There are reviews of the W50 vs. W60. Good luck and happy listening!

 

[SomeGuyDude]

Haha here we are arguing over sound signatures and frequencys one ~1k headphones . What a luxury to have!

Anyway coming from my SM3s and UM3x these headphones confuse me with their sound signature and EQ response. Its fun. It's kinda like going from driving a plain old sedan to a luxury sports car. You gotta get the feel for everything.

Speaking of which I did end up removing the memory wire. Was easy enough and the fit is much more comfortable for me. Reminds me of my Weston's fit which was excellent.

I'm 18 and find myself using the warm black filter because the highs can be quite high occasionally. But then in some tracks I crave more highs. I dunno. Confusing..

 
The blacks are what you want if your plan is to crank the volume. The blues (and especially the whites) will be fairly harsh at high volumes because the treble is clear. 
 
One reason I stick with the blues, honestly, is that it allows me to listen to music at lower volumes. Lesser headphones need the volume kinda ratcheted up to get the "full" sound, but at this echelon (and I'm sure every top-end IEM does this) they retain the complete sound without needing to blast it.

 

[Mitchell4500]

Ahh now I want to switch back to blue. I swear I switch tips more than I listen

 

[ottotron]

I don't know how different the W4 is from the W40 but I loved my Westones (W3 and W4). They got me into hifi gear and music. When I first got the 846 I did not notice a massive difference that would have justified the price. I had 30 days to return them and thought might as well try to enjoy them while I got them. After about two weeks I went back to my Westones to see if I would notice any more difference than before. I have since sold my W4 and given my W3 to my father. The clarity and fullness of the sound is more evident after a long period of use. Quick side by side comparisons really were not long enough to actually hear the differences for me, even with a day long comparison (something wrong with my ears?..). I can see why people would prefer different earphones. I loved the Westones so much that I do want to try the W60. But I can't see myself departing with the 846 if I found that I loved the W60. I would just want both At this point, it really is preference. Im lucky that I have not had any fit issues with IEMs. Almost 1/3 of ear tips that come with IEMs fit me well and my ears are large enough to accompany the 846 well (I cant see myself fitting the Roxanne in them though..). I did though remove the memory wire once I knew I was keeping them and thats the second best decision I have made with the 846 (first was keeping them).

 

[Monty Burns]

Haha here we are arguing over sound signatures and frequencys one ~1k headphones . What a luxury to have!
.....

I'm 18 and find myself using the warm black filter because the highs can be quite high occasionally. But then in some tracks I crave more highs. I dunno. Confusing..

 
Speaking of Luxury. It must be nice to have 18 year old ears with their almost new out of the box sensitivity. FWIW try listening Flat with no EQ with the filters  and then EQ as needed. You MIGHT (maybe possibly ..who knows but maybe) find yourself changing filters less often.
 
I have mentioned to Shure that a few more Filters would be niche. For me a Pale Blue b/w Blue and White and my Prog Rock and Floyd would be "just right".
 
Happy Listening
Monty
OT If I could borrow your fresh eardrums for a week or so I promise to return them in good working order (best efforts)

 

[Whazzzup]

Well don't stop there Monty, there may be more than ears that you need upgrading

 

[monoboy]

Hey everyone!
 
Would like to share my experience with the SE 846's, just come back home from testing them at a local shop which sells them, thanks to the nice friendly chaps at Custom Cable.
I had my Sennheiser ie 800's and Hifiman 901 for testing & comparison (hm901 with iem amp board, with Vintage setting which sounds fabulous & natural, HD setting is too bright). I miss the over ear design of the ie 80's i had previous and thought id see if the 846's would be better for me.
 
I swapped the standard SE 846 tips with the yellowfoam tips which gave me a very sturdy seal and fit nicely into my ear canal, my ie 800's with small oval tips also gives a nice fit (best size for me) but much prefer over ear 846 fit, which is a plus.
 
Booting up my hm901 with anticipation I decided to test the 846 (standard natural filter) with something mixed well (balance mode on hm 901), Michael Jackson's Thriller album lossless, also contemporary dubstep and trance. First impression, disappointed, and did not change after continued listening.
 
I am amazed with peoples recommendation for the 846's I have read through, really built up my anticipation thinking they would most likely sound better then the ie 800's (and then walk out the shop with them), however, after just testing them I find this isnt the case. The treble on the 846 does not extend as further and smoothly as the ie 800's, se 846 treble is also grainy in comparison which does not sound 'expensive', the mid range is very strong and more 'in your face', not as lush and wide as the ie 800's (individual preference). The bottom end is punchier on the se 846's, but not as natural and textured as the ie 800's which I also find extends deeper. Soundstage on ie 800's beats the se 846's hands down, aswell as instrument separation (se 846's is a tighter sound but not as musical). Everything just sounds natural and balanced through the ie 800's
 
The nice gentleman who helped me at Custom Cable prefers the se 846 and we discussed this a little, with that I am very happy I walked away without them and as a result am so much more in love with the ie 800's now, just wish they were over ear design instead. Seriously anyone thinking buying a new iem should go test these out and the ie 800's (or any other iem within the price range) which you need to find out what will suit you the best, its all down to individual taste, but I am convinced that Sennheiser has created the greatest iem I have heard up till now. 
 
Thank you for reading.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

REally once you hit the IE800, SE846, and W60 it's gonna turn into which one has a signature you like. I'm loathe to say any of them could be better or worse than the others because I do not believe these companies did anything by mistake or without it being the result of the accumulation of years/decades of R&D. On a personal level, I'm not enamoured with a huge soundstage so that doesn't attract me to the IE800 and I know that the subwoofer bass of the SE846 is something I don't think I can really live without any more. For others, they want that orchestral hall feel and the bass needn't be so potent. 
 
I think this is why trying to rank headphones or find the "ultimate" is impossible at the top end. It's about learning your own preferences. If you love the IE800 all around, stick with it, same with whatever else. If there's a part of your current IEM you think could be improved, THEN look elsewhere. Don't try to blindly upgrade just in your zeal to find something better than what you have.
 
That said, I cannot figure out what in the heck is "grainy" about the treble here. All I know is that the drummer's cymbals on albums I have sound like they're made of fine crystal. Good enough for these ears I suppose!

 

[monoboy]

  REally once you hit the IE800, SE846, and W60 it's gonna turn into which one has a signature you like. I'm loathe to say any of them could be better or worse than the others because I do not believe these companies did anything by mistake or without it being the result of the accumulation of years/decades of R&D. On a personal level, I'm not enamoured with a huge soundstage so that doesn't attract me to the IE800 and I know that the subwoofer bass of the SE846 is something I don't think I can really live without any more. For others, they want that orchestral hall feel and the bass needn't be so potent. 
 
I think this is why trying to rank headphones or find the "ultimate" is impossible at the top end. It's about learning your own preferences. If you love the IE800 all around, stick with it, same with whatever else. If there's a part of your current IEM you think could be improved, THEN look elsewhere. Don't try to blindly upgrade just in your zeal to find something better than what you have.
 
That said, I cannot figure out what in the heck is "grainy" about the treble here. All I know is that the drummer's cymbals on albums I have sound like they're made of fine crystal. Good enough for these ears I suppose!

 Hey thanks for sharing, I agree with you its all about learning what sound signature you like, I would never buy anything because its more expensive without comparing to what i have first. Grainy as meaning there is lack of detail and extension in the high frequencies, which i find ie 800's to be opposite. Am interested have you tested the ie 800's yourself? 

 

[SomeGuyDude]

   Hey thanks for sharing, I agree with you its all about learning what sound signature you like, I would never buy anything because its more expensive without comparing to what i have first. Grainy as meaning there is lack of detail and extension in the high frequencies, which i find ie 800's to be opposite. Am interested have you tested the ie 800's yourself? 

 
I have not, so I can't say anything about them in comparison to one another. What I can say though is that even eyes closed and focusing hard I can't figure out where anything sounds like it's been lost. Maybe if I heard the IE800s a few more details would pop out at the top that I didn't have before, but then I'd lose that bass and I'd rather not trade bass I can feel for treble detail I can't. But again, that's largely thanks to musical tastes, or possibly a touch of hearing loss at the tippity top end of the spectrum thanks to years of metal concerts.
 
I've said it before that I'd rather feel like I'm listening at the front row than the back of the hall, which is a big factor in my opinion of these things. They sound like I'm hugging the amplifiers and man I just ADORE it, though I've got a feeling if I was hunting for expansive and roomy I'd be left wanting. I know some people have said these have a big soundstage, but (and this could easily be my stupid ears) I don't think they sound particularly "big". They sound "full" and I can locate each instrument clearly (which is really "imagining" rather than soundstage), but they don't sound far apart. 

 

[burtomr]

  .... I am convinced that Sennheiser has created the greatest iem I have heard up till now. 
 

 
Just make sure you don't ever listen to any Tralucent IEM like the 1plus2 or the new Ref.1 and you will be OK....if you do you will have decisions to make guaranteed.