[Whazzzup]

 

Th900 all the way

TH900 on X5?

cant say but now you get real sub bass without artificiality and discussions of filters. Some find it not fun enough and want more thump, but that sounds fake to me. the 846 I enjoy, but realize the fakeness of the subwoofer tech is there to expand what sound dynamic is impeded by physics of all iem, thus forgiven. So while 846 is substantively my favourite iem, once you try th900, its hard to go back. IMO.

 

[hertzsogood]

Thumping.

 

[Audiowood]

Yeah th900 bass has one of the cleanest bass bass out there beside LCD 3 (maybe mine is the old version - lots of bass all the way down.. Not sure about new version). I do find LCD x has lower amount of bass qty than se846 and way brighter than se 846 with white filter. The LCD 2 r2 is definitely lacking in bass (again 1 st version)NAND base on memory against the se 846, but if u listen without comparison with 846, it would satisfied most audiophile per se.The signature pro has plenty of bass too.. If u like DJ style phone, but diff kind of bass. Those are hard hitting bass as compared to 846 more sub bass satisfaction.

I would actually classify hd800 to to another category in my opinion, I would say it's iem equivalent would be k3003. I normally group them similar to stax kind of bass.. Neutral and subtle bass where most prefer clarity, detail over musical and bass thumping feeling.

If u like sub bass in its cleanest form, I think th900 should be the king out there.. The se846 is not its match in quality and qty but then it's way more $$ .. I paid more than $2k then as it was out of stock everywhere.i believe now is way cheaper.

Hope this helps, of course these are how they sounded to my ears..

 

[Roscoeiii]

Bass at low volumes for cans can be tricky. You really need an amp that is up to the task. And I hear that the HD800 really needs the right amp. I would not judge it unless you know it is with an excellent amp pairing. Though overall I would likely not choose it if bass is a priority.

 

[dukeskd]

LCD-3 is the king of bass, there is no disputing that fact after you listen to bass-heavy genres. Shure SE846 has the best bass of all the IEMs I've tried, but some of the sub-bass may seem a little bit uncontrolled. And I have to agree, the TH900 / D7000 are the king of bass in the dynamic realm but of all headphones, LCD-3 has the best sublime bass out there (and I've tried them all on this quest to get the best bass).
 
Otherwise, Audiowood is right on the money about the LCD-X vs se846. Keep in mind that the SE846 has noise isolation, which is invaluable in certain situations for me and has a great sound at the same time, no harsh treble peaks and luscious mid-range.

 

[Spyro]

  MMM what did Someguydude do to get banned?

Not surprised.  Troublemaker...

 

[Spyro]

So I spent a good part of the weekend with SE846 and have learned a lot more.  Basically that they are not good for me.  I am finding them just too "in your face", muscular and forward which are fatiguing on the ears.  I also find they start hurting my ears after 30 minutes or so since the housings are quite large.
 
They do a lot VERY well but I guess I just don't like that aggressive forward presentation. 
 
I will send them back in exchange for either W60, IE800 or possibly W50.
 
I like a large sound stage with open space.  I like my bass.  I must be able to crank it up with no hint of distortion.  And of course great clarity throughout is important as well.  Warm is okay but dark can be a problem.  I suspect W60 is the one for me but perhaps someone that has either of the other 2 could share shed some light.  Thanks

 

[spook76]

Spyro,

Having owned or borrowed the ie800 (owned) W60 (borrowed) and SE846 (own) coupled with what I know about you having read and respected your posts on the W4 and SE535 forums for over a year, get the W60.

The W60 is more reference and linear, a slightly wider soundstage and less dynamic/agressive. It also has better treble and unlike the W4 there is no veil on the sound. If you read both my and MCoupe's review on the W60 thread, you will see that while we prefer the SE846 it is close and in my case somewhat driven by non sound factors (fit and build quality).

The ie800 is to me with its V signature, proprietary tips and non replaceable cables (forcing me to abandon my balanced set up) not even under consideration.

P.S. Credit to MCoupe for discovering this, with the W60 if you have a player with a EQ, change the W60 from flat to "Acoustical" and you will get close to the sound signature of SE846.

 

[SilverEars]

Spyro,

Having owned or borrowed the ie800 (owned) W60 (borrowed) and SE846 (own) coupled with what I know about you having read and respected your posts on the W4 and SE535 forums for over a year, get the W60.

The W60 is more reference and linear, a slightly wider soundstage and less dynamic/agressive. It also has better treble and unlike the W4 there is no veil on the sound. If you read both my and MCoupe's review on the W60 thread, you will see that while we prefer the SE846 it is close and in my case somewhat driven by non sound factors (fit and build quality).

The ie800 is to me with its V signature, proprietary tips and non replaceable cables (forcing me to abandon my balanced set up) not even under consideration.

P.S. Credit to MCoupe for discovering this, with the W60 if you have a player with a EQ, change the W60 from flat to "Acoustical" and you will get close to the sound signature of SE846.

Thank you for your analysis.  

 

[Spyro]

Spook,  Wow, thanks!  That is really helpful.
 
While IE800 seem so simple looking and easy fitting, I am reading a lot about that they just don't stay in your ears with even slightest movement.  What is the main thing that turns you off about the sound sig?

 

[spook76]

Spook,  Wow, thanks!  That is really helpful.

While IE800 seem so simple looking and easy fitting, I am reading a lot about that they just don't stay in your ears with even slightest movement.  What is the main thing that turns you off about the sound sig?

It has a mid bass hump and a V signature that recesses the vocals. My musical preference is driven in large part by the vocals of a particular band. Since, I owned the SE535 good vocals have eliminated some old favorites (Rush) and I have found new favorites (Big Big Train with David Longdon) solely based upon the vocals.

Take a look at the ie800 freq chart to see my point.

 

[Spyro]

I see what you mean.  Thanks.  Looks like W60 for sure.

 

[Mitchell4500]

Listen to daftpunks alive 2007 album in flac on these. Its quite amazing.

 

[Dave74]

  So I spent a good part of the weekend with SE846 and have learned a lot more.  Basically that they are not good for me.  I am finding them just too "in your face", muscular and forward which are fatiguing on the ears.  I also find they start hurting my ears after 30 minutes or so since the housings are quite large.
 
They do a lot VERY well but I guess I just don't like that aggressive forward presentation. 
 
I will send them back in exchange for either W60, IE800 or possibly W50.
 
I like a large sound stage with open space.  I like my bass.  I must be able to crank it up with no hint of distortion.  And of course great clarity throughout is important as well.  Warm is okay but dark can be a problem.  I suspect W60 is the one for me but perhaps someone that has either of the other 2 could share shed some light.  Thanks

If you are going to send the SE-846 back you should also consider the Dita Answers if you haven't already heard them... They are actually my favourite IEM's, but as this thread has shown everyones taste is different. While I like my 846, my Ditas are the one IEM I wouldn't want to part with.  They are very natural sounding, they still have great bass impact and aren't really in your face like the SE846, they are also nice and airy with great treble.

 

[Flash676]

  So I spent a good part of the weekend with SE846 and have learned a lot more.  Basically that they are not good for me.  I am finding them just too "in your face", muscular and forward which are fatiguing on the ears.  I also find they start hurting my ears after 30 minutes or so since the housings are quite large.
 
They do a lot VERY well but I guess I just don't like that aggressive forward presentation. 
 
I will send them back in exchange for either W60, IE800 or possibly W50.
 
I like a large sound stage with open space.  I like my bass.  I must be able to crank it up with no hint of distortion.  And of course great clarity throughout is important as well.  Warm is okay but dark can be a problem.  I suspect W60 is the one for me but perhaps someone that has either of the other 2 could share shed some light.  Thanks

If you find the 846 too "in your face" I would definitely avoid the IE800.  The top end is a bit overly pronounced for my taste and there's a mid-bass bump.
 
On the plus side they sound good out of pretty much everything and don't seem to suffer from any impedance issues with their source.