[RyuX84]

   
What will it improve exactly?  I'm curious.

I can say the following from my subjective kind of view:
 
* The white filters have too much treble for my taste and are unbalanced in terms of bass
* The blue filters are supposed to be balanced but may lack a little bit of brilliance on the 8khz range, by removing the foam it seems that it adds some brilliance - but not as much boost as you will get with the white ones - which makes the bass still audible better but with an additional brilliance in treble

 

[stevemiddie]

  I can say the following from my subjective kind of view:
 
* The white filters have too much treble for my taste and are unbalanced in terms of bass
* The blue filters are supposed to be balanced but may lack a little bit of brilliance on the 8khz range, by removing the foam it seems that it adds some brilliance - but not as much boost as you will get with the white ones - which makes the bass still audible better but with an additional brilliance in treble

 
Thats very helpful thanks.       Where in BKK are you? 

 

[RyuX84]

   
Thats very helpful thanks.       Where in BKK are you? 

Around Bang Chak Area.. near the BTS.

 

[stevemiddie]

Ekkamai, near BTS.    

 

[RamblerBoy]

hey guys,
i am torn between shure se846 and westone w60
i am highly sensitive to sibilance and screechy/piercing high mids/low highs and prefer a sound with full bodied and intimate mids. which one should i go for?
how are the highs of w60s when compared to that of se846s?

 

[spook76]

hey guys,
i am torn between shure se846 and westone w60
i am highly sensitive to sibilance and screechy/piercing high mids/low highs and prefer a sound with full bodied and intimate mids. which one should i go for?
how are the highs of w60s when compared to that of se846s?

I think both the SE846 and the W60 are excellent but based upon your concerns the SE846 is the right one for you. Over a year ago I wrote a review comparing the 846 with the W60 and one specific concern for me was with the highs on the W60 which can sizzle at times. The decision of which is right for you really comes down to what is your preferred genre of music. I think accostical and symphonic music are better handled by the W60 while rock and my favorite progressive are handled better by the SE846.

 

[RamblerBoy]

thank you so much for your response spook76.
 
the player i currently use is fiio x3ii
the genres i frequently listen to are rock, pop, country & i love acoustic music equally as well.
i am not into symphony/classical music.
I am a huge fan of vocals especially female vocals. I want vocalists to sound intimate, mellow, deep and full bodied.
i prefer musicality over analytical behavior.
 
it is actually getting even more difficult for me to choose between the two now. i was almost sure about the se846 after reading several reviews on them but since yesterday i have been going through the w60's impressions thread in here and i am seeing conflicting results and speculations that make me lean towards the w60. But the fact is that i am still really, really confused.
 
I currently have an ultrasone pro 900. I find them lacking fullness in the central portion of the frequency range. The sound is rather too sparkly/piercing to my ears especially when the volume is turned up and there is something in the center or rather core that is missing that makes music sound like it lacks a body or that intimacy or chunkiness. I find vocals to be too shrill, sibilant and piercing.
 
(1) i read your review and comparison in that thread and it is very helpful. you mentioned that the highs in w60 can sizzle at times which i wouldn't like either but i have also read elsewhere that the se846's mids are on the brighter, thinner and harsher side while that of w60 are more full bodied, warm and smooth. does that mean the vocals and mids in se846 are comparatively more sibilant or tinny or shrill and harsh?
(2) do the upper mids/lower highs of se846 hurt ears (piercing/shrill) at higher volume levels?
(3) which one according to you will perform better with the songs "say you love me-jessie ware" and "uphill battle - sarah mclachlan"? the song "say you love me" is extremely hurting to my ears through the ultrasone pro 900 because the song's beats/claps and her voice at high pitches are too piercing and shrill and i find the overall sound (mids and highs) too cheap being shrill and with no smoothness.
(4) which one among these is more forgiving?
 
i am really looking forward to your reply.

 

[spook76]

thank you so much for your response spook76.

the player i currently use is fiio x3ii
the genres i frequently listen to are rock, pop, country & i love acoustic music equally as well.
i am not into symphony/classical music.
I am a huge fan of vocals especially female vocals. I want vocalists to sound intimate, mellow, deep and full bodied.
i prefer musicality over analytical behavior.

it is actually getting even more difficult for me to choose between the two now. i was almost sure about the se846 after reading several reviews on them but since yesterday i have been going through the w60's impressions thread in here and i am seeing conflicting results and speculations that make me lean towards the w60. But the fact is that i am still really, really confused.

I currently have an ultrasone pro 900. I find them lacking fullness in the central portion of the frequency range. The sound is rather too sparkly/piercing to my ears especially when the volume is turned up and there is something in the center or rather core that is missing that makes music sound like it lacks a body or that intimacy or chunkiness. I find vocals to be too shrill, sibilant and piercing.

(1) i read your review and comparison in that thread and it is very helpful. you mentioned that the highs in w60 can sizzle at times which i wouldn't like either but i have also read elsewhere that the se846's mids are on the brighter, thinner and harsher side while that of w60 are more full bodied, warm and smooth. does that mean the vocals and mids in se846 are comparatively more sibilant or tinny or shrill and harsh?
(2) do the upper mids/lower highs of se846 hurt ears (piercing/shrill) at higher volume levels?
(3) which one according to you will perform better with the songs "say you love me-jessie ware" and "uphill battle - sarah mclachlan"? the song "say you love me" is extremely hurting to my ears through the ultrasone pro 900 because the song's beats/claps and her voice at high pitches are too piercing and shrill and i find the overall sound (mids and highs) too cheap being shrill and with no smoothness.
(4) which one among these is more forgiving?

i am really looking forward to your reply.

One, the mids on the 846 are more forward than the w60 but I would never say brighter, thinner or harsher. The 846's greatest strength next to the amazing sub base is the mids to me. How you described the mids on the W60 is how I would would describe the 846. It is the famous Shure house sound. However if more forward mids are not your cup of tea the W60 is the better choice.

Two, as I said in my comparison, even at high volumes the 846 is never shill, piercing or fatiguing. It was the sizzle of the W60 that was the problem.

Three, now here the W60 might be the better choice. With female vocalists I found the W60 to be a better IEM. I only listened a year ago for comparison purposes to one Adele song. I do not like female vocalists or even male falsettos so take my opinion here with a grain of salt.

Four, I would say the SE846 but here again take my opinion with a grain of salt.

If you read my review two issues with the W60 are also problematic. One, the build quality of the W60 is quiet frankly appalling and two, the tip size and insertion depth is very finicky to achieve the proper sound. However, I assume once you find the right tip depth this problem goes away.

As you read in my earlier review, while I prefer the SE846, the W60 is quite a good IEM and my preference for the SE846 was mostly governed by my genre os music.

 

[RamblerBoy]

One, the mids on the 846 are more forward than the w60 but I would never say brighter, thinner or harsher. The 846's greatest strength next to the amazing sub base is the mids to me. How you described the mids on the W60 is how I would would describe the 846. It is the famous Shure house sound. However if more forward mids are not your cup of tea the W60 is the better choice.

Two, as I said in my comparison, even at high volumes the 846 is never shill, piercing or fatiguing. It was the sizzle of the W60 that was the problem.

Three, now here the W60 might be the better choice. With female vocalists I found the W60 to be a better IEM. I only listened a year ago for comparison purposes to one Adele song. I do not like female vocalists or even male falsettos so take my opinion here with a grain of salt.

Four, I would say the SE846 but here again take my opinion with a grain of salt.

If you read my review two issues with the W60 are also problematic. One, the build quality of the W60 is quiet frankly appalling and two, the tip size and insertion depth is very finicky to achieve the proper sound. However, I assume once you find the right tip depth this problem goes away.

As you read in my earlier review, while I prefer the SE846, the W60 is quite a good IEM and my preference for the SE846 was mostly governed by my genre os music.

Thank you so very much! everything is falling into place now.
i have added a snap shot of the fiio x3ii's eq settings that i have set in order to enjoy the ultrasone pro 900. just in case it adds more light to my preference.

 

[spook76]

Thank you so very much! everything is falling into place now.
i have added a snap shot of the fiio x3ii's eq settings that i have set in order to enjoy the ultrasone pro 900. just in case it adds more light to my preference.

One last thing to consider is that the SE846's sound can be customized without the need of EQ whereas the W60 cannot. A quick glance at your settings tells me you may prefer the blue/balanced sound. I am not a fan of electronically EQ my sound and the 846 filters sound natural to me.

 

[rawrster]

One last thing to consider is that the SE846's sound can be customized without the need of EQ whereas the W60 cannot. A quick glance at your settings tells me you may prefer the blue/balanced sound. I am not a fan of electronically EQ my sound and the 846 filters sound natural to me.

+1
 
The different filters is a major reason why I bought the SE846 over similar priced iem's. Of course it turned out I liked the blue filter and the others not so much but that's the great thing about the SE846. The filters make a large enough difference where it's almost as if you have different iem's instead of just one. 

 

[ezekiel77]

The 846 satisfies 100% of my bass and mids needs, and 90% of my treble needs, using the blue filter mod. If soundstage and imaging is not a top priority, the 846 is a fantastic all-rounder.

 

[RyuX84]

The 846 satisfies 100% of my bass and mids needs, and 90% of my treble needs, using the blue filter mod. If soundstage and imaging is not a top priority, the 846 is a fantastic all-rounder.

So you are not happy with the soundstage reproduction of the SE846 ? What is your reference, and what can you recommend ? Thanks

 

[ezekiel77]

So you are not happy with the soundstage reproduction of the SE846 ? What is your reference, and what can you recommend ? Thanks

Not to say unhappy, but the 846 has a slightly intimate presentation, more apparent bcos of its lifted mids. So you can't expect a wide-open sound from headphones. I'd say it's more of how the 846 is presented rather than a weakness. Just comparing to the IEMs I have for example, the Harmony 8 Pro has a more laid-back approach, with a very wide and deep soundstage. But it's a different flavour, and not ideally suited for mids and vocals like the 846 is.

 

[RyuX84]

Not to say unhappy, but the 846 has a slightly intimate presentation, more apparent bcos of its lifted mids. So you can't expect a wide-open sound from headphones. I'd say it's more of how the 846 is presented rather than a weakness. Just comparing to the IEMs I have for example, the Harmony 8 Pro has a more laid-back approach, with a very wide and deep soundstage. But it's a different flavour, and not ideally suited for mids and vocals like the 846 is.

So you are saying it is because of the pro's that the 846 has that make the soundstage limited (because a soundstage realization might depend on a certain amount of bass/mid/high balance that may have underpronounced bass/mid's as a result) ?