[rmiller511]

   
It is more a Motto/Mantra. Borrowed as it were from the late great Hunter S. Thompson.  HST was arguably the greatest American writer since Hemingway. (That man really knew how to write prose).
Pick a sentence any sentence of his - it is a literary feast. Thompson understood that the process of writing (and writing about it) was more important than the actual story.
 

 
 
Could not agree more about HST.
 
 
About linda and her good fortune....well, as I see it, there are 2 rules:
 
Rule 1)  Linda gets all the good stuff
Rule 2)  Can't change rule 1
 
Please post as soon as you can about the sleeves.  Biting my nails to nothing in anticipation.

 

[burtomr]

  btw - where did you find the build date?

 
Once again...it's on the box.

 

[Monty Burns]

  ok, so i just received my 846's. .....
 
wow @ the bass, how does something so small make such a big sound lol
 
will try tip rolling later!

It is quite simple. The SE846 was in fact designed by the Time Lords on Gallifrey.  They operate on many of the same principles and technology found in a T.A.R.D.I.S (time and space travel sadly not among them)

 

[Samuel777]

 
Congrats on your new acquisition.  It gets better, trust me.
 
It gets.......better.  Gotta get through that psychological burn in.
 
 
btw - where did you find the build date?

 
Mine is built on 06 MARS 2014

 

[Barn]

  It is quite simple. The SE846 was in fact designed by the Time Lords on Gallifrey.  They operate on many of the same principles and technology found in a T.A.R.D.I.S (time and space travel sadly not among them)

lol, time travel is overrated anyway
 
Just doing a quick a/b with my HD800 through my audiolab M-DAC. i have to say, considering the 846's and HD800 cost me about the same, to my ears,they are not on the same planet, the HD800's blow them away in every way! (although thinking about this, these are my first ever IEM's, and i might need time to adjust? )

 

[hertzsogood]

  lol, time travel is overrated anyway
 
Just doing a quick a/b with my HD800 through my audiolab M-DAC. i have to say, considering the 846's and HD800 cost me about the same, to my ears,they are not on the same planet, the HD800's blow them away in every way! (although thinking about this, these are my first ever IEM's, and i might need time to adjust? )

Which will you take with you if you go out for say 3 hours?

 

[Barn]

  Which will you take with you if you go out for say 3 hours?

lol, they would Never let me out for THAT long.....

 

[zenpunk]

  lol, time travel is overrated anyway
 
Just doing a quick a/b with my HD800 through my audiolab M-DAC. i have to say, considering the 846's and HD800 cost me about the same, to my ears,they are not on the same planet, the HD800's blow them away in every way! (although thinking about this, these are my first ever IEM's, and i might need time to adjust? )

I also love the HD800 for their great isolation. I usually squashed them in my shirt pocket  so I can enjoy their sound through my smartphone on the underground on my way to work. 

 

[Monty Burns]

 

   
... .i have to say, considering the 846's and HD800 cost me about the same, to my ears,they are not on the same planet, the HD800's blow them away in every way!.....

 
I believe you have the answer to this difference b/w the HD800 and the SE846 in your post of your first impressions

  ok, so i just received my 846's. 
......
wow @ the bass, how does something so small make such a big sound

Time Lord technology does not come cheap.
 
For what it is worth Gallifrey is indeed another planet. 
As is common knowledge, Gallifrey is/was (time tenses urgh)  "time locked" (by the Doctor), thus bringing an end to The Last Great Time War. 
This fact alone places a huge premium on Time Lord technology. Not to mention cost incurred financially and at Quantum level of obtaining the services qualified engineers from Gallifrey.
 
Never underestimate the lengths SHURE is willing to go to develop the very best IEM widely available. Even if it means breaking the Laws of Physics

 

[rmiller511]

  lol, time travel is overrated anyway
 
Just doing a quick a/b with my HD800 through my audiolab M-DAC. i have to say, considering the 846's and HD800 cost me about the same, to my ears,they are not on the same planet, the HD800's blow them away in every way! (although thinking about this, these are my first ever IEM's, and i might need time to adjust? )

 
Yes, you are new to the world of IEMs.  What you do not take into account is that the 846s have a built in feature that constantly protects you from looking stupid in traffic, in the 7-11 check out line, in the gym, etc.  This same feature prevents you from seeming disrespectful during long, boring, uninteresting speeches and lectures, sermons, while watching the movie you agreed to go see with your girlfriend, etc.   This feature of which I speak is called 'compact design', and it is incorporated into every pair of 846s manufactured.
 
Now, about costing the same...I dunno so much about that.  Last time I checked, the price I paid for my Shures only buys you a 'used' pair of HD800s.  So, forget the new ownership experience and warranty....oh yeah, and scratch on the new headgear smell.
 
Aside from the fact that you really don't want to sleep with a pair of HD800s on....that they do not fit conveniently in your pocket, make you look like a dork in public (compared to the 846s that make you look 42.7% sexier while in your ear), take a HELL of a lot more power to drive - which has ALL kinds of ramifications, can't alter their sound (HD800's)....aside from all of this, the way I see that a comparison between the two stacks up is like this.....
 
 
 
Front row tickets to the Nine Inch Nail concert at the Coca-cola Starplex outdoor arena in Downtown Dallas ..........  $800.00
Turbocharged Yamaha R1 crotch rocket to get you and your gf their in record time  ...........................................$11,700.00
Dinner at the all night sidewalk cafe' on Lovers Lane afterwards  ..........................................................................  .$68.00
Drinks at world famous 'hole in the wall' on Harry Hines until the sun comes up ..................................................... $130.00
 
Being able to slip your full coverage Bell Revolver EVO Templar helment over your kickass IEMs............................ priceless
 
So next time you want to spend a night on the town in Dallas, bring your american express....and your SE846s.  They go everywhere you go....easily.
 
Cost the same?  Last time I checked, the HD800 on ebay was about 1200+.  Another way of saying that is that they cost 350.00 dollars more than my 846s.  And that, my friend, makes Xthe difference between the two, price-wise, a free DX90 DAP.
 
So,they really don't compare now, do they.  But it does make you wonder what the 1230.00 pair of IEMs Shure produces will sound like.

 

[burtomr]

 

 
......

 

[Black Label]

That is not cross promotion. That is important information.
I see it more as vital information re accessorising IEM. This is arguably as vital as links to cables and amps.
Different Amps DACs DAPs, nozzle condoms and cables can improve or degrade ones enjoyment of the 8s.

Lord knows the right libations at the right dosage can improve the listening experience. Just as the wrong mix can make it an unpleasant ride.

PS the name of the Blog PRICELESS!!

Cheers Monty!

I must admit I had previously thought that the name "Metal Hop Head" would be open to ambiguity as it perhaps suggests an interest in hip hop, or worse (*shudder*), nu-metal.

Then again, there is nothing wrong with a little ambiguity. Keeps folks on their toes.

Friday evenings are nothing short of wonderful: sat in the leather chair at Two Row Bar, taking in the emotion-charged melodies of Minushuman's BloodThrone all the while sipping something from outback West Australia (Kalgoorlie to be exact) infused with coffee from the USA and raspberries from Tasmania. This is sensory indulgence that borders on the sublime and the ridiculous. I often sit and wonder why I am the mere commentator rather than the engineer of three finely crafted works of art.

This week shall see me add a fourth work of art, craft, science, engineering & literature into the mix alongside the headphones, music and craft beer. A visit to the library is a must. I have yet to read Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail.

Having auditioned the AK120 for the second and last time, its sound being like supermarket maple syrup on my crumpets when all I want is apricot jam, I think my new source shall be a 128GB iPad; this why I can combine high capacity storage with a reading device whose font size can be adjusted to suit. This seems to make sense more than anything else.

I really am looking forward to reading your impressions of the incoming custom sleeves, Monty. Perhaps I shall do likewise, especially as I would like to have customs done as a form of ear protection for gigging. With stratospheric dreams of writing for Metal Hammer or Terrorizer I must take better care of those which also aid me cross the street in safety.

Barn: rmiller511 is spot on. The Shure SE846s' wow factor only increases over time. The IE800 looks to have forever held its peace. It is looking rather quiet and sullen over in that blackened.corner over there; the one with cobwebs upon cobwebs. The novelty of the Sennheisers soon wore off with teething design problems and a good but not life changingly great sound.

If "trance" is your thing ditch Dash Berlin for John 00 Fleming. Not only will you realise just what trance is, and means, you will be treated to an auditory banquet where the villagers feast while their imperial oppressors' heads are on display as the centrepiece; impailed upon rusty pikes.

Enjoy!

Edit: As for the HD800, I have yet to hear them and would imagine that to compare an open back, over-the-ear pair of cans to the SE846 would be like comparing cider to Cointreau.

Cider is for everyday,. Cointreau (disgusting stuff unless inside chocolate - then somehow it works), meanwhile, is for cocktails and special occasions, yes? This is to say that, presumably, the HD800s would have a home theatre setup inside the head type effect (although the 846s are similarly powerful in their own way and right).

It could very well be that, in the world of headphones, there is nothing that could compare to the SE846; I really do not wish for this illusion to be shattered.

 

[truckdriver]

I've never heard the HD800, but I've read that it needs a lot of power for optimal sound. On the other hand, the 846 is extremely efficient. I doubt the HD800 would sound good from the headphone-out of my smartphone. I also doubt the 846 would sound good (to me) from a source powerful enough to drive the HD800.

 

[Edinburgh]

SE846 is my favorite in-ear monitor, I mean non-custom earphones. 

 

[rmiller511]

  I've never heard the HD800, but I've read that it needs a lot of power for optimal sound. On the other hand, the 846 is extremely efficient. I doubt the HD800 would sound good from the headphone-out of my smartphone. I also doubt the 846 would sound good (to me) from a source powerful enough to drive the HD800.

 
I agree.  it is a delicate balance.  the more i experiment, the richer the reward becomes.  what i know to be a fact is this: i have yet to extract every ounce of magnificent sound the 846s have to offer. They were stunning from day one out of the box and not a day has passed since then that they do not humble me with their incredible sound.  I seriously doubt a time will ever come that they do not simply amaze me.  If wow is what I wanted, wow is what I got.  But like I said - it is a delicate balance between the source, the amp, the tips, the cable, the player itself and the viper settings.  The 846s would sound regal no matter what, but to achieve that constant state of dismay....the incredible desire to hear every song in the world on these things takes patience and experimentation.  The pay off for the effort?  Every hair on your body stands on end.   And that says it all.