[Kunlun]

The K10s have plenty of bass. The overall sound is not bassy, but the bass is there when demanded by your music. It can be a little bit tricky when trying out the show demo units. The first time I tried the 8, I didn't have a good seal and didn't really think it was bass heavy at all. I think the K10s are very nicely balanced and quite detailed. I don't ever find them lacking anything compared with my other iems and headphones.

Exactly. There's a lot of bass, but you've got mids and treble to balance things so it's not a bassy signature.

 

[hertzsogood]

  Total respect, but you know the K10 and the 8C have the same bass drivers and same bass tuning? The Wizard's said that on HF a time or two, I believe (and in pm with me). The K10 have a lot of great bass, but you have to have a good fit to hear it. Great mids and treble, too, of course, but fit will definitely affect the bass, so maybe it was a fit issue when you demo'd the k10, possibly.

I would pick the K10 over the 8 even if the bass was not as present.

 

[Jensenchua]

  I have Labkable for the 846 and their main store is at Mong Kok but many Audio stores sales their cable. You can try 1. On The Go Audio (Wan Chai), 2. Jaben (Mong Kok), DMA (Wan Chai), LEAR Audio has their store (Mong Kok). There are three other stores I visit but I havnt gone in a while but two are also in Mong Kok and one at Admiralty.

Thanks very much hertzsogood for your information, may I know what type of Labkable cable you had for your 846? Actually I hate to go to Mong Kok (messy & too many people), but I think I gonna pop in to the Labkable to try out some cable for my 846

 

[Jensenchua]

Very sorry I know there's been lots of repeated tips thread for the 846, but after trying the Westone True-fit foam tips yesterday I would say it is definitely better than the stock & the Comply TSX tips, it's more comfortable than the stock & although same comfort with the TSX but this true-fit sounded better in every way, especially the bass!! I guess I gonna stick to the true-fit.
 
Now my tips issue is solved next will be the Cable

 

[frankrondaniel]

 
Very sorry I know there's been lots of repeated tips thread for the 846, but after trying the Westone True-fit foam tips yesterday I would say it is definitely better than the stock & the Comply TSX tips, it's more comfortable than the stock & although same comfort with the TSX but this true-fit sounded better in every way, especially the bass!! I guess I gonna stick to the true-fit.
 
Now my tips issue is solved next will be the Cable

 
I'm definitely a fan of the Westone True Fit foams.  Only problem is that they expand quickly - need to get them in the ear fast!  Otherwise great sound, isolation and comfort for me.

 

[hertzsogood]

  Thanks very much hertzsogood for your information, may I know what type of Labkable cable you had for your 846? Actually I hate to go to Mong Kok (messy & too many people), but I think I gonna pop in to the Labkable to try out some cable for my 846

Is there a place in Hong Kong with room and not too many people? Haha I got the balance cable made of Copper/Silver/Gold. Huge improvement in the Mids and Treble so much I am playing the music louder why cause it sounds so good. The main office opens at 2 PM and They will let you demo all they have.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

   
I'm definitely a fan of the Westone True Fit foams.  Only problem is that they expand quickly - need to get them in the ear fast!  Otherwise great sound, isolation and comfort for me.

I've determined the trick with the Westones. They aren't meant to go super deep in the ear canal (that's why the end is flat instead of pointed), so pick a slightly bigger size than you'd expect and only push it as far in there as it'll go without awkward twisting and shoving. Sound comes out perfect. 
 

 

[sq3rjick]

  Exactly. There's a lot of bass, but you've got mids and treble to balance things so it's not a bassy signature.

 
As an owner of the K10s and the 846s, I agree completely.  As I said earlier in this thread (I think it was this one...) the 846 is phenomenal, but I think the K10 still edges it out in the overall package.  The K10 is definitely not missing out at all in the bass. If it's called for in the recording, the K10 will bring it out no problem.  Actually, I slightly prefer the bass on the K10 to the bass on the 846; the "subwoofer effect" on the 846 is really nice when I'm in the mood for it, but I am finding that the K10 is the headphone I always reach for first.  I would definitely say that the 846 is a warmer overall presentation than the K10; if that's your style, you may prefer it.
 

  I would pick the K10 over the 8 even if the bass was not as present.

 
For me, the only limiting factor is my lack of ears.  That being said, I do reach for the K10 more often than the 846.  To my ears, everything sounds just a bit more natural and a bit more enjoyable.  With the K10, I feel like I'm listening to the music.  With the 846, I feel like I'm listening to the 846.  Not that that is at all bad, and I actually enjoy doing that, too.  It's just that, if I had to pick one, it'd be the K10.  If I already had the 846, though, and I would have to sell it to fund a K10, I might not be so quick to jump the gun.  The 846 is damn impressive, and I don't really know if the slight improvements of the K10 are worth a nearly doubling in price to get them.
 
 

  Total respect, but you know the K10 and the 8C have the same bass drivers and same bass tuning? The Wizard's said that on HF a time or two, I believe (and in pm with me). The K10 have a lot of great bass, but you have to have a good fit to hear it. Great mids and treble, too, of course, but fit will definitely affect the bass, so maybe it was a fit issue when you demo'd the k10, possibly.
 

 
Further, not only do the K10 and the 8C have the same bass drivers (and the 8C and K10 share 8 drivers in common; the K10 has an extra 2 drivers compared with the 8C), the 5/5C/5S has **one** of the **two** bass drivers that is found in the 8C/K10.  I would be surprised if the overall quality and quantity of the K10 or 8C were lacking, especially compared to the 5C (which I haven't yet heard, so I can't do a direct comparison).  To my ears, with a fully custom fit (and perfectly fitting, I might add) K10 and the universal fit 846, I find that the K10 has both more quality and more quantity to bass when it is called for, with the caveat being that it's only there when it is called for; it's not always present if it's not in the recording, while the 846 to my ear seems to add just a bit of warmth.  It's just that the K10 isn't a bass-emphasized tuning.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

You guys are killin me with this. I feel like I might end up with either the K10 or Roxannes someday just because of the praise they're getting in this thread. XD

 

[sq3rjick]

Honestly, the K10, SE846, and JH Roxanne are all fantastic. At this level, it is all about personal sound preferences. You really won't go wrong with any of these headphones. For me, that is the K10. Others certainly will have their own preferences. There are no rights or wrongs.

 

[spook76]

Honestly, the K10, SE846, and JH Roxanne are all fantastic. At this level, it is all about personal sound preferences. You really won't go wrong with any of these headphones. For me, that is the K10. Others certainly will have their own preferences. There are no rights or wrongs.

Your review and comparison was a true pleasure to read. It was honest and clear without the usual childish language like "night and day", "a whole other planet" or my personal favorite "wipes the floor" (how a tiny IEM could wipe a floor is a mystery to me).

Thank you.

p.s. The Wizard has a deserved reputation for excellence. I love my set up but if I could not have my 8s, I would get a K10 without hesitation.

 

[ottotron]

I tried the demo k10's and they were very impressive. I actually thought they were pretty similar to the 846's but with a bit more bass and separation. Sub bass was good too but not as much as the 846's. If they had the universal versions for sale at the same price as the 846's, then I would have a tough time deciding! But for now, the 846 is my choice hands down. I also listened to the universal roxannes but they were HUGE and the sound was too dense and the highs barely extended for my taste. They were clear and the sub-bass/bass was monstrous but I would not consider them at all based on my sound preference. 

 

[sq3rjick]

  I tried the demo k10's and they were very impressive. I actually thought they were pretty similar to the 846's but with a bit more bass and separation. Sub bass was good too but not as much as the 846's. If they had the universal versions for sale at the same price as the 846's, then I would have a tough time deciding! But for now, the 846 is my choice hands down. I also listened to the universal roxannes but they were HUGE and the sound was too dense and the highs barely extended for my taste. They were clear and the sub-bass/bass was monstrous but I would not consider them at all based on my sound preference. 

 
I am glad you found something that you like!  I don't think you'll ever see a universal K10, and certainly not for much less than the custom K10 (because they are too complicated to fit in their current universal shell, so they'd still have to make shells for them, even universal shells, by hand, and that requires more lab tech time).  For me, I prefer a custom fit to universal, so I like the custom fit K10.  I am waiting on my SCS to make my 846s into more of a custom fit so I can enjoy them a bit more.  As for the Roxanne: I'm never going to say "never"; I'll probably end up getting a pair once they tame their CF mess and get build time down to about a month.
 
As I said before, if I would have had the 846 before the K10 and was on a more limited budget, I don't know if I would have been able to justify the doubling in cost for the K10 over the 846 for the slight improvements.  The 846 is seriously impressive, and I am happy that I can own both of them.

 

[ottotron]

I am glad you found something that you like!  I don't think you'll ever see a universal K10, and certainly not for much less than the custom K10 (because they are too complicated to fit in their current universal shell, so they'd still have to make shells for them, even universal shells, by hand, and that requires more lab tech time).  For me, I prefer a custom fit to universal, so I like the custom fit K10.  I am waiting on my SCS to make my 846s into more of a custom fit so I can enjoy them a bit more.  As for the Roxanne: I'm never going to say "never"; I'll probably end up getting a pair once they tame their CF mess and get build time down to about a month.

As I said before, if I would have had the 846 before the K10 and was on a more limited budget, I don't know if I would have been able to justify the doubling in cost for the K10 over the 846 for the slight improvements.  The 846 is seriously impressive, and I am happy that I can own both of them.

Lucky you! I don't know if I would ever go for customs but maybe that might change in the future. I got the AK100ii last weekend and have been clocking in a fair amount of hours on them. Will post impressions on how the 846 sounds with them sometime this week.

 

[hertzsogood]

   
As an owner of the K10s and the 846s, I agree completely.  As I said earlier in this thread (I think it was this one...) the 846 is phenomenal, but I think the K10 still edges it out in the overall package.  The K10 is definitely not missing out at all in the bass. If it's called for in the recording, the K10 will bring it out no problem.  Actually, I slightly prefer the bass on the K10 to the bass on the 846; the "subwoofer effect" on the 846 is really nice when I'm in the mood for it, but I am finding that the K10 is the headphone I always reach for first.  I would definitely say that the 846 is a warmer overall presentation than the K10; if that's your style, you may prefer it.
 
 
For me, the only limiting factor is my lack of ears.  That being said, I do reach for the K10 more often than the 846.  To my ears, everything sounds just a bit more natural and a bit more enjoyable.  With the K10, I feel like I'm listening to the music.  With the 846, I feel like I'm listening to the 846.  Not that that is at all bad, and I actually enjoy doing that, too.  It's just that, if I had to pick one, it'd be the K10.  If I already had the 846, though, and I would have to sell it to fund a K10, I might not be so quick to jump the gun.  The 846 is damn impressive, and I don't really know if the slight improvements of the K10 are worth a nearly doubling in price to get them.
 
 
 
Further, not only do the K10 and the 8C have the same bass drivers (and the 8C and K10 share 8 drivers in common; the K10 has an extra 2 drivers compared with the 8C), the 5/5C/5S has **one** of the **two** bass drivers that is found in the 8C/K10.  I would be surprised if the overall quality and quantity of the K10 or 8C were lacking, especially compared to the 5C (which I haven't yet heard, so I can't do a direct comparison).  To my ears, with a fully custom fit (and perfectly fitting, I might add) K10 and the universal fit 846, I find that the K10 has both more quality and more quantity to bass when it is called for, with the caveat being that it's only there when it is called for; it's not always present if it's not in the recording, while the 846 to my ear seems to add just a bit of warmth.  It's just that the K10 isn't a bass-emphasized tuning.

When I said K10 over the 8 , It was not over the 846 but over the Noble 8C. If I was going to listen to say Norah Jones I will go for the K10 if I was going to listen to Armin Van Buuren set or Iron Maiden I will reach for the 846.