[moedawg140]

Cleaned, good as new. Although that kit has all sorts of crazy things, no idea how to use it.

I've related my Ref 1 to indoor use only... Too much with the fit, cable coming in and out.

 
Glad you got it working for you.  Regarding the Ref. 1 and the cable issues, yeah, that was one of the main reasons why I didn't think it was worth the money.  Great for a demo, but having the cable loose like that is simply unacceptable, especially for an UIEM at that price range.  And using glue to hold the cables is no bueno as well.  

 

[ridicul0us]

I keep reading "modded filter". How can you mod it? i don't understand.

 

[moedawg140]

  I keep reading "modded filter". How can you mod it? i don't understand.

 
All that you do is use an object like a paper clip to remove the foam damper from the black or blue filters.  I chose black because I liked the blue filters more than the black (with foam dampers inside) filters, and didn't care if the foam dampers were removed from the black filters.  Earlier in the thread, there are a few people who reported sonic differences between the white and modded black filters, as I also believe there is a perceived sonic difference.

 

[moedawg140]

 
How much better is the K10 than the Shure SE846?

 
I'll pull the trigger first on your question:
 
In my honest opinion, the Noble Audio K10 is not $900 (Base K10/K10U) - $2,200 (K10 Prestige) better than the Shure SE846 (assuming you purchased the SE846 for $700 [new or used]).  I will go even further and say that some qualities (mainly bass) does not make the K10 better than the SE846 at any price, because it isn't - in my honest opinion.

 

[warrior1975]

Glad you got it working for you.  Regarding the Ref. 1 and the cable issues, yeah, that was one of the main reasons why I didn't think it was worth the money.  Great for a demo, but having the cable loose like that is simply unacceptable, especially for an UIEM at that price range.  And using glue to hold the cables is no bueno as well.  

I completely agree. I love the Ref 1, but gluing a $1600+ iem is absurd. I will never find that acceptable. But what's done is done...

 

[Ivabign]

Just received 5 pairs of Comply P series tips for my Shure, Westone, Ety IEMs - let me say they sound better than the Olives and the Tru-Fit foams - for me they have improved enjoyment of my 846 by a very nice margin.....
 
Now if the bastages at Comply would make a 400/500 series canal for them instead of only the 100 series, I'd be in pig heaven...

 

[Dinerenblanc]

  Just received 5 pairs of Comply P series tips for my Shure, Westone, Ety IEMs - let me say they sound better than the Olives and the Tru-Fit foams - for me they have improved enjoyment of my 846 by a very nice margin.....
 
Now if the bastages at Comply would make a 400/500 series canal for them instead of only the 100 series, I'd be in pig heaven...

Awesome. The P-Series is longer than the T-Series correct? Is that the only difference or are they denser than the T-Series as well? I've heard good things about the P-Series, but was afraid that my shallow ear canals won't accommodate them.

 

[Loquah]

 
How much better is the K10 than the Shure SE846?

 
It's impossible to put a number on a subjective measure like that, but I can summarise the reasons I prefer the K10, keeping in mind that I am comparing a custom K10 to a universal SE846 (no SCS or similar).
 
The bass on the K10 is a tiny bit less in quantity, but that actually better balances the overall sound signature (compared to any of the 846's filters including modded ones). The bass quality and texture is also slightly better than the 8s. Importantly, the quantity of bass is 100% a question of personal preference and the quality of bass difference is very marginal.
 
In the mids I'd say the 846s are sweeter overall, but the K10s are great too - they're just not quite as forward. I honestly couldn't choose a winner here and love both for different reasons (forwardness vs overall balance)
 
Treble is a fairly easy win to the K10s IMO. The 8s have great treble, but there's just a tiny edge to it even with the darker filters (blue / black). The K10s have more extension and smoother delivery than the 8s.
 
Staging is the final area of note and while the 8s offer a good image, the stage is still quite small. The K10s have an expansive stage that is also the most coherent I have ever heard (up there with HD800s) so they are on par or better than the 8s in terms of image quality and are better in terms of stage size.
 
I can't stress enough that the 8s are awesome earphones and at <$1000 they are unbeatable. Comments that the K10s aren't worth the additional funds are entirely founded - the law of diminishing returns does apply here - but if you're happy spending the extra you will be rewarded with gains in almost every aspect of the sound when comparing a custom set of K10s to the universal version (non SCS) of the SE846.

 

[warrior1975]

It is definitely a premium. $1599 vs $999, $600 more, about 60% more... Those are numbers you can say definitely. Now, is it worth it? Only you will know that...and head-fi is one of the few places this could sound sane.

I can safely say I've eliminated Noble and K10s off of my list. The 8s are very good, not just "good enough", better than that.

I can imagine my Ref 1 would sound better than the K10, but unfortunately I will never know... Well, maybe that's not unfortunate as I really don't care anymore.

 

[Buddhahacker]

 
How much better is the K10 than the Shure SE846?

The K10's appear by various respected reviewers to be the best all around IEMs on the market.  Caveat, I don't own the K10s. The SE846 have an advantage with base extension and crispness. I tend to use them for specific genres (jazz and rock).  If you are looking for a good all around IEM in the $700-800 range then look at the Heir 8.0 universals.  Some viewed them as the stepping stone for the K10s.  Depending on your musical preference the SE846 maybe the best choice.  For me, I usually reach for my 8.0s before I grab the 846s.  I like the all around musicality of the 8.0s over the better base extension.  So in the end, the K10s are twice the cost of either the 8.0s or the 846s so in my book the K10s would have to be significantly better to fork over that kind of money.  Actually, I would rather invest in upgrading my other components.

 

[sq3rjick]

It's impossible to put a number on a subjective measure like that, but I can summarise the reasons I prefer the K10, keeping in mind that I am comparing a custom K10 to a universal SE846 (no SCS or similar).

The bass on the K10 is a tiny bit less in quantity, but that actually better balances the overall sound signature (compared to any of the 846's filters including modded ones). The bass quality and texture is also slightly better than the 8s. Importantly, the quantity of bass is 100% a question of personal preference and the quality of bass difference is very marginal.

In the mids I'd say the 846s are sweeter overall, but the K10s are great too - they're just not quite as forward. I honestly couldn't choose a winner here and love both for different reasons (forwardness vs overall balance)

Treble is a fairly easy win to the K10s IMO. The 8s have great treble, but there's just a tiny edge to it even with the darker filters (blue / black). The K10s have more extension and smoother delivery than the 8s.

Staging is the final area of note and while the 8s offer a good image, the stage is still quite small. The K10s have an expansive stage that is also the most coherent I have ever heard (up there with HD800s) so they are on par or better than the 8s in terms of image quality and are better in terms of stage size.

I can't stress enough that the 8s are awesome earphones and at <$1000 they are unbeatable. Comments that the K10s aren't worth the additional funds are entirely founded - the law of diminishing returns does apply here - but if you're happy spending the extra you will be rewarded with gains in almost every aspect of the sound when comparing a custom set of K10s to the universal version (non SCS) of the SE846.

Owning both as well, I echo everything you have said. The K10 are slightly better, but definitely not twice the cost better. The 8s are a fantastic value, and if you desire the quantity of the bass more, I think most will agree you will prefer the 8s.

For the record, I owned the K10 before I owned the 8s. I am using the 8s with the SCS, so comfort and fit are just about equal. If I owned the 8s first would I have upgraded? Honestly, I personally would have, but there is definitely an argument to be made against that. Would I sell the 8s to fund the K10? Absolutely not!

Both sets are definitely TOTL and deserve their praise. It is really about personal preference, though. The 8s are tuned to be more fun, while I would argue that the K10 is a bit better balanced overall. I really enjoy using both, and I wouldn't imagine selling or not using either of them.

I will also mention that I also own the Heir 8.A, and I actually prefer the 8s to the 8.A.

 

[warrior1975]

I own the Heir 8.a as well, and prefer the 8s too.

 

[JackKontney]

   
Thanks! I had no idea they'd never created these. Claudia was replying very quickly, and then suddenly silence... and finally a sound engineer replied.
 

 
FYI, Claudia (who is totally awesome) was out sick for a few days following Thanksgiving weekend.
 
Sometimes the explanation is both simple and reasonable...

 

[jelt2359]

Originally Posted by JackKontney /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
FYI, Claudia (who is totally awesome) was out sick for a few days following Thanksgiving weekend.
 
Sometimes the explanation is both simple and reasonable...

Thanks for the update! Actually I was emailing the customer service email directly- I assume I was corresponding with Claudia since that's what she signed off as... And there was just no reply from Sensa for a few days.
 
It's all good now. Hope she's feeling better!

 

[danlam]

Would you guys say these are overkill for an iphone 6 using spotify 320kbps songs?