[ubs28]

Don't hate, but these are my impressions on the SE846 compared to an Audiofly AF180.

Bass is overpresented. Even bloated. Clarity isn't amazing.
Heir 3.ai ($300) can take on the SE846's vocals any day. build quality is what you'd expect from a mainstream product - it looks good, but it didn't cost $1000 to make.
The sound is pretty filling, vocals are forward but the 846 has good tuning, so instrument / vocal seperation works well. It's not worth the money, and you can get better for less. The bass is bloated and just messes with vocal tracks, which is ironic since the dynamic armature SE215 in blue enhances vocal tracks and costs roughly a tenth as much.
They say the SE846 is made for professionals, but if you tried to sing with it, the seal would break, possibly excluding that if you used foam tips.
But yeah, a lot of money on branding / mainstreaming = a lot of money for the end user.

 
I'm pretty sure you didn't use good equipment to audition the Shure SE846 if that is what you heard. The only way the Shure SE846 sounds bloated and lacking clarity is due to an output impedance mismatch. 

 

[ubs28]

One of my Westone Star Tips slipped of my Shure SE846 when they were hanging on my neck while I was talking to someone. No idea were it dropped since we walked a few blocks. I'll have to order a new set of Westone Star Tips again 

 

[Whazzzup]

Very tr

Don't hate, but these are my impressions on the SE846 compared to an Audiofly AF180.


Bass is overpresented. Even bloated. Clarity isn't amazing.

Heir 3.ai ($300) can take on the SE846's vocals any day. build quality is what you'd expect from a mainstream product - it looks good, but it didn't cost $1000 to make.

The sound is pretty filling, vocals are forward but the 846 has good tuning, so instrument / vocal seperation works well. It's not worth the money, and you can get better for less. The bass is bloated and just messes with vocal tracks, which is ironic since the dynamic armature SE215 in blue enhances vocal tracks and costs roughly a tenth as much.

They say the SE846 is made for professionals, but if you tried to sing with it, the seal would break, possibly excluding that if you used foam tips.

But yeah, a lot of money on branding / mainstreaming = a lot of money for the end user.

I'm pretty sure you didn't use good equipment to audition the Shure SE846 if that is what you heard. The only way the Shure SE846 sounds bloated and lacking clarity is due to an output impedance mismatch. 

Very true. Even though i liked the lack of sharp roll off in the low end when i paired it with vamp verza at 16 ohms, now that im using the chord hugo, the low end is tight, kicking yet well defined and spatial. I can hear the bass within the bass and by no means would i even call throaty low end at all bloaty. To me with the chord its magically delicious.
By the way kept the vamp, its way more portable for a variety of circumstances

 

[Dinerenblanc]

   
I'm pretty sure you didn't use good equipment to audition the Shure SE846 if that is what you heard. The only way the Shure SE846 sounds bloated and lacking clarity is due to an output impedance mismatch. 

Agreed. The bass on the 846 is anything but bloated. I'm curious as to what source they were running it out of as well.

 

[Allucid]

 

I'm pretty sure you didn't use good equipment to audition the Shure SE846 if that is what you heard. The only way the Shure SE846 sounds bloated and lacking clarity is due to an output impedance mismatch. 

Agreed. The bass on the 846 is anything but bloated. I'm curious as to what source they were running it out of as well.

I used a FiiO X5. Isn't that not the right equipment?

 

[AndrewH13]

I used a FiiO X5. Isn't that not the right equipment?

They sound wonderful with my X5, Westone Star silicone tips. Fast deep bass

 

[Loquah]

I've reviewed (extensively) the AF180s while owning the SE846s and while the AF180s are an excellent IEM, I found their bass slightly lacking in comparison to the SE846 and their treble a little too rolled-off at times. Of course, source equipment plays a huge part so I'm not saying the OP was wrong about the AF180, but my personal experiences were different

 

[madwolfa]

So should I try them with the stock tips first (are olives considered the best?) or should I order the Westone Stars right away?

 

[AndrewH13]

So should I try them with the stock tips first (are olives considered the best?) or should I order the Westone Stars right away?

I was used to Stars from owning W40s so put them on straight away. I like a dynamic fast sound and found the sound I wanted straight away. A brief go with foams seemed to add a warmth I was not looking for. Plus find the Stars very comfortable.

 

[ubs28]

I used a FiiO X5. Isn't that not the right equipment?

I haven't heard the FiiO X5 personally so I can't judge how it sounds. But it should be fine I think since it has an output impedance under 1 ohm? All I know is that with ultra low impedance equipment such as the Chord Hugo, there is no bloat with great clarity. (I have heard the bloat with other equipment)

 

[GrindedDown]

After fawning over them and reading everything I could, I bit the bullet on a pair of 846's after having a pretty great december for myself. Quick impressions below, but some background first (which leads to why I bought the SE846, which may help those undecided):
 
Triple fi 10 was first BA and high-quality IEM I owned. Loved the details, had some decent bass, but wish it had a tad more and that veil over the mids was killing me. My brain had to burn in every time I put them in before I would stop caring about the mid veil. Very V Shaped. Sold them later. 
 
Bought the new beats studio. Love the comfort level and the fashion level of the headphone. The bass was great, and they sounded pretty decent overall. Some sibilance in the highs and a bit of shrill in the mids prevented higher volume levels. They are just fun and easy to me, simple as that, I try not to be critical of them and just enjoy tunes. 
 
Bought the UE900 S to get another IEM only a few short weeks ago. Despite having two low frequency BAs, they lack punch although had pretty good bass extension. Mids were better than TF10, but still for my tastes still sounded veiled to the point where it was very distracting. Excellent detail retrieval, good sound staging and just the right amount of higher frequency sparkle. A solid U shaped IEM, but lacking to my tastes. 
 
What I have found out: I am a basshead, I love excellent sound staging, good mids are more important to me than high frequency detail, which I find can be fatiguing. You find this by using more and more equipment, which is kinda fun.
 
So, I found out about the SE846, read the reviews, read basically this whole thread and it sure fit the bill for what I was looking for. Sold some gear and bit the bullet. I got them this morning and I've got to say I am EXTREMELY disappointed.......Not because of the  earphones or SQ, au contraire, but because there is simply no going back down the ladder.......I've tumbled down the rabbit hole and kansas has gone bye bye.........These have got to be the best sound I could possibly ask for!! I find that it may be torture to let friends listen to them in the future if they have no intentions of buying a pair because it will screw up their listening experience with other headphones severely. 
 
I'l be posting an "official" and in-depth review later and am working on making a video review of these (since there seem to be so few of them apparently).
 
Also, because I bought these, I decided I need to upgrade the source and SQ across the board. I now have an AK100ii on the way, which I will also review here and on video. My ears are in love, but my wallet is absolutely hating me.......

 

[Whazzzup]

After fawning over them and reading everything I could, I bit the bullet on a pair of 846's after having a pretty great december for myself. Quick impressions below, but some background first (which leads to why I bought the SE846, which may help those undecided):

Triple fi 10 was first BA and high-quality IEM I owned. Loved the details, had some decent bass, but wish it had a tad more and that veil over the mids was killing me. My brain had to burn in every time I put them in before I would stop caring about the mid veil. Very V Shaped. Sold them later. 

Bought the new beats studio. Love the comfort level and the fashion level of the headphone. The bass was great, and they sounded pretty decent overall. Some sibilance in the highs and a bit of shrill in the mids prevented higher volume levels. They are just fun and easy to me, simple as that, I try not to be critical of them and just enjoy tunes. 

Bought the UE900 S to get another IEM only a few short weeks ago. Despite having two low frequency BAs, they lack punch although had pretty good bass extension. Mids were better than TF10, but still for my tastes still sounded veiled to the point where it was very distracting. Excellent detail retrieval, good sound staging and just the right amount of higher frequency sparkle. A solid U shaped IEM, but lacking to my tastes. 

What I have found out: I am a basshead, I love excellent sound staging, good mids are more important to me than high frequency detail, which I find can be fatiguing. You find this by using more and more equipment, which is kinda fun.

So, I found out about the SE846, read the reviews, read basically this whole thread and it sure fit the bill for what I was looking for. Sold some gear and bit the bullet. I got them this morning and I've got to say I am EXTREMELY disappointed.......Not because of the  earphones or SQ, au contraire, but because there is simply no going back down the ladder.......I've tumbled down the rabbit hole and kansas has gone bye bye.........These have got to be the best sound I could possibly ask for!! I find that it may be torture to let friends listen to them in the future if they have no intentions of buying a pair because it will screw up their listening experience with other headphones severely. 

I'l be posting an "official" and in-depth review later and am working on making a video review of these (since there seem to be so few of them apparently).

Also, because I bought these, I decided I need to upgrade the source and SQ across the board. I now have an AK100ii on the way, which I will also review here and on video. My ears are in love, but my wallet is absolutely hating me.......

Welcome, the rabbit hole is actually quite crowded with many of us delving into audio nirvana. Much the same as good wine, one can never go back, but go forward with determination, sample all that can be sampled and hope to attain what you love to hear, how you like to hear it, and continue to pay taxes, rent, mortgages, and love the folks that are dear to you.
As a protective measure if the sun burns to brightly, avoid head fi, it surely will deplete ones resources.

 

[nightdance]

  After fawning over them and reading everything I could, I bit the bullet on a pair of 846's after having a pretty great december for myself. Quick impressions below, but some background first (which leads to why I bought the SE846, which may help those undecided):
 
Triple fi 10 was first BA and high-quality IEM I owned. Loved the details, had some decent bass, but wish it had a tad more and that veil over the mids was killing me. My brain had to burn in every time I put them in before I would stop caring about the mid veil. Very V Shaped. Sold them later. 
 
Bought the new beats studio. Love the comfort level and the fashion level of the headphone. The bass was great, and they sounded pretty decent overall. Some sibilance in the highs and a bit of shrill in the mids prevented higher volume levels. They are just fun and easy to me, simple as that, I try not to be critical of them and just enjoy tunes. 
 
Bought the UE900 S to get another IEM only a few short weeks ago. Despite having two low frequency BAs, they lack punch although had pretty good bass extension. Mids were better than TF10, but still for my tastes still sounded veiled to the point where it was very distracting. Excellent detail retrieval, good sound staging and just the right amount of higher frequency sparkle. A solid U shaped IEM, but lacking to my tastes. 
 
What I have found out: I am a basshead, I love excellent sound staging, good mids are more important to me than high frequency detail, which I find can be fatiguing. You find this by using more and more equipment, which is kinda fun.
 
So, I found out about the SE846, read the reviews, read basically this whole thread and it sure fit the bill for what I was looking for. Sold some gear and bit the bullet. I got them this morning and I've got to say I am EXTREMELY disappointed.......Not because of the  earphones or SQ, au contraire, but because there is simply no going back down the ladder.......I've tumbled down the rabbit hole and kansas has gone bye bye.........These have got to be the best sound I could possibly ask for!! I find that it may be torture to let friends listen to them in the future if they have no intentions of buying a pair because it will screw up their listening experience with other headphones severely. 
 
I'l be posting an "official" and in-depth review later and am working on making a video review of these (since there seem to be so few of them apparently).
 
Also, because I bought these, I decided I need to upgrade the source and SQ across the board. I now have an AK100ii on the way, which I will also review here and on video. My ears are in love, but my wallet is absolutely hating me.......

Is it really THAT good? I gave them a brief listen in store, didn't find them any special... In contrast, the first time putting on my FX850s made me amazed at what a pair of IEMs can do. The same goes to IE800s, the imaging is just... unbelievable. 

 

[jelt2359]

Very tr
Very true. Even though i liked the lack of sharp roll off in the low end when i paired it with vamp verza at 16 ohms, now that im using the chord hugo, the low end is tight, kicking yet well defined and spatial. I can hear the bass within the bass and by no means would i even call throaty low end at all bloaty. To me with the chord its magically delicious.
By the way kept the vamp, its way more portable for a variety of circumstances

Just wait till you try white + chord hugo + sensaphonics SCS!

 

[Whazzzup]

Very tr

Very true. Even though i liked the lack of sharp roll off in the low end when i paired it with vamp verza at 16 ohms, now that im using the chord hugo, the low end is tight, kicking yet well defined and spatial. I can hear the bass within the bass and by no means would i even call throaty low end at all bloaty. To me with the chord its magically delicious.

By the way kept the vamp, its way more portable for a variety of circumstances

Just wait till you try white + chord hugo + sensaphonics SCS!

Soon enough, i will be getting my th900 cable upgrade back soon, and will attempt filter change. Im using wetstone stars tips which fit very well.
The chord is blowing my mind on detail and space, like hearing stuff that i didnt realize was there, bass within bass as an example. Im still in the awe phase and await my fostex return. The rabit hole has been fun.