I tried out all the including tips and have noticed a dramatic sound change.
I've been used the big form black tips for a week but it started to break apart causing them to not stay in my ears properly. They sounded great before breaking. The form part also had a tendency to come off the plastic core which is annoying as I need to end up using my nails to pull the plastic core out.
The medium form tips aren't that great too because the memory form takes too long to expand so its a hassle when taking them in and out.
I then tried the grey medium and while they where a nub fit, because of the much small whole, the sound is a lot more thinner and muffed with some sibilant. Soundstage was also a lot smaller. This is strange cos the remember the Westone star tips giving the the same comfort without the sacrifice in sound I'm hearing now.
I guess I have no choice but to buy the westone star tips or the spinfit tips I've heard so much yet I find it hard to justify spending over $20 on a few tinny plastic tips that should cost $5 max especially when I bought my se846 for $420AUD.
I tried out all the including tips and have noticed a dramatic sound change.
I've been used the big form black tips for a week but it started to break apart causing them to not stay in my ears properly. They sounded great before breaking. The form part also had a tendency to come off the plastic core which is annoying as I need to end up using my nails to pull the plastic core out.
The medium form tips aren't that great too because the memory form takes too long to expand so its a hassle when taking them in and out.
I then tried the grey medium and while they where a nub fit, because of the much small whole, the sound is a lot more thinner and muffed with some sibilant. Soundstage was also a lot smaller. This is strange cos the remember the Westone star tips giving the the same comfort without the sacrifice in sound I'm hearing now.
I guess I have no choice but to buy the westone star tips or the spinfit tips I've heard so much yet I find it hard to justify spending over $20 on a few tinny plastic tips that should cost $5 max especially when I bought my se846 for $420AUD.
I want to push back a little on some recent Andromeda-related posts on this thread. I'm not quite sure why, but these types of comment seem to get posted here on a regular basis:
1) The SE846 is getting old.
2) Its treble rolls off.
3) There are better-sounding headphones out there.
4) You can buy a better pair of headphones for less than $300 these days.
5) The Andromeda is the gold-standard in audio, and we should all just move on from the obsolete SE846 and buy the Andromeda.
I agree with points 1-3. But let's put things in perspective:
1) Getting old only means obsolete if there's something newer which is better.
2) Yes, but that statement applies to every headphone ever made. The truth is, the treble on the SE846 rolls off perhaps(?) a little more than average with stock filters and long, narrow-bore foam tips; it rolls off much less than average with silicone tips and a free filter mod that takes less than a minute to do (the "Trishd" mod).
3) Those better-sounding headphones don't have the comfort, isolation and convenience of the SE846.
4) If this were true, I'd buy those <$300 headphones and then join in trolling the rest of you on this thread for continuing to be lame losers with your "obsolete" choice of the SE846 (No, actually, I wouldn't, but I would buy that magic sub-$300 pair of headphones, sell my SE846 and then tell you all about it.) I'm yet to find such a pair of headphones though.
5) Hmmmm... For those that don't know the Andromeda, let me highlight a few points before you lay down over $1000 for a downgrade in comfort, fit, isolation and possibly SQ too. The Andromeda is a fairly conventional multi-balanced armature IEM, which comes in a very unfortunately-shaped housing that digs into your ears. At least it does for me. These specific edges and this particular case screw are the main sources of discomfort for me:
But by suffering poor fit, poor isolation and outer-ear discomfort, at least we'll get vastly-improved sound quality, right? Well, frequency response is always subjective, so it's hard to know what any individual will prefer, but the usual claim that the Andromeda has much better treble extension is simply wrong. I think this myth has persisted because Andromeda has less sub-bass and less mid-range, so by comparison, its upper frequencies appear more prominent. But extension implies a later roll-off, and with most common SE846 eartip choices that isn't the case. Let's first look at the situation with different eartips (because that's really all you can change on the Andromeda). It's true that when comparing Andromeda with its stock Andro foam tips against SE846 with long, narrow-bore foam tips like P-series Comply, the foam kills more of the treble in the SE846 (you can click to enlarge any of these figures - also, unless otherwise stated, all measurements are averages of the L and R channels for each headphone and the SE846 have the Trishd-modded blue filters):
There's no ingenious design here in the Andromedas, it's just that they have much wider nozzles, so less of the wavefront gets attenuated by the foam:
The bores aren't quite as narrow on the SE846 when using most brands of silicone tip:
You pay a price for the wider nozzle on the Andromeda though - they don't easily and securely fit in your ears and their isolation isn't as good, because the walls of their foam tips are rather thin relative to any foam tip that would fit on the smaller-diameter nozzles of the SE846.
Now let's compare Andromeda with foam, silicone Cp155 SpinFits and silicone Spiral Dot tips:
As expected, there's more treble with silicone tips. The Spiral Dots don't isolate quite as well, which causes a slight tilt towards the upper register. So let's compare the Andromeda with tips that give the brightest FR measurements (Spiral Dots) to some other popular IEMs with silicone tips, including the SE846:
The Andromeda actually has the least amount of treble amplitude (y axis) up to 10 kHz of any of these headphones. The Andromeda's treble extension (x axis beyond 10 kHz) is nowhere near that of the KSE1500 and rolls off at almost exactly the same point as that of the SE846 with Trishd mod + Cp800 Spinfits. The Andromeda's FR is generally good, but if I have to be picky, it has a relatively heavy mid-bass. The absence of any proper low-pass filter (like that in the SE846) causes the low-end to bleed into the mids. Human ears need u-shaped sound signatures to match equal loudness over the audible spectrum, i.e., something that rises all the way into the sub-bass. A bloated mid-bass can often be a characteristic of cheap (and cheap-sounding) headphones. I guarantee you'll hear this effect on the Andromeda - it's not subtle. The Xelentos have a fairly chunky mid-bass too, but note how the low-end of every other headphone - apart from Andromeda - continues to rise into the sub-bass.
The Andromeda's THD is nothing special - it's pretty much what you'd expect from standard off-the-shelf balanced armature drivers:
Andromeda's impedance curve goes way lower than that of the SE846 at low frequencies, which, in turn, requires very tiny output impedances (based on the standard rule of 8) so as not to skew the frequency response:
I don't in any way consider this a design flaw, but its low impedance and high sensitivity does make the Andromeda a bit more picky about what's driving it. (Specs: Andromeda: 112.8 dB/mW; SE846: 114 dB/mW.)
I didn't write this post to bash Campfire Audio, but I'm left scratching my head at the spate of recent posts that rave about the Andromeda. People should be aware of what they're getting into if they're considering selling their SE846 just because it's "old". Andromeda is a good-sounding headphone, but IMHO, replacing the SE846 with an Andromeda could be an expensive mistake. If you've tried the Trishd mod with silicone tips on the SE846 and still want more treble, there are headphones out there that have better treble-extension than the SE846, but the Andromeda isn't one of them.
No it doesn't. These measurements were supplied by Ken Ball on the Andromeda thread:
Volume-matching is always a little subjective when two headphones don't have the same FR, but mid-range is where most of the action is, and so normalizing at 1 kHz is a reasonable thing to do. Here's my attempt at that based on the previous graph. The S version is clearly less v-shaped - i.e., given the same mid-range volume setting, it has less bass and less treble than the standard version of the Andromeda:
For those that are interested, the Andromeda I measured was an Andromeda version 2.0. Here's how you can tell them apart:
Measurements shown are all raw (uncompensated) using an IEC60318-4 compliant coupler. Details/procedures/equipment are described here:
An important disclaimer on measurements: You should only ever use measurements to make relative comparisons from the same rig. In anticipation of comments like "your graphs suck", "your rig isn't professional/expensive enough", "these are inaccurate", "the Andromedas don't really measure like this", etc., etc., I have to point out that, yes, they do - at least within unit tolerance. Here are my measurements (individual left and right channels) compared with those supplied by Ken Ball from Campfire Audio:
I agree. There are such well built iem and so comfortable to use. People tend to consider a particular iem to sound due to having more treble spark and extension. For me though, the most important factor is placment and the presentaiton.
I agree. There are such well built iem and so comfortable to use. People tend to consider a particular iem to sound due to having more treble spark and extension. For me though, the most important factor is placment and the presentaiton.
That depends on 2 factors:
1. your ear canal diameter.
2. whether you prefer deep or peripheral insertion.
For example, I myself get adequate sealing with both the medium and large size CP-800. But I came to use the large ones because I prefer the sound qualities (better soundstage) and comfort of peripheral insertion.
Is the factory se846 cable the exact same one used on the se215-se535?
P.S. I’m surprised to see the lack of followers for the iem. I truely feel these iem don’t receive the love they deserve. It’s almost any headphone that is a little bass orientated headfi’s will automatically hate
Is the factory se846 cable the exact same one used on the se215-se535?
P.S. I’m surprised to see the lack of followers for the iem. I truely feel these iem don’t receive the love they deserve. It’s almost any headphone that is a little bass orientated headfi’s will automatically hate
I wouldn't say the 846 hasn't gotten love, it's just old now. Lots of people have moved on to newer offerings. That kinda includes myself, though I still have my 846 and adore them. They're just not my primary anymore.
I wouldn't say the 846 hasn't gotten love, it's just old now. Lots of people have moved on to newer offerings. That kinda includes myself, though I still have my 846 and adore them. They're just not my primary anymore.
I still think the se846 are a thing of beauty. Looks amazing especially in clear.
Can we just appreciate how well made they are. The seam where the two plastic shell join to each other is done so seamlessly you can't feel the jagged edge if you run your fingers along the edge and not to mention the removable metal nossle and filter. Even the metal base is well integrated into the body with the rubber gasket seals around the metal collar. The se846 plaque within the shell is such a nice touch. There's just this weight to it as soon as you pick them up that screams quality. Makes my earsonic sm64 seem like $2 imbuds, cheap and nasty.
I'm looking to get the true Bluetooth adaptor but its so pricey, almost as my as I paid for my se846 themselves lol
I think the se846 are basically se535 but with the bass addressed. Treble detail like the se535 is still the weak point so when shure releases the next flagship and address the treble, they'll be perfect.
I still think the se846 are a thing of beauty. Looks amazing especially in clear.
Can we just appreciate how well made they are. The seam where the two plastic shell join to each other is done so seamlessly you can't feel the jagged edge if you run your fingers along the edge and not to mention the removable metal nossle and filter. Even the metal base is well integrated into the body with the rubber gasket seals around the metal collar. The se846 plaque within the shell is such a nice touch. There's just this weight to it as soon as you pick them up that screams quality. Makes my earsonic sm64 seem like $2 imbuds, cheap and nasty.
I'm looking to get the true Bluetooth adaptor but its so pricey, almost as my as I paid for my se846 themselves lol
I think the se846 are basically se535 but with the bass addressed. Treble detail like the se535 is still the weak point so when shure releases the next flagship and address the treble, they'll be perfect.
I used to own the se535ltd and I think that the SE846 have quite a different tuning. More Harmann oriented so to speak, though more mid-foward than a typical u-shaped IEM. Definitely some work on the upper high-range would refine their sound for hi-fi purposes than for stage monitoring purposes for which they are oriented in the current incarnation.
Still use mine everyday. Or most days, at least. Throw em in a bag, shove them in a pocket, sweat on them at the gym... they don't care. These plus an Apple dongle probably occupy most of my listening time given the convenience this setup offers. Still never fail to delight me with every listen.
I used to own the se535ltd and I think that the SE846 have quite a different tuning. More Harmann oriented so to speak, though more mid-foward than a typical u-shaped IEM. Definitely some work on the upper high-range would refine their sound for hi-fi purposes than for stage monitoring purposes for which they are oriented in the current incarnation.
Still use mine everyday. Or most days, at least. Throw em in a bag, shove them in a pocket, sweat on them at the gym... they don't care. These plus an Apple dongle probably occupy most of my listening time given the convenience this setup offers. Still never fail to delight me with every listen.
Just because they’re old doesn’t mean it’s okay to abuse them. They deserve more love and care. They’re still expensive iem and more than the average consumer will afford to buy even in the second hand market.
How many Bluetooth cables has Shure released so far? Is it true because of the new Bluetooth 5.0 and the inbuild dac within the headband, no sound is lost compared to the conventional cable
How many Bluetooth cables has Shure released so far? Is it true because of the new Bluetooth 5.0 and the inbuild dac within the headband, no sound is lost compared to the conventional cable
Bluetooth connections are always somewhat lossy (despite what Qualcomm wants to make you believe), but especially on the go the maybe present minor degradation in sound quality is more than made up by the added flexibility I think.
The newest TW2 adapters are really good btw. I only use my SE846 with those now.
How many Bluetooth cables has Shure released so far? Is it true because of the new Bluetooth 5.0 and the inbuild dac within the headband, no sound is lost compared to the conventional cable
Bluetooth connections are always somewhat lossy (despite what Qualcomm wants to make you believe), but especially on the go the maybe present minor degradation in sound quality is more than made up by the added flexibility I think.
The newest TW2 adapters are really good btw. I only use my SE846 with those now.
Technically there still might be some losses, potentially they are not noticeable though.
Current Bluetooth still isn't lossless, but pretty close.
I personally wouldn't be bothered to use Bluetooth with the Se846, especially since I'm not critically listening with IEMs
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(No, actually, I wouldn't, but I would buy that magic sub-$300 pair of headphones, sell my SE846 and then tell you all about it.) I'm yet to find such a pair of headphones though.
