TDK IE800 Dual High-Performance Dynamic Micro-Drivers IEM

[edvardd]

I'm waiting see these pop up from other stores soon. Hoping for 149 $... Adorama doesn't ship to my country.

 

[kAbUZi]

Yeah, me too.
 
I have also contacted this store as they are in the UK and have some pretty sweet prices on the TDK earphone lineup:
 
http://www.totalblankmedia.com/tdk-headphones-c-120_166.html
 
I hope to hear from them this week.
 
Edit: in case you've missed it, ClieOS recommended the IE800's on his blog as part of its buyer guide 2012 :

TDK IE800 ($200)
While mid and sound stage are the strength of this dual dynamic, bass and treble are not shabby either. IE800 truly defines what musicality should be and its vocal is as magical as you can hope for. This is an IEM that can match its top-tier sibling, the BA200 that has been recommended last year.

He also talks about these here. 
 
Edit 2: Also, ericp10 had this to say in the TDK BA200 appreciation thread:
 

IE800 is beating the Sony 7550 as one of my favorite mid-focused IEMs. Great instrument separation and imaging. Still tied with the RE262, but I can see the TDK pulling ahead. It's a very balanced and clear dynamic earphone. I've settled on the Monster grey foam hybrid tips to give me a nice deep low in this balanced-sounding IEM.

Well the IE800 continues to impress as the BA200's dynamic dual cousin. At first I thought the sound wasn't thick enough for my ears, but burn in has remedied that. Definitely a thicker sound than the GR07. The bass is interesting as it's not constant, but it gives what the sound as it was recorded. In saying that, the bass can get pretty deep in the sub-bass region, but never overwhelming. The entire sound spectrum stays pretty balanced for the most part. Vocals are very forward and detailed, and instrument separation is only a couple of clicks behind the W4 at this point (that means it's very good). I'm highly impressed. I initially thought foam tips will give you deeper bass, but I'm using some newer UE silicon tips, and the bass is still quite deep. 

 

 

[TheRoo]

First time Head-Fi'er coming out from the anonymous lurking to share this ....
 
http://english.gmarket.co.kr/challenge/neo_goods/goods.asp?goodscode=323313912&pos_shop_cd=EN&pos_class_cd=90000001&pos_class_kind=T

I'm currently in Korea and was looking at these and realized they're selling at a good price relative to the going rate elsewhere (which is unusual over here). I haven't got them yet but have a $50 gift card so grabbing them myself for 50$ seems pretty sweet.
 
Can't speak to ordering from GMarket personally or the seller but if you want to give it a shot... Seems like shipping to most places will take it to just over $100 

 

[Cornucopia]

Quote:

First time Head-Fi'er coming out from the anonymous lurking to share this ....
 
http://english.gmarket.co.kr/challenge/neo_goods/goods.asp?goodscode=323313912&pos_shop_cd=EN&pos_class_cd=90000001&pos_class_kind=T

I'm currently in Korea and was looking at these and realized they're selling at a good price relative to the going rate elsewhere (which is unusual over here). I haven't got them yet but have a $50 gift card so grabbing them myself for 50$ seems pretty sweet.
 
Can't speak to ordering from GMarket personally or the seller but if you want to give it a shot... Seems like shipping to most places will take it to just over $100 

 
Thanks a ton TheRoo!! Luckily, my father is currently in Korea... so your info really helped.
 
Can you kindly PM me how to get the 50$ discount? 

 
Best regard, 

 

[edvardd]

Quote:

 
Thanks a ton TheRoo!! Luckily, my father is currently in Korea... so your info really helped.
 
Can you kindly PM me how to get the 50$ discount? 

 
Best regard, 

I would guess that the "gift-card" is not a discount but just a gift-card as it says.

 

[TheRoo]

I would guess that the "gift-card" is not a discount but just a gift-card as it says.

 
Exactly. Sorry if that wasn't clear. I have my own gift card for a separate retailer. 

 

[edvardd]

I bought TDK IE800 from a seller on GMarket for 109 $. I just saw that they are available from a swedish company http://www.cdbilradio.se/tdk-ie800-p-2022.aspx?utm_source=prisjakt&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=prisjakt
 
They cost approx 149 $ there. Would have bought them from there if I knew it.. faster and safer...

 

[kAbUZi]

Can't you cancel the order before they ship?
Either way, that is still much cheaper and I hope you get a pair soon.
Then you can compare them to the RE262, perhaps.

 

[Cornucopia]



 

[Cornucopia]

I got these yesterday.
 
TDK IE800 is comfortable and lightweight. IE800 isolates well with provided comply tips
(take my judge on comfort and isolation with a grain of salt because I am new to the world of IEMs). 
 
Two things I need to mention before getting into its sound...
-The headphone jack is straight. While the jack looks sturdy, I prefer angled ones.
-I don't like the flat cable. It looks thinner in person.
-The sound lacked punch out of box, but after a few hours of listening, it became much better. (I don't think this is just a placebo)
 
TDK IE800 sounds detailed, yet free of fatiguing. 
IE800 does nothing wrong (well, that is at least to my ears), while still sounding musical.
Besides, presentation is a bit laid back; this also contributes to its relaxing nature.
 
Overall, I am loving this IEM.
Sorry if I am pretty much repeating what ClieOS and ericp10 have stated!
 
Happy holidays,
 

 
p.s. I own a pair of AKG k701 + O2amp and Bose IE2.
p.s. Not surprisingly, my AKG's collecting dust in the corner 

 

[kAbUZi]

Hey, don't worry about it, it it is what you hear, then it's what you hear.
Thanks for the impressions. Can I ask you to what genres you listened to through the Tdk's?

The aforementioned selller replied that they won't have them in stock for, at least, 2 to 3 months.

 

[Cornucopia]

kAbUzi thanks, and sorry for late reply. While nothing particularly stands out of the sound, the sound is definitely is on the brighter side.
Edit: After spending more time with these, I found that mid is rather forward. It was hard to realize that because I was used to 701's forward mid
Edit: no, the mid range is not really forward. I am sorry for confusion! The high is sparkly, I am pretty sure with this one. 

 
I like listening to female vocal with these. I also tried Beethoven. It was okay, but I prefer strings of 701s. 
Hysteria by Muse was a great pleasure to listen to. (preferred ie800 over 701 with Muse in general)
I eq'ed ie800s towards V shaped graph when I was listening to club music. 
 
There is sharp pain when I insert the tip(comply) on my right ear. My left ear is fine, in fact it's actually much easier to insert on left.
I guess I will let my ears rest for a few days.
 
Tell me what genre/artist listen to, I could give it a try.
 
regards,

 

[Nulliverse]

Keep the impressions coming lads.

I've not paid attention to universals for a good 6 months... but the ie800s have really piqued my interest. Comparisons to the re-262 would be especially welcome.

 

[Cornucopia]

http://www.geocities.jp/ryumatsuba/ie800.html
 
I found the above website trying to gather info about the headphones.
It's in Japanese, but you can still check the measurements out.
I tried google translating the sound description. It seemed like the reviewer did not particularly love or hate the product.
 
I hope it helped you guys 

 
p.s. I am not sure how reliable their measurements are.

 

[Nulliverse]

Ok...
 
I gave up waiting and ordered a pair from Amazon Japan. Will give initial impressions a few days after they arrive.