[vrln]

Just got my TDK IE800. Got them for around 90 euros off Amazon to replace my broken UE700. Some first impressions:
 
- TDK´s portable audio team is fantastic. The reviews are right to to give them credit. Sound quality wise I feel the IE800 are competitive (I mean really, not in the way audio magazines claim everything is better than 90% products out there) with products around 100-150 dollars more. With better build quality (aluminum or magnesium housing, replaceable cables and a better tip selection) they could easily successfully sell these for a lot more. TDK´s experience in low margin products/mass production is really evident in the IE800. I´d love to see what TDK could do with a 300 dollar product budget.
 
- Ergonomics is ok, but as many have said here the IE800 is quite large and not very cool looking outside. For me these are mostly for indoor use while working / gym use so I don´t mind the size. While the size isn´t perfect, they are very lightweight and the cable is fast to wind/unwind and doesn´t tangle much. I don´t feel it has that much microphonics either. I´m a bit stressed about the lack of strain relief, but it´s too early to say if it´ll be a problem or not.
 
- Nice balanced mid-forward (although nowhere near as forward as Shure for example) sound signature with superb instrument separation and good dynamics. Bass doesn´t affect the midrange and stays quite quite tight, although not as tight as in leading BA-based drivers. Impact is good, but this isn´t a basshead IEM. For what I paid for these (90 euros) sound quality wise the Shure 215 cannot compete. Ergonomics and build quality is a different matter though. These are superior to the UE700 as well, I´d say around one price tier higher SQ wise. 
 
- At 10 ohms and fairly low sensitivity (for an IEM) these can be difficult to drive out of some sources. My volume is quite high on iPod Nano 7G which has more output power than previous iPods. I haven´t tried these with an amp yet, but I wouldn´t be suprised if these benefit from amping.
 
All in all highly recommended. These aren´t good IEMs just "for the price", but good IEMs period. This is a very competitive product in an already highly competitive market. Hopefully TDK will continue their push into higher end portable audio. They clearly have the engineering knowledge to pull it off.

 

[kahaluu]

I agree. These are fantastic for the price and can compete with many higher end phones. Yes, they do benefit from amping... they seem to like power.  

 

[EPICFAILXD]

Quote:

Just got my TDK IE800. Got them for around 90 euros off Amazon to replace my broken UE700. Some first impressions:
 
- TDK´s portable audio team is fantastic. The reviews are right to to give them credit. Sound quality wise I feel the IE800 are competitive (I mean really, not in the way audio magazines claim everything is better than 90% products out there) with products around 100-150 dollars more. With better build quality (aluminum or magnesium housing, replaceable cables and a better tip selection) they could easily successfully sell these for a lot more. TDK´s experience in low margin products/mass production is really evident in the IE800. I´d love to see what TDK could do with a 300 dollar product budget.
 
- Ergonomics is ok, but as many have said here the IE800 is quite large and not very cool looking outside. For me these are mostly for indoor use while working / gym use so I don´t mind the size. While the size isn´t perfect, they are very lightweight and the cable is fast to wind/unwind and doesn´t tangle much. I don´t feel it has that much microphonics either. I´m a bit stressed about the lack of strain relief, but it´s too early to say if it´ll be a problem or not.
 
- Nice balanced mid-forward (although nowhere near as forward as Shure for example) sound signature with superb instrument separation and good dynamics. Bass doesn´t affect the midrange and stays quite quite tight, although not as tight as in leading BA-based drivers. Impact is good, but this isn´t a basshead IEM. For what I paid for these (90 euros) sound quality wise the Shure 215 cannot compete. Ergonomics and build quality is a different matter though. These are superior to the UE700 as well, I´d say around one price tier higher SQ wise. 
 
- At 10 ohms and fairly low sensitivity (for an IEM) these can be difficult to drive out of some sources. My volume is quite high on iPod Nano 7G which has more output power than previous iPods. I haven´t tried these with an amp yet, but I wouldn´t be suprised if these benefit from amping.
 
All in all highly recommended. These aren´t good IEMs just "for the price", but good IEMs period. This is a very competitive product in an already highly competitive market. Hopefully TDK will continue their push into higher end portable audio. They clearly have the engineering knowledge to pull it off.

Nice review. Haven't tried amping it though, only played it through my iPod 4th gen. I actually prefer this to the Shure SE535 or an IE8 imho

 

[vrln]

Thanks! I haven´t tried amping yet either. I´m looking forward to testing it with the portable O2 amplifier that I´ve ordered from Epiphany Acoustics. I also agree IE800 is clearly better than IE8 which I´ve found quite overrated to be honest. It was a good IEM back in the day, but technology has moved on and these days many 100-200 dollar IEMs are better than the old Sennheiser classic. It´s been a long time since I´ve last heard the Shure 500-series, but from memory I don´t think the Shure is at least better overall. They are on the same level at least, maybe IE800 is better even With the Shure 535 too much of the price goes to build quality (which is fantastic though), but they aren´t really that competitive SQ wise.

 

[kahaluu]

+1. I was never really impressed by the IE8's when I owned them awhile back. They were overrated in IMO. In contrast, the IE800 have really impressed me and I'm very content with them right now.      

 

[Jyoof]

Got my TDK IE800 two days ago. Mind blowing.
 
The clarity, separation, airiness and imaging is top notch! Comparatively, GR07 MKII sounded intimate (forward), warm and congested on certain tracks. General impressions of IE800 are they are rather balanced and laidback...sweet but not warm. Interesting sound signature. And yeah they love power...need to turn the volume up.
 
Using IE800 to listen the following tracks = pure ear bliss!

 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkcZdhamaew
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIZRIf1LnSY
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHAik4Z07M0
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BD9IT9a63RM

 

[lovinghart]

Can anyone delve more into differentiating the TDK IE800 and BA200? I'm considering buying one of the two phones.
 
My music preferences lean towards folk, acoustic, alternative-type music, with a preference for male voices and guitar. My favorite artists include coldplay, ed sheeran, fun, imagine dragons, jack johnson, jason mraz, the lumineers, mumford and sons and U2. Which of the two phones would be better for my musical preferences? Thanks!

 

[zach915m]

I have both and they both do all of that incredibly well.  I may slightly favor the ba200 for acoustic stuff as that's what I listen to most and the slightly "thicker" presentation with more robust lower mids helps.  The upper midrange is slightly more pronounced on the 800 which can make acoustic guitars sound a little less "throaty." 
 
Some people say the highs on the ba200 are rolled off, I don't find this to be the case just make sure you get a good seal.  The shure yellow foams are what I like the best.
 
Overall the IE800 is probably more transparent, while the ba200 is smoother with very slight coloration but a warmer and slightly more pleasant overall timbre.  They do represent a similar style/quality to the their sound though which ofcourse is expected.
 

 

[xProvidence]

Quote:

Can anyone delve more into differentiating the TDK IE800 and BA200? I'm considering buying one of the two phones.
 
My music preferences lean towards folk, acoustic, alternative-type music, with a preference for male voices and guitar. My favorite artists include coldplay, ed sheeran, fun, imagine dragons, jack johnson, jason mraz, the lumineers, mumford and sons and U2. Which of the two phones would be better for my musical preferences? Thanks!

I have the IE800 and I listen to all of those bands save Jack Johnson and U2. If you give me a couple minutes I'll be able to provide a small review. 

 

[djvkool]

Works best with warm amp, which will complement the sound signature really well...

 

[xProvidence]

Quote:

I have the IE800 and I listen to all of those bands save Jack Johnson and U2. If you give me a couple minutes I'll be able to provide a small review. 

 
Alright, i'll try my best. My setup is Winamp > Audinst HUD-mx2 DAC > TDK IE800

Coldplay - The Scientist

Right off the bat the piano is very emotional. Each key he presses has an impact I can't describe. The nuances in his voice is very apparent, very detailed. The slight echo, the 'sss' after his s's. There is an underlying melodic violin I haven't noticed before. The mids are very clear and instrument timbre is quite nice.

fun. - Some Nights 

Very good layering of the lead's voice and the chorus behind him (positioning is easy to tell). At 00:35 onward, the drums are impactful and tight. Around 1:15 a rumble comes in, very clean. I especially like the electric guitar strums every now and then. 

Imagine Dragons - On Top of the World

I would've chosen their other songs however they are generally dark songs with very impactful beats. I was looking for something brighter or less warm. Nothing I haven't said yet. Mids are very sweet and smooth. Good instrument separation and detailed sound.

Jason Mraz - Lucky

Very intimate song, especially Colbie Caillat's voice. I like female's voice with the IE800. I feel that they sound very natural and they're represented quite well. The high hat throughout the song isn't tinny or harsh. Its accurate; I don't usually know the instruments in songs but this one I knew would be the high hat . Listening to the guitar and I'm really impressed, I love it. 

I ended up just listening for fun instead of taking notes 

. They're excellent headphones for their price. Mid-forward with great clarity and accuracy. Depending on where you're coming from, they might seem light on the bass but i've realized they're just more accurate. They're well capable throughout the frequency range. They work fine through an iPhone 4 which is my portable setup currently. If you could get a good seal, i'm sure you'll find enjoy them. Wish I could hear the BA200 but I find that y-split just obnoxious. 

 

[lovinghart]

Thanks for the replies guys! WOuld be glad to hear from others too who have both phones to compare! Have a good one!

 

[zach915m]

What do you want to know?  I have them both right here sitting in front of me so I can do a compare if you have one specific worry...!

 

[lovinghart]

Really thanks Zach!
 
Can you compare them both based on the music Iike? 
 
Would be interested to hear comparisons of the two based on songs from coldplay, ed sheeran, fun, imagine dragons, jack johnson, jason mraz, the lumineers, mumford and sons. In terms of overall comfort, is the BA200 really better than the IE800? Thanks so much for replying!

 

[ericp10]

OMG!! TIME TO KICK THE HYPE TRAIN BACK INTO GEAR A BIT!!
 
So I recently sold my W4 (which surprisingly was the hardest thing for me to do out of all of my universals). It wasn't that the W4 was my favorite universal (although it was up there), but it signature just hit a lot sweet spots for me. But I found that the BA200 did about 94 percent of what the W4 did for me (sans the W4's mid-bass hump and a bit less instrument separation than the W4). 
 
So I was thinking that the CKS1000 is the best universal I own (until I get a ASG-2) and the BA200 ran a second as the best universal I own (before you ask, the FXZ00 is about 5 or 6 right now), but I was curious about A/Bing the CKN-70 against the BA200. I've been burning in the CKN-70 slowly but steady, and now have about 80 hours on it. I'm thinking It come close but not destroy the BA200 (especially not the BA200's bass - great and full with deep inserting tips - or this balanced armature luscious refined mids (the TDK does something magical with piano). 

Well with 80 hours burn in, the CKN-70 has left me with my mouth with open! The AT micro carbon nanotube driver annihilates the BA200's bass in texture, sub-bass and clarity! It has a more natural tone with vocals and guitars than the BA200 (and the TDK is wonderful in this area too). The BA200 holds an ever so slight edge with the timbre of the piano, but doesn't runaway with it at all. And this really pisses me off! Why? Because I abhor the CKN-70s cable! I hate it with a passion! ... lol. But I can't argue with the sound. Taking both IEMs as a whole, the BA200 isn't too far behind, but the cheaper At edges out as the winner in sound. If you consider the sound and the build, I would give the edge to the BA200. But is the BA200 worth almost double price than the CKN-70? Let me put it this way, the BA200 is an excellent deal for about $140 to $150, and I would happily pay that for the CKN-70 if it had a better cord. But at about $80 with the cord it's a steal!

Oh, as far as treble, the BA200's highs are a lot smoother than the CKN-70, but has only a little less extension than the AT. The AT wins. It stops just short of being too hot for my ears. I never thought I would like AT phones this much, but the CKN-70, CKS1000, and A900X have done a great job in converting me.