[musicday]

So, I've here now the IE800s and the Xelento.

I made a very short test and: don't know.. it seems to me that (sorry for the noob language) the Xelento are much more "open", "immediate" and "energic", the music is exactly "in" my head, while the IE800s are more "boring" and the music is "around" my head. I've to test it better but for now I would say that the Xelento to me sounds better.

Thank you, this is much appreciated. When you have more time please tell us more.
Two flagship dynamic earphones for now

 

[phiemon]

Thank you, this is much appreciated. When you have more time please tell us more.
Two flagship dynamic earphones for now

I will, but I'm noob – I just like "good" sound but I've no technical formation. So, don't aspect a professional review

 

[Rob80b]

I will, but I'm noob – I just like "good" sound but I've no technical formation. So, don't aspect a professional review

No excuses needed in being a noob, we all gotta start somewhere….and it never ends…

But it all comes down to preferences, does one just want to hear sound (music)or …personally… as headphones are an alternative to listening to my home stereo speaker setup I would like to reproduce an out of the head “ around” experience, not just correct audio reproduction, tone, treble, meds and bass but with proper sound staging, width and depth, I don’t what the singer in my ear or bass shaking my bones but this in fact a preference for many head-fiers.

For me the in-head centered experience can be fun but is totally artificially induced and not IMHO what “stereo” reproduction is all about especially for a top tier phone but I accept that the sound occurring in the head is a natural occurrence of having any raw transducers directly on or in the ear… don’t get me wrong but as a teen in the 60s I’d lay on the floor with my speakers placed on either side of my head to gain maximum impact, imaging and staging be damned… lol

Later on as I grew more into an audiophile enthusiast the goal was at reproducing “the recorded venue”…be it live or in the studio... but at home…. each recording should sound different and not homogenized. When a headphone gets noted for its sound staging and out of head reproduction my interests are peaked… the ie800s are still a compromise in that regard and if the “S” does it a little better then that’s a plus in my books but if ones preferences lean “immediate and energetic” there are lot more affordable phones out there that do it better…. proper “stereo” sound reproduction and appreciation does have it’s learning curve…
Enough preaching.... but at the end of the day though it all comes down to if the equipment at hand afforded you a rewarding “musical” listening experience.


….added footnote…listening to a recent blurb from Tyll…. headphones may soon if not already reproduce a superior imaging than speakers.....see it never ends...lol
14:30

https://www.innerfidelity.com/content/tyll-talks-about-future-headphones

 

[Deftone]

Technically better, bigger driver 11 mm vs 7 mm, better removable cables,Tesla technology, to name few.
I am yet to try them both but even without trying Xelento would do for me.

Ok so i have owned both lets check this out...

Xelento - Bigger 11mm driver, 8 - 48,000 Hz, better box contents, more expensive.

IE800S - Smaller 7mm driver, 5 - 46500 Hz, cheaper.

Xelento has smaller soundstage, slightly congested, mid bass bloom and transition from bass to mid sounds slightly off so sounds more like a hybrid dynamic BA.

IE800S has bigger soundstage, clearer, more detailed, tighter bass, faster transients and sounds like an open back headphone.

 

[McCol]

The IE800s through the MojoPoly is a joy, cant take the wee rascals out of my ears

 

[Deftone]

The IE800s through the MojoPoly is a joy, cant take the wee rascals out of my ears

They do sound great with Mojo just like the standard IE800 but then i plugged them in to Hugo 2 and cant imagine it better. I dont really feel like im listening to equipment anymore im just hearing an effortless flow of music, its pretty awesome and its not making me think of spending anymore.

 

[phiemon]

Ok so i have owned both lets check this out...

Xelento - Bigger 11mm driver, 8 - 48,000 Hz, better box contents, more expensive.

IE800S - Smaller 7mm driver, 5 - 46500 Hz, cheaper.

Xelento has smaller soundstage, slightly congested, mid bass bloom and transition from bass to mid sounds slightly off so sounds more like a hybrid dynamic BA.

IE800S has bigger soundstage, clearer, more detailed, tighter bass, faster transients and sounds like an open back headphone.

I've both too for testing.

I really think that you cannot compare both because of the philosophy at the base (see the reply of Rob80b).

I'm start to thinking that I personally like the music "in" (Xelento) and not "around" (IE800s) my head; I want to be "one" with the music, "to lost my self in it" and the Xelento give me surely this feeling compared to the IE800s which to me are bored (?) compared to the funny energie of the Xelento.

I tried both with the Chord Mojo.

 

[Sc00p]

After a good many more hours with these. I am liking them even more. I only have the original as a point of reference. When i bought the originals, i had experience with akg3003, se846 and ie800. At the time i liked the ie800.
Fast forward 2 years.I totally forget how the other higher priced iem's sounded. But the new S i prefer to the 800. The bass is better, more defined. The tone is more natural. The treble is less harsh but more detailed. More out of the head. They sound more powerful at the same volume level. I couldn't put my finger on how they sounded different. until i read someone say "more speaker like". I think that is describing my feeling.
With the originals, I remember being amazed with the size and power of the song coming from such a small bud. Got used to it, got the S and have that feeling again. Almost sounds like listening to an open back full size headphone.

 

[Deftone]

I've both too for testing.

I really think that you cannot compare both because of the philosophy at the base (see the reply of Rob80b).

I'm start to thinking that I personally like the music "in" (Xelento) and not "around" (IE800s) my head; I want to be "one" with the music, "to lost my self in it" and the Xelento give me surely this feeling compared to the IE800s which to me are bored (?) compared to the funny energie of the Xelento.

I tried both with the Chord Mojo.

No i still think its fair to compare 2 flagship dynamic iems, the price isnt very far apart and they are universal.

This is why preference is important. It sounds like you love a closed and intimate sound, i dont, i feel like the Beyer is too congested similar to the S846 that has the smallest soundstage i have ever heard but the Shure has no upper treble and the Xelento does.

The full sized open back headphone like sound this tiny driver creates is truly amazing.

 

[cooperpwc]

Can someone who owns both comment on whether the original IE800 locking tips fit on the IE800S?

Specifically, are the large oval tips forward compatible from the IE800 to the IE800S? Thanks in advance!

 

[Sc00p]

Yes they are compatible. I have been testing the oval tips on the S.

 

[cooperpwc]

Yes they are compatible. I have been testing the oval tips on the S.

Thank you! And dang, I seem to have thrown away my accessories when I destroyed my original IE800s. However, I found this link to a store which ships all over the world:

https://www.audiosanctuary.co.uk/sennheiser-replacement-ie800-oval-earbuds-medium-large.html

Do you like the combination of the oval tips and the IE800S?

 

[Sc00p]

Thank you! And dang, I seem to have thrown away my accessories when I destroyed my original IE800s. However, I found this link to a store which ships all over the world:

https://www.audiosanctuary.co.uk/sennheiser-replacement-ie800-oval-earbuds-medium-large.html

Do you like the combination of the oval tips and the IE800S?

I'm not sure, haven't had enough time to experiment and hear the difference. Haven't tried the comply tips yet either. I tried the ovals because they were my favourite with the original, but have decided to try the medium round ones with the S for a while (the ones installed ion the box).
What happened to your ie800?

 

[cooperpwc]

^ This was a long time ago. A I remember that I somehow pulled one earpiece off. Just one of those things...

 

[Ahmad313]

So, I've here now the IE800s and the Xelento.

I made a very short test and: don't know.. it seems to me that (sorry for the noob language) the Xelento are much more "open", "immediate" and "energic", the music is exactly "in" my head, while the IE800s are more "boring" and the music is "around" my head. I've to test it better but for now I would say that the Xelento to me sounds better.

When you say the music is more in your headspace it's mean the soundstage is more narrower/small which most peoples consider as a weakness and want more open and out of the head experience BUT again its more depends on someones personal liking and taste ,