[Raketen]

Do you like enforced bass that is not on the recording? Just wondering how you could think ie800s boring! Try a Hugo II and its a fantastic exciting and detailed listen.

All opinions of course!

This is one thing the N3AP does particularly well- I think because the emphasis is based at a low enough frequency they are capable of almost basshead levels but I wouldn't suspect it listening to non bassy tracks, only from how gives a tactility to instruments that have some resonance in the lower registers.

 

[Dobrescu George]

I auditioned these today but while the sound signature is more balanced than the IE800 I had, I did not find them engaging at all. I prefer my Sony XBA-N3AP by a mile. I don't know why Sennheiser has opted to make IE800 boring.

What do you mean?

I'm expecting to get ie800S sometime in the few weeks of 2018, and I've been using ie800 a lot lately to get my ears used to their sound.

If anything, ie800 is one of the most engaging IEMs I ever heard, and believe me, I had and heard over a hundred IEMs and headphones by now, ie800 is just amazing.

In fact, ie800 is and will probably always be in my top 5 IEMs ever created, really looking forward to ie800S and how I'll feel about it.

Do you like enforced bass that is not on the recording? Just wondering how you could think ie800s boring! Try a Hugo II and its a fantastic exciting and detailed listen.

All opinions of course!

When I first switched from something really bassy like F9Pro from FiiO to ie800, I also felt that I could use a bit more bass, but then I let my ears readjust to the sound and I remembered quickly why I love ie800 so much. I think that on a high-end IEM, more bass would be a bit much already, ie800 really isn't shy on bass, they are quite ideal in my book.

 

[davidmolliere]

I tried these yesterday. I could have gotten a good Boxing Day deal here in Toronto where I visit. I could not pull the trigger. The sound was good but not a big step up from the Flare PROs that are my daily bread. (I was not sure the step was 'up' at all. Treble was certainly crisp. I would have to listen from my LPG to make a true comparison.) But the form factor was abominable. This was Sennheiser's second time around and their opportunity to get it right. They did not - and for no obvious good reason other than apparent stubbornness in the design room. They left the length above the Y-splitter too short again. There is no running the cables 'over the ears' for big-headed dudes like me. Hence the microphonics are terrible. What a shame. Pass for now.

I have owned the Flare PRO for a while now (since their release in fact) and the IE800S for over a month...

In my opinion they share the small footprint, but yes Flare has done a better job with the Y split and microphonics. I would say though the IE800 are even smaller and lighter and if you have a good fit and no Y split issue they feel more comfortable to me.

The tuning is slightly different, the Flares are significantly thinner, they have much less body and weight. Bass is more impactful on the IE800S, mids are fuller, texture and timbre is significantly better.
Flare PRO have more separation, trebles are more forward than S, I think overall the Flares are a tad faster too.

I don't think a quick listen (in which conditions and source ?) can set them apart, as the differences are not night and day especially if the source doesn't show the IE800S abilities.
I for one decided to keep using the Flares with the BT module as I didn't find that they scaled up that much with DX200. Not the case with IE800S, they do scale up in a big way, my fav combo is DX200/Amp4

 

[cooperpwc]

I have owned the Flare PRO for a while now (since their release in fact) and the IE800S for over a month...

In my opinion they share the small footprint, but yes Flare has done a better job with the Y split and microphonics. I would say though the IE800 are even smaller and lighter and if you have a good fit and no Y split issue they feel more comfortable to me.

The tuning is slightly different, the Flares are significantly thinner, they have much less body and weight. Bass is more impactful on the IE800S, mids are fuller, texture and timbre is significantly better.
Flare PRO have more separation, trebles are more forward than S, I think overall the Flares are a tad faster too.

I don't think a quick listen (in which conditions and source ?) can set them apart, as the differences are not night and day especially if the source doesn't show the IE800S abilities.
I for one decided to keep using the Flares with the BT module as I didn't find that they scaled up that much with DX200. Not the case with IE800S, they do scale up in a big way, my fav combo is DX200/Amp4

I should clarify that I have the Flare R2Pro, not the new Pro. The R2Pro is higher impedance, more difficult to drive but quite weighty in its sound. I did not find the IE800S to be fuller but rather a bit brighter. Again, I should try the IE800S from my LPG to compare properly.

 

[Rlin987]

I tried them in a local store.
To be honest, I am really disappointed after comparing IE800s with my old IE800, CA Polaris and Vega.
They thing I am really disappointed is: They sound like IE800! Although they have improvement on the sound, when I first listen to them, they still remind me of IE800.
The price of them are way too high even with those accessories considering the additional money I will pay vs the sound improvement from IE800 to IE800s. Meanwhile, they still don't have detachable cable.
IE800 is kind of over price in North america, IE800s right now kinda follows the same pattern.

 

[Dobrescu George]

I tried them in a local store.
To be honest, I am really disappointed after comparing IE800s with my old IE800, CA Polaris and Vega.
They thing I am really disappointed is: They sound like IE800! Although they have improvement on the sound, when I first listen to them, they still remind me of IE800.
The price of them are way too high even with those accessories considering the additional money I will pay vs the sound improvement from IE800 to IE800s. Meanwhile, they still don't have detachable cable.
IE800 is kind of over price in North america, IE800s right now kinda follows the same pattern.

The fact that they sound like ie800 is the best part there can be, we didn't want another sound, ie800 is already perfect

 

[Toom]

Sadly I am going g to have to sell my less than 10 day old pair of IE800S.

Massive discount for anyone in the UK - https://www.head-fi.org/threads/fs-barely-used-sennheiser-ie800s-new-model-bargain.868521/

 

[Dobrescu George]

Sadly I am going g to have to sell my less than 10 day old pair of IE800S.

Massive discount for anyone in the UK - https://www.head-fi.org/threads/fs-barely-used-sennheiser-ie800s-new-model-bargain.868521/

Sorry to hear you're letting them go, they should be one of the best end-game IEMs there are!

 

[Dobrescu George]

So, I was doing some experiments, and I realised that I was cranking ie800 louder than most IEMs I have.

Then I remembered the only two other stuffs I cranked louder than I should have, Senn HE-1 and a properly driven LCD-4.

I wanted to add this to this thread, a LOT of why you crank something louder can be dictated by its lower noise or THD. ie800 has one of the lowest distortions out there, and the mere fact that they are so freaking clear means that I am cranking the volume way more than I normally would, just because they don't distort (X7mkii driving them)

This will be true for many, and this is something me and some friends noticed, the less distortion something has, the louder we'd go with it, at least relative to our typical listening loudness.

 

[chickenmoon]

Well, for sure there are two other reasons why one might want to push volume up I can think of. One is muddiness as louder feels subjectively clearer/better and the other is recessed frequencies and one's particular need to hear certain frequencies at a certain minimum level to be satisfied.

And in my experience, so long as it's tuned to my taste, the clearer and more detailed an earphone is the less I feel the need to increase volume.

To each his own I guess.

 

[Dobrescu George]

Welpp

I'm a loud listener , I crank anything as loud as I can before it distorts

I listen to metal, the forward and aggressive type, I love how clear ie800 stays at loud volumes

In fact, this is the biggest difference between cheap and expensive IEMS, how clear they stay at really loud volumes. Anything I tried so far can be clear at quiet listening, but only very high quality items stay distortion free at high volumes. The clearer they stay, the more I go in volumes

 

[tracyca]

I love the sound of the ie800,with that sparkle it's wonderful. Well I couldn't help myself and for my B-Day I purchased the ie800s and it's just as wonderful not the same top end but it is a engaging IEM worthy of TOTL statis. It sound great with the CDM, Mojo, but amazing from the Pico slim and Pico amp. WOW these amps might be oldies but in my opinion they are still Goodies!

 

[twister6]

I love the sound of the ie800,with that sparkle it's wonderful. Well I couldn't help myself and for my B-Day I purchased the ie800s and it's just as wonderful not the same top end but it is a engaging IEM worthy of TOTL statis. It sound great with the CDM, Mojo, but amazing from the Pico slim and Pico amp. WOW these amps might be oldies but in my opinion they are still Goodies!

So, you found the only difference in treble? Seems a few others mentioned the same, while some think the sound is similar. For sure, a polarizing opinion.

Before my ie800s review, everybody were asking me to compare whatever I'm reviewing with ie800. Now, right after the review, most of the questions I get is to compare ie800s to ie800. Waiting to receive a review loaner of ie800 next week, so will have in depth comparison of both.

 

[tracyca]

Only thing I still prefer the

So, you found the only difference in treble? Seems a few others mentioned the same, while some think the sound is similar. For sure, a polarizing opinion.

Before my ie800s review, everybody were asking me to compare whatever I'm reviewing with ie800. Now, right after the review, most of the questions I get is to compare ie800s to ie800. Waiting to receive a review loaner of ie800 next week, so will have in depth comparison of both.

i

 

[tracyca]

Too Me the midrange is more thick and lush if that makes sense, right now Im listening to Ed Sheehan through the mojo and it sounds a lot like my ie800 CDM combo.