sanakimpro
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Nov 27, 2014
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I have them both for 2 months and I must say, if you’re not using balanced, there’s hardly any drastic difference between them. I’d say the vocals is slightly bit more forward on the S but still not mid centric. You do have to be worried about the cables of the 800 being prone to stiffing overtime and the microphonics is worse on the 800.
IE800s vs IE800: Is it all just because of balanced vs unbalanced setup?
This. Thanks a million To be honest, I am now thinking that when reviewers are going on and on about the IE800s having tighter, leaner bass, smoother highs etc and a more neutral/natural sound, it could mostly be attributed to them testing the IE800s on balanced mode vs IE800 on unbalanced mode. Most of them do not state which cable they are using it with so we can't tell. This more open soundstage, tighter faster bass etc is a typical symptom of balanced setup.
So, today I went to the Sennheiser store again and they sales manager stressed again and again that there is little difference between the IE800 vs IE800 sound, particularly on unbalanced mode. He kept stressing it was the same driver and kept showing me the frequency response range bla bla bla. He said that he has tried both many times and on balanced, the IE800s does open up and has a more 'linear' sound profile but if you plan to run it on Spotify/Tidal/FLAC on unbalanced, the IE800 is the 80/20 best answer.
To me, this made sense because I plan to run it on my mobile most of the time and Mojo on the weekends or when I have some rare free time. So, the balanced mode is literally valued at $0 for me. Also, it made sense that if Sennheiser used the same XWB driver on both models, the driver's technical spec and characteristics are going to be the same. This could be why many reviewers also do not call IE800s an upgrade/side-grade but a different take on the XWB driver design.
So he said keep the spare cash, get the IE800 and be happy with it on 11.11 Singles Day.
So I spent an hour demoing across various kpop bands TWICE, Gfriend, Blackpink, Daft Punk Random Access Memories, Skrillex Recess, Lana Del Rey Born to Die, etc and really loved the open-back headphone sound. It reminded me in so many ways of the HD600/800 series but of course with a bass boost and a much smaller soundstage which is a given. Nevertheless, a huge step up from ordinary IEMs and even the Momentum True Wireless. Also, it complements my AK T8ie MK II which is a more 'fun, intense, impactful' IEM whereas the IE800 is more 'intimate' with a much wider soundstage and much more treble revival detail (this point is super obvious. The T8 has very smooth treble rolloff). Overall, I loved the IE800 sound signature and can see it being a very good companion to my T8. But I know that on days that I want Charli XCX, EDM or Skrillex, I will grab the T8 over the IE800 and vice versa for female vocal dominant tracks like Lana Del Rey Born to Die, Ariana Grande's Dangerous Woman album etc.
Oh, btw Happy Singles Day! Thanks Axel Grell!! (Just learnt he has left Sennheiser! WHAT?!)