WARNING: Fake IE8s! Comparison pictures included!!

[Ivabign]

Let us know what happens with your ebay seller - hopefully ebay does something about it. - He has sold a bunch of fakes.

 

[wakasaki]

I clicked return item which he accepted and sent me this response, 'Hello, I did not know this item was a fake, first time i have heard. Please return first class recorded and I will give you a full refund.' which is good in that I'll get my money back but bad in that he's still selling them, how do I go about reporting him on ebay?

 

[wakasaki]

There are quite a few ebay members in his feedback who have bought these also, I've messaged 2 and both are not happy with the sound quality, once I get my money back I'll message them all with details on fakes, but maybe this will force the guy to run and not pay up? hopefully not anyway.

 

[lee730]

All I can say is stay clear of non authorized dealers. Its just not worth the hassle especially since there are so many fakes out there. The same goes for the IE80s. There are fakes of those out too. Just haggle with your dealers to get a more reasonable deal and never pay full MSRP.

 

[yaninowe]

Guys, does below look like a fake or not?
Your expertise will be much appreciated! As I do not have any other IE8 at the moment for comparison, I would really appreciate IE8 owners comments.
thanks!
 

 

[Ivabign]

There are better places to look for signs of fakery than the 3.5 plug - do you have a picture of the box - and the foam from the carry case?
 
I found a new sign of fakery - it was brought to my attention by a friend - on the back of the box there is a picture of the plug, on a genuine IE8 - there is a tiny lip present that is missing on the fake box... It is so small I had to have my 13 year old son confirm it was there on mine! (I am a bit older and my eyesight is not up to snuff)
 
I am adding the photo below - if you magnify it, it is clearly there...
 

 

[yaninowe]

ah right. Could you please take a look at the following images?
 

 

[dosley01]

I can confirm my "pre fake era" IE8 box has the lip, I had to take a picture and zoom it to see it.

Yaninowe, they look pretty good, at least compared to my 2009 pair.

 

[yaninowe]

they don't look bad indeed but they sound awful (flat bass, harsh trebles, no soundstage at all). Also, if you look at minor details such as Sennheiser logo on the plug (picture above) - they just don't look right. Same story with R sign on the earbud...
Question is, are they fake or not? If you guys are saying that they are genuine - then I am happy guy! If not... well, that's the question.
 
Are you aware of different versions of IE8 which would show difference in minor details in comparison with pics from first page of this post? Such as mentioned 3.5mm plug logo, not angled R sign on the earbud, thick lines in sennheiser logo on the silver box, bass levels on the earbud seem to be to deep and the last two levels look pretty much the same...
It's all minor details, I know but when it comes to question: real or not - details matter the most.
 
Your feedback will be very appreciated.
Thank you

 

[lee730]

Ok the fact that you said no bass, harsh treble, and no sound stage is not what the IE8 should sound like. Do you have a seal at all? You need to make sure you have a decent seal and if you do then indeed you do have a fake pair. Where did you acquire these again? Never worth the risk acquiring these from a non-authorized dealer to save a pretty penny. When its too good to be true it is... Good luck in getting your money back.
Quote:

they don't look bad indeed but they sound awful (flat bass, harsh trebles, no soundstage at all). Also, if you look at minor details such as Sennheiser logo on the plug (picture above) - they just don't look right. Same story with R sign on the earbud...
Question is, are they fake or not? If you guys are saying that they are genuine - then I am happy guy! If not... well, that's the question.
 
Are you aware of different versions of IE8 which would show difference in minor details in comparison with pics from first page of this post? Such as mentioned 3.5mm plug logo, not angled R sign on the earbud, thick lines in sennheiser logo on the silver box, bass levels on the earbud seem to be to deep and the last two levels look pretty much the same...
It's all minor details, I know but when it comes to question: real or not - details matter the most.
 
Your feedback will be very appreciated.
Thank you

 

 

[trup]

Where I live someone is selling this IEM for about US$ 285,00. He claims that his ie8 has that red chip, that the "s" does not touch the lines and some other things. 
The problem is that I live in Brazil and everything that is imported costs about 2-3 times more than the original price (meaning it should cost at least US$ 800,00). Since this thread is a little more than 2 years old I suspect that the fake manufacturer has kind of improved his manufacturing process. Is it possible? 

 

[Ivabign]

If this seller is close by - will he let you listen to them? Or is this a shipped product? If shipped - ask them to take photos of their IE8's with some sort of identifier - a local newspaper or such - to insure he is not getting photos from the web....

 

[Sennheiser]

 
Hi guys,

 

Please buy your headphones from an authorised Sennheiser dealer. If you're unsure, please check with your local distributor. 

 

Here's a link to all our international partners and distributors: 

http://www.sennheiser.com/sennheiser/home_en.nsf/root/0service

 

[Ivabign]

I think he's buying from a head-fi member - maybe a bit safer than ebay....

 

[wakasaki]

What do you guys reckon to this listing? fakes? they're the ones with mic and volume control, not sure if they've been faked or not yet
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GENUINE-BRAND-NEW-SEALED-Sennheiser-IE8i-earphones-3D-HOLOGRAM-/110822428076?pt=UK_AudioVisualElectronics_HomeAudioHiFi_Headphones&hash=item19cd880dac#ht_3146wt_1141
Also is it normal for someone to list at £189.99 then put 'I will accept £150 on a special transaction', is this because of avoiding fees?