I heard these three times.  The first two I was pretty impressed, especially for the price (~$40 at e-earphone).  Smooth, good tonal balance, a little sparkle up top and bass slightly north of neutral.  But then the last time I heard them it was 'boom-and-sizzle'.  I'm not sure what the differences were- damaged demo unit, wrong tips (they get mixed up at the displays), poor fit this time around... whatever.  I had a similar experience with the RE-400s:  Sounded great a few times, bad once, and great again.  If the curiosity around here is great enough, I'll pick up a set next week and send them out on a tour.  Cool?

^  Parhaps inadvertently the last time you may have tried the DX210-CB ("Carbo Basso", the bassy model) instead of the DX200-CT ("Carbo Tenore").

It was the Tenore for sure.  The Basso is for bass-heads IMO.  Not that there's anything wrong with that.   

All the times I've heard the IE800, I couldn't believe what I was hearing.  To me it sounds like an IEM version of my DT990 or any number of Ultrasones.  I get such a metallic sound from them that I can almost taste metal in my mouth while listening to them.     And I'm not all that treble sensitive.  I know with IEMs fit is everything and person to person sound will vary greatly.  Even when I listen to stuff I own, sometimes I'll not put them in just right and I'll be like, "What happened here?"  Too bad about the IE800s because they do have some fun bass, I really like their build quality, and I'm a sucker for innovative designs.

P.S. Don't take the karma thing seriously. It just doesn't work like that here. No one really gives a sh1t about it. Think of it as a badge of honor. Heck, I even got one negative karma point. In the spirit of this statement, your request for specific karma points (0 / -10,000) has been denied. Instead, you are now assigned +36 and -146 for your karma points tally.

It all makes 'perfect' sense now. Absolutely. And here I was thinking I wasn't very popular when, in fact, it was the exact opposite — what a relief!

Tom,

Take this post in the spirit in which it's written, ie no offence meant.

First off, I've been using stock medium tips from day one (almost 3 weeks now) and I get a perfect fit and seal.

Secondly, seems you also hear them "as slightly warmer and bassier than how [ I ] perceive them". Nothing wrong with that, obviously, but I'm surprised. Now, I have with me the ER4S, F111, FIBASS, Heaven S, EX800ST, HD800 & HD600 (and heard James' UERM only a few weeks ago—will be getting my own pair in a couple of weeks) and I'd never call these warm or even slightly warm. I know you like the FIBASS a lot and I, FWIW, would take these over the FIBASS & Heaven S, and I'm sure more than a handful of people with experienced ears—and on a blind test—would take the Tenores over the ER4S & F111 (I don't personally, but only just) and many other $300 - $500 phones. I'd even take the Tenores over my $900 FitEar Parterres Or KAEDEs. 

Hey, I understand this is CS (and not HF), where using words such as "excellent", "spectacular", "brilliant", "stunning" or even "very good" seems to be almost forbidden or anathema; it appears one has to tread very carefully for fear of being called a fanboy or losing whatever credibility one may have — to say that these are "very nice value, especially for the Japanese, who can get them for <$40" is, to me, a HUGE understatement.