EQ8 is pretty good, UERM (mine anyway) is better still as my tastes lean toward transparent honesty where possible.

As I posted above somewhere, not surprised the channel imbalance on a new CIEM went away over time. Been there, done that.

I'd also say the 800 being tonally similar to the 3003 is likely more to do with upstream choices than anything. It's simply chameleon. I can make the 800 sound like a poorly sealed ER4S easily with a DACPort or make them more like a richer Noble using a Leben.

Here's hoping this sweet loving sparrow doesn't open a can of worms…

I'm convinced AKG attempted and strived to create an IEM that came, sonically, as close as possible to the HD800s; I think, by and large, they succeeded and though the AKGs are not everyone's favourite, or even that highly regarded by some, I do think they've stood the test of time (3.5 years now) very well, even when they don't come with a detachable cable, one aspect that's certainly prevented several people from acquiring a pair. (FWIW, I sold my TG334, IE800, SE846 and have kept my now 3.5-year-old AKGs)

Now, I don't doubt the HD800s are quite the chameleon, but I maintain that tonally both phones are very close, a view shared by more than a handful of people — no small feat, in my view, for such a small, truly portable phone.

There are other differences beyond FR too but we'll keep it simple for now.

I was specifically talking about tonal balance, so we can keep it simple for a long while.

Shoot the sparrow twice

Oh dear, things seem to be going downhill for the mighty Laylas…all the while, Mr proedros, who came here desperate to learn a thing or two about the Angies after having recently acquired the K3003s, is now making enquiries about the e-Q8s (!) after the sparrow's comments in this thread...instead of, or rather than, at least having the decency to thank the humble sparrow for the (rather mediocre) K3003 & Angie comparison Mr proedros had requested —  but, then again, Mr Combitoob didn't have the decency, either, to say a quick "Cheers matey" when he wanted the sparrow's take on the Angie review Mr Combitoob had linked to (one has to wonder who Mr Combitoob is)...

i forgot to thank you , my bad 

angie looks interesting , but too much money for now

eq8 looks good but someone said it's not worth getting both the eq8 and the K3

decisions.....

Today marks two weeks with the Angies. Further impressions:

Although my (imaginary) friend's set may or may not have channel imbalance (he doesn't seem to be sure), my pair does not. And though he seems to perceive the midrange as laid-back/recessed, my ears clearly tell me this is not the case. I'm wondering whether in my (imaginary) friend's wish to dislike a JH product (not unlike the sparrow in that regard), he got a bit overly excited by SGS and a couple of other people's claims that the Laylas have recessed mids and somewhat hot treble and kinda started hearing the Angies this way. Perhaps his e-Q8s he's been listening to a lot lately, in comparison, have slightly forward mids? The Angie, to him, did sound weird from the get go, but then he kinda warmed up to them and went ahead to get a second set.

Now, with that out of the way, things I've been noticing with the Angies:

Bass, in a nutshell, is brilliant: These have really very good extension and it's great to hear deep low notes without them being overbearing, rattling your brain or sounding loose, particularly in the low bass region (not subbass). The bass has excellent transients, this is a phone that is pretty fast but not too/unnaturally fast, ie note decay is very dynamic-driver like, clean, and with notes very well delineated.

Midrange: I maintain it's superb. Measurements may later show the sparrow has been talking out of his rear end — I'm prepared to lose face and get (plenty of) egg on my, er, face. Not only do I detect plenty of detail and nuances in the midrange—how difficult it is to get this much out this part of the spectrum—, but I've also noticed, surprisingly, that I'm making out lyrics I sometimes had a bit of difficulty with, and, funnily enough, this has happened mostly when I'm not really that focused on the music itself, ie not analysing the sonics but simply enjoying the music...immensely.

Note thickness: This is an aspect that's caught my eye several times because it seems simply awfully right, natural.

No mention of the upper registers because they remain just as impressive as day one. Once again, note thickness, timbre and decay are simply astounding.

I have no doubt the Orpheus, SR-009, Abyss, as well as the LCD XYZABC-1,2,3,4,5, the HD800 with God knows which amp, DAC and respective mod are a step up from the Angie but my ears tell me this IEM is a top, top performing ear/headphone, and a joy to listen to music through them — certainly the best IEM I've ever heard.

http://grooveshark.com/#!/s/Track+09/2GIXun?src=5

music , since i like your posts (you almost single-handedly got me to get K3003) and i get you dig some of the music i dig (intelligent music mostly) , i will give you a heads-up on the best sonic source around these days - save your money on all these hot-shot remasters etc

vinyl rips.

(pm'ed)