CHANGSTAR: Audiophile Headphone Reviews and Early 90s Style BBS

  • December 31, 2015, 09:45:44 AM
  • Welcome, Guest
Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  
Pages: [1] 2 3 4

Author Topic: IE 800-ish thread and all new and old dynamic driver earphones discussion  (Read 769 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Kunlun

  • Sort of a big deal in the online feline community
  • Able Bodied Sailor
  • Pirate
  • ***
  • Brownie Points: +42/-16
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 574
  • Goronyo Kunlun Board Member Nigerian Nat'l Oil Co.
    • my website

Tell me your tales of the Senn IE 800.

Did you like it? Why? Or why not?

Loan me your set please (via pm)!
« Last Edit: June 13, 2013, 11:01:38 PM by Kunlun »
Logged

AstralStorm

  • Speculation and Speculums
  • Able Bodied Sailor
  • Pirate
  • ***
  • Brownie Points: +250/-164
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 559
  • Warning: causes nearby electronics to go haywire
Re: IE 800
« Reply #1 on: June 02, 2013, 11:41:14 AM »

They're decent, if subbass boosted and almost not isolating at all.
The resolving capability falls behind Hifimans, but soundstaging is better.
Bass is a slight bit smoothed over, probably harmonic distortion, but this is nitpicking.
Definitely an improvement over IE8/IE80 with the huge midbass hump.
The cost is a bit of extension - IE8 did 20-20, IE800 does to 19k.

That was driven off the modded Leckerton UHA6S mkII, so probably with a less controlled amp it would sound smoothed over.

Fit is quite evil as in they have a tendency to unseal due to weight and have to be fitted shallow. Custom shallow insertion tips really welcome. Or perhaps really transparent foams.
Deep fit presents with a 9k peak and is uncomfortable.
No loan, sorry, my own pair was a loaner.

Disclaimer: I'm very sensitive to bass harmonic distortion.
« Last Edit: June 02, 2013, 12:00:06 PM by AstralStorm »
Logged
For sale: Hifiman HE-500; Paradox; Brainwavz B2. PM me if you would like to buy them.

Kunlun

  • Sort of a big deal in the online feline community
  • Able Bodied Sailor
  • Pirate
  • ***
  • Brownie Points: +42/-16
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 574
  • Goronyo Kunlun Board Member Nigerian Nat'l Oil Co.
    • my website
Re: IE 800
« Reply #2 on: June 02, 2013, 08:24:52 PM »

Thanks, Mr. Storm!
Other pirates are welcome to chime in!

What would you say is the effect for listening to music of the 19k vs 20k extension?

Fit sounds like the key issue, I'm glad to hear that the dual vent design worked on controlling treble harshness, at least with shallow fit. How would you describe the treble tonality and timbre?

Interesting that bass is both boosted and smoothed.
« Last Edit: June 03, 2013, 03:50:22 AM by Kunlun »
Logged

Dyaems

  • Able Bodied Sailor
  • Powder Monkey
  • ***
  • Brownie Points: +10/-0
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 84
Re: IE 800
« Reply #3 on: June 02, 2013, 11:07:14 PM »

the ie800 might be a great buy if the midbass is reduced by around 50%.
Logged

Kunlun

  • Sort of a big deal in the online feline community
  • Able Bodied Sailor
  • Pirate
  • ***
  • Brownie Points: +42/-16
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 574
  • Goronyo Kunlun Board Member Nigerian Nat'l Oil Co.
    • my website
Re: IE 800
« Reply #4 on: June 03, 2013, 03:51:18 AM »

wait, mid-bass, or sub-bass?

People on hf are saying the mid-bass isn't emphasized, but the sub-bass is.
Logged

Anaxilus.

  • Dikus Beligerantis Analmorticus
  • Pirate
  • **
  • Brownie Points: +65535/-65535
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 577
Re: IE 800
« Reply #5 on: June 03, 2013, 05:40:41 AM »

Low Midbass to Lowbass.  It scales upward instead of rolling off from the typical midbass hump.  Unless his set is different. 
Logged
If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading - Lao Tzu

Dyaems

  • Able Bodied Sailor
  • Powder Monkey
  • ***
  • Brownie Points: +10/-0
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 84
Re: IE 800
« Reply #6 on: June 03, 2013, 06:31:18 AM »

i think its the midbass when i heard a pair from sennheiser, i could be wrong though

wait, mid-bass, or sub-bass?

People on hf are saying the mid-bass isn't emphasized, but the sub-bass is.
Logged

AstralStorm

  • Speculation and Speculums
  • Able Bodied Sailor
  • Pirate
  • ***
  • Brownie Points: +250/-164
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 559
  • Warning: causes nearby electronics to go haywire
Re: IE 800
« Reply #7 on: June 07, 2013, 05:13:57 AM »

It's a different kind of boost from a hump - it's very much like a slow slope equalizer from 200 Hz down. I think it's superior to a midbass hump and vastly easier to correct.
Most eqs will do, heck, the simplest tone control shelf probably will.
According to Rin, they can be modded to drop bass some.

They are compensated to "less diffuse" field target - with less 3-5k than diffuse field, but slightly more than flat. This sounds like a dampened room.
Of course, there's the bass boost.

If Rin's predictions are correct, this would help:
Block the bottom part of the resonator to drop slight 6k peak.
Block the top vent.
Apply Hifiman damping filter to boost highest end.

And mine extras:
Attach a horn-shaped nozzle (with a metal flare) like Hifiman did in RE series to slightly bump mids. This is a ring resonator that has to be tweaked not to introduce midrange ringing.
Use custom ear tips.
« Last Edit: June 07, 2013, 05:35:48 AM by AstralStorm »
Logged
For sale: Hifiman HE-500; Paradox; Brainwavz B2. PM me if you would like to buy them.

Kunlun

  • Sort of a big deal in the online feline community
  • Able Bodied Sailor
  • Pirate
  • ***
  • Brownie Points: +42/-16
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 574
  • Goronyo Kunlun Board Member Nigerian Nat'l Oil Co.
    • my website
Re: IE 800
« Reply #8 on: June 07, 2013, 05:33:57 AM »

What would you (ie800 owners/hearers) say about the timbre of the mids and treble?

Do pianos, guitars, voices, cymbals sound real?
Logged

AstralStorm

  • Speculation and Speculums
  • Able Bodied Sailor
  • Pirate
  • ***
  • Brownie Points: +250/-164
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 559
  • Warning: causes nearby electronics to go haywire
Re: IE 800
« Reply #9 on: June 07, 2013, 05:38:44 AM »

Well, they do sound fine, slightly reverberant at the high end (not tizzy), but way less than e.g. RE-ZERO. On par with RE-400 or maybe even slightly better, but with bit less low highs.

Way better than most balanced armature IEMs. (due to low bandwidth of those)
Logged
For sale: Hifiman HE-500; Paradox; Brainwavz B2. PM me if you would like to buy them.
Pages: [1] 2 3 4