CHANGSTAR: Audiophile Headphone Reviews and Early 90s Style BBS
Main Deck => Discussion for Registered Members Only => Topic started by: Kunlun on May 31, 2013, 05:10:00 PM
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Tell me your tales of the Senn IE 800.
Did you like it? Why? Or why not?
Loan me your set please (via pm)!
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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.
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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.
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the ie800 might be a great buy if the midbass is reduced by around 50%.
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wait, mid-bass, or sub-bass?
People on hf are saying the mid-bass isn't emphasized, but the sub-bass is.
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Low Midbass to Lowbass. It scales upward instead of rolling off from the typical midbass hump. Unless his set is different.
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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.
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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.
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What would you (ie800 owners/hearers) say about the timbre of the mids and treble?
Do pianos, guitars, voices, cymbals sound real?
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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)
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2 cents: I hear the cymbals the way Westone 4r, Earsonic SM64 or some BAs would sing. It felt "tiny" and "refined". Frankly, I was expecting the bass to be something like IE80, but to my relief, it was far from that. Much much cleaner.
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Yes, that's part of the flattish compensation these have. Similar (lack of DF) compensation can be found in: UE Triple.fi, Logitech 900; Westone 4; Martin Logan Mikros (do want them, but can't get); Astrotecs; Brainwavz M2... a score other IEMs.
In headphones, some orthos have this kind of sound, e.g. Audezes, Fostex T50RP, Hifiman HE5.
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You aren't missing much w/ the Martin Logans IMO. Nice fit though, not that terrible. Sounded like a less resolving RE400 w/ less neutral bass but I didn't bother modding them. You should ask whoever sends back your SE5 to get you a pair on Amazon if you really want them.
I think you mean HE5LE, not HE5.
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Both actually, HE5 and HE5LE are quite similarly (non-) compensated with non-LE being just a bit brighter.
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HE5 is to HE5LE as HD600 is to HD650. If you want to say they are similar, well, that might be too strong an adjective for my tastes. HE5 is closer to HE6 sig than it is Audeze or T50rp.
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I take it RE400 sounds pretty amazing for its price?
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I think amazing would be a strong word.
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Well, it is very good, but I think actual potential was higher in RE-272, just marred by the inferior shell.
Its problems were 4k boost - fixable with filters and/or damping, and slight lack of low end, due to the shell being too small volume.
RE-400 is actually an improved (not as reverberant) darker RE-ZERO.
For the price, I think it smokes almost everything, maybe except RE-ZERO and RE0.
Taking RE-272 driver and putting it into dampened RE-400 shell would be a good excercise. I think it'd fit.
RE-600 might be superb. Anax, I remember you've heard the preproduction RE-600, what do you think?
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As long as it's dark sounding. I could use a good replacement to my utter shit skullcandy holua-- the likes of which I'd take stock apple buds over.
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Taking RE-272 driver and putting it into dampened RE-400 shell would be a good excercise. I think it'd fit.
RE-600 might be superb. Anax, I remember you've heard the preproduction RE-600, what do you think?
I think the RE600 sounds more like a more blanced and slightly more refined RE400, same basic tonal signature being on the warm side. I'd prefer the clarity and resolving ability of the RE272. If that had a linear bass response I'd put the 272 up there as one of the best dynamic IEMs for technical ability ever made up w/ the EX1000, maybe over it.
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How is the sony 7550/8000st?
I've heard the ex-1000 and really liked it, treble spike and all. A flatter version would be nice.
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7550 doesn't have the peak and is a bit more mid centric or balanced depnding on how you look at it. However, it loses pretty much all that makes the 1000 special IMO which is why I got rid of it.
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Taking RE-272 driver and putting it into dampened RE-400 shell would be a good excercise. I think it'd fit.
RE-600 might be superb. Anax, I remember you've heard the preproduction RE-600, what do you think?
I think the RE600 sounds more like a more blanced and slightly more refined RE400, same basic tonal signature being on the warm side. I'd prefer the clarity and resolving ability of the RE272. If that had a linear bass response I'd put the 272 up there as one of the best dynamic IEMs for technical ability ever made up w/ the EX1000, maybe over it.
I <really> liked the 272 sound (prototypes) but not the housings and fit. Didn't seat well for me due to the shape and size I think...
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I'd prefer the clarity and resolving ability of the RE272. If that had a linear bass response I'd put the 272 up there as one of the best dynamic IEMs for technical ability ever made up w/ the EX1000, maybe over it.
Bass performance aside (which I found as practically the only thing lacking on the RE272).. how'd you compare it's clarity and resolving ability to the UERM?
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272 v. UERM? Pretty darned close tbh, might even prefer the 272 due to the cohesiveness of it's single driver enhancing perceived clarity. For everything the UERM gets right, I think it's just a hair lacking in absolute clarity compared to even a DBA/B2. You'd have to hear them side by side to really pick it up or have a well trained/experienced ear. Without a side by side, I can't say which would be better but the 272 was quite impressive apart from its bass light tune. There are other aspect to compare as well but that's how I'd compare them in clarity.
I think I need to ask someone else to make a frephase JH13 since I think the UERM can be improved for sure. I'm sad that UE didn't do that w/ the UEPRM. No matter what I did w/ the box I couldn't get the UEPRM to do what I liked about the UERM which apparently can't be done, perhaps the hardware is just too different.
Also boggles my mind that Sennheiser can make the HD580/600/650/800 and then make IEMs that sound like the IE8/80/800. Wtf? Somebody got their IEM compensation curves wrong or who knows what...
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^This is why I say, "check out the UE 4 again". Less extension, yeah...but check out the quality of the female vocals/upper mids.
I was never here (nor there). :)p8
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Does this review of the re-600 match people's impressions?
http://www.head-fi.org/t/667685/hifiman-re-600-review
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Is the 600 out in the wild? I haven't seen many impressions yet.
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Also boggles my mind that Sennheiser can make the HD580/600/650/800 and then make IEMs that sound like the IE8/80/800.
I wake up everyday and kick my dog in amazement of this fact.
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Is the 600 out in the wild? I haven't seen many impressions yet.
Special review set sent to a longtime customer.
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Does this review of the re-600 match people's impressions?
http://www.head-fi.org/t/667685/hifiman-re-600-review (http://www.head-fi.org/t/667685/hifiman-re-600-review)
Not mine, at all really. Bright? No. Bass light? No. Makes bad recordings less bad? Yes. I thought they were slightly veiled. I brought my own tips to audition them. Sound like an ER4S? Not really. I get what he means though as they are both balanced sigs but they have two distinct flavors. I agree the RE600 is not analytical, the ER4S is more so.
We're going to start enforcing topicality, too many threads wandering lately....
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Done!