Sennheiser IE800 Stereo Earphone (IEM) review

dalethorn

New member
Dec 7, 2011
2,222
0
0
Visit site
My video and text review of the new Sennheiser IE800 IEM - it's worth the money!

http://www.hifiheadphones.co.uk/forum/headphone-reviews/3404-sennheiser-ie800-stereo-earphone-iem-review-dale.html
 

dalethorn

New member
Dec 7, 2011
2,222
0
0
Visit site
Today I listened to the Beethoven 9th with Abbado and Berlin Philharmonic on DG circa 2002. My copy is the 96k download from HDTracks. I played the entire thing with a nice $250 USD headphone, which I thought sounded pretty good except during climaxes of orchestra and chorus, which sounded congested and had a hardness like everything was merging into a single unpleasant tone. Not that bad in reality - just an impression. Then I switched to the 4th movement only beginning with the vocals, using the Sennheiser IE800. It was enough to make a person cry. The soundstage wasn't exactly wider, but there was a depth that was missing with the full size headphone. And that was just the beginning.
The mass climaxes of orchestra and chorus were delineated clearly with the IE800, and voices and instruments sounded real and suspended somewhere in front of me. I haven't heard one of these symphonies live, so I can't judge the recording on how well it was mic'd, but it sounded utterly fantastic. The bassoons had real weight, the triangles' harmonics seemed to stretch out to infinity, the brass had color and bite, and everything had a palpable reality like I last heard on a direct-to-disk LP played through electrostatic headphones, only better. Highly, highly recommended. I also replayed the last movement with 4 other headphones ranging from $300 to $500 USD. None of those came close.
 

dalethorn

New member
Dec 7, 2011
2,222
0
0
Visit site
Joe Cox said:
Finally! https://twitter.com/whathifi/status/350631356524527617

Good to hear the inventory is back up. I got the idea that Sennheiser produces only a few IE800's at a time, so when they run out there may be delays. But it's worth the wait - the sound has an unusual degree of purity to it - hearing is believing.
 

dalethorn

New member
Dec 7, 2011
2,222
0
0
Visit site
That's a great review, Joe - and the amazing thing is, it's not hype - the little wunderbuds pack a punch. Now I would *really* like to have that round zippered case that's pictured in the review, as all that I have now is the little book-style case. As to the sound, if customers can ignore that fact that it's a very small package as compared to the equally pricy HD700, I'm sure the IE800 will have as good a longevity on the shelves as any of the big boys.
 

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts