Sennheiser IE 8 Premium Earphones - Old Version

 (43 customer reviews)

For years the Etymotic ER-4 series, e.g., Etymotic ER-4P Portable In-Ear Earphones represented the top of the line among in-ear monitor headphones. The Etys remain a good product (and an excellent buy), delivering crisp detail and excellent treble reproduction, but their weakness has been relatively modest bass performance.

Recently a whole group of challengers has emerged, including, for example, Shure SE530PTH Sound Isolating Earphones with Push-To-Hear Control, Ultimate Ears Triple.fi 10 Pro Earphones Gun Metal Blue and the long-delayed,...Read more

First off I am a normal consumer who does not work for the industry at hand. I have been in search of the "Best" in ear monitors or ear buds for nearly 4 years. Never being happy with what I tried based on reviews I always returned them or sold them online. I have tried Ultimate ears super fi pro 3's & super.fi 5's, Klipsch Image & Custom 3 's, Sony, Apple in-ear with remote (Best for the price except cable noise) Koss CC_01's, and most recently Shure Se 530's (which I thought were the best until I go tired of the THICK cable with noise at the connections)... Now, last week I ordered the Sennheiser IE8's. SIMPLY STUNNING, from the bass control, to the changeable cables, to the comfortable fitting, to the amazing sound quality both low and hi. The warm sound, solid yet smooth bass, and crystal clear hi's I am amazed and I am not even through the total burn in time they do require by audiophile standards. I have about 12 hours on them thus far and they are already 150% better...Read more

This is really a PS to the earlier review. I'm spending time with iPods and the fabulous Roll Pro headphone amp while listening to a range of phones including the Etymotic Blue tooth, Sennheiser 650, and Koss electrostatics. I can understand why Sennheiser has launched a new kilobuck-plus headset; even the vaunted 650 presents ratty treble compared to statics - massed violins, etc. do not sound recorded at all on electrostatics, just honey-smooth - Sennheiser has yet to make a real competitor with Electrostatics. I must say for overall pleasure, the IE8's are my favorite alternative to electrostatics.

I have owned many headphones over the decades, starting with Koss Pro-4A's in 1965. I love Sennheisers in general, even the less costly models that use excessive warmth quite endearingly to impress. I was quite unprepared for the pleasure of the IE8's, having been annoyed by other in-ear phones. I have large ear canals; none of the supplied tips gave me a seal, but I...Read more