Introduction

Up for review are a pair of Sennheiser’s IE800 dynamic driver in-ear monitors. They were first released in 2012 at around $1000, but pricing has fallen to more reasonable levels, with Sennheiser’s MSRP at $800 and used pricing on the market under $500. There was a lot of controversy due to the cable design, dynamic drivers, price, and the proliferance of fakes on the market. Are they still worth picking up? Let’s take a further look.

 

I purchased this pair of IE 800s on Reddit after coming across them for a price I couldn’t refuse. I’ve had these since January, but refrained from commenting on them as they were shipped with small eartips instead of the mediums as advertised, which did not fit properly for me.

 

Thankfully, I was able to source replacement medium eartips from Sennheiser Canada directly for ~$20 for one pair (yikes). They were on backorder and had to come in from Germany first, resulting in a 3 week lead time. Really appreciate the seller Renew Logic for covering the cost on the replacement tips. Top notch customer service.

Have been using these for the past few days with the correct sized tips, so here we go…

 

Build/accessories

I received the IE800s with only one pair of tips, the leather carrying case, and the earwax cleaning tool. New, the IE800s come with the above along with a box and 4 sets of silicone eartips ranging from small to large sizes.

 

The finish and build quality is definitely in line with a high end product. The IE800s have a ceramic finish, metal driver vents, and a kevlar cable. The housings are nice and smooth to the touch and are surprisingly durable, showing no signs of wear and tear after a month of use by me and use by the previous owner of these. The leather case is also really nicely finished, with high-density foam, even stitching, and fine leather quality. The cleaning tool provided does not have a brush like ones included with other IEMs, but this is understandable given that the IE800s have two wire screens (one on the IEM, and one on the eartip) to prevent earwax buildup.

 

Ultimately, no complaints from me on this end.

 

Usability

I’ll start off this section of the review by addressing the cable design, which is the big elephant in the room. Typically, higher-end IEMs have a detachable cable terminated at the IEM housings. However, Sennheiser decided to have the cable for the IE800s hardwired at the housings, with the cable terminated at the Y-splitter using a 2.5mm connector. This means that if your cable has issues near the connection to the housing, then you have to rewire the IEMs. I would imagine Sennheiser did this due to the small size of the driver housings. All other IEMs around this size I’ve come across have fully hardwired cables, so for Sennheiser to even offer a semi-detachable solution is honestly better than nothing.

 

To be perfectly frank, I don’t really consider this an issue. Out of all of the 20 or so IEMs I’ve owned and flipped throughout the years, I haven’t yet come across problems related with the cables. I don’t particularly baby my IEMs either, just shoving them into my pant pockets when not in use. If you consider its most relevant rival, the AKG K3003, the IE800 wins by at least having a semi-detachable cable.

 

Otherwise, the IE800s are great to use as long as you wear them cable down. The small size means they almost disappear in your ears and there’s no discomfort relating to the housing shape (looking at you, Andromedas). Isolation is pretty good, but is probably worse than a BA setup due to the smaller housings. Source matching is also less problematic then something like the Campfire Andromeda and its crazy impedance curve.

 

My one complaint on usability does relate to the eartips, another controversial IE800 topic. They are a proprietary design with a included mesh earwax filter, which click on to the housing. They do a great job of keeping earwax out of the IE800s, but can definitely be a pain to replace as you either have to get replacements directly from Sennheiser for an arm and a leg or buy knock-off eartips from Aliexpress. Definitely not many options for tip rolling on these unless you want to start hacking away and doing your own chop job.

 

Sound

Sennheiser’s always really stuck to dynamic drivers (Orpheus excepted) and their expertise really shows in the sound quality of the IE800s. I read on one review that these sound like the old UE Triple-Fi 10s but with an additional degree of refinement. Given that the TF10s were THE old guard for a V-shaped sound signature, I’m inclined to agree. One of the best parts about the IE800’s sound signature is the bass. These deliver a major bass punch for an IEM but without the bloatiness of lower-end gear. Sub-bass extension is also among the best I’ve heard. 

 

Despite the bass emphasis, the mids don’t suffer at all in comparison in terms of quality. Vocals are very clear and detailed, only lacking a bit of lushness which the cream of the cream midrange IEMs (TG334s, Andromedas) have.

 

Highs are well-extended on the IE800s, which help with the sense of air along with crispness in hi-hats and other instruments. The highs do emphasize sibilance, which can be noticeable on pop vocals. However, it’s not so bad to be painful to listen to, unlike the Sony EX1000s.

 

Soundstage is pretty wide, but not so deep relative to the best offerings on the market. Running these from a more powerful output than a phone do help in terms of opening everything up. Clarity is definitely among the upper end of the IEMs I’ve sampled.

 

All in all, the IE800s really represent one of the best V-shaped sound sigs you can get on the market. They’re a great companion if you mainly listen to hip-hop and EDM, but can more than hold their own in other genres due its overall technical capability.

 

Some quick comparisons

Quick comparisons to other IEMs I’ve owned around similar performance levels are as follows. All of these play really in the same “league”.

 

Sony EX1000: I definitely prefer these over the Sonys as the treble peak on that one was unlistenable for me. I think these have the sound signature I would EQ the EX1000s to, and they are just so much easier to use. EX1000 probably has a bigger soundstage though.

 

FitEar TG334: TG334s are a bit easier to listen to due to lower treble levels. They also have better mids and a tad more clarity. IE800s have more bass slam though.

 

Campfire Andromeda: Campfires are more balanced but I’d say better all around with exception for bass slam. Less troublesome treble, sweeter mids, tighter bass, and bigger soundstage. Hiss can be a bitch on them though.

 

Summary

As you can see, the IE800s play in a pretty rarified field for me. So, at the end of the day, how much did I pay for these? $195. These are a definitely a no brainer at that price. I think that these are a pretty poor value proposition at the original $1000, good value proposition at $500, and an insane value proposition around the $250 mark. Ultimately, my greatest stamp of approval for these is that after I’ve got them, the IE800s have had more head-time than the Andromedas due to its comfort, ease of use and fun sound signature. Hope you guys have enjoyed the review!

 

Impromptu photoshoot at my office below



 

 

 

 

Make sure to look out for this split when determining if your example is authentic. A legit pair will have a break between the connector like above.
 

Also, on a legit pair, the 'dimple' above on the plug will be slightly bigger and more defined.

Just got my Shozy Stardust yesterday. As background, Stardust is the second earbud in Shozy's lineup after the Cygnus, with a better quality cable and more refinement at the top end. These retail for $165US from Penon Audio, I got these from Shozy at the pre-order price of $150US shipped, so they are quite in line with VE Zen 2.0 in price, which I have replaced with these. Here are some impressions on Stardust/BK from me after a few hours of late night listening, with comparisons made to to VE Monk/Zen/Campfire Andromeda:

 

Build quality, accessories, etc.

Build is really good. Stardust's cable is probably the best IEM/earbud cable I've handled yet. Great quality feeling, no memory effect or microphonics. Feels more supple than the already supple Litz cable of Andromeda. Great looking jack as well, reminds me of a nice Oyaide item. Accessories are a bit (well, very) light for the price, with only one pair of (really nice) donut foams and a carrying case of okay quality. Wish they included more foams in case yours get damaged from use.

Housing is made from a nice matte black plastic, same housing shape as the old Yuins. These are smaller than the Sennheiser housings VE bases their earbuds off of. It's extremely comfortable and very easy to sleep on. Stardust has the best build quality I've encountered yet from an earbud, although the standards for this segment is pretty low.

 

Sound:

- Stardust is a fairly bassy earbud out of box, subbass and lower midbass is surprisingly prevalent. Lot of impact, bass quality is good for price but a bit "wooly" when compared to Andromeda (admittedly tough comparison for Stardust). More bass impact and cleaner bass than both Zen and Monks.

 

- Strong mid-focus. Vocals and strings sound great on these with a rich timbre and balanced sound. I feel that mids are the strongest part of this this earbud. Mids blows all VE models I have out of the water. Zen's recessed midrange gets really noticeable on anything with vocal emphasis, and Monks mids are better balanced, but not as smooth.

 

- Treble-wise, there feels to be a bit of treble-roll off but nowhere near as bad as VE Zen. Treble also more even than VE Monk. One niggle is that lower mids (esp. guitars) was not the most clear relative to the rest of the FR on some J-indie songs I was testing. This is reflective with the slight congestion I found on other tracks.

 

- In general sound signature I'd feel would look like this: \^_ (elevated bass, mid emphasis, flat/slightly rolled off treble). Their clarity is great for the price range, around UE 900s level. Stardust is not the most friendly towards poorly-mastered recordings though (one Musiq Soulchild house remix I was listening just turned into pure adfsfdksflsdf in terms of how mushed up everything sounded).

 

- Soundstage-wise, Stardust is very out-of-head with a good sense of height and depth. Need more time to assess width and instrument positioning. They have much larger soundstage than Monk and are at similar level to Zen and Andromeda, .

 

- Commenting on source, I found Stardust pretty easy to drive, it sounded quite nice from my Samsung S7 Edge Exynos and 1st gen iPod Shuffle. Generally find it to pair better with a brighter source to pull out more sparkle in the treble. When paired with a nicer source like LH Lab's Geek Out V2+, I'm getting more clarity and more body to the sound, but at the fairly high listening volumes I was playing songs through, Stardust can get a bit congested at times. Listening to EDM highlights Stardust's relative weakness in micro-detail. I think these suit best relatively simple music with mids/bass emphasis such as acoustic, non-orchestral classical, hip-hop/R&B, and jazz.

 

Overall, Shozy Stardust has a much more coherent sound signature than any VE product I've tried. The build is great, although the accessories are slightly lacking. They are the best earbud I've used yet by a fairly significant margin, and quite in line with other IEMs/headphones around this price range. I don't expect Andromeda level sound quality, but Stardust captures most of the wonderful tone on those with more bass and less treble. Hope you guys enjoyed this review!

 

EDIT: I purchased some Hiegi donut foams to use with these and my VE Monks and I have to say they did a lot to improve the sound quality. The wider donut opening of the Hiegis improved soundstage and treble clarity by quite a bit, with the trade-off being reduced bass quantity (which is fine for me as they were a bit bloated stock). Highly recommended, I have basically no complaints about the Hiegi foam iteration of these. 

 

Photos are below:

 

Glamour shot:



 
Case:



 
Back and specifications:

 
Box and carrying case: 

 
Full shot:

 
Earbud and foam detail:

 
Earbud close-in:

 
Jack detail:

 
Cable cinch detail:

 
Cable detail:

Stopped by Bay Bloor Radio this weekend to audition the Sennheiser HE-1 Orpheus 2 set. Only had 15 minutes, so impressions are very much stream-of-consciousness. The Sennheiser rep played snippets of three test tracks, and I had time to play two/three more snippets of songs of my own choice (all lossless, TIDAL quality or higher). Here's some notable open-back setups I've had experience with as a frame of reference in addition to my current setup of Andromeda + Mojo. I know, source gear is pretty crap but school doesn't free much much disposable income for amps + DACs lol:

HD800 + Burson HA160D
Hifiman HE-X + Chord Mojo
Audeze LCD-2 pre-fazor + Burson Conductor
HD600/HD650 + Aune T1
 
Build is great, as it should be. Sennheiser's work on their in-house pots paid off, as they are extremely smooth and nice to work. Comfort of the Orpheus 1 is extremely good, same level as the HD800 but with a slightly looser clamp. However, I wish the headphone design would be a bit more high-end through the use of a better finish.

Can confidently say Orpheus is the best sounding headphone I've tried yet, as it should be. Has great speed and clarity, yet with a balanced sound sig with a slightly warm tilt. No glare like the HD800, I'd liken the sound signature more akin to HD650 but with much better speed, definition, separation, positioning and soundstage. Track-by-track impressions are below:

Rep's demo tracks:

Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah: Really shows off Orpheus' chops at handling male vocals. Captures Buckley's excellent vocals with a great sense of space. Melody provided a nice backdrop to vocals without getting in the way.

Norah Jones - Come Away With Me: Honestly, see above but replace male with female vocals.

Some world music which I don't have the ID of - Highlights the phone's strong capability to keep vocals + instrumentals separate. Beginning was a choral section where it was easy to pinpoint each member's contribution. Second part was a percussive swing song which got me tapping my toes, demonstrating the great PRaT (**** term I know lol).

My personal picks:

Kendrick Lamar - Backseat Freestyle: Much better bass slam than I expected. Hit hard for a headphone with no bleed. Kendrick's sometimes mumbly rap style was as legible as it's ever been. The bells in the intro had a great sense of sparkle.

Kaskade & Deadmau5 - Move for me: Mau5' intro in the song was extremely rich and enveloping. Really breathy vocals, this track demonstrates the Orpheus 2's strong ability on highs without being fatiguing like the HD800 while keeping good bass slam.

A classical piano piece I can't remember: You can pick out the coughs of the audience in the recording. Good tone and timbre of the keys. However, I still think for piano, $75,000 CAD would be better spent on a Yamaha grand + the services of a national-level piano player

UItimately, these recaptured the magic of my first exposure to a high-end headphone set. Can't say the same about the other setups I've encountered. Definitely interested in owning a set if I ever hit big on Powerball.
 
Pictures below:
 

 

 

This is a review of the FitEar ToGo! 334 4-driver balanced armature IEMs. FitEar is a Japanese IEM company, whose products have gotten a lot of praise on head-fi for their sound and build quality. Expensive as all get out, and pretty hard to pick up new outside of Asia due to the limited number of suppliers. Some comparisons to UE 900s are noted below, as that is the IEM I was coming from.

 

Build, fit and other non-sound related factors:

Generally, these are built extremely well. FitEar apparently does a full acrylic injection for the IEMs or something along the lines of that, so the TG334s are very solid feeling in the hand. Honestly, they don't look that good compared to a lot of top-end CIEMs and mainstream top end IEMs (SE 846, K3003, IE800), as they are a single-shade deep translucent black with a matte black finish on the faceplate which is not too interesting to look at. You're probably not buying IEMs purely for the look, and the TG334 will appeal to people would like the "stealth luxury" concept. If you rock white Common Projects rather than red Balenciagas kicks on the daily, then these will appeal to you. The cable provided is of above-average quality bordering on excellent. They are on the slim side, have a very nice Oyaide plug, and easy to manage memory wire. However, they're a bit springy and not too soft.

Fit-wise, I'm finding them to fit very nicely. The shells are extremely big, but they sit comfortably outside the ear. The silicone tips included are pretty trash, aftermarket tips are highly recommended. People have recommended going to JVC Spiral Dots, Ortofons, Complys, Spinfits, and the whole lot. My favourite tips with these were the Ortofons, followed closely by the Spiral Dots. They just disappear in the ear with these. The TG334 do not have a very "tight" seal, but it's easy to take on and off and isolation levels are good. 

For other things, the TG334s include a decent amount of accessories such as extra tips, a Pelican hard case, a soft case (which I didn't get in my example), and a cable clip. Packaging is sober, pretty reflective of Japanese sensibilities.

 

Sound:

The TG334s are quite a sensitive IEM, my phone and laptop can get these much louder than the other IEMs and earbuds in my stable (UE 900, Xiaomi Piston, VE Monk). As an example, on my Xperia, a good listenable volume for my UE 900s are around 80%, whereas these are closer to 50% of max. They also don't hiss too much which makes them fairly easy to live with in terms of the source. Honestly, I haven't noticed too much of a difference switching between my various sources on hand (Xperia Z2, Dell 13 Chromebook, ALO Island). I found it to have great synergy with Chord Mojo.

The overall sound signature I'd classify as mostly flat with a slight uptick in the bass and tiny bit of roll-off in the treble. Bass has good weight and extension for an IEM, but it's not the quickest. Mids are very nice on these, which are good for vocals. Really lush and involving, listening to acoustic on theses connected to Chord Mojo gave me goosebumps with how much weight the vocals and guitars had.The highs are good, but not emphasized. Overall, it's a balanced, but pretty fun sound signature, and makes my UE 900s sound positively veiled in comparison.

From a soundstage and clarity front these get high marks. Sound stage is more intimate for a high-tier headphone/IEM, but I have no faults with regards to instrument separation and the overall size. They blow the Pistons out of the water (I hope they do) and compared to the UE 900, they're a bit more narrow left-right but seem deeper front-back, if that makes sense.

I do understand if a lot of this sound stuff sounds pretty fluffy, but on an overall basis, the FitEars sound pretty damn good. It's got a profile that I think a lot of people would find pleasing, and would work well with basically all genres of music. I'd say they mesh the best with acoustic and jazz which really takes advantage of the good mids and instrument separation, but EDM and pop music is also served well on these due to the good bass.

 

Quick comparison with Campfire Andromeda:

Ultimately, I ended up replacing the TG334s with the Campfire Andromedas as I enjoyed the more extended treble of the Andromedas more and was able to save some money in the process. The overall level of SQ is still quite close between the two. To be fair, TG334 is a pretty old IEM now nearing 4 years, so it's quite good that it's able to compare so well still to the Andromedas, which are the cream of the universal IEM crop at the moment. Here's how they compare in some key areas. Bolded is where TG334 wins.

Legend:

= : equal

> : slightly better

>>> : definitively better (to me at least)

 

Build/accessories:

Build quality: TG334 >>> Andro (Andro's aluminum scuff easily, like TG334 connectors better than MMCX on Andro)

Cable: Andro > TG334 (Andro's litz cable very soft and pliable, TG334 cable too springy)

Included tips: Andro >>> TG334 (TG334 silicone tips are honestly awful for the price)

Other accessories: Andro > TG334 (TG334 has pelican case, but Andro has a nice leather case and a pin!)

 

Sound:

Bass quantity: TG334 >>> Andro

Bass quality: Andro > TG334

Mids quantity: TG334 = Andro

Mids quality: TG334 > Andro (slight edge for TG334 mids, better enjoyed its lushness and holographic nature)

Treble quantity: Andro >>> TG334 (much more extended treble)

Treble quality: Andro > TG334 (extended treble has more detail)

Soundstage: Andro > TG334 (wider presentation, very close though)

Speed: Andro > TG334 (TG334 bit slow in comparison)

Clarity: Andro = TG334 (both have little/no veil in sound)

Detail retrieval: Andro > TG334 (owing to better treble)

 

Usability:

Comfort: TG334 >>> Andro (while Andro is comfortable, TG334 is a step above)

Source "pickiness": TG334 > Andro (Andro's high sensitivity means its sound is more variable across sources than TG334 is, both sound quite good out of the latest crop of smartphones though)

After-sales service: Andro > TG334 (FitEar seems like a difficult company to get a hold of, haven't dealt with either company though)

 

Overall:

On a scale with all the headphones/IEMs I've owned, I'd probably put them on the same level as the Audeze LCD-2s and close, but a tad behind the HD800s. Probably better than the HD 600/650s, but I haven't heard those in a while and the sound from them, while good, were a tad forgettable from my sources. My second favourite IEMs owned so far after the Andromeda, They remind me a tad of the Westone 3s I've had before regarding the fun-ness sound signature, but with better mids, soundstage and fixing all of the issues I've had on those regarding hiss and fit. If I can find a FitEar with more extended treble, I'd probably switch my Andromeda for the brand again since I prefer the build and finish on FitEars and the overall feeling of quality they bring to the table.

Holy hell, these are great. Nicest stock cable I’ve used, very flexible and the silver looks fantastic. Build quality for the IEMs are very good, but the aluminum has a bit of nicks from use, no big deal. Comfort is actually extremely good, despite the abundance of hard edges. With the right tips, these just disappear in the ear. I’m using JVC Spiral Dots/Ortofon L tips which have been working great.

These can be summed up by having a very slight U-shaped sound signature, with very good coherence. Coming from FitEar ToGO 334!, these have much more treble presence, which helps to add that “sparkle” to music. Mids are similar in quality but less emphasized so it doesn’t have as much richness. Bass quantity is a bit less, but the quality can be considered better, as the Andromedas are a bit faster than the TG334s which makes the low end sound more defined. I’d say imaging and soundstage are at the same level between the two, but the Andromedas are more “out of head”. The increased treble is the biggest differentiator I find in favour of the Andromedas. They have a very “hi-fi” sound, even straight from my Samsung S7 Edge.

In terms of source requirements, these are very sensitive so they are quite easy to drive. Bit of hissing with both of my sources, but apparently an impedance adapter helps to clear that up. Sounds great out of S7 Edge and iPad, so DAC/Amp definitely not necessary.

Summary: Very great pair of IEMs. Slightly better than the TG334 I had, while being cheaper, which makes them my best yet. Definitely worth looking at.

Really quick, bought this at Canada Computers for a song, and it's been a great piece of kit! I had been agonizing on picking on a portable DAC/Amp combo for use with my laptop on the go, and this fit the bill perfectly. Blows the stock audio jack out of the water for sound quality, tightening up the low end, and opening up soundstage on the cans I've been using with it (SHP9500 and UE900), and construction quality looks like it's built to last. 

This little DAC is a definite upgrade over the on-board sound card on my laptop. When listening to my Westone 3s on it, the soundstage is wider and deeper, there is greater resolution in the higher frequencies, and the bass has more impact. Thing's built very nicely too, with an all-aluminum housing. There can be a bit of background hiss on more sensitive headphones/earphones; but then again, it's $15 and it's no worse than the laptop soundcard. I don't know what more to say other than the fact that it gave a noticeable improvement for $15, hard to argue with that!