Sennheiser IE8 vs. Panasonic hje900

[Kt_]

my hippo vb's just officially died. No more sound from the left side.

Im looking to buy new headphones to replace em and i have narrowed it down to hje900 or ie8.

I mainly listen to hip hop ; A tribe called quest, kanye west, jay-z, immortal technique etc. but at the same time i listen to a lot of genres. The only thing that annoyed me about the hippo vb was that some rock songs did not sound very good on em.

So given my situation which one sohuld i go for (they are available for nearly the same price in my country so price is not gonna be the problem)

[dfkt]

Treble: IE8 > HJE900 (HJE900 can be sibilant and too bright, need some foam in the nozzle to tame them - IMO. Other people find them just fine - OTOH, the IE8's treble might be too laid-back and warm for some people)
Midrange: IE8 >= HJE900
Bass: HJE900 = IE8
Clarity: HJE900 = IE8
Soundstage/stereo imaging: HJE900 > IE8
Build quality: IE8 > HJE900
Comfort: IE8 > HJE900

That being said, I enjoy the HJE900 a bit more than the IE8 without EQ. The IE8 shine exceptionally well with some EQing, the HJE900 work better with flat sound. IMO. With both phones I EQ the midbass down. With the IE8 I add some treble, with the HJE900 I rather reduce it a bit.

[Confispect]

Interesting comparison. Especially soundstage.

[dfkt]

I know. I've read loads of praise of the IE8's soundstage on Head-Fi. It's good, but it's certainly nothing overly special, to my ears. The HJE900 go wider, deeper, what have you. IMO. Also, better instrument separation.

(I have the IE8 at full bass, which opens their vents up and makes their soundstage even wider than closed - still less than the Panas.)

[lestatar]

dfkt, awesome. This feedback from you makes me smile whenever I look and listen to my Panas.
Man, what a steal they are - so silly of Pana to possibly discontinue them

[JxK]

@kt
What part(s) of the VB's sound did you specifically dislike? What did you enjoy? Sound signature in my experience counts substantially more than technical ability. For all you know, neither the IE8 or hje900 are the ideal choice.

[Jaigoda]

Originally Posted by JxK

@kt
What part(s) of the VB's sound did you specifically dislike? What did you enjoy? Sound signature in my experience counts substantially more than technical ability. For all you know, neither the IE8 or hje900 are the ideal choice.

I think I have to disagree here. Now that I've heard the HJE900, going back to my older headphones just sounds... ehh.. Everything is so much more clear and precise than my Sony's. The sound signature isn't all that different (slightly less treble and a little more bass, I think). I mean if something sounds too off, you can always EQ it, but bad clarity and such is impossible to fix.

To me, "technical ability" is just as noticeable as the sound signature, but as always, YMMV.

[Kt_]

Originally Posted by JxK

@kt
What part(s) of the VB's sound did you specifically dislike? What did you enjoy? Sound signature in my experience counts substantially more than technical ability. For all you know, neither the IE8 or hje900 are the ideal choice.

Well i loved the deep high quality bass on the hippo vb's which is perfect for hip hop. But i disliked the fact that on some bright pop rock songs (think animal collective/arcade fire) it kinda felt like the hippo vb couldnt keep up in terms of speed or precision specially on "busy" tracks.

Anyway would you guys consider the panasonic hje900 and the sennheiser ie8 a full upgrade from the hippo vb (specially the hje900 because im kinda leaning towards that atm)

Would be very helpful if dfkt could provide comparisments between hje900-hippo vb and ie8-hippo vb seeing as he is one of the few people who's owned all of these phones

[nodirectionhome]

i read all about the HJE900s, and other iems, and decided to get the IE8s and can't say I'm sorry.

I was coming from cx880s - which are crap imo - so the difference is huge. I'm leaning towards the SM3s for my next purchase, or just spending a bit and getting customs.

[lestatar]

I own the Hippo VBs and the Panas but have also briefly heard the IE8s, albeit briefly.

To answer one of your questions, overall, yes, IMO and without doubt, the Panas are a full "upgrade" to the VBs. The VBs are awesome basshead IEMs that deliver amazing low end, but offer still pretty good sound and response for mids and highs. However, overall, I feel the Panas are much much more refined to my ears, being extremely capable throughout the spectrum with no real weaknesses with any music I throw at 'em.

I was extremely pleased and a little bit surprised with dfkt's feedback in post#2 here but feel vindicated in my love for the Panas.

[Strontium Wizzard]

Originally Posted by nodirectionhome

I was coming from cx880s - which are crap imo

I really liked them, and since now they died, and since you've now got the HJE900s, could you compare the sound signiature and stuff please? I'm considering getting them.

[nodirectionhome]

Originally Posted by Strontium Wizzard

I really liked them, and since now they died, and since you've now got the HJE900s, could you compare the sound signiature and stuff please? I'm considering getting them.

I have the IE8s

But the HJE900s will sound way better than the cx880s, I'm sure. For me those iems just had too much drab bass and poor highs.