Performance

The IE8 are the top of the line IEM from Sennheiser at the moment so expectations are high. They feature an ingenious bass adjuster knob that allows you to tweak their frequency response to your liking and has the same awesome sound stage as the IE7s, just a tad more refined. Costing upwards $400 these earphones are by far the most expensive model in the Sennheiser lineup and for that sum of money you should expect something that is quite unique and great performing. The IE8s deliver just that after roughly 200 hours of burn-in time. Besides the expansive sound stage one of the things you notice immediately when using the IE8s is the bass, which is quite powerful even with it set to a minimum via the adjuster screw.

The bass is big and extends really deep, this is one of the best performers bass wise that I have ever heard, since it is extremely well controlled and textured. Even compared to the Westone 3s the IE8s are quite a bit better this aspect. Sound wise the IE8s represent a rare blend of speed and warmth that makes them very interesting to listen to. Drums sound incredibly good like on a set of Head-Direct RE0s, but the midrange is warmer and more emphasized which really makes the vocals pop. The IE8s with the bass adjusted to max are bass heavy, whereas they are almost better described as midcentric with the bass at the minimum setting. I am quite fond of them with the bass adjusted low because it focuses the midrange and gives them a better balance between lows and highs.

Midrange definition is utterly superb and while the Westone 3s come close to outperforming them due to their more detail oriented nature, the more spacious presentation of the IE8s put them over the top and makes for a more enjoyable and fun listening experience. Timbre and tonality wise the IE8s are unmatched, everything sounds very natural and airy. Both the Sennheiser IE8s and Westone 3s have a brilliant midrange, the major difference between the two besides the sound stage is that the Westone 3s sound drier and less airy, whereas the IE8s have a wee bit smoother and warmer presentation. Since they are both very good in this respect it is too close to call and it will be up to you to decide what type of sound you prefer. For rock and pop the IE8s are slightly more engaging to listen to because of the spacious presentation. Classical music still sounds best on the Westone 3s because of their much much better treble.

Noise attenuation with the IE8s is pretty much on par with that of all my other dynamic based in-ears. Compared to fully closed designs which employ balanced armatures the attenuation level is a bit lower, but only barely noticeable in real life application. Like the other earphones in the IE-line these handle microphonic noise nicely due to the high quality cable used, one which is also quite durable. Compared to the cable of the Westone 3s I much prefer the straight cable of the IE8s for two reasons, one: it will never unwind and two: it does not make the earphones spiral around each other.