Some quick impressions and points for potential buyers to note, all based on some very limited time with the TDK IE800.
Build quality is average. It doesn't feel badly made but there are certain gripes I have with it;
1) The housing is fairly large and tends to stick out a bit, if you cant get a good fit then they might slip out every now and then. On the upside they are quite light and I have managed to get a good seal with the small silicone tips.
2) What I don't like is the fact that there is no strain relief at the point where the cable enters the housing. It just doesn't seem like a good idea in the long run, so far no issues to report though.
3) While it is possible to wear them over the ear its not very comfortable, the majority of the users will end up wearing them down like they're meant to be.
4) Flat cables, I don't
like them one bit. No where near as bad as the MH1C though which is a positive. The Y-split is small with a slider that works well, once again no real complaints here.
Packaging and accessories
are minimal, a few silicone
tips and two sets of comply tips (the regular T400 and their more rounded version, both in the medium size). Simple box, with faux leather pouch and shirt clip. No one really needs anything else to be honest.
Like all IEMs I've tried with flat cables microphonics do exist. Once you have music playing even at reasonably low volumes it ceases to be an issue worth worrying about.
The sound! ...... When you hear dual dynamic drivers you think big bass and not much else. However I must say I was pleasantly surprised. The people at TDK have come with an IEM that does all the frequencies quite nicely. Its by no means neutral, but no single frequency intrudes on the other.
The star of the show here is the treble, its energetic with a fair amount of sparkle but luckily not sibilant. This sparkle coupled with the IEM's vented design give it a great soundstage and considering its price, great retrieval of details and nuances present in the recording.
The mid range is good too (although when it comes to IEMs I've been spoiled by the RE-1), there really is very little to complain about here, vocals sound great but after owning the Tzar 350 acoustic pieces feel that they lack a bit of magic, which I felt was one of the Tzar 350's strengths. I listen to a lot of the Blues from the 60's and personally like slightly thicker mids than what the IE800 dishes out.
The bass is what surprised me the most, I was expecting vast bass quantity and was ready to break out my very questionable EQ skills to tone it down when I made the decision to buy these. TDK have got it right though, its tight, well controlled and stays quite true to the recording.
Overall I'd say this is a good VFM product even at the 90 odd USD I paid. It's a congested and confusing price bracket for IEMs these days with so many options that currently exist. TDK have a product that complements their more refined BA200 quite nicely.
I was very tempted to buy the UM3XRC before buying these as a means to get something that resembles the sound on my old RE-1. There's just something with the price to performance ratio on the top end Westone and Shure universals that's a massive turnoff to me. They really need to be about 30% cheaper!
I still remain a bit disappointed about how they sound straight out of my iphone. My primary purpose of getting these was for the daily commute to work, its a trip I want to make with minimal equipment on me. They didn't seem to live up to their potential with the iphone as a source. The majority of my listening time on these has been with the AK100 + ALO International. I think something like the Fiio X3 would make these a good portable solution.
@
rdst_1
If you do come across anything that's a close replacement to the RE-1 then do let me know! I'd love something with removable cables as well.
For others interested in Piotr Granicki's CIEM's, the build time is 4-5 weeks which is typical for all CIEM manufactures. I should have mine in the middle of February or early March. It's about 400 USD not including the cost of impressions, shipping the impressions was about 6 dollars from Singapore to Poland via registered mail. The pre-order price for the detachable cable version is as follows;
- Music Two detach. 1150pln
- Shipping 40pln
- Paypal fee 4%: 47,6pln
- Total: 1237,6PLN
Being a BA based iem I wouldn't expect the warmth of a traditional dynamic driver. All detachable cable version come with flush sockets, I prefer the recessed ones but I'm told those are harder to make.
The new 100$ reference (if you don't mind imagining some sub-bass while you listen). My review 
is still holding its own among the new crowd. Don't like the highs?, get the 7550.
