Materials, Quality & Comfort

The face plates on the 8SS feature "qdc" written in large gold letters on top of shiny black acrylic shells. The shells of the 8SS are on the smaller side, making for easy insertion and extended comfort. The nozzles are pretty short and not too wide, making it easy to attach ear tips. I chose to use Comply Foam ear tips, which were very comfortable and which added to the sound isolation provided by a closed-back IEM.

Now, if you look at the 8SS on the qdc website, you will see a difference design than the one I just described, which is what Moon Audio sells. (The original version of the 8SS features clear shells with green faceplates.) Why did qdc make a different design for Moon Audio to sell? To differentiate it from the original. The reason is that qdc does inverse polarity on its IEMs. So if you order the original and try to use an aftermarket cable, it's likely going to be out of phase. You're stuck using the stock cable that comes with the 8SS with no option to swap it out for an upgrade cable.

When you order the qdc 8SS from Moon Audio, you'll get a Black Dragon IEM Cable for free -- a $200 value. So you get an upgraded Dragon Cable that you can use not only with your qdc 8SS, but with any other 2-pin IEMs you may own.  

Sound Impressions

Jethro Tull's "Skating Away on the Thin Ice of a New Day" was a mixed bag for me. There was a visceral quality to Ian Anderson's tea making at the beginning of the song, with the clank of the spoon against the cup producing a feeling in the back of my head. His sniffs were incredibly prominent and lifelike. The song itself sounded very crisp and clear, with the bells and flute having the sweetest sound. But for me, something was missing in this track. I wanted more warmth and fullness.

High levels of detail and nuance can be a blessing or a curse, depending on your listening preference. I listened to "Company" by Patricia Barber, whose voice is sibilant. Now, I actually enjoy sibilance (which is an exaggerated "S" sound in vocals). And it sounded especially noticeable on the 8SS. Of course, for listeners who don't like sibilance and find it harsh on the ears, this would be a negative. Also in the track, I picked up on lots of details in Barber's voice, such as little catches of breath here and there. Vocals were not particularly emotive or moody, but they were very defined.

The song "Box of Rain" by the Grateful Dead was very nice, with lovely separation between the vocal harmonies. The bass line was also very defined here -- almost like its own little song. Now, this track has some inherent warmth, so some of that came through. In contrast, the song "Better Off Dead" by Elton John had a certain sterility to it. The vocals were highly textured, but they lacked the level of warmth and intimacy that I like. The sound was almost a bit dry, which I might attribute to a high level of decay. With sounds dissipating quickly, there is nothing "hanging around" in the empty spaces to plump up the sound. Drums, meanwhile, were incredibly strong and crisp with fast decay, shown off as they are meant to in this track.

When it came to soundstage, I would say the 8SS presents with more depth than width. Imaging was pretty strong, with my mind's eye easily able to picture where various instruments and musicians were on the virtual stage.

Songs:

"Beloved Wife" (Tigerlily) -- Natalie Merchant

"Better Off Dead" (Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy) -- Elton John

"Box of Rain" (American Beauty) -- Grateful Dead

"Skating Away on the Thin Ice of a New Day" (War Child) -- Jethro Tull

Comparisons

Dragon Cable Recommendation

As mentioned, the qdc 8SS comes with a Black Dragon IEM Cable. This is Moon Audio's "do it all" IEM cable, featuring silver-plated copper strands. Copper lends warmth, musicality, body, and fullness while smoothing out the top end without sacrificing detail. Silver, meanwhile, enhances detail and clarity, resolution, and top-end sizzle for a clean, clear, open sound. Because the 8SS has a more analytical sound that is already highly detailed, a Silver Dragon cable would probably be too much. The Black Dragon combines the attributes of silver and copper to produce a well-rounded sound that maintains all of the wonderful detail of the 8SS while adding some nice weight and musicality. Now, if your goal is more specifically to warm up the vocals and smooth out the top end, I recommend adding a Bronze Dragon IEM Cable to the mix. This cable will add body and fullness to your music while giving you the vocal emotion you desire.

The Verdict

The qdc 8SS is a studio monitor that excels at what it sets out to do, which is to provide a neutral, uncolored, highly resolving, highly transparent sound experience. Its usefulness as a pro IEM is self-evident. Now, the 8SS is not a "fun" IEM (aka V-shaped -- a sound quality usually achieved through boosting the bass and treble and recessing the midrange), and it won't be a "go to" for casual listening for many people. But I think there are some audiophiles who will enjoy this sound signature. For them, the appeal will lie in the "true to life" presentation, allowing them to examine and even "get lost" in dissecting the many parts of a song or composition. And for those who really want to "know" their music, this type of sound is great for understanding how the parts of a song both stand alone and work together to make music to your ears. What's more, the neutral signature of the 8SS makes it suitable for just about any type of music.

Specifications