LOL.. just go ahead and tell 'em, man!
Actually.. I'm sure some of you are already familiar with them if you've tip rolled for other IEMs. The
Auvio tips (available at from Radio Shack) offer a
fantastic sound & fit on the FXD80. Not only does it provide the most transparent sound I've heard from the 80s... they're extremely comfortable.. arguably the most comfortable tips I've worn. They'll work with a variety of IEMs too (they were my favorite tips for the Silver Bullet, as well).
They look a little like the Sony hybrids.. but from the moment you feel them in your hands, you can tell they're better constructed. The outer rubber is thicker but softer and more pliable. The (colored) inner gasket (that hugs the IEMs nozzle) is thicker & more secure too. They feature a nice, wide bore opening so none of the 80's driver nozzle is covered. Also, the tips are longer than the hybrid tips so they'll accommodate "long nozzle" phones (like the 80) with ease. Best of all they're (relatively) quite affordable.. only 7.99 for a pack with a variety of sizes.
I, too, found the stock tips excessively stiff and sharp. Rolling a variety of other tips tended to do some funky things with the mid bass and collapsed treble response pretty strongly in some cases. The Auvio tips were the best tips I've rolled onto the 80s to date. Dale (from Aurisonics) originally included these with the AS-2 prototype I auditioned. He too raved about the comfort they provided and they are his 'go to' tips, as well.
One of the most fun tips I rolled onto the 80 was the HiFiMan biflange that comes with the RE262/RE272 (the standard biflange, not the massive one with a large amount of space between the two flanges). If you want to hear
incredibly airy, sparkly treble and a very balanced bass response, give these guys a shot.. man it was a fun sound! Sibilance can appear pretty quickly if you've got even borderline mediocre recordings.. plus the center imaging didn't seems right (music was split heavily to the left and right).
One thing I have found is that insertion depth & angling is exceedingly important with this phone. I've seen how drastically midbass & treble can be impacted by slight changes in angling and depth.. so carefully experiment and see what works best for you.