[davehutch]

In comparison to W80 or just in general? I only spent a short time with iSine20 at CJ/NYC and to be honest didn't find it to be my cup of tea. They were too warm, not as resolving, and soundstage was way too much out of my head to the point where I had a hard time focusing on the music and the vocals. Maybe I had different expectations, thinking it will be tuned brighter, more resolving. Of course, all subjective opinion, and I have read plenty of positive feedback.

Btw, Unique Melody is about to release their own open (or semi-open) ME.1 planar magnetic iems.

Well, I have the W30s at the mo' and you probably recall me asking about potential upgrades. The Vega sounds a bit too bassy for me. I like neutral bass that goes deep. As I have the LCD-2s though, I'm obviously fond of the Audeze sound so I thought maybe the iSine 20s could serve as a mobile version for me and as an upgrade to the W30s when I'm in a quiet environment.
Regarding the soundstage, I've heard from others it's pretty wide but are you saying the imaging isn't stable? I'd like a larger image than the W30s but not at the expense of good imaging.

 

[twister6]

Well, I have the W30s at the mo' and you probably recall me asking about potential upgrades. The Vega sounds a bit too bassy for me. I like neutral bass that goes deep. As I have the LCD-2s though, I'm obviously fond of the Audeze sound so I thought maybe the iSine 20s could serve as a mobile version for me and as an upgrade to the W30s when I'm in a quiet environment.
Regarding the soundstage, I've heard from others it's pretty wide but are you saying the imaging isn't stable? I'd like a larger image than the W30s but not at the expense of good imaging.

It's hard to have an accurate assessment of the sound while attending the crowded loud show and wearing open back iems So, take my impression with a grain of salt. Maybe I will get a chance to review iSine20 later, but based on my impression I was a bit lost in the imaging, it was too much 3D where I had a hard time focusing, while listening from my own DAP to songs I'm familiar with. Also, keep in mind, I only have one pair of open back cans (R70x) so perhaps that's not my cup of tea and I prefer a more intimate staging of closed back.

It will be hard to tell if iSine20 will be an upgrade from W30 for you, we all hear things differently and you already have LCD-2s. Do you have a chance to audition iSine20 at your local dealer/distributor? That would be my advice, bring your source with you and your pair of LCDs and W30, and do a/b comparison. Would be curious to hear about your impression on these.

Also, yes, I recall you PMed me. Sorry, I'm getting dozens of PMs and FB messages about headphone recommendations every single week, so sometimes it becomes a "tossed salad" in my head

 

[davehutch]

It's hard to have an accurate assessment of the sound while attending the crowded loud show and wearing open back iems So, take my impression with a grain of salt. Maybe I will get a chance to review iSine20 later, but based on my impression I was a bit lost in the imaging, it was too much 3D where I had a hard time focusing, while listening from my own DAP to songs I'm familiar with. Also, keep in mind, I only have one pair of open back cans (R70x) so perhaps that's not my cup of tea and I prefer a more intimate staging of closed back.

It will be hard to tell if iSine20 will be an upgrade from W30 for you, we all hear things differently and you already have LCD-2s. Do you have a chance to audition iSine20 at your local dealer/distributor? That would be my advice, bring your source with you and your pair of LCDs and W30, and do a/b comparison. Would be curious to hear about your impression on these.

Also, yes, I recall you PMed me. Sorry, I'm getting dozens of PMs and FB messages about headphone recommendations every single week, so sometimes it becomes a "tossed salad" in my head

No problem at all. Yes my next step is to have a nice long audition as it's difficult to find anywhere with a decent return process for in-ears.
I heard them briefly at a dealer a couple of months ago but I'm fascinated by them so will have another try.
OK, enough off-topic now, sorry about that

 

[twister6]

No problem at all. Yes my next step is to have a nice long audition as it's difficult to find anywhere with a decent return process for in-ears.
I heard them briefly at a dealer a couple of months ago but I'm fascinated by them so will have another try.
OK, enough off-topic now, sorry about that

It's not an off-topic, man. Actually, since you do care about open sound and you do currently have W30, I think you should also consider AM Pro 30. Just read my review (if you find it on HF now lol!!! or maybe just easier to go to my blog twister6.com) - am pro 30 should be an upgrade to your W30, it's like an open back performance while you still keep the bass

 

[davehutch]

It's not an off-topic, man. Actually, since you do care about open sound and you do currently have W30, I think you should also consider AM Pro 30. Just read my review (if you find it on HF now lol!!! or maybe just easier to go to my blog twister6.com) - am pro 30 should be an upgrade to your W30, it's like an open back performance while you still keep the bass

Thanks, I'll take a look

 

[zidius]

W80 is an endgame uiem for me .It might not be THE best IEM i've heard ( well it is one of the best nonetheless) but if you also put comfort , form , zero fatigue into consideration , the W80 is quite amazing

 

[twister6]

W80 is an endgame uiem for me .It might not be THE best IEM i've heard ( well it is one of the best nonetheless) but if you also put comfort , form , zero fatigue into consideration , the W80 is quite amazing

For some W80 will be an endgame, for others ES80 Already available on Westone site:

 

[hkpm]

For some W80 will be an endgame, for others ES80 Already available on Westone site:

I wonder how different it would be from ES60.

 

[twister6]

I wonder how different it would be from ES60.

I haven't shared my impression yet because I have a pre-production prototype. Should have the production unit with a final tuning soon... But yeah, different from ES60 and different from W80

 

[Down4wotever]

Twister6, I'm excitedly waiting for your review of the ES80s!

 

[twister6]

Twister6, I'm excitedly waiting for your review of the ES80s!

I sent my prototype back today to get the final tuning. Now, the waiting begins!

 

[HiFiGuy528]

my current end-game IEM + Sony 4.4mm balanced upgrade cable. On the Sony Signature Series desktop amp, it's stunning....

 

[twister6]

Oh, this is definitely Classic!!! From 1996, Ultimate Ears by Westone. Really cool read:

 

[SSJ3TM]

I have a question for anyone here who has experience with open over-ear headphones and this particular iem. I have never heard a pair of over-ear headphones of any kind before. I have only owned in-ears like the sony mdr-ex700lp (which I hated), shure se535 (which I liked more), and currently the westone w40 (which I really like). The reason for this is because I like the idea of having one pair of headphones that is practical in any situation. But lately I have been wondering if I am perhaps missing something great by never experiencing an open over ear headphone before. I have been doing some research and creating a budget. At this point if I were to buy an over-ear headphone, I think it would be the mr. speakers ether flows. But now I have come across this w80 thread. I really like my w40s in terms of comfort and their laid back sound signature, and it looks like the w80 is exactly what I’m looking for in terms of improvements over the w40. If I were to buy another IEM, it would be these. Also, I keep seeing comments in this thread about how wide and open the soundstage is on these w80s, which I often hear is the main selling point of open over-ear headphones. However, nowhere in this thread does anyone compare these IEMs to over-ear headphones. So, keeping in mind that I am mainly focused on the ether flow and w80, my question is this: are open over-ear headphones a completely different experience than universal IEMs. Does the fact that no one on this thread has compared this iem to an over-ear mean it’s impractical to even compare them? Is there something significant that I am missing out on by never hearing an open over-ear headphone?

 

[twister6]

@SSJ3TM, personally, I have a lot less experience with full size cans in comparison to iems because I like a portable setup. Only tried a few open backs, and have ATH-R70x with me which I really like, but the biggest deciding factor for me is not only portability but also isolation and sound leakage. You have to realize, open back is just that - you are going to hear what's going on outside and people outside will be quite aware of what you are listening to.

With a soundstage, when people talk about W80 they typically compare it to other iems. It's impressive, but relative to other in-ear monitors. You are jamming a pair of tiny shells into your ears, sealing your earcanal, and rely on the magic of manufacturer to tune the drivers to give you wide and natural spacing/imaging. Btw, as a spoiler, the prototype of ES80 I heard has among the widest soundstage expansions I heard in iems, really pushing the envelope, but it still won't match something like R70x which doesn't just have open wide soundstage, but you feel like you are listening to speakers surrounding you in a natural open space environment without any air pressure around you. You can try AM Pro series, Westone's "ambient" series, but still you are dealing with a small vent in comparison to a huge open back surface of full size.

Another alternative is something like Audeze iSine 10/20 or Unique Melody ME.1, both of which are open back planar magnetic iems. Also, many on headfi will tell you that you can't call yourself a true audiophile unless you got either HD600 or HD650 in your collection lol!!!