[clinkzclinkz]

Honestly never tried with the iPhone, because it doesn't support APTX, only SBC. The cable is flat, rubber, confortable, and not heavy to carry on.

Got it thanks! I am thinking use it when running. BTW some dumb question here, if the source has aptx, then no matter what the source is, the sound coming from the westone bluetooth cable will be the same right?

 

[mcemce13]

If the source has Aptx then yes, it will negotiate to connect to the Westone with APTX. But in the case of iPhone it only supports SBC, so it will connect to the westone using SBC, not APTX.

 

[clinkzclinkz]

If the source has Aptx then yes, it will negotiate to connect to the Westone with APTX. But in the case of iPhone it only supports SBC, so it will connect to the westone using SBC, not APTX.

OK I got it thanks!

 

[twister6]

Got it thanks! I am thinking use it when running. BTW some dumb question here, if the source has aptx, then no matter what the source is, the sound coming from the westone bluetooth cable will be the same right?

Pretty much, any source that supports it will encode the audio using aptX codec (supposed to be less compression and wider bandwidth), and the cable will decode this digital signal and use internal DAC to drive IEMs. So, the source could be any variable supporting aptX codec, while the target (BT cable) is the "constant" with it's own built-in DAC that will drive your in-ears.

 

[clinkzclinkz]

Pretty much, any source that supports it will encode the audio using aptX codec (supposed to be less compression and wider bandwidth), and the cable will decode this digital signal and use internal DAC to drive IEMs. So, the source could be any variable supporting aptX codec, while the target (BT cable) is the "constant" with it's own built-in DAC that will drive your in-ears.

Thank you very much for the detailed answer! It is very useful. Nice! The cable has its own DAC!

 

[sanjeewasam]

After 2-3 weeks with the used W80 that I got for $740 I am loving it. I returned the ALO cable for partial refund as it had bit of damage and for me EPIC cable is good enough and I like it for more balanced signature.
I am really loving this IEM. This is super comfortable to wear and the laid back but good resolving nature of this super light IEM is just great and only complain is that I do not want to take them off. Similar to HE1000 I really like this and it put me to sleep whilst listening. It does the job in the background and never harsh or in your face (say like Focal Elears etc). I am so glad that I got this for a good price.

I was about to give up on IEMs and I said to my self that if W80 does not do it then it would be my last try on IEM and W80 definitely is a keep. I tried AKG K3003, JH Roxanne and Shure SE846 before and all of that did not give any hope of substituting my full size HPs and could not wear those for more than one hour. With W80 I even do not notice that I am wearing IEM. Great product

 

[twister6]

After 2-3 weeks with the used W80 that I got for $740 I am loving it. I returned the ALO cable for partial refund as it had bit of damage and for me EPIC cable is good enough and I like it for more balanced signature.
I am really loving this IEM. This is super comfortable to wear and the laid back but good resolving nature of this super light IEM is just great and only complain is that I do not want to take them off. Similar to HE1000 I really like this and it put me to sleep whilst listening. It does the job in the background and never harsh or in your face (say like Focal Elears etc). I am so glad that I got this for a good price.

I was about to give up on IEMs and I said to my self that if W80 does not do it then it would be my last try on IEM and W80 definitely is a keep. I tried AKG K3003, JH Roxanne and Shure SE846 before and all of that did not give any hope of substituting my full size HPs and could not wear those for more than one hour. With W80 I even do not notice that I am wearing IEM. Great product

The only difference, you can't fall asleep with HE1000 on your head, but with W80 it's not a problem

Btw, any brief comparison of W80 to K3003, Roxanne, and 846? Not sure if you owned them or just briefly auditioned, sometimes it's hard to go by memory. I only had 846 loaner for a week awhile back, but never had a chance to listen to others.

 

[clinkzclinkz]

Me too, and I have to say I totally agree with twister6's point on ALO ref 8 cable. After some time now, I found myself enjoy this ref8 cable more and more, if no better than the epic cable.

Personally I listen to apple music, tidal and spotify. I use phone/ipad/laptop directly or dragonfly red, apogee groove as portable external dac to be the source. The sound directly from my alienware is awful, anything coming from dragonfly red is soso but the sound I like the most so far is my 2016 macbook pro with touchbar directly, it sounds better than my 2013 macbook pro or any portable external dac I have with absolutely 0 hiss sound when idle. (I can hear obvious hiss sound with others). I use to compare the imaging, at 1:00, there will be a car driving by and I found the 2016 macbook pro's position and imaging extremely good. (tough the dac in the macbook seems lock at 48khz/24bits, which is the lowest). Apogee groove claims it has 115db SNR I guess 2016 macbook pro maybe over 120 but I am not sure but the difference is very huge between it and others like the dragonfly red.

But macbook pro 16 can not be portable use. May I ask is there a dap or dac that is equally good as it? (that can use apple music (android now can use apple music too, spotify or tidal) (0 hiss, clean sound, detailed, great separation, imaging, position while non-fatigue). Thank you!

 

[tyrion274al]

Is w80 and Effect lionheart a good pair-up?

 

[twister6]

Is w80 and Effect lionheart a good pair-up?

I only have Lionheart in 2pin, so can't say it for sure, but based on the general Lionheart sound sig it should pair up great. Just make sure to chose Psquare connector.

If you are interested, i reviewed Lionheart here : https://twister6.com/2017/07/28/effect-audio-lionheart-premium-cable/

 

[sanjeewasam]

The only difference, you can't fall asleep with HE1000 on your head, but with W80 it's not a problem

Btw, any brief comparison of W80 to K3003, Roxanne, and 846? Not sure if you owned them or just briefly auditioned, sometimes it's hard to go by memory. I only had 846 loaner for a week awhile back, but never had a chance to listen to others.

I try.

K3003- it is IEM for reference listening. Good highs, mids and base when you have good seal. Mojo is a good pairing or a warmer DAP. For me this is almost like HD800 in sound signature
Roxanne- Highs not extended. Like LCD2s. Mids good but resolution lacking (bit muddy). Very uncomfortable to wear for long. Need a a brighter DAP
SE846- well the least favourite. I do not like sound signature. Highs not extended
W80- I now use ALO Litz balanced 2.5mm and is it even better than Ref8 and Epic single unbalanced. Overall best- comfort, musicality and balance of base/mids and highs. Can use for hours and hours without any issue.
Isine20- Great sound, difficult to get a good fit as the tube itself if larger than XS tip and I use XS . Without iphone specific cable sound not that great. Need to EQ carefully as otherwise the vocals become bit artificial.

Value for money- Isine20>K3003>W80>SE846>JHR
Comfort- W80> K3003> SE846> Isine20> JHR
Musicality- W80> Isine20> JHR> SE846> K3003
Referencing K3003> W80
Best for female vocals- K3003 >= W80
Acoustic music- Isine20>JHR>=W80
Sound stage- Isine20>W80> JHR> K3003

 

[youngarthur]

After 2-3 weeks with the used W80 that I got for $740 I am loving it. I returned the ALO cable for partial refund as it had bit of damage and for me EPIC cable is good enough and I like it for more balanced signature.
I am really loving this IEM. This is super comfortable to wear and the laid back but good resolving nature of this super light IEM is just great and only complain is that I do not want to take them off. Similar to HE1000 I really like this and it put me to sleep whilst listening. It does the job in the background and never harsh or in your face (say like Focal Elears etc). I am so glad that I got this for a good price.

I was about to give up on IEMs and I said to my self that if W80 does not do it then it would be my last try on IEM and W80 definitely is a keep. I tried AKG K3003, JH Roxanne and Shure SE846 before and all of that did not give any hope of substituting my full size HPs and could not wear those for more than one hour. With W80 I even do not notice that I am wearing IEM. Great product

I am going the other way, in that I am giving up over ears, and going IEM. I am seeing if I can deal HEK V1 for the W80. We shall see.

 

[sanjeewasam]

I am going the other way, in that I am giving up over ears, and going IEM. I am seeing if I can deal HEK V1 for the W80. We shall see.

But make sure that you will not miss HE1K. I sold my Violectric amp/dac etc and still kept AKG K812. I am still missing my HE1K and I think I will get it again some day if I still enjoy music. None of the IEMs will come anywhere close to HE1K -irrespective whatever people say. None of my IEMs I have/had come even anywhere close to AKG K812 so no point in talking about HE1K. I asked this question from very few people who has LCDi4s and other ~$4k IEMs and everyone said that they would give up their HE1K for IEMs. So think hard before you do it. I started asking the questions from many senior people which IEM would be similar or HE1K and one recommendation was W80 and other said LCDi4. And I know that W80 is no HE1K replacement (only similarity is both musical and you get lost in music) and others confirmed that LCDi4 is not. I reach out to people via private messages and most of them gladly spend time to share their experiences and that is the best thing about headfi because hype is everywhere

 

[twister6]

But make sure that you will not miss HE1K. I sold my Violectric amp/dac etc and still kept AKG K812. I am still missing my HE1K and I think I will get it again some day if I still enjoy music. None of the IEMs will come anywhere close to HE1K -irrespective whatever people say. None of my IEMs I have/had come even anywhere close to AKG K812 so no point in talking about HE1K. I asked this question from very few people who has LCDi4s and other ~$4k IEMs and everyone said that they would give up their HE1K for IEMs. So think hard before you do it. I started asking the questions from many senior people which IEM would be similar or HE1K and one recommendation was W80 and other said LCDi4. And I know that W80 is no HE1K replacement (only similarity is both musical and you get lost in music) and others confirmed that LCDi4 is not. I reach out to people via private messages and most of them gladly spend time to share their experiences and that is the best thing about headfi because hype is everywhere

And that just proves that everyone's opinion is very subjective, which you should take with a grain of salt Not because people want to mislead you, but rather because we hear things differently, have different hearing sensitivity, use different sources, etc. And of course, there is hype and a new-toy-syndrome CanJam and Had-fi local meets are probably the best places where you can get a chance to listen to different gear with your own ears, to make your own final decision. I'm not saying to stop reading reviews or PMing other members, it helps to narrow down your choices. But the final decision is solely up to you!

 

[sanjeewasam]

And that just proves that everyone's opinion is very subjective, which you should take with a grain of salt Not because people want to mislead you, but rather because we hear things differently, have different hearing sensitivity, use different sources, etc. And of course, there is hype and a new-toy-syndrome CanJam and Had-fi local meets are probably the best places where you can get a chance to listen to different gear with your own ears, to make your own final decision. I'm not saying to stop reading reviews or PMing other members, it helps to narrow down your choices. But the final decision is solely up to you!

100% agree. However there are lot of us who can not get an audition or go to a Canjam and local headfi meetings as cost /time is prohibitive.