[Tangster]

Quote:

What size tips do you use? I use large. Still I think you may find them too bassy without applying the tape mod even after finding the perfect tip. The mid bass is really the cause for the problems on this IEM. I was just shocked at how much it actually changed the sound for the better .

Medium-small typically. I ordered a pair of medium tips, at 99p, I can always get the big and the small as well. I'm awfully tempted to go over the street and get a pair of cheap £5 JVC buds just to steal the tips off.
 
Is there any particular type of tape I sould use, I know the T50RP thread loves their transpore.

 

[lee730]

lol I used some clear scotch tape so its not so visible on the faceplate. I just use 2 very small pieces. Enough to cover the vent/screw. I'd rather not uglify them .
 

 

[Tangster]

Quote:

lol I used some clear scotch tape so its not so visible on the faceplate. I just use 2 very small pieces. Enough to cover the vent/screw. I'd rather not uglify them .
 

Damn! Why didn't Sennheiser just ship them like this? The last time I found a mod this good was the Denon MarkL and the T50RP cup dampening. Injected some much needed sparkle into the highs while lifting the veil from the mids.
 
I put a rectangle of tape over the whole side and just rimmed around the faceplate with a xacto knife. I can't tell it's there except for the shine.

 

[lee730]

Quote:

Damn! Why didn't Sennheiser just ship them like this? The last time I found a mod this good was the Denon MarkL and the T50RP cup dampening.
 
I put a rectangle of tape over the whole side and just rimmed around the faceplate with a xacto knife. I can't tell it's there except for the shine.

Most likely because of the designers own preferences/biases into the design not aligning with our own lol. That seems to be clearly evident in regards to the tips as well.... Not too often do you hear someone say the stock tips work great for them, let alone at all lol. I really enjoyed my Denon 5000s once turning them into Open Back headphones. They were the best sounding headphones I'd heard so far. Not that I've heard many headphones to begin with lol. But taking into account the price I paid for them and the amount they improved by with that simple mod was mind-boggling.

 

[H20Fidelity]

Don't give Lee a role of Scotch tape, he turns into MacGyver.

 

[Tangster]

Quote:

Most likely because of the designers own preferences/biases into the design not aligning with our own lol. That seems to be clearly evident in regards to the tips as well.... Not too often do you hear someone say the stock tips work great for them, let alone at all lol. I really enjoyed my Denon 5000s once turning them into Open Back headphones. They were the best sounding headphones I'd heard so far. Not that I've heard many headphones to begin with lol. But taking into account the price I paid for them and the amount they improved by with that simple mod was mind-boggling.

I wouldn't dare open back my D5Ks. I might open my D2Ks if I get the TH600 or find a pair of D7ks for a reasonable price.

 

[lee730]

Quote:

I wouldn't dare open back my D5Ks. I might open my D2Ks if I get the TH600 or find a pair of D7ks for a reasonable price.

Well I know since they don't make them any longer the fear of something going wrong. But to be honest you can easily take the cups off, put them on the side. Get some Velcro. Detach the cups from the frame and reattach them with Velcro to give some space between the cups and the frames. That is essentially the open back mod. It is fully reversible without any damage to your headphones. I tested it out first that way and I liked it so much I made it a permanent mod. Well not really permanent as you can always revert back to stock lol. I think the mod suites the Denon 5000s the most due to its extra emphasis on sub bass and that its mids aren't recessed like the Denon 2000 and 7000s.
 
With the mod in place the sound stage got a lot bigger and spacious/airy. The mids also came to life due to the driver being able to breath. Just such a big difference IMO with such a simple mod. Bass was no longer an issue for me. Before it was just too much sub bass. It would even vibrate my skull lol. After the mod the bass is still really good in quantity and quality. Very well balanced. The treble could be a little spicy if you pump up the volume too much.

 

[Tangster]

Quote:

Well I know since they don't make them any longer the fear of something going wrong. But to be honest you can easily take the cups off, put them on the side. Get some Velcro. Detach the cups from the frame and reattach them with Velcro to give some space between the cups and the frames. That is essentially the open back mod. It is fully reversible without any damage to your headphones. I tested it out first that way and I liked it so much I made it a permanent mod. Well not really permanent as you can always revert back to stock lol. I think the mod suites the Denon 5000s the most due to its extra emphasis on sub bass and that its mids aren't recessed like the Denon 2000 and 7000s.

Maybe it'd be less stress on my part to just get Martin to make a set of custom open cups for me.

 

[MetroBBOY]

I have a mate that owns the UE900, and I managed to score one of the grey silicone tips which are similar to the JVC tips. The UE tip only require a tiny stretch, but I must say they do sound pretty clear to me.

This will definitely suffice until the JVC comes in

 

[muscular]

Quote:

Using the same plug as depicted? He's revised the pin adaptor end. You noticed good sound nonetheless?

The sound is good, but high-end offerings like whiplash and toxic cables are a couple notches better.
Sunricky's cables sounds pretty good, at least it improves things compared to the default cable.
 
That said, u get what u pay for. A whiplash and toxic costs as much as the ie80 themselves, worth it or not is up to you.
But people like me, who didn't want to go the customs route and wants to stick with ie80's unique signature will do the whiplash upgrade.
Nevertheless, sunricky's cables will be a teaser for those interested in silver.

 

[burtomr]

Quote:

Nevertheless, sunricky's cables will be a teaser for those interested in silver.

 
Agreed.  100% Silver (vs. silver plated copper) cables will give you the greatest improvement. 

 

[MetroBBOY]

That's awesome. Well I'm not really a big advocate of spending $$$ on cables, but I'll give sunricky's cables a go. I like the look of the braided cables and colour, so even if I don't notice any sonic difference, at least they'll look nice.

 

[HONEYBOY]

I haven't warmed up to these IE80 as much as I thought I would. Apart from the very slight improvement in clarity, mid-bass reduction, and a tad more treble detail, there isn't much to write home about. As such, I can't endorse these as an upgrade to the IE8. To my ears the IE80s sounds like a crude version of the IE8. The sound signature is very much the same, but some how some of the IE8's magic in its finesse to bring the music together is gone. I am often loath to modify my phones, but will give the simple 'tape mod' a try before trading or selling em'.

 

[MetroBBOY]

I bought the Nano 7G last night, and hooked it up to my IE80. I'm confident that the music capability is slightly better than the iPhone 5.
 
I'll do some A/Bing later on, but seems that the IE80 just got about 10% better now. 

 

[Eugguy]

The ie80 is the one headphone that has been getting the most use in my collection as of late.