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Sennheiser IE80's Impressions Thread
Jun 5, 2014 at 3:24 PM Post #5,494 of 7,699
What are the best current aftermarket cable options for the IE80?  I know some that were popular are no longer production...
 
Jun 11, 2014 at 11:16 AM Post #5,498 of 7,699
Here is a post from a beginner, who had to find out the difference between headphones and earphones by himself, as there was no useful comparison or review available on the net.

I was always on low budget. But quality audio got me from my first ear-canal earphones experience, the Sony MDR-E51, like 15 years ago . Lol. :)

Through the IE7, I got to IE80, with upgrade cable, and custom moulds. I love how they sound. However I was always wondering, how good headphones sound compared to them. 
So as I had the financial resources, I bought my Sennheiser HD600, with a nice headphone amp. (I already owned a nice DAC with my IE80.)

 Here is my answer from my own experience, for the question of IEM or headphone issue.

In a nutshell: headphones.
In more details:

Headphones (HD600):
Pro's: 
- much more balanced sound. 
- much more clarity, clearness
- wider soundstage, mids and highs are truly amazing after IEM (opened, full, detailed)

Con's:
- while bass is present and full and airy, it is not as punchy as on the IEM

IEMs (IE80):
Pro's:
- only the punchier bass. nothing else.

Con's:
- all the pro's of the headphones

Summary:
Headphones give you a much more enjoyable listening experience. 
You almost feel, you are in a room, listening to live music. Not like the "music is played in your head" kind of experience.
I still miss that brain shivering bass from the IEMs, but I just can not take the headphones off my head after 3-4 hours of listening.
It is so much better.
 
 
Jun 13, 2014 at 5:15 AM Post #5,499 of 7,699
Comparing iems to headphones is like sort of like comparing a bicycle to a car. Both have the same function but utilize different materials/housing/parts. The IE80 has a lot of strengths as do the hd600. HD600 is more or less a pleasing headphone. It isn't really great at one thing, but good at a lot of things. I do have both and they both receive ample ear time.
 
Jun 13, 2014 at 5:23 AM Post #5,500 of 7,699
eugguy said:
Comparing iems to headphones is like sort of like comparing a bicycle to a car. 
Click to expand...

That to me implies one is superior to the other. Not so for me personally. I prefer the analogy apples and oranges. Both have strengths in different situations and both give a listening experience that are equally enjoyable for different reasons.IMHO.
 
Jun 13, 2014 at 6:25 AM Post #5,501 of 7,699
eugguy said:
Comparing iems to headphones is like sort of like comparing a bicycle to a car. Both have the same function but utilize different materials/housing/parts. The IE80 has a lot of strengths as do the hd600. HD600 is more or less a pleasing headphone. It isn't really great at one thing, but good at a lot of things. I do have both and they both receive ample ear time.
Click to expand...


I would rather comparing a motorcycle to  car,rather than a bicycle :)
That is the strenght of many Sennheiser top products that they are god on a lot of things and so worth their Price.One of the big diiferences here apart from their Looks is the fact you don´t Need an amp for the IE80, plug into your iPhone and enjoy the wonderfull Sound, the HD600 Needs amping to get the best out of it, apart from that, it is a classic.
 
Jun 13, 2014 at 9:36 AM Post #5,503 of 7,699

Of push bikes, pennyfarthings, horseless carriages and the like. I don’t think comparing the two Senn products is all that wrong.
Disclaimer, I know bugger all about headphone design or audio electronics beyond the odd bits and pieces I have read in Head-Fi plus product blurbs. As far as I know, Senn IE80 uses one dynamic driver versus most other IEMs which I think use multiple balanced drivers. And well, I can only speak for Senn HD 800 not 600 but I suspect they are similar in construction and use, I assume, one driver. To me the SQ of both the Senn IEM and Headphone is more similar compared with the difference between the Senn HD800 and other IEMs that use multiple balanced drivers. I am theorizing that this is because one “tuning” per ear piece, be it Phone or Bud is the reason for this versus various multiple different tunings for the various balanced drivers. This may be why I like the Senn IE80 for daily listening. I do use the HD800 when I first purchase a CD to get a full flavour of all the detail, but the cumbersome can on a head and recharging headphone amps sees me using the most comfortable IEMS to my mind IE80s. Sometimes I use IEMs with more balanced drivers that do give more detail etc but I still find the IE80 most pleasing, ie natural like the sound I would hear in a concert hall. Maybe I am wrong in my assumptions about one versus multiples tunings being the reason. If so some head-fier will flame me and hopefully fill in the correct details about phone constructions.
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