[ofnep]

   
for sibilance, my advice would be to go for different tips. they can have a pretty massive impact on the signature. see the graph I posted last page, those are extreme changes I could get from changing insertion depth, tips and level of seal.
the other obvious solution is to use an EQ to lower wherever you need it. maybe try around 5 / 5.5khz first and see what that does?
 
the cable, I felt like you at first, but cable noises are relatively low IMO. and it's light, so for most uses, I find it to be actually a nice cable. but I sure see where you come from, it feels very cheap.

thanks,
I'll look into it. 
 
 

Let them burn in for a couple of days. Experiment with the tips untill you have the best fit. I still love them after 2 years, so no panic

I'll let them burn in for few more days,Hopefully it gets better. I quite like the sonics of this iem, shame about the sibilance. 

 

[holden4th]

The tips I've found that work best with the IE80 are:
 
Spinfits
Ortofon Q5s
JVC Spiral Dots
Auvios (from Radio Shack).
 
Very little sibilance with the Spinfits or Ortofons. The JVCs less so. The Auvios are available from any Radio Shack and are dirt cheap so you might like to try these first. They are a big step up from the stock tips.

 

[BlackDog]

Big wall of frustration coming up.

Dear IE80 enthusiast.

Today it marks my first month with my IE80 and I can't even express how much frustration, sadness and disappointment I feel. Yesterday was my breaking point where I concluded I just hate the IE80. For the life of me, I just can't get them to "work" with metal. I have tried almost everything suggested on this topic: burn in, tape mod, change of source, EQ; but none of this has helped me to achieve the sound I was looking for.

Now allow me to elaborate. Before the IE80 I used for over a year the CX 5.0 (a mid tier IEM from Sennheiser which I believe has an almost identical sound signature as the Momentums). While the CX 5.0 are far from perfect, I enjoyed their sound signature: sharp, forward, electrifying, fast, harsh etc... Once I find out my desired EQ (pumping the 1k and 2k) I knew this was the type of Sound I was looking for metal. The sound where everything is in your face, where the rhythm guitars scream and where the drums kicks you in your private parts.

The idea on pulling the trigger on the IE80 was to obtain that same sound signature (sharp, forward, aggressive) but with much more clarity and better isolation (in the country where I live, you are doomed if you plan to listen music on the public transport if you don't have perfect isolation). Turns out IE80 had such clarity and instrument separation, but the sound signature I was looking for is all gone: rhythm guitars sound so distant, and all the instruments sound so separated that everything feels so far away. Actually, if I have to make an analogy with planes (out of all things), the IE80 feels like a luxury private plane, where the CX feels more like a military jet. Plus, the isolation is a step backwards from the CX. Turns out the only place where I can get a little joy out of the IE80 is at home, when everything is quiet and calm (this being my 5% of the day). As I was saying, yesterday was my breaking point. For you see, I took my Old CX to the gym yesterday, only to find out how much of my music I was not enjoying with the IE80. How dark and slow felt this last with my CX.

So here I am today not believing I paid around $350 for something that never suited me in the first place (everything sounded great in paper: huge sound stage, detailed sound, clarity; but in reality it has been a whole different story). Not believing either the amount of time I have spent on trying to "fix" the IE80 (on a product that belongs to the entry top tier class). The bones in my ears hurt so much, since I been trying to insert the IE80 so deep inside of me (I was trying to figure out if my problems where due to sound leakage).

I honestly don't know where to go now: get rid of the IE80 at any cost and find something else, or spend more money on better tips and cables in the sheer hope this IEM suits my needs all of the sudden (again, think in the plane analogy). The latter doesn't make me to happy, as wasting more money on a $350 phone in order to fix everything that might be considered an issue is just foolish.

Besides exposing my frustration and using this topic as my public handkerchief, I also want to learn of my experience (the first lesson being doing a whole lot more of research before pulling the trigger on something this expensive). For you see, I have been thinking ever since yesterday why does the CX and IE80 differ so much in sound signature. With this post I tend to solve some questions I been having, mainly:

1. ¿What is the relationship between: clarity, separation, soundstage, isolation?

2. ¿Does better clarity means better separation?

3. ¿Does excellent isolation means horrible clarity?

4. ¿My complaints with the IE80 are due to the wide soundstage?

5. ¿What should I look in a "fighter jet" IEM (and IEM that delivers speed, attack, accurate, loudness, electricity, spark etc)?


Phew, that was a long post; but indeed invigorating. Before closing I wish to clarify some stuff I mentioned. I don't consider the IE80 to be a bad phone (perhaps overpriced but nothing else). With classical music, the IE80 outperforms any phone I have tried (listening Rachmaninov piano concerts on them brings tear to any eye). Even on the metal genre, Dream Theater keyboards sound like anything I have heard before (yes, my main complaint are the rhythm guitars). So please understand, I have no issues with the IE80 quality, but with the sound signature of the IE80. It's just a matter of personal taste.

 

[Tail]

The idea on pulling the trigger on the IE80 was to obtain that same sound signature (sharp, forward, aggressive) but with much more clarity and better isolation (in the country where I live, you are doomed if you plan to listen music on the public transport if you don't have perfect isolation). Turns out IE80 had such clarity and instrument separation, but the sound signature I was looking for is all gone: rhythm guitars sound so distant, and all the instruments sound so separated that everything feels so far away.
 

 
Well, you should read reviews before you buy some product.
 
ALL reviews say it has one of the biggest soundstage ever heard on in ear earphones and that everything sounds like it's far away, for example quote from one review on head fi: "everything sounds like you are sitting in the back row of a concert hall". 
Most people find that actually enjoyable and good, gives very good sense of space (for a pair of in ear earphones). Especially if you listen to live recordings and well, rock for example and even metal, I actually like that with metal also, Iron Maiden is my favorite band for example and it sounds supreme on IE80 in my opinion, especially live albums such as Rock in Rio or Flight 666 collection. Latest Book of Souls also sounds very decent, especially Empire of the Clouds for example with violin and piano at the beginning... Metallica also sounds very decent with exception of ****ty mastered Death Magnetic, in my opinion ofc. But sound signature was accurately described in 90% of reviews, and there is ton of reviews of both IE8 and 80 (same sound).
 
About isolation, also ALL reviews say it does not have good isolation and most reviews even have it in "cons" section, before you even open the review. 
 
Also many reviews stated that clarity isn't on BA driver level so don't expect wonders. 
 
You being unhappy with them is pretty much your mistake, not enough (or any at all?) research done. 
 
EDIT: get rid of IE80, don't buy cables, it's fairy tale and they cannot change sound, Sennheiser isn't a group of idiots that would let their flagship be held back by a piece of wire

 

[betula]

Big wall of frustration coming up.

Dear IE80 enthusiast.

Today it marks my first month with my IE80 and I can't even express how much frustration, sadness and disappointment I feel. Yesterday was my breaking point where I concluded I just hate the IE80. For the life of me, I just can't get them to "work" with metal. I have tried almost everything suggested on this topic: burn in, tape mod, change of source, EQ; but none of this has helped me to achieve the sound I was looking for.

Now allow me to elaborate. Before the IE80 I used for over a year the CX 5.0 (a mid tier IEM from Sennheiser which I believe has an almost identical sound signature as the Momentums). While the CX 5.0 are far from perfect, I enjoyed their sound signature: sharp, forward, electrifying, fast, harsh etc... Once I find out my desired EQ (pumping the 1k and 2k) I knew this was the type of Sound I was looking for metal. The sound where everything is in your face, where the rhythm guitars scream and where the drums kicks you in your private parts.

The idea on pulling the trigger on the IE80 was to obtain that same sound signature (sharp, forward, aggressive) but with much more clarity and better isolation (in the country where I live, you are doomed if you plan to listen music on the public transport if you don't have perfect isolation). Turns out IE80 had such clarity and instrument separation, but the sound signature I was looking for is all gone: rhythm guitars sound so distant, and all the instruments sound so separated that everything feels so far away. Actually, if I have to make an analogy with planes (out of all things), the IE80 feels like a luxury private plane, where the CX feels more like a military jet. Plus, the isolation is a step backwards from the CX. Turns out the only place where I can get a little joy out of the IE80 is at home, when everything is quiet and calm (this being my 5% of the day). As I was saying, yesterday was my breaking point. For you see, I took my Old CX to the gym yesterday, only to find out how much of my music I was not enjoying with the IE80. How dark and slow felt this last with my CX.

So here I am today not believing I paid around $350 for something that never suited me in the first place (everything sounded great in paper: huge sound stage, detailed sound, clarity; but in reality it has been a whole different story). Not believing either the amount of time I have spent on trying to "fix" the IE80 (on a product that belongs to the entry top tier class). The bones in my ears hurt so much, since I been trying to insert the IE80 so deep inside of me (I was trying to figure out if my problems where due to sound leakage).

I honestly don't know where to go know: get rid of the IE80 at any cost and find something else, or spend more money on better tips and cables in the sheer hope this IEM suits my needs all of the sudden (again, think in the plane analogy). The latter doesn't make me to happy, as wasting more money on a $350 phone in order to fix everything that might be considered an issue is just foolish.

Besides exposing my frustration and using this topic as my public handkerchief, I also want to learn of my experience (the first lesson being doing a whole lot more of research before pulling the trigger on something this expensive). For you see, I have been thinking ever since yesterday why does the CX and IE80 differ so much in sound signature. With this post I tend to solve some questions I been having, mainly:

1. ¿What is the relationship between: clarity, separation, soundstage, isolation?

2. ¿Does better clarity means better separation?

3. ¿Does excellent isolation means horrible clarity?

4. ¿My complaints with the IE80 are due to the wide soundstage?

5. ¿What should I look in a "fighter jet" IEM (and IEM that delivers speed, attack, accurate, loudness, electricity, spark etc)?


Phew, that was a long post; but indeed invigorating. Before closing I wish to clarify some stuff I mentioned. I don't consider the IE80 to be a bad phone (perhaps overpriced but nothing else). With classical music, the IE80 outperforms any phone I have tried (listening Rachmaninov piano concerts on them brings tear to any eye). Even on the metal genre, Dream Theater keyboards sound like anything I have heard before (yes, my main complaint are the rhythm guitars). So please understand, I have no issues with the IE80 quality, but with the sound signature of the IE80. It's just a matter of personal taste.

I am not sure I completely understand your problem, but here is my 2cents.

Reading your story I was thinking, it must be isolation issue. At first I would suggest to look for a better tip. Even if you think, you have a good isolation, it might be just 70-80% of a perfect isolation. And that 20-30% on this level is a lot. (I ended up with custom tips.)

If you tried IE80 with perfect isolation, I could hardly understand, you still have a problem.
In case you do not like IE80 sound even if you have perfect isolation, I probably would advise you towards closed over ear headphones, rather than IEMs.
 
Let's see your questions. All of my answers are completely personal, not general truth.

1,  All of these are different attributes of the sound. To me they mean the folllowing:
   - clarity: there is no background noise, no veil, you can clearly hear every sound and instrument in all its details
   - separation: instruments sound separated, nothing "melts" together.
   - soundstage: the size of the stage where the music is "happening"
   - isolation: how much you are isolated from outside noise, and how much the earphones leak sound.

2, Better clarity usually means better separation. But these two things have nothing to do with each other.

3, Definitely not. Better isolation usually means you can hear the "full" clarity of the headphones. But again, these two things have nothing to do with each other.

 4, I do not think so.  I am quite sure, this is isolation issue. I can not imagine, anyone would prefer the sound of Cx5.0 over IE80.
If that is the case, go and buy Beats.



 

 

[Tail]

1. ¿What is the relationship between: clarity, separation, soundstage, isolation?

2. ¿Does better clarity means better separation?

3. ¿Does excellent isolation means horrible clarity?

4. ¿My complaints with the IE80 are due to the wide soundstage?

5. ¿What should I look in a "fighter jet" IEM (and IEM that delivers speed, attack, accurate, loudness, electricity, spark etc)?

 

1. Some people, somehow, see separation as independent sound spec with earphones/headphones which is not possible. Perception of good instrument separation is in direct connection with the clarity of earphones. If they sound clear you'll be able to tell instruments one from another better. So better the clarity = better the separation. Soundstage however is a bit different thing and again many things can affect it. How big earphone housing is, how big vent on earphones (how much air comes into them) is, for example, when you tape the vent on IE80, you will hear "less" soundstage. Also certain sound signature can give you perception of bigger soundstage, usually (not exclusively tho) a bit V shaped sound earphones have bigger sense of soundstage while those mid forward or flatter response earphones have less soundstage. 
 
2. Yes, since separation isn't some abstract magic. It's sense of how separated instruments are one from another, clearer the sound better the separation, even tho some people say they have nothing to do with each other, that is not possible (well at least how I see it). 
 
3. No and yes. If earphones are bassy and you have a good seal, you will hear more "rumbling" bass which again gives you worse perception of clarity, but there are supreme isolation earphones that sound very clear, so that has little to do with each other in general, tho I found that to be the case with IE80, and that is the reason I use normal silicone tips and not foam ones with IE80, bass becomes rumbling and I hear everything less clear, maybe it's some brain trick, maybe not but it was my experience with IE80 as well. 
 
4. Well you know that, obviously you don't want too big soundstage like IE80 have. 
 
5. My suggestion is to check out old Sony's flagships, EX700, EX1000... they are supremely fast for dynamic driver earphones, a lot more clear than IE80 with better controlled bass, similar good extension of sub bass but less mid bass = clearer mids = clearer overall. Also a bit less soundstage if you ask me, IE80 can sound like you are listening trough a barrel sometimes. Thing is those Sony ex-flagships can have piercing highs, sparkly but can be often overwhelming in my opinion, which is why I prefer IE80 overall, but if you don't mind that you should be more than good to do with them. EX1000 can be still found around for ~400-500$ 

 

[BlackDog]

   
Well, you should read reviews before you buy some product.
 
ALL reviews say it has one of the biggest sound stage ever heard on in ear earphones and that everything sounds like it's far away, for example quote from one review on head fi: "everything sounds like you are sitting in the back row of a concert hall". 
Most people find that actually enjoyable and good, gives very good sense of space (for a pair of in ear earphones). Especially if you listen to live recordings and well, rock for example and even metal, I actually like that with metal also, Iron Maiden is my favorite band for example and it sounds supreme on IE80 in my opinion, especially live albums such as Rock in Rio or Flight 666 collection. Latest Book of Souls also sounds very decent, especially Empire of the Clouds for example with violin and piano at the beginning... Metallica also sounds very decent with exception of ****ty mastered Death Magnetic, in my opinion ofc. But sound signature was accurately described in 90% of reviews, and there is ton of reviews of both IE8 and 80 (same sound).
 
About isolation, also ALL reviews say it does not have good isolation and most reviews even have it in "cons" section, before you even open the review. 
 
Also many reviews stated that clarity isn't on BA driver level so don't expect wonders. 
 
You being unhappy with them is pretty much your mistake, not enough (or any at all?) research done. 
 
EDIT: get rid of IE80, don't buy cables, it's fairy tale and they cannot change sound, Sennheiser isn't a group of idiots that would let their flagship be held back by a piece of wire

 
I did read many reviews. As a matter of fact, I've read all the reviews on this site, as well on others. You see, the only thing I missed was this topic where some users complained about the sound signature of the IE80 with heavy metal (I recall someone saying they managed to drive any genre but heavy metal?). I knew I was expecting an average isolation, but I never thought to myself it was like this. And that's the problem with reviews, many things can be described on a review, but no review can describe you what your experience will be because it is a matter of taste. 
 
I know it is my fault, I never stated it otherwise, hence my last comment on that long post I made. I am not saying the IE80 is a bad IEM, and I'm not saying everyone who likes it is an ignorant fool. I am just describing a taste and a product that didn't satisfied such taste. 
 

 
I am not sure I completely understand your problem, but here is my 2cents.

Reading your story I was thinking, it must be isolation issue. At first I would suggest to look for a better tip. Even if you think, you have a good isolation, it might be just 70-80% of a perfect isolation. And that 20-30% on this level is a lot. (I ended up with custom tips.)

If you tried IE80 with perfect isolation, I could hardly understand, you still have a problem.
In case you do not like IE80 sound even if you have perfect isolation, I probably would advise you towards closed over ear headphones, rather than IEMs.
 
Let's see your questions. All of my answers are completely personal, not general truth.

1,  All of these are different attributes of the sound. To me they mean the folllowing:
   - clarity: there is no background noise, no veil, you can clearly hear every sound and instrument in all its details
   - separation: instruments sound separated, nothing "melts" together.
   - soundstage: the size of the stage where the music is "happening"
   - isolation: how much you are isolated from outside noise, and how much the earphones leak sound.

2, Better clarity usually means better separation. But these two things have nothing to do with each other.

3, Definitely not. Better isolation usually means you can hear the "full" clarity of the headphones. But again, these two things have nothing to do with each other.

 4, I do not think so.  I am quite sure, this is isolation issue. I can not imagine, anyone would prefer the sound of Cx5.0 over IE80.
If that is the case, go and buy Beats.



 

 
Perhaps (as usual) i derailed my long post from describing my main problem. Here is the thing, as of today I dont like the IE80 and (yes, kill me now) I preffer the CX. 
My problem is that I don't know if my complains of the IE80 are due to a poor isolation or due to the signature sound, and therefore I don't know if spend on a pair of new tips or just abandon this ship and look for another IEM. As I mentioned, I don't know how much of the sound stage is affecting this sound signature I like. One where everything is (in your face) and where the rhythm guitars are predominant over other any instrument. 
 
Returning to the isolation, I have tested all the tips that Senn included with the IE80, as some of my previous tips (surprisingly, I got the best fit with a V shaped tip from a B&W IEM ). I have shoved the IE80 so deep in my ear canal that as of today I still feel some pain. Hell, the IE80 even made me doubt about how to use IEMs correctly. For one moment I thought "maybe I have been using IEMs wrong all of my life?". But all the tips either fall out of place or once inserted deep (as in, really deep) in my ear canal, the pain strikes past 5 minutes. 
 
I understand the fact that I preffer the CX over the IE80 is beyond sanity, but here is another key factor. I don't work in a quiet place, neither I have my own car. Around 70% of the day I'm on the street, in places where there is too much noise. I'm afraid to even confess that 60% of the time I spent listening to music is on the bus, subway or any other public transportation vehicle. Perhaps the IE80 is a great IEM for quiet places, but how does it stack once you are on the street? 
 
Hope I described better my situation. 

 

[castleofargh]

...The idea on pulling the trigger on the IE80 was to obtain that same sound signature (sharp, forward, aggressive) but with much more clarity and better isolation ...

I'm sorry you ended up buying the wrong IEM.  I have to agree with others, if you had come here asking if the IE80 could bring you those stuff I quoted, most would have answered with a big NO in font size 72.
 
if you're not against some reading I would suggest having a look at joker's gigantic post on IEMs http://www.head-fi.org/t/478568/multi-iem-review-346-iems-compared-philips-fidelio-s1-and-s2-added-10-04-15-p-1087
as a radical opposition to how the IE80 sounds, you could go and try a cheap etymotic IEM. they all share most of the signature "character" of etymotic,  a dead flat low end(that IMO feels like you have no low end, but man do the percussion sound fast), and a boost in the mids where the IE80 is the most recessed. the more expensive ones mostly have better treble extension and some minute FR changes. if the expression "night and day difference" could ever be realistic in audio, that would be when listening to a pair of etymotic and an IE80 side by side.  all etymotics also have in common one of the best isolation possible, if you can survive being probed by triflange 1cm deep.

 

[BlackDog]

  I'm sorry you ended up buying the wrong IEM.  I have to agree with others, if you had come here asking if the IE80 could bring you those stuff I quoted, most would have answered with a big NO in font size 72.
 
if you're not against some reading I would suggest having a look at joker's gigantic post on IEMs http://www.head-fi.org/t/478568/multi-iem-review-346-iems-compared-philips-fidelio-s1-and-s2-added-10-04-15-p-1087
as a radical opposition to how the IE80 sounds, you could go and try a cheap etymotic IEM. they all share most of the signature "character" of etymotic,  a dead flat low end(that IMO feels like you have no low end, but man do the percussion sound fast), and a boost in the mids where the IE80 is the most recessed. the more expensive ones mostly have better treble extension and some minute FR changes. if the expression "night and day difference" could ever be realistic in audio, that would be when listening to a pair of etymotic and an IE80 side by side.  all etymotics also have in common one of the best isolation possible, if you can survive being probed by triflange 1cm deep.

 
Yes, it was a shame It never crossed my mind asking all of this stuff on this topic. As I stated before, I did do my research but It wasn't enough. 
Anyway, I thank you for the IEM post, I will be sure to read some of it in order to narrow my options. Also, you just hit the bulleye when describing the sound signature that I'm currently aiming for. If the IE80 means day, I'm looking for something in the night. 

 

[castleofargh]

it's a problem we all encounter. some get lucky most of their life, or just don't really care. but wen we do care, it's so hard to translate our feelings into words, both for the guy looking for an IEM, an for the guy making a feedback. it leads to the mess we're in. so it's not a surprise that some would take a wrong turn along the way. IMO you can benefit from such experience and know better what you're aiming for. the real sad part is wasting money on something we never desired.
good luck on the next IEM.

 

[willyvlyminck]

Big wall of frustration coming up.

Dear IE80 enthusiast.

Today it marks my first month with my IE80 and I can't even express how much frustration, sadness and disappointment I feel. Yesterday was my breaking point where I concluded I just hate the IE80. For the life of me, I just can't get them to "work" with metal. I have tried almost everything suggested on this topic: burn in, tape mod, change of source, EQ; but none of this has helped me to achieve the sound I was looking for.

Now allow me to elaborate. Before the IE80 I used for over a year the CX 5.0 (a mid tier IEM from Sennheiser which I believe has an almost identical sound signature as the Momentums). While the CX 5.0 are far from perfect, I enjoyed their sound signature: sharp, forward, electrifying, fast, harsh etc... Once I find out my desired EQ (pumping the 1k and 2k) I knew this was the type of Sound I was looking for metal. The sound where everything is in your face, where the rhythm guitars scream and where the drums kicks you in your private parts.

The idea on pulling the trigger on the IE80 was to obtain that same sound signature (sharp, forward, aggressive) but with much more clarity and better isolation (in the country where I live, you are doomed if you plan to listen music on the public transport if you don't have perfect isolation). Turns out IE80 had such clarity and instrument separation, but the sound signature I was looking for is all gone: rhythm guitars sound so distant, and all the instruments sound so separated that everything feels so far away. Actually, if I have to make an analogy with planes (out of all things), the IE80 feels like a luxury private plane, where the CX feels more like a military jet. Plus, the isolation is a step backwards from the CX. Turns out the only place where I can get a little joy out of the IE80 is at home, when everything is quiet and calm (this being my 5% of the day). As I was saying, yesterday was my breaking point. For you see, I took my Old CX to the gym yesterday, only to find out how much of my music I was not enjoying with the IE80. How dark and slow felt this last with my CX.

So here I am today not believing I paid around $350 for something that never suited me in the first place (everything sounded great in paper: huge sound stage, detailed sound, clarity; but in reality it has been a whole different story). Not believing either the amount of time I have spent on trying to "fix" the IE80 (on a product that belongs to the entry top tier class). The bones in my ears hurt so much, since I been trying to insert the IE80 so deep inside of me (I was trying to figure out if my problems where due to sound leakage).

I honestly don't know where to go now: get rid of the IE80 at any cost and find something else, or spend more money on better tips and cables in the sheer hope this IEM suits my needs all of the sudden (again, think in the plane analogy). The latter doesn't make me to happy, as wasting more money on a $350 phone in order to fix everything that might be considered an issue is just foolish.

Besides exposing my frustration and using this topic as my public handkerchief, I also want to learn of my experience (the first lesson being doing a whole lot more of research before pulling the trigger on something this expensive). For you see, I have been thinking ever since yesterday why does the CX and IE80 differ so much in sound signature. With this post I tend to solve some questions I been having, mainly:

1. ¿What is the relationship between: clarity, separation, soundstage, isolation?

2. ¿Does better clarity means better separation?

3. ¿Does excellent isolation means horrible clarity?

4. ¿My complaints with the IE80 are due to the wide soundstage?

5. ¿What should I look in a "fighter jet" IEM (and IEM that delivers speed, attack, accurate, loudness, electricity, spark etc)?


Phew, that was a long post; but indeed invigorating. Before closing I wish to clarify some stuff I mentioned. I don't consider the IE80 to be a bad phone (perhaps overpriced but nothing else). With classical music, the IE80 outperforms any phone I have tried (listening Rachmaninov piano concerts on them brings tear to any eye). Even on the metal genre, Dream Theater keyboards sound like anything I have heard before (yes, my main complaint are the rhythm guitars). So please understand, I have no issues with the IE80 quality, but with the sound signature of the IE80. It's just a matter of personal taste.

It is never a good idea to believe the people here and other reviewers, only your own experience counts. The IE80 are superb in my humble opinion, only I don't think they are metal in ears. Don't ask me which one are, because I don't listen to metal, at least not the pure stuff. The Grado GR10 might be a better choice for but don't take my word for it.

 

[krismusic]

Yes, it was a shame It never crossed my mind asking all of this stuff on this topic. As I stated before, I did do my research but It wasn't enough. 
Anyway, I thank you for the IEM post, I will be sure to read some of it in order to narrow my options. Also, you just hit the bulleye when describing the sound signature that I'm currently aiming for. If the IE80 means day, I'm looking for something in the night. 

About seven years ago I started using IEM's for commuting. Sennheiser CX300's.
I came on here and fell into the rabbit hole which is HeadFi.
Wanting to "improve" what I had I started to read. And read and read! At that time the IE8's were Sennheisser's flagship and had glowing reviews. The "veil" was mentioned but I figured that I would be one of the connoisseurs who could live with that.
When I received my IE8's and first put them in I was shocked a horribly muddy sound. Yup. There's the mid bass veil!
I dutifully burned them in for a couple of days and either they changed or, more likely, I got used to the sound and convinced myself that I quite liked them.
I simply could not believe that Sennheisser could make a flawed 'phone.
I always got good isolation from the supplied tips. Good enough to sit next to someone on a train without annoying them.
However, I read about custom sleeves and decided to try them.
They made me feel much more audiophile!
They improved everything about the IE8 but did not remove the mid bass "hump".
I only got rid of that when I got over my resistance to EQ and cut at 100Hz by a few dB. A bit of a lift in the top end and all was much better.
I still felt that although the 8's now sounded pretty much how I wanted tonally they lacked life and dynamics.
I tried a number of other IEM's but always had problems with fit.
In the end I went for broke and got into CIEM's.
I haven't looked back.
I don't really know what I am saying to you here.
Mainly that I don't think you have done anything wrong.
IMHO you are right to question the sound of the IE80's, they are probably just not for you.
I would not waste more time and money trying to get around that fact.
If you have ears that accommodate most IEM designs there are many interesting mid price options out there.
If not then customs might be a way forward. All manufacturers have mid price options. You don't have to go to the TOTL.
Do bear in mind that resale on CIEM's is pretty poor.
At the risk of shilling, Noble have a great line up and also offer a second user reshell service so resale should be better.
HTH. Good luck. Don't give up. Enjoying your music is too important!

 

[159650]

   
I did read many reviews. As a matter of fact, I've read all the reviews on this site, as well on others. You see, the only thing I missed was this topic where some users complained about the sound signature of the IE80 with heavy metal (I recall someone saying they managed to drive any genre but heavy metal?). I knew I was expecting an average isolation, but I never thought to myself it was like this. And that's the problem with reviews, many things can be described on a review, but no review can describe you what your experience will be because it is a matter of taste. 
 
I know it is my fault, I never stated it otherwise, hence my last comment on that long post I made. I am not saying the IE80 is a bad IEM, and I'm not saying everyone who likes it is an ignorant fool. I am just describing a taste and a product that didn't satisfied such taste. 
 
 
Perhaps (as usual) i derailed my long post from describing my main problem. Here is the thing, as of today I dont like the IE80 and (yes, kill me now) I preffer the CX. 
My problem is that I don't know if my complains of the IE80 are due to a poor isolation or due to the signature sound, and therefore I don't know if spend on a pair of new tips or just abandon this ship and look for another IEM. As I mentioned, I don't know how much of the sound stage is affecting this sound signature I like. One where everything is (in your face) and where the rhythm guitars are predominant over other any instrument. 
 
Returning to the isolation, I have tested all the tips that Senn included with the IE80, as some of my previous tips (surprisingly, I got the best fit with a V shaped tip from a B&W IEM ). I have shoved the IE80 so deep in my ear canal that as of today I still feel some pain. Hell, the IE80 even made me doubt about how to use IEMs correctly. For one moment I thought "maybe I have been using IEMs wrong all of my life?". But all the tips either fall out of place or once inserted deep (as in, really deep) in my ear canal, the pain strikes past 5 minutes. 
 
I understand the fact that I preffer the CX over the IE80 is beyond sanity, but here is another key factor. I don't work in a quiet place, neither I have my own car. Around 70% of the day I'm on the street, in places where there is too much noise. I'm afraid to even confess that 60% of the time I spent listening to music is on the bus, subway or any other public transportation vehicle. Perhaps the IE80 is a great IEM for quiet places, but how does it stack once you are on the street? 
 
Hope I described better my situation. 

Top tier IEMs typically have signatures that could be described as unique. So in a way, they can be polarizing and are not for everyone. I concur that going forward, CIEMs make sense. Invest wisely as the resale is indeed pretty much appalling and it is best done with intent to keep for a long time. I see that krismusic has recommended Noble based on resale value, but you'll pay for the earphones and I'm not sure, but typically reshelling isn't cheap. Assuming that Noble reshells at a price, I would guess it to be somewhere in the 150 dollar point. I would like to recommend CustomArt based in Poland. Their entry level CIEMs are said to be excellent, with their music series being made of silicone rather than acrylic. Performance-wise, they're considered the king of budget CIEM at the moment. And yes, I've checked others. Their pricing is extremely competitive and customer service top notch. I've ordered the Music Two and Ei.xx from CA and am still waiting for them. My first dive into CIEMs. So I suppose I'm at a new point in this hobby as well. Also, their reshell service is priced at around 75 euros. Plus, Custom Art can help you sell your CIEM later when you decide that you're ready to move on to something else. 
 
CIEMs have superb noise isolation. I have never even seen CIEMs in the wild, and have never had a chance to use any of them in the past, but when I had my impressions made, I noticed just how amazing the noise isolation was. I commute by bus and train as well, so good noise isolation is a priority. A CIEM will definitely fix any fit and isolation issues. Check out CustomArt at thecustomart.com. They also have a loose representation of the sound characteristics of the CIEMs on offer. If you're looking to return the IE80 and will get your money back, then you should choose between the Ei3 or the Music Two. Both are priced at 295-325 euros. The Music Two are dual driver but uses the Sonion 1723 driver which is technically more advanced than the Ei3 which is a 3 way triple driver model. Both are considered to be close, but the Ei3 is more suited for bass lovers and the M2 is more of a V shaped sound.
 
Anyway, good luck on your search!

 

[yangian]

Big wall of frustration coming up.

Dear IE80 enthusiast.

Today it marks my first month with my IE80 and I can't even express how much frustration, sadness and disappointment I feel. Yesterday was my breaking point where I concluded I just hate the IE80. For the life of me, I just can't get them to "work" with metal. I have tried almost everything suggested on this topic: burn in, tape mod, change of source, EQ; but none of this has helped me to achieve the sound I was looking for.

Now allow me to elaborate. Before the IE80 I used for over a year the CX 5.0 (a mid tier IEM from Sennheiser which I believe has an almost identical sound signature as the Momentums). While the CX 5.0 are far from perfect, I enjoyed their sound signature: sharp, forward, electrifying, fast, harsh etc... Once I find out my desired EQ (pumping the 1k and 2k) I knew this was the type of Sound I was looking for metal. The sound where everything is in your face, where the rhythm guitars scream and where the drums kicks you in your private parts.

The idea on pulling the trigger on the IE80 was to obtain that same sound signature (sharp, forward, aggressive) but with much more clarity and better isolation (in the country where I live, you are doomed if you plan to listen music on the public transport if you don't have perfect isolation). Turns out IE80 had such clarity and instrument separation, but the sound signature I was looking for is all gone: rhythm guitars sound so distant, and all the instruments sound so separated that everything feels so far away. Actually, if I have to make an analogy with planes (out of all things), the IE80 feels like a luxury private plane, where the CX feels more like a military jet. Plus, the isolation is a step backwards from the CX. Turns out the only place where I can get a little joy out of the IE80 is at home, when everything is quiet and calm (this being my 5% of the day). As I was saying, yesterday was my breaking point. For you see, I took my Old CX to the gym yesterday, only to find out how much of my music I was not enjoying with the IE80. How dark and slow felt this last with my CX.

So here I am today not believing I paid around $350 for something that never suited me in the first place (everything sounded great in paper: huge sound stage, detailed sound, clarity; but in reality it has been a whole different story). Not believing either the amount of time I have spent on trying to "fix" the IE80 (on a product that belongs to the entry top tier class). The bones in my ears hurt so much, since I been trying to insert the IE80 so deep inside of me (I was trying to figure out if my problems where due to sound leakage).

I honestly don't know where to go now: get rid of the IE80 at any cost and find something else, or spend more money on better tips and cables in the sheer hope this IEM suits my needs all of the sudden (again, think in the plane analogy). The latter doesn't make me to happy, as wasting more money on a $350 phone in order to fix everything that might be considered an issue is just foolish.

Besides exposing my frustration and using this topic as my public handkerchief, I also want to learn of my experience (the first lesson being doing a whole lot more of research before pulling the trigger on something this expensive). For you see, I have been thinking ever since yesterday why does the CX and IE80 differ so much in sound signature. With this post I tend to solve some questions I been having, mainly:

1. ¿What is the relationship between: clarity, separation, soundstage, isolation?

2. ¿Does better clarity means better separation?

3. ¿Does excellent isolation means horrible clarity?

4. ¿My complaints with the IE80 are due to the wide soundstage?

5. ¿What should I look in a "fighter jet" IEM (and IEM that delivers speed, attack, accurate, loudness, electricity, spark etc)?


Phew, that was a long post; but indeed invigorating. Before closing I wish to clarify some stuff I mentioned. I don't consider the IE80 to be a bad phone (perhaps overpriced but nothing else). With classical music, the IE80 outperforms any phone I have tried (listening Rachmaninov piano concerts on them brings tear to any eye). Even on the metal genre, Dream Theater keyboards sound like anything I have heard before (yes, my main complaint are the rhythm guitars). So please understand, I have no issues with the IE80 quality, but with the sound signature of the IE80. It's just a matter of personal taste.

Just be patient, you'll like it more and more.

 

[krismusic]

Top tier IEMs typically have signatures that could be described as unique. So in a way, they can be polarizing and are not for everyone. I concur that going forward, CIEMs make sense. Invest wisely as the resale is indeed pretty much appalling and it is best done with intent to keep for a long time. I see that krismusic has recommended Noble based on resale value, but you'll pay for the earphones and I'm not sure, but typically reshelling isn't cheap. Assuming that Noble reshells at a price, I would guess it to be somewhere in the 150 dollar point. I would like to recommend CustomArt based in Poland. Their entry level CIEMs are said to be excellent, with their music series being made of silicone rather than acrylic. Performance-wise, they're considered the king of budget CIEM at the moment. And yes, I've checked others. Their pricing is extremely competitive and customer service top notch. I've ordered the Music Two and Ei.xx from CA and am still waiting for them. My first dive into CIEMs. So I suppose I'm at a new point in this hobby as well. Also, their reshell service is priced at around 75 euros. Plus, Custom Art can help you sell your CIEM later when you decide that you're ready to move on to something else. 

Good shout. I did not know that other companies offer 2nd user re shelling. I've read very good things about
Custom Art.