[holden4th]

I've always had a problem with tips and while the Auvios are the best I've heard I still have issues where the balance of the sound leans slightly towards the left. I've done a lot of research and the size and shape of your ear canals is a very important factor.
 
This was brought home to me a few weeks ago when I competed in the ICORE (pistol shooting) nationals. I use noise cancelling muffs and on the third day rocked up to the shoot offs having not qualified. Of course I left my shooting gear behind including the muffs yet was going to watch people firing guns. I was given a couple of the foam inserts to protect my hearing and this is where I learned a lot about my ear canals. The left insert sealed no problem but it took me five minutes to get the right one to make anything like a decent seal. It became obvious that I have a right ear canal that is quite small (and maybe bendy).
 
It looks like standard tips are always going to be a problem for me so the only solution is custom sleeves. Fortunately, Pacific Ears here on Australia's Gold Coast do the whole process (including audiologist and molds) for $200 at the end of which you get a pair of perfectly fitting ACS sleeves. To me, who wants the best sound from my iems it's a no brainer. I like the IE80 sound signature so why not spend a bit of money to make it better. It will still cost a hell of a lot less than the IE800s.

 

[Headphonefreak]

Hi,
What are the consequences for the mid bass bloat for the sub bass in the ie80? When a note of 50Hz is played from e.g. a synthesizer or a bass guitar, will the mid bass bloat influence that note then because of overtones coming from that 50 Hz note? And if this is true, does the sub bass sound less deep and powerful or lacking rumble because of the mid bass bloat? 

 

[castleofargh]

  Hi,
What are the consequences for the mid bass bloat for the sub bass in the ie80? When a note of 50Hz is played from e.g. a synthesizer or a bass guitar, will the mid bass bloat influence that note then because of overtones coming from that 50 Hz note? And if this is true, does the sub bass sound less deep and powerful or lacking rumble because of the mid bass bloat? 

I believe it's more of a signature effect than a real "bloating bass" or frequency moving to others. it's a strongly V shaped IEM with a lot of bass and a lot of sub bass. so it can sound overwhelming to some. but technically it's not a bad IEM.
I do EQ it, and while you can't really hope to bring the mids back to any kind of real clarity(in fact it's pointless to try), you can lower the bass or shape it with the sub bass to better fit your tastes. (more 120hz for speed, more 60 to 80hz for rumble....)
what I love about this IEM is how it can rumble. if anything was super tight and in moderation, there would be no way to get that feeling.
 
but it's certainly not a balanced sound ^_^.

 

[Headphonefreak]

Thanks! So you would say the sub bass doesn't suffer from the perceived mid bass bloat/emphasis? And consequently, a note in the sub bass range will really sound as it should without a (little) layer of mid bass over it?

 

[castleofargh]

  Thanks! So you would say the sub bass doesn't suffer from the perceived mid bass bloat/emphasis? And consequently, a note in the sub bass range will really sound as it should without a (little) layer of mid bass over it?

well we would need some distortion measurements to know how much signal one frequency can create at others frequencies. I don't know if we have such a measurement for the IE80.
but I don't get that feeling, to me the sub bass rumble is the best thing in the IE80. also the sub bass depending on the bass setting on the IE80 (with the little screwdriver) it will be more or less rolled off(but still really boosted compared to mids), so even without EQ you can hope to get a closer balance of bass/sub-bass for your needs. and then there is the infamous tape mod that would be like an extra value on the bass setting where you tighten up everything(but at the cost of some headstage and sub bass IMO).
 
but again I tend to EQ the bass down a little so maybe I'm not the best person to say the bass is fine ^_^. to me the signal is fine, and only the quantity can be a little overwhelming. thus the EQ.

 

[Tail]

  Thanks! So you would say the sub bass doesn't suffer from the perceived mid bass bloat/emphasis? And consequently, a note in the sub bass range will really sound as it should without a (little) layer of mid bass over it?

In my opinion sub bass does suffer and there is very noticeable mid bass bloat, vocal jazz to me doesn't sound well at all, deep voices and bass guitar (I almost cried when I played Marcus Miller, disaster coming from Sony EX700 with perfect sub bass and no interference to the mids) are not clear and that 'feel' of sub bass is lost due to too much mid bass. It depends way too much on the recording, some sound extremely good, for example Eagles Hotel California from Hell Freezes Over sounded amazing but studio version of Hotel California sounded extremely bad because of that mid bass...  Also forget about foam tips if that mid bass bloat is problem for you, it increases problem noticeably

 

[hoowon95]

Love them, just got them a few days ago
They look stylish with the aluminum finish + laser print
 
The sound is great, and is getting better i think (that may or may not be purely psychological)
tweaking the bass dial to maximum lets me "feel" the rumbly bass more, but doesn't seem to change the "sound" itself, to my untrained ears.
 
anyways, very pleased with these beasts, and will be enjoying them!

 

[spickerish]

I have been using the Ety ER4P for years now as my only IEM, but I have been having some comfort issues with them. So, I set out to find a nice alternate for the Ety's when I don't require heavy isolation. Bought a pair of IE80's a few days ago (€209 in Gemany). Spent a good number of hours listening to them today and yesterday.

Some initial impressions compared to my trusty Ety's: Holy mother of bass! I have been using the ER4Ps (known for having tight bass, but with very little impact) since 2007 and didn't know what hit me when I first fired up the IE80, and this was on the lowest bass setting! After a few minutes I was quickly starting the grow accustomed to the bass of the IE80, and while it is a lot more pronounced than what I am used to with the ER4P, it is certainly not overpowering or annoying in any way. Expected the IE80 to miss out on detail based on my readings, but surprisingly, this was not the case. While the IE80 is not quite on the same level as the ER4P for detail, the difference is much, much smaller than I expected. The ER4P is a lot faster though, it struggles less with fast guitars in rock music.

The IE80 definitely is a lot more musical and fun to listen to than the ER4P, that became clear very quick! The comfort is also great, can wear them for hours on end. And the music is presented in a less fatiguing way compared to the ER4P, also enhancing the listening experience.

While the ER4P's are great earphones, and have their strengths, it seems as though I am vastly preferring the IE80's at the moment. These phones pleasantly surprised me, and I am very happy with the purchase!

 

[castleofargh]

I have been using the Ety ER4P for years now as my only IEM, but I have been having some comfort issues with them. So, I set out to find a nice alternate for the Ety's when I don't require heavy isolation. Bought a pair of IE80's a few days ago (€209 in Gemany). Spent a good number of hours listening to them today and yesterday.

Some initial impressions compared to my trusty Ety's: Holy mother of bass! I have been using the ER4Ps (known for having tight bass, but with very little impact) since 2007 and didn't know what hit me when I first fired up the IE80, and this was on the lowest bass setting! After a few minutes I was quickly starting the grow accustomed to the bass of the IE80, and while it is a lot more pronounced than what I am used to with the ER4P, it is certainly not overpowering or annoying in any way. Expected the IE80 to miss out on detail based on my readings, but surprisingly, this was not the case. While the IE80 is not quite on the same level as the ER4P for detail, the difference is much, much smaller than I expected. The ER4P is a lot faster though, it struggles less with fast guitars in rock music.

The IE80 definitely is a lot more musical and fun to listen to than the ER4P, that became clear very quick! The comfort is also great, can wear them for hours on end. And the music is presented in a less fatiguing way compared to the ER4P, also enhancing the listening experience.

While the ER4P's are great earphones, and have their strengths, it seems as though I am vastly preferring the IE80's at the moment. These phones pleasantly surprised me, and I am very happy with the purchase!

I've spent the last .... 2 years now, alternating between different ety IEMs(er4/hf5/mc5) and the IE80. in fact I find that they are so much in opposition with the IE80 that it's really fun to have both and fool around depending on mood or needs. ETY being my go to for isolation.
but yeah going back to the er4 right after the IE80 can be a sad experience bass wise. ^_^

 

[RedJohn456]

Hi folks
 
can my fellow canucks help me find where I can get an IE80 in Canada for the best price? The only way I found so far is to price match baybloor radio at Futureshop as BayBloorRadio is like a hundred bucks cheaper. Also, is it possible to haggle with dealers or are these fixed prices?
 
I am really hoping to get these at a killer price and would appreciate any help! Thanks
 
EDIT PS: do these go on sale during black friday?

 

[Scorpion667]

  Hi folks
 
can my fellow canucks help me find where I can get an IE80 in Canada for the best price? The only way I found so far is to price match baybloor radio at Futureshop as BayBloorRadio is like a hundred bucks cheaper. Also, is it possible to haggle with dealers or are these fixed prices?
 
I am really hoping to get these at a killer price and would appreciate any help! Thanks
 
EDIT PS: do these go on sale during black friday?

I'm also in Toronto. My pair is not getting any listening time nomsayin'

 

[macbug]

was $220 at NCIX weekend sale just now, sold out.

 

[RedJohn456]

  was $220 at NCIX weekend sale just now, sold out.

 Was it this weekend? Its showing 500 dollars now. Oh man I can't believe I missed that
Is there a way to follow and keep track of these sales?
 
PS is there a chance a successor could be unveiled at CES or something like that?

 

[castleofargh]

 

  was $220 at NCIX weekend sale just now, sold out.

 Was it this weekend? Its showing 500 dollars now. Oh man I can't believe I missed that
Is there a way to follow and keep track of these sales?
 
PS is there a chance a successor could be unveiled at CES or something like that?

waiting for sennheiser to make new product is a sure thing on the scale of human life on earth. but they're just usually really not in a hurry. and they just made a so called momentum IEM. so I wouldn't hold my breath for a new one too soon.
seems they're planning to do anything momentum now, can't wait to get a pair of momentum slippers, warm and comfy ^_^

 

[RedJohn456]

 
waiting for sennheiser to make new product is a sure thing on the scale of human life on earth. but they're just usually really not in a hurry. and they just made a so called momentum IEM. so I wouldn't hold my breath for a new one too soon.
seems they're planning to do anything momentum now, can't wait to get a pair of momentum slippers, warm and comfy ^_^

 
Fair enough, they seem to have shifted their focus for the time being it seems. What really sold me on the IE80s was LinusTechTip's video review. He just reviewed the Momentum in ear and put them above the Shure Se215.
 
Also new momentums with bigger ear cups too so u can count those as ear muffs