[fsi22]

Try the double flange tips. They reduce the mid bass while retaining the sub bass and make the highs more airy from what i noticed. Also, almost everyone in this thread recommends extensive burn in since they are dynamic driver earphones and not BAs.

Moved on to double flange made a world of difference but fit is very hit and miss with me, using the hybrid style tips that came with my GR07 which are working out great. Interestingly had exactly the same with the IE60.

Yeah. Every other Sennheiser iem I've owned also dramatically improved over time. Not sounding bad just not great. Sounds like a bassy IE60 with more recessed mids.

 

[markhayes0338]

Hello all, I've been looking at the RHA T20's vs the Sennheiser IE80's for a while now and I'm more confused than ever. I know the IE80's are on sale right now for the same price as the T20's which is a good deal. But, I'm having trouble sorting out all the facts. I listen to all types of music, mostly from my iPhone or Android. I listen to top 40, country, rock, classical, vocal, but not EDM, trance, metal, etc... For the past 3 years, I've been using Klipsch S4's. They don't get very many great reviews, but I've enjoyed them. Mine don't seem to have the harshness in the treble that Klipsch can have. I also have a pair of Sennheiser Amperior's which I really enjoy! 
 
There are so many mixed reviews of both the T20's and IE80's that it is hard to comb through all the meaningful info. The fact the IE80's have a ton of problems with a good seal definitely worries me. And there are many reviews on the T20's that say the low end is not great as well. I want a solid low end and good clear highs, but I'm not in the pursuit of perfection.
 
I'm looking for a meaningful upgrade to my Klipsch's that can withstand gentle every day use and the occasional stage monitor use. I am I drummer once in a while so a decent isolation would be nice. My ears would appreciate that! The reason these 2 are at the top of my list is because they are made for around the ear, which a much prefer. If there is anything else out there in the ~$225-250 range, I'm all ears....
 
Thanks in advance for any help!
Mark

 

[raybone0566]

Hello all, I've been looking at the RHA T20's vs the Sennheiser IE80's for a while now and I'm more confused than ever. I know the IE80's are on sale right now for the same price as the T20's which is a good deal. But, I'm having trouble sorting out all the facts. I listen to all types of music, mostly from my iPhone or Android. I listen to top 40, country, rock, classical, vocal, but not EDM, trance, metal, etc... For the past 3 years, I've been using Klipsch S4's. They don't get very many great reviews, but I've enjoyed them. Mine don't seem to have the harshness in the treble that Klipsch can have. I also have a pair of Sennheiser Amperior's which I really enjoy! 

There are so many mixed reviews of both the T20's and IE80's that it is hard to comb through all the meaningful info. The fact the IE80's have a ton of problems with a good seal definitely worries me. And there are many reviews on the T20's that say the low end is not great as well. I want a solid low end and good clear highs, but I'm not in the pursuit of perfection.

I'm looking for a meaningful upgrade to my Klipsch's that can withstand gentle every day use and the occasional stage monitor use. I am I drummer once in a while so a decent isolation would be nice. My ears would appreciate that! The reason these 2 are at the top of my list is because they are made for around the ear, which a much prefer. If there is anything else out there in the ~$225-250 range, I'm all ears.... fidue a73 is a great earphone. Around ear and is very well balanced. Fantastic sound, I highly recommend it, & it's a bit cheaper but performs just as well.

Thanks in advance for any help!

Mark

 

[markhayes0338]

Thanks for your help! I had looked at the a73's in the past too. I honestly can't remember why I moved past it. I think it was mainly a lack of information compared to the others listed. I remember reading one review of the a73 and a83 and it was good, though. I think I like the design of the fidue's better that the IE80's.

 

[EagleWings]

Moved on to double flange made a world of difference but fit is very hit and miss with me, using the hybrid style tips that came with my GR07 which are working out great. Interestingly had exactly the same with the IE60.

Yeah. Every other Sennheiser iem I've owned also dramatically improved over time. Not sounding bad just not great. Sounds like a bassy IE60 with more recessed mids.

 
I use the JVC Spiral Dots with my IE80. It works better than any tip included with the IE80 for me. There are also the tips from Spinfits and Auvio that people find better than the stock tips. Depending on the size and shape of your ears, one of these 3 choices should work out for you.
 
Starting from this post, read through the posts in the page and the page after that to understand how the tape mod + bass port alters the bass frequency. You could give it a try. http://www.head-fi.org/t/569527/sennheiser-ie80s-impressions-thread/6870#post_12142016

 

[raybone0566]

Thanks for your help! I had looked at the a73's in the past too. I honestly can't remember why I moved past it. I think it was mainly a lack of information compared to the others listed. I remember reading one review of the a73 and a83 and it was good, though. I think I like the design of the fidue's better that the IE80's.

You'll get a better fit with the a73, ie80 is really to just sit in your ear, a73 you can actually rotate it up into your ear canal. I use comply tips and the results are outstanding, cheers

 

[Rocket786]

I was trying out the different tips yesterday with my new IE80's and noticed the one with the best seal for me were the large silicon tips.  The foam ones were the second best.  I didn't like the flange tips at all as they made everything sound far away without much bass.
 
My previous set of headphones were the Klipsch S4's and they were very comfortable for me.  The spinfits look to be that same bullet shape as the Klipsch from pictures...  The meelec seem to be a similar shape as well.  I'm not sure which ones to try as everyone has a different recommendation.
 
Spinfit, Comply foam, meelec tips, sony hybrids, jvc spiral dot, etc...
 
Any suggestions?

 

[fsi22]

I use the JVC Spiral Dots with my IE80. It works better than any tip included with the IE80 for me. There are also the tips from Spinfits and Auvio that people find better than the stock tips. Depending on the size and shape of your ears, one of these 3 choices should work out for you.

Starting from this post, read through the posts in the page and the page after that to understand how the tape mod + bass port alters the bass frequency. You could give it a try. http://www.head-fi.org/t/569527/sennheiser-ie80s-impressions-thread/6870#post_12142016

Yeah, I ordered a set of jvc spiral and Auvio tips a few days back. The GR07 tips are a tight fit on the nozzle, 3mm compared to 5mm but the seal is perfect.

 

[james444]

  I was trying out the different tips yesterday with my new IE80's and noticed the one with the best seal for me were the large silicon tips.  The foam ones were the second best.  I didn't like the flange tips at all as they made everything sound far away without much bass.
 
My previous set of headphones were the Klipsch S4's and they were very comfortable for me.  The spinfits look to be that same bullet shape as the Klipsch from pictures...  The meelec seem to be a similar shape as well.  I'm not sure which ones to try as everyone has a different recommendation.
 
Spinfit, Comply foam, meelec tips, sony hybrids, jvc spiral dot, etc...
 
Any suggestions?

 
Apart from shape, the most important thing to consider is bore size. Tips with smaller bore size than stock (e.g. Spinfits, Hybrids,...) will attenuate treble and make your IEMs sound bassier (and in the worst case congested / muffled). Personally, I like Ultimate Ears TF10 tips best, but that's pretty much a matter of preference.

 

[betula]

It is indeed very hard to find good tips for IE80. After trying many different tips not finding a perfect one I paid for custom tips. Wasn't cheap, but I don't regret it. Forgetting all these tip problems is a great relief.  And tape mod tames the infamous mid-bass hump, which also can sound worse with certain tips. With tape mod, custom tips and a nice amp (plus optional EQ) IE80 does sound very good. It is another question, if it is worth the hassle to go this way, or just find another IEM... But I doubt, for £260 (the price I pad for my pair including custom tips) I would find something significantly better... IE80 has a great full sound, fantastic bass and 3D soundstage.

 

[Rocket786]

So if I prefer the large rubber tips from the stock tips that came with the IE80's, would I be choosing large if I chose to buy some Spinfits or Spiral dots as well?  I can't find the mm width for the large stock tips.  Does anyone know what they may be?

 

[raybone0566]

So if I prefer the large rubber tips from the stock tips that came with the IE80's, would I be choosing large if I chose to buy some Spinfits or Spiral dots as well?  I can't find the mm width for the large stock tips.  Does anyone know what they may be?

Your going to have to experiment. Your ear canal shape and size will be a factor so you'll have to try different tips. For instance, I have rather small ears, so I opted for the medium spiral -dots. Those and the large silicon large bore tips give me the best results. But once you determine the size you need I've found that medium tips work the best for me. eBay has plenty of listings for the jvc tips. It make take a bit to figure out what works best for you, so some patience is required. I've seen to many times where a member has given up on an earphone after one brief listen. It doesn't work like that with most earphones.

 

[EagleWings]

  So if I prefer the large rubber tips from the stock tips that came with the IE80's, would I be choosing large if I chose to buy some Spinfits or Spiral dots as well?  I can't find the mm width for the large stock tips.  Does anyone know what they may be?

 
I have the Spiral Dots.
 
I use the size 'M' from the stock tips. So I ordered 'M' from spiral dots too. But I wished I had gotten a 'ML'. Not that M has a bad fit. Just that it gives me a feeling that it is a tiny bit smaller than what my ear can fit. Spiral Dots come in 5 sizes: S, SM, M, ML, L.

 

[raybone0566]

Spiral dots to me are the best all around tips. I've gotten the best results with them on almost my entire collection. Which is ridiculously large according to my wife. But it's ok that she has 300 pairs of shoes. Comply tips would be my second favorite because they isolate very well and are notorious bass enhancers. With some phones they do tend to be to bassy. With ie80 I believe the placement of the phone in the ear is just as critical as the selection of the tip. Ie8 is very similar in build and form factor. Don't get to listen to them to very often anymore. Sad because I've still got a pair of ie8's unopened that I dust off every week when cleaning the house.

 

[fsi22]

So if I prefer the large rubber tips from the stock tips that came with the IE80's, would I be choosing large if I chose to buy some Spinfits or Spiral dots as well?  I can't find the mm width for the large stock tips.  Does anyone know what they may be?

L outer diameter on JVC is 14mm.