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Just got the Ie80s. Couple of questions:
1) What's the purpose of the ear hooks and the cable clip? Are they necessary?
2) What's a proper ideal bass level? I currently have it on the 3rd mid level bass point.
3) I plan on using the case provided for everyday storage. The instructions show a picture with an arrow pointing to the desiccant. Does this mean to discard it? Also, why is a desiccant included?
Thanks
Hi Jones,
1. The included ear hooks and cable clip mitigate any problems that might be experienced while using the IEM. For instance, if the wire keeps looping off your ear, simply attach the hooks to keep them in place. The shirt clip is used to reduce the movement of the IEM's wire while you move about. This eliminates microphonics as the cable rubs against your jacket or whatever.
Neither of these are necessary for me. I find the IE80's cable (when worn over-ear) to have minimal microphonics, and the cables have now got a bit of memory at the top (so they sit comfortably under my glasses without the hooks).
2. The ideal bass level for some IE80 users is the minimum. It is also, for hardcore bass fans, the maximum. Or anywhere in between - any bass level your ears tell you sounds great is the 'ideal level'. Have fun experimenting - for a time, I liked it on 2.5, but I'm now on minimum as my tastes have changed
3. The desiccant is there in the compartment to minimise the build-up of moisture in the case, and keep the IEMs dry. Don't discard it - just leave it in there, the arrow is probably saying the desiccant goes in the compartment.
On a side note, I would not use the included case for everyday storage. It looks super cool, but it is also pretty fiddly. It requires the user to wind the cable up really tightly on the inside (not good for the cable), and angle the 3.5mm jack properly before you can close it. For me, it took a long time to get it out, open up the case, unwind it... And putting it away took a few tries.
I prefer to loosely wrap the cable around 3 or 4 of my fingers, and then place the IEM in an old glasses case or something with a cloth and the cleaning tool. It's no big deal to put it in or out of this case, but it still protects them very well (as the glasses case has padding in it).
Good luck! I hope you're enjoying them as much as I am.
Hi! I'm a new young member here.
I've been saving up a bit to plunge myself into the iem world. My dad says that Sennheiser is a great company for headphones/earphones. I do agree with that, because even with my so called "gaming" headsets that are sennheiser they do sound better than my friends headphones. I do not always like at brand, but I look at reviews as well. Shure, Westone, Heir and Earsonics all do not sound bad at all, but Westone and Earsonics seem to be a bit more expensive compared to Shure and Sennheiser so I tend to look for them in the classifieds section. So I've come to a conclusion of either the Sennheiser IE80 or the Shure SE425 (The 535 is too expensive!). I've seem them both at the $200-250 level recently. I was wondering which has better SQ overall? I'm looking for a headphone that can accommodate pop, rock, classical and some dubstep. I don't expect it to be stellar at each of the genres, but I do look for an improvement from the earpods I have from my phone. I have a basic understanding of both IEMs as I've read quite a few reviews about them, but I've been trying to search for comparison between these two IEMs and there doesn't seem to be one so I was wondering if anyone can chime in for this?
tl;dr
I'd like to buy a pair of iems. My current pick is SE425 or IE80. Im free to other choices as long as they are in the $200-250 range used or new. I listen to dubstep, pop, rock, classical.
Thanks!!
Hey lolz, I've never heard the 425. I did hear the 535, and I liked its neutrality relative to the IE80, but I do prefer the IE80's bass emphasis anyway. Just personal taste.
I will say that the IE80 will sound a treat with pop, rock and dubstep (great bass, natural mids and non-piercing highs). For classical, it kind of depends - I'm no expert but the spacious soundstage of the IE80 might help*. I think there'd be better IEMs for that. It's not like it will sound awful with the IE80s (I reckon it'll sound pretty good). It's just not their strong point IMO.
For less than $250, the IE80 is a great buy, and it will definitely blow away your earpods, particularly if you can get them to fit well. This thread has a wealth of posts about finding the right tips (I like the JVC mediums).
Good luck with that!
*EDIT: I don't listen to much classical, do check out holden4th's more detailed impressions below
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but.... if u love a good reference type of a sound u can always tape mod it, but when u go out side u can remove the tape and use em... its by far the most used IEM out of my Whole collection... Buy some comply foam tips.. they'll do the justice to the Isolation factor. 
