[musicday]

I must say for a 8 balanced armatures IEM the price is very attractive if everything is done right including the build quality.
Any release day, States, UK?

 

[twister6]

I must say for a 8 balanced armatures IEM the price is very attractive if everything is done right including the build quality.
Any release day, States, UK?

 
Keep in mind one very important factor, they are including a premium $300 ALO's 8-braided hybrid cable (SPC and pure copper cryo-treated wires).  Add to that additional drivers, improved tuning, very functional storage case, new replaceable faceplate design, and the price difference is easily justified.
 
I will share a few pictures and early impressions later today.  ALO cable will need close to 100hrs of burn in, I noticed an improvement in sound right away in the first hour and a little more 12hours later.  Right now, I hear more difference in sound between W60 and W80 with the original Epic cable vs with ALO cable under the same test conditions, but I'm pretty sure it's due to cable wires not reaching their full potential yet.

 

[Oldfella]

Hurry up Twister, i am getting impatient.

 

[musicday]

What about the technical specifications?

 

[twister6]

  Hurry up Twister, i am getting impatient.

 
Well, since you asked very nicely, I just put together a detailed first impression about Westone new W-series flagship: W80 !!!
 
Since I was in a rush, the pictures were taking at work with my phone camera.  Here is how they look with a cable and a close up of the cable:
 


 
Here is how it looks next to W60, the same size, actually a little slimmer:
 



 
And a detailed first impression about the design, the cable, and the sound on my blog:
 
https://twister6.com/2016/09/30/first-look-at-westone-w80/
 
Don't have the box in front of me, by memory the impedance is 5 ohms and sensitivity is 111 dB.  With PAW Gold, I don't hear more hissing than with ES60.

 

[Oldfella]

Thanks Twister, much appreciated.

 

[Kepller]

   
Well, since you asked very nicely, I just put together a detailed first impression about Westone new W-series flagship: W80 !!!
 
Since I was in a rush, the pictures were taking at work with my phone camera.  Here is how they look with a cable and a close up of the cable:
 
 
 
 
Here is how it looks next to W60, the same size, actually a little slimmer:
 
 
 
 
 
And a detailed first impression about the design, the cable, and the sound on my blog:
 
https://twister6.com/2016/09/30/first-look-at-westone-w80/
 
Don't have the box in front of me, by memory the impedance is 5 ohms and sensitivity is 111 dB.  With PAW Gold, I don't hear more hissing than with ES60.

 
 
Twister, thanks for the first impression!
 
So based on your impressions, is it safe to say that the W80's bass quantity is a similar amount to the W60's? By tighter and articulate, do you mean there is more bass slam / in your face bass like the UM PRO 30 or UM PRO 50? I really hope there is slightly more attack in the sub & mid bass area than the W60 as i find it to be lacking in the W60 imo.

 

[blazer78]

   
Keep in mind one very important factor, they are including a premium $300 ALO's 8-braided hybrid cable (SPC and pure copper cryo-treated wires).  Add to that additional drivers, improved tuning, very functional storage case, new replaceable faceplate design, and the price difference is easily justified.
 
I will share a few pictures and early impressions later today.  ALO cable will need close to 100hrs of burn in, I noticed an improvement in sound right away in the first hour and a little more 12hours later.  Right now, I hear more difference in sound between W60 and W80 with the original Epic cable vs with ALO cable under the same test conditions, but I'm pretty sure it's due to cable wires not reaching their full potential yet.

 
Thanks for the impressions! May I ask why a cable needs 100 hours of burn in?

 

[twister6]

 

   
Keep in mind one very important factor, they are including a premium $300 ALO's 8-braided hybrid cable (SPC and pure copper cryo-treated wires).  Add to that additional drivers, improved tuning, very functional storage case, new replaceable faceplate design, and the price difference is easily justified.
 
I will share a few pictures and early impressions later today.  ALO cable will need close to 100hrs of burn in, I noticed an improvement in sound right away in the first hour and a little more 12hours later.  Right now, I hear more difference in sound between W60 and W80 with the original Epic cable vs with ALO cable under the same test conditions, but I'm pretty sure it's due to cable wires not reaching their full potential yet.

 
Thanks for the impressions! May I ask why a cable needs 100 hours of burn in?

 
That's what manufacturers typically recommend to condition the wires.  One thing for sure, right out of the box when I started listening the sound was rather bassy and veiled.  I came back an hour later, and under the same listening conditions it opened up.  After the overnight burn in I heard more improvement.  Honestly, don't want to start a cable argument, and I know many people don't even believe in "wires".  Just sharing my experience that if I would have posted my first impression after 5min of listening straight out of the box, I wouldn't have been as excited

 

[twister6]

 

   
Well, since you asked very nicely, I just put together a detailed first impression about Westone new W-series flagship: W80 !!!
 
Since I was in a rush, the pictures were taking at work with my phone camera.  Here is how they look with a cable and a close up of the cable:
 
Here is how it looks next to W60, the same size, actually a little slimmer:
 
And a detailed first impression about the design, the cable, and the sound on my blog:
 
https://twister6.com/2016/09/30/first-look-at-westone-w80/
 
Don't have the box in front of me, by memory the impedance is 5 ohms and sensitivity is 111 dB.  With PAW Gold, I don't hear more hissing than with ES60.

 
Twister, thanks for the first impression!
 
So based on your impressions, is it safe to say that the W80's bass quantity is a similar amount to the W60's? By tighter and articulate, do you mean there is more bass slam / in your face bass like the UM PRO 30 or UM PRO 50? I really hope there is slightly more attack in the sub & mid bass area than the W60 as i find it to be lacking in the W60 imo.

 
Yeah, I hear a very similar quantity of bass in comparison to W60, by tighter I mean the bass is faster, with cleaner edges, more attack and a little shorter decay with a better control and less spillage into mids.  By articulation, I mean more coherency, more details, sharper transients that hold it better together.  In a way, W60 bass is looser, more laid back, more analog performance typical of dynamic drivers, while I hear W80 as being tighter, a cleaner BA performance.  But this change in bass was more noticeable with ALO cable and less with Epic cable.  But Epic cable contributed to brighter upper mids/treble.  I don't want to jump into any final conclusion until I put more hours on ALO cable.  Maybe it's all in my head where the mind playing tricks on me, but I will put it through 100hrs of burn in

 

[Kepller]

   
Yeah, I hear a very similar quantity of bass in comparison to W60, by tighter I mean the bass is faster, with cleaner edges, more attack and a little shorter decay with a better control and less spillage into mids.  By articulation, I mean more coherency, more details, sharper transients that hold it better together.  In a way, W60 bass is looser, more laid back, more analog performance typical of dynamic drivers, while I hear W80 as being tighter, a cleaner BA performance.  But this change in bass was more noticeable with ALO cable and less with Epic cable.  But Epic cable contributed to brighter upper mids/treble.  I don't want to jump into any final conclusion until I put more hours on ALO cable.  Maybe it's all in my head where the mind playing tricks on me, but I will put it through 100hrs of burn in

Awesome!! Perhaps this would make the W80 a great upgrade for me just with the faster bass attack as after a couple of months with the w60 i'm kindda wishing it to be a tad less "laid back" and more aggressive just like the um 30/50 pro especially in the bass department. Just a little more bass slam in the w60 would've been perfect for my taste. Can't wait for your full review and to audition it myself when it's available. A little disappointed that it's still made of plastic though 

 

[Gosod]

  Looking forward to Twisters review of the W80. I hope its as good a fit as the W60,and hopefully, not much larger.

this 8 driver?
I'm waiting for feedback from you

but I already know that they're good!

 

[Oldfella]

Twister for heavens sake hurry up with the review,i am having sleepless nights, and i have worn out a patch on the lino, pacing up and down. With this hobby, i cant afford carpet!.

 

[twister6]

  Twister for heavens sake hurry up with the review,i am having sleepless nights, and i have worn out a patch on the lino, pacing up and down. With this hobby, i cant afford carpet!.

 
You mean, W80 review?  I have two more reviews ahead of it.  Btw, I put probably 150hrs on Ref8 cable and either if you are believer or not, W80 w/Ref8 getting closer in sound to ES60 w/Epic.  To be fair, when I get to sound analysis and comparison, I will be using stock Epic cables with UM Pro 50, W60, ES60, and Ref8 "stock" cable with W80.

 

[Oldfella]

Ok, I will wait patiently, give or take the odd outburst!.