[ljnew]

  BTW... if you notice in that pic above... the W80 nozzle is at a little different angle from the housing than the W60. Not sure why they did this. But that little angle caused me a little bit of a problem at first. I like to use the original triple flange tips from earphones plus, which have a wider bore opening into the ear than, say, standard Shure triple flange (earphones plus stopped making 'em like this... ashame... but I bought a stockpile of them when I found out, so I'm good). Anyway... the earphones plus triple flange has a shorter stem at the earphone side than the Shure triple flange. So while they worked great on the W60 for me... that little angle on the W80 caused the earphones plus triple flange to no longer reach far enough into my ear to make a good seal. The first time I put the W80 in... I kept having to push them into my ear, trying to get a seal... until my ears started to hurt a little. I finally saw the problem. I put a little snippet of a black triple flange tip stem on the W80 as a spacer next to the earphone... and then put my normal triple flange on... and it works great, so no problem now. I just can't help but wonder why Westone changed the angle to that extent on the W80 from the W60, which causes the housing to stick out a little more towards the ear side of the earphone. It probably won't affect most people's use for their particular preference in ear tip. But for the specific triple flange tip from earphones plus I particularly like... the ear tip worked perfectly on the W60... but I had to make that minor little adjustment for the same ear tip, to use them on the W80. All good, now though, and I'm loving the W80.
 
FWIW... I also like to use the Sensorcom Earportz eartips sometimes, and those worked fine on the W80 without having to use the little rubber spacer on the nozzle. 

Respectfully, I'm not going to play with a triple whichamajiggy when i paid $1500. No pun intended.
 
Had same issue, used the foam tips at expense of clarity and treble but increased isolation.....

 

[2k13]

   
W60 is a LOT smoother than 846. I can listen for hours and hours without fatigue. I upgraded to 2.5mm balanced cable for AK380.
 
I have not spent much time with W80 yet other than at CanJam.  
 

How do you feel about the improvement with the balanced cable vs se?

 

[HarlanDraka]

Bought a pair of Westone W60 in mid October, after listening to them for a couple of times (at home) i found one of the faceplates with a small crack (as i was aware of the issue before purchasing them,i was very careful in screwing the faceplates in and i used the w60 very gently). Long story short, i sent them back to amazon for a refund and pulled the trigger on the W80 as i love the westone sound.

I really hope the new faceplates of the w80 will be durable.

I currently have shure se846 and k3003 (previously had the um pro 50) and i'm looking forward to compare the w80 to them.

What i love about the westone sound is that is detailed yet is not fatiguing for long listening sessions.

If the W80 will sound like the w60 but less laid back and more detailed like i read from twister first view they will probably be my new favourite

To Westone: i would really like to see you selling spare faceplates so people should not worry so much about them. Fortunately With the w60 i was within the 30 days i could ask for a refund but still the old faceplates design is not acceptable. People should not have to deal with warranty and replacements just after 15 days from the purchase of a TOTL iem. I really, really hope that you considered the quality issue of the old faceplates when designing the new ones for the w80.

P.S I love my shure se846 but i don't know how people can say their presentation is not fatiguing (i find their sound to be aggressive, the instruments a little "compressed" all together and their high mids are kinda of 'in your face').

I found the westones i had to be more balanced, maybe less exciting but also more forgiving then the shures for bad recordings and with a much bigger soundstage and better instrument separation.

 

[twister6]

Started my critical listening, getting ready for a full W80 review.  I did share my initial impressions of W80 with Ref8 cable after about 10-15 hours of use.  Now, with over 100hrs of burn in for the benefit of the cable, the sound really opened up (soundstage expansion and low end articulation and impact all scaled up).  W60 is great with its lush and laid back sound sig, but I don't think I will be able to go back to them after W80

The biggest difference to my ears is in upper mids and how they are more laid back and smooth in W60 while more upfront and revealing in W80.  That's exactly what makes them sound closer to ES60 performance.

 

[rynogee]

  The biggest difference to my ears is in upper mids and how they are more laid back and smooth in W60 while more upfront and revealing in W80.  That's exactly what makes them sound closer to ES60 performance.

 
The list pricing on W80 is $200 more than the ES60 - is that just the extra drivers? Wonder if this is another comparison to consider?

 

[twister6]

 

  The biggest difference to my ears is in upper mids and how they are more laid back and smooth in W60 while more upfront and revealing in W80.  That's exactly what makes them sound closer to ES60 performance.

 
The list pricing on W80 is $200 more than the ES60 - is that just the extra drivers? Wonder if this is another comparison to consider?

 
Typically, Custom IEMs are priced higher than Universal due to manufacturing cost, as an example of W60 ($1k) vs ES60 ($1.3k), and then fancier customization will add up to more.  Now, you have 8 driver W80 ($1.5k), we already talked about price difference, and I have a feeling once ES80 is released, it will probably be slightly higher than W80.  But keep in mind, unlike other manufacturer who offer the same driver config and tuning in universal and custom fits, when it comes to x60 - ES60 is tuned significantly different from W60, and I have a feeling the same will be true with ES80 vs W80, though I don't know 100% until I get a chance to test it.
 
Regarding your comparison suggestion, yep, I will compare W80 to UMPro50, W60, and ES60, and some other TOTL iems.

 

[TCD1975]

I received some Westone W80 this morning, but I've already decided to return them, due to some initial concerns ...
 

1. I personally find the ALO a bit too springy and microphonic, and I don't like the memory wire. I'm yet to be convinced of the benefits of "upgrade cables" so I prefer the standard Westone cable in terms of comfort, ease-of-use and ergonomics.
2. The MMCX connector, on both the included ALO cable and standard Westone cable, are far too loose for my liking. I don't see the benefits of connectors that can spin 360 degrees anyway, and I was hoping to find something far more secure.
3. Paired with my Sony NW-ZX100, I get a little bit of hiss, which I don't hear when using my W60.
4. With the very little bit of listening I've done, I've not personally noticed any great improvement over the W60 in terms of sound quality. They are perhaps a little bit crisper, with more forward mids, but any other differences are too subtle to be immediately apparent to me. if anything, I think I might prefer the slightly smoother W60, but that's completely subjective.

 
I'm not suggesting that the W80 are not a good IEM, and I'm not going to dismiss the views of people who think they are a worthwhile improvement over the W60. They just aren't a worthwhile upgrade for me. If I had not heard them for myself, I'd always wonder what I was missing out on, but I've heard enough to know that I don't personally consider them an essential purchase.
 
My existing W60 are good enough for me.
 
Twister6's anticipated review will be far more detailed, and authoritative, than anything I could ever provide. He has far more experience, a more nuanced ear for the subtle differences between high end IEMs, and I will read his review with great interest.

 

[twister6]

@TCD1975 : if you have patience to let the cable burn in for 100hrs, you will be very surprised, even if you are not a cable believer.  My first impression right out of the box was similar to yours, then I posted my second impression after 10-12 hours of listening where I started to hear the difference.  Now after 100hrs of burn in, it's more noticeable.
 
Take this with a grain of salt since my measurements are done using an uncalibrated Veritas system (obviously not a compensated curve like you see provided by manufacturer, this is raw data).  Also, everything below 50Hz and above 15kHz should be disregarded.  Furthermore, ES60 blue curve is shifted slightly up due to sensitivity of ES60 which makes it louder, I didn't compensate for that, so don't assume ES60 bass or 6k peak is a lot higher.
 
But if you look at red (W80) and yellow (W60) in upper mids region - you will see a big difference.  That's where the clarify and resolution comes from.  A noticeable difference between laid back lush W60 sound and more forward and resolving W80.  Also, the FR can't capture the tight and more articulate faster speed of W80 bass.
 

 

[TCD1975]

Hi Twister6,
 
That graph is very interesting. I can see what you mean about the difference between the tuning for the W60 and the ES60, and how the W80 is tuned more towards the ES60 signature. I'm surprised  how similar (apart from the boosted bass response) the W60 is to the UM Pro 50.
 
And I'm pretty sure that you're right, if I stuck with the W80 for a a week or two, the subtle differences would become more noticeable. Even after what was a very brief listening session, I thought the upper mids were a bit more forward and the bass was faster, though I'm not sure I would ultimately like that more than the W60 signature.
 
My main concern is with the MMCX connectors ... I REALLY dislike how loose they are. As soon as I connected the earphones to the ALO cable my heart sank. It was the one thing I was really hoping wouldn't be an issue, but suspected would be.
 
Having similarly loose MMCX connectors on my original UM Pro 50 and W60 lead to several warranty replacements, and on one occasion (due to some daft UK import tax rules regarding replacements) I had to pay an additional 20% import tax, plus handling charge, although I'd already paid the tax on the initial purchase. That's not Westone's fault - it's daft UK rules - but it's something I want to avoid.
 
I'm happy to concede that the ALO cable will "burn in" over time, and add an extra dimension to the W80 sound, but I still find it a little bit less user-friendly and comfortable than the standard epic cable. I would be prepared to overlook this, if I had more confidence in the build quality and lifespan of the MMCX connectors, but I didn't feel like I had that confidence.
 
I still look forward to reading your full review of the W80 and, if in 6 months time there has been no cable issues reported by other owners, I might revisit my decision.
 
On the other hand, I'm considering trying something completely different such as Earsonics S-EM9.

 

[elfary]

  @TCD1975 : if you have patience to let the cable burn in for 100hrs, you will be very surprised, even if you are not a cable believer.  My first impression right out of the box was similar to yours, then I posted my second impression after 10-12 hours of listening where I started to hear the difference.  Now after 100hrs of burn in, it's more noticeable.
 
Take this with a grain of salt since my measurements are done using an uncalibrated Veritas system (obviously not a compensated curve like you see provided by manufacturer, this is raw data).  Also, everything below 50Hz and above 15kHz should be disregarded.  Furthermore, ES60 blue curve is shifted slightly up due to sensitivity of ES60 which makes it louder, I didn't compensate for that, so don't assume ES60 bass or 6k peak is a lot higher.
 
But if you look at red (W80) and yellow (W60) in upper mids region - you will see a big difference.  That's where the clarify and resolution comes from.  A noticeable difference between laid back lush W60 sound and more forward and resolving W80.  Also, the FR can't capture the tight and more articulate faster speed of W80 bass.
 

 
Hooray! The Cartwright bros finally are getting rid of the steep dip in the presence region which will help the timbre and the dynamics a lot!

 

[twister6]

  Hi Twister6,
 
That graph is very interesting. I can see what you mean about the difference between the tuning for the W60 and the ES60, and how the W80 is tuned more towards the ES60 signature. I'm surprised  how similar (apart from the boosted bass response) the W60 is to the UM Pro 50.
 
And I'm pretty sure that you're right, if I stuck with the W80 for a a week or two, the subtle differences would become more noticeable. Even after what was a very brief listening session, I thought the upper mids were a bit more forward and the bass was faster, though I'm not sure I would ultimately like that more than the W60 signature.
 
My main concern is with the MMCX connectors ... I REALLY dislike how loose they are. As soon as I connected the earphones to the ALO cable my heart sank. It was the one thing I was really hoping wouldn't be an issue, but suspected would be.
 
Having similarly loose MMCX connectors on my original UM Pro 50 and W60 lead to several warranty replacements, and on one occasion (due to some daft UK import tax rules regarding replacements) I had to pay an additional 20% import tax, plus handling charge, although I'd already paid the tax on the initial purchase. That's not Westone's fault - it's daft UK rules - but it's something I want to avoid.
 
I'm happy to concede that the ALO cable will "burn in" over time, and add an extra dimension to the W80 sound, but I still find it a little bit less user-friendly and comfortable than the standard epic cable. I would be prepared to overlook this, if I had more confidence in the build quality and lifespan of the MMCX connectors, but I didn't feel like I had that confidence.
 
I still look forward to reading your full review of the W80 and, if in 6 months time there has been no cable issues reported by other owners, I might revisit my decision.
 
On the other hand, I'm considering trying something completely different such as Earsonics S-EM9.

 
I like S-EM9 as well, reviewed it last week on my blog and will post the review on head-fi in a day or two.  SEM9 has more sub-bass and upper mids are even more forward, but you do need a good replacement cable with it, their stock OFC is just a basic disposable cheap wire.
 
With a connector, I know what you mean.  Westone put a lot of resources into updating their connectors and housing of the cable connector.  I reviewed their AMPro30 and BT cable, and connecting AMPro30 Epic cable with a new connector/housing to W80 will put a big smile on your face because there is a tight snap and a rubber overlap to seal any exposed metal parts.  But as you know, these cables are not universal, while ALO Ref8 cable is Universal, meaning it will work with any mmcx connector IEM.  It's a big plus because this is one heck of a cable which can scale up a sound of any IEM/CIEM, but it will not have the same flush fit as Epic cable connector.  I still find it snappy and very secure, but you will see a gap.
 
Regarding spinning/loose, I think it has to do more with a memory wire which I'm not a fan of when it comes to mmcx connectors.  Over-ear 2pin cable - memory wire is a HUGE plus, but with mmcx for some people it could be a distraction.  I already mentioned, I moded my Ref8 cable, it wasn't easy because Ken built these suckers solid where memory wire is latched inside the housing of the connector.  So, I had to cut it off.  It's a risk you take because you can easily damage the cable and for sure loose your warranty.  But if you make a commitment to keep the cable/IEM, it's quite rewarding and liberating afterwards

 
Again, as a disclaimer, don't do this at home kids unless you ok with consequences

 

 
And yes, the cable is springy and has some memory effect, it's not as soft as Epic cable.  That's a compromise you have to make: comfort vs performance, though I gotta tell you after I removed memory wire - comfort scaled up as well.  No issues or irritation keeping wires over my ears.  LOVE IT!!!

 

[TCD1975]

Yep, I've seen the S-EM9 review on your blog. If the S-EM9 has more forward mids than the W80 it might not be for me. I am a fan of the laid back, smooth presentation of the W60. I am actually very happy with my W60, and UM Pro 50, so I don't know why I'm mucking about trying other earphones really. As the saying goes "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."
 
Given that I've had to make use of Westone's warranty replacement policy so often in the past, I wouldn't want to do anything to the ALO cable that would invalidate the warranty. I only have Westone IEMs so, while I agree that having a nice universal cable that can be used on other IEMs is a bonus, it doesn't bring any benefits to me personally.
 
I could keep the W80 and just use a standard epic cable, in order to avoid the loose MMCX connector issues that worry me, but as I'm not going to get the full benefit of the upgrade to the W80, it doesn't seem to make sense as a worthwhile investment for me personally.
 
I'm sure I will purchase further Westone models in the future, but I'll perhaps wait until something of a more radical departure comes along.

 

[obsidyen]

  Yep, I've seen the S-EM9 review on your blog. If the S-EM9 has more forward mids than the W80 it might not be for me. I am a fan of the laid back, smooth presentation of the W60. I am actually very happy with my W60, and UM Pro 50, so I don't know why I'm mucking about trying other earphones really. As the saying goes "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."
 
Given that I've had to make use of Westone's warranty replacement policy so often in the past, I wouldn't want to do anything to the ALO cable that would invalidate the warranty. I only have Westone IEMs so, while I agree that having a nice universal cable that can be used on other IEMs is a bonus, it doesn't bring any benefits to me personally.
 
I could keep the W80 and just use a standard epic cable, in order to avoid the loose MMCX connector issues that worry me, but as I'm not going to get the full benefit of the upgrade to the W80, it doesn't seem to make sense as a worthwhile investment for me personally.
 
I'm sure I will purchase further Westone models in the future, but I'll perhaps wait until something of a more radical departure comes along.

Have you tried Noble K10UA? It has a detailed laid-back sound. A new version (K10 Encore) is about to be released so you might find the regular K10UA at good prices these days, I think. I much prefer S-EM9's energy over K10UA's laid-back sound, however. I dislike harsh treble and boosted upper mids but S-EM9 is so smooth and balanced that everything sounds superb. From the chart it seems W60 has a huge upper mid dip leading to a fatigue-free yet possibly dull sound. S-EM9 has flatter upper mids. There's no sibilance whatsoever, if that's what you're worried about. I think you might change your mind if you hear the glorious sound of S-EM9. I doubt you'll want to go back to W60. I haven't heard W80 but I don't think it can reach the level of S-EM9 sound either.

 

[ljnew]

  I received some Westone W80 this morning, but I've already decided to return them, due to some initial concerns ...
 

1. I personally find the ALO a bit too springy and microphonic, and I don't like the memory wire. I'm yet to be convinced of the benefits of "upgrade cables" so I prefer the standard Westone cable in terms of comfort, ease-of-use and ergonomics.
2. The MMCX connector, on both the included ALO cable and standard Westone cable, are far too loose for my liking. I don't see the benefits of connectors that can spin 360 degrees anyway, and I was hoping to find something far more secure.
3. Paired with my Sony NW-ZX100, I get a little bit of hiss, which I don't hear when using my W60.
4. With the very little bit of listening I've done, I've not personally noticed any great improvement over the W60 in terms of sound quality. They are perhaps a little bit crisper, with more forward mids, but any other differences are too subtle to be immediately apparent to me. if anything, I think I might prefer the slightly smoother W60, but that's completely subjective.

 
I'm not suggesting that the W80 are not a good IEM, and I'm not going to dismiss the views of people who think they are a worthwhile improvement over the W60. They just aren't a worthwhile upgrade for me. If I had not heard them for myself, I'd always wonder what I was missing out on, but I've heard enough to know that I don't personally consider them an essential purchase.
 
My existing W60 are good enough for me.
 
Twister6's anticipated review will be far more detailed, and authoritative, than anything I could ever provide. He has far more experience, a more nuanced ear for the subtle differences between high end IEMs, and I will read his review with great interest.

I get alot of harsh highs and hiss as well, but I didn't want to be the bearer of bad news..

 

[twister6]

 

  I received some Westone W80 this morning, but I've already decided to return them, due to some initial concerns ...
 

1. I personally find the ALO a bit too springy and microphonic, and I don't like the memory wire. I'm yet to be convinced of the benefits of "upgrade cables" so I prefer the standard Westone cable in terms of comfort, ease-of-use and ergonomics.
2. The MMCX connector, on both the included ALO cable and standard Westone cable, are far too loose for my liking. I don't see the benefits of connectors that can spin 360 degrees anyway, and I was hoping to find something far more secure.
3. Paired with my Sony NW-ZX100, I get a little bit of hiss, which I don't hear when using my W60.
4. With the very little bit of listening I've done, I've not personally noticed any great improvement over the W60 in terms of sound quality. They are perhaps a little bit crisper, with more forward mids, but any other differences are too subtle to be immediately apparent to me. if anything, I think I might prefer the slightly smoother W60, but that's completely subjective.

 
I'm not suggesting that the W80 are not a good IEM, and I'm not going to dismiss the views of people who think they are a worthwhile improvement over the W60. They just aren't a worthwhile upgrade for me. If I had not heard them for myself, I'd always wonder what I was missing out on, but I've heard enough to know that I don't personally consider them an essential purchase.
 
My existing W60 are good enough for me.
 
Twister6's anticipated review will be far more detailed, and authoritative, than anything I could ever provide. He has far more experience, a more nuanced ear for the subtle differences between high end IEMs, and I will read his review with great interest.

I get alot of harsh highs and hiss as well, but I didn't want to be the bearer of bad news..

 
Which source are you pairing W80 with?  Hissing with Ref8 cable is noticeable with some of the sources, but not as bad as what you hear with ES60 or Zeus or Andromeda.  Regarding harsh highs, I mean, we all have a different perception of the sound and I'm the one who will be the first to admit about being allergic to harsh and grainy upper mids and bright treble.  But honestly, I don't find W80 to be harsh at all.  As an example, S-EM9, K10UA, and Andromeda have brighter and more forward highs (not by a mile, but they do relative to W80).  Also, when you use small eartips, lacking a tight seal, the low end impact is attenuated, thus creating a perception of the high frequency tilt.
 
But hey, we all hear things differently, and there are so many other IEMs/CIEMs to choose from