[pacman46]

I think the w60 is still a great iem. Is it the most detailed iem?? No it's not. But it's so comfortable to wear and it really excels with better dac/ amp combinations I find. I just bought fair be it an older dac/amp a few days ago the hp-p1 and wow it took it to another level for sure from what I was using, iPhone 7 fiio 12a. And so on. I'm hoping maybe in a year roughly to upgrade to the w80 but I'm afraid the upgrade just won't be justified from the w60 to the w80. Anyhow I'm a huge westone fan for many reasons. Owning many of their offerings in the past present and future. Happy listening!! And happy family day here in the great white north!

 

[snk8699]

  To keep the W80 in the spotlight it deserves.
 
My review: http://www.head-fi.org/products/westone-w80-eight-driver-system-with-dual-bass-dual-mid-and-quad-high-78508/reviews/18062
 
Cheers,
Ralf

 
Another positive review to get me excited about taking delivery of the W80 this afternoon!  Thanks for sharing.

 

[twister6]

 

  To keep the W80 in the spotlight it deserves.
 
My review: http://www.head-fi.org/products/westone-w80-eight-driver-system-with-dual-bass-dual-mid-and-quad-high-78508/reviews/18062
 
Cheers,
Ralf

 
Another positive review to get me excited about taking delivery of the W80 this afternoon!  Thanks for sharing.

 
So I assume like any responsible head-fier you took a day off, feeling "under weather" to wait for your W80 delivery?

 

[snk8699]

   
So I assume like any responsible head-fier you took a day off, feeling "under weather" to wait for your W80 delivery?

 
Exactly.  I feel like a dog detecting every subtle noise on the street and peering out the window for his owner to come home.  I wouldn't have it any other way, except for the fact that UPS doesn't usually deliver in my neighborhood until 6PM.  Don't they know I'm trying to get some serious listening time in before the wife and kids get home?  That's the audiophile struggle

 

[DancingBlue]

   
Another positive review to get me excited about taking delivery of the W80 this afternoon!  Thanks for sharing.

Mine arrive tomorrow! 

 
Looking forward to comparing to the SE846. Also looking forward to trying the included ALO cable with the SE8456.

 

[snk8699]

They have arrived!  I have no experience with any other Westone offerings, but the unboxing presentation is truly a first class affair.  I'm really impressed with all the accessories, ALO Reference 8 IEM cable, and of course the cases.  I would have been satisfied with just the great selection of eartips, but including the Ref 8 cable really makes me believe that Westone wanted their IEM to sound it's best by providing an upgraded aftermarket cable.  I have the Ref 8 on my CA Vega that I've been using for months now and it's truly exceptional.
 
These have got to be the most comfortable IEMs I've probably ever worn and certainly the lightest.  I have no qualms about the plastic shell body or design since it sits flush against my ears and becomes unnoticeable after a few minutes of listening.  I will admit that I've never taken into account the body material for balanced armatures because I don't believe they impact the overall sound like their dynamic driver counterparts, so this choice is a win for comfort.
 
I naturally swapped out the stock cable for the ALO Ref 8 and queued up the tracks.  The sound is everything I've read it to be: fantastic!  I do believe your brain has to adjust to the sonic signature of any headphone, but your brain also knows what sound is agreeable and what sound is not within the first listening session.  I was certainly enamored enough with the entire presentation from top to bottom to spend the rest of my evening swimming in Westone musicality.  The bass presentation is probably the best I've heard in BA IEMs, as it is closer to a dynamic driver in sound and decay.  The treble is really dialed into perfection for me as well with no exaggerated cymbal shimmer or north tilt to compromise the overall tonal balance.
 
I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned this in this thread, but isn't it unorthodox to have the combination of 2 low, 2 mid, and 4 high drivers in an BA IEM?  I typically see a balance of drivers across the spectrum when they exceed 6, so I was just curious why Westone decided to take this approach to accomplish their goal.  Regardless, I'm grateful they took the 3 years to make it every bit of a masterpiece as the hungry audiophile has come to expect.
 
Kudos Westone!

 

[twister6]

  They have arrived!  I have no experience with any other Westone offerings, but the unboxing presentation is truly a first class affair.  I'm really impressed with all the accessories, ALO Reference 8 IEM cable, and of course the cases.  I would have been satisfied with just the great selection of eartips, but including the Ref 8 cable really makes me believe that Westone wanted their IEM to sound it's best by providing an upgraded aftermarket cable.  I have the Ref 8 on my CA Vega that I've been using for months now and it's truly exceptional.
 
These have got to be the most comfortable IEMs I've probably ever worn and certainly the lightest.  I have no qualms about the plastic shell body or design since it sits flush against my ears and becomes unnoticeable after a few minutes of listening.  I will admit that I've never taken into account the body material for balanced armatures because I don't believe they impact the overall sound like their dynamic driver counterparts, so this choice is a win for comfort.
 
I naturally swapped out the stock cable for the ALO Ref 8 and queued up the tracks.  The sound is everything I've read it to be: fantastic!  I do believe your brain has to adjust to the sonic signature of any headphone, but your brain also knows what sound is agreeable and what sound is not within the first listening session.  I was certainly enamored enough with the entire presentation from top to bottom to spend the rest of my evening swimming in Westone musicality.  The bass presentation is probably the best I've heard in BA IEMs, as it is closer to a dynamic driver in sound and decay.  The treble is really dialed into perfection for me as well with no exaggerated cymbal shimmer or north tilt to compromise the overall tonal balance.
 
I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned this in this thread, but isn't it unorthodox to have the combination of 2 low, 2 mid, and 4 high drivers in an BA IEM?  I typically see a balance of drivers across the spectrum when they exceed 6, so I was just curious why Westone decided to take this approach to accomplish their goal.  Regardless, I'm grateful they took the 3 years to make it every bit of a masterpiece as the hungry audiophile has come to expect.
 
Kudos Westone!

 
So, it begs to be asked, can you hear a difference between Ref8 used with VEGA vs the brand new fresh one from W80?  Try both cables with VEGA and W80, to see if you can hear any difference.  Just curious.  And if you don't hear it, that's fine too!
 
With 2+2+4 driver split, I think Westone emphasized that they want to take 2+2+2 baseline tuning of W60 and update it with more clarity and details of additional 2 tweeter.  But of course, it's not as simple as lego blocks that you just add in.  I think the whole spectrum was fine-tuned along with addition of BA tweeter pair.

 

[beowulf]

  Mine arrive tomorrow! 

 
Looking forward to comparing to the SE846. Also looking forward to trying the included ALO cable with the SE8456.

 
The SE846 are long gone for me, but I'd love to see how the W80 compare to the Andromeda.
Hmm no tour units available yet, I don't feel like getting an Amazon unit just to test+return...

 

[MacedonianHero]

  They have arrived!  I have no experience with any other Westone offerings, but the unboxing presentation is truly a first class affair.  I'm really impressed with all the accessories, ALO Reference 8 IEM cable, and of course the cases.  I would have been satisfied with just the great selection of eartips, but including the Ref 8 cable really makes me believe that Westone wanted their IEM to sound it's best by providing an upgraded aftermarket cable.  I have the Ref 8 on my CA Vega that I've been using for months now and it's truly exceptional.
 
These have got to be the most comfortable IEMs I've probably ever worn and certainly the lightest.  I have no qualms about the plastic shell body or design since it sits flush against my ears and becomes unnoticeable after a few minutes of listening.  I will admit that I've never taken into account the body material for balanced armatures because I don't believe they impact the overall sound like their dynamic driver counterparts, so this choice is a win for comfort.
 
I naturally swapped out the stock cable for the ALO Ref 8 and queued up the tracks.  The sound is everything I've read it to be: fantastic!  I do believe your brain has to adjust to the sonic signature of any headphone, but your brain also knows what sound is agreeable and what sound is not within the first listening session.  I was certainly enamored enough with the entire presentation from top to bottom to spend the rest of my evening swimming in Westone musicality.  The bass presentation is probably the best I've heard in BA IEMs, as it is closer to a dynamic driver in sound and decay.  The treble is really dialed into perfection for me as well with no exaggerated cymbal shimmer or north tilt to compromise the overall tonal balance.
 
I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned this in this thread, but isn't it unorthodox to have the combination of 2 low, 2 mid, and 4 high drivers in an BA IEM?  I typically see a balance of drivers across the spectrum when they exceed 6, so I was just curious why Westone decided to take this approach to accomplish their goal.  Regardless, I'm grateful they took the 3 years to make it every bit of a masterpiece as the hungry audiophile has come to expect.
 
Kudos Westone!

 
I think they are outstanding IEMs...light, comfortable, isolate very well and sound incredibly open...likely the most open sounding UIEM I've heard. Congrats!

 

[BartSimpson1976]

I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned this in this thread, but isn't it unorthodox to have the combination of 2 low, 2 mid, and 4 high drivers in an BA IEM?  I typically see a balance of drivers across the spectrum when they exceed 6, so I was just curious why Westone decided to take this approach to accomplish their goal.  Regardless, I'm grateful they took the 3 years to make it every bit of a masterpiece as the hungry audiophile has come to expect.
 

 
JH Audio is using the same setup (2/2/4) in their JH13v2

 

[ifunes39]

Is The w80 better than jh audio angie, thanks

 

[HiFiGuy528]

I love the W60 so I'm stoked to try the new W80. Have about 20 hrs. on them now and it's opening up nicely. Upgraded to the "thin" cable because it is super light and comfy on the W60. It's arriving later today. Yay!!!
 
Hip tip! Change the right faceplate to RED color and the left to Blue to easily identify the L & R channels. 
 

 

[snk8699]

   
So, it begs to be asked, can you hear a difference between Ref8 used with VEGA vs the brand new fresh one from W80?  Try both cables with VEGA and W80, to see if you can hear any difference.  Just curious.  And if you don't hear it, that's fine too!
 
With 2+2+4 driver split, I think Westone emphasized that they want to take 2+2+2 baseline tuning of W60 and update it with more clarity and details of additional 2 tweeter.  But of course, it's not as simple as lego blocks that you just add in.  I think the whole spectrum was fine-tuned along with addition of BA tweeter pair.

 
That's definitely a question better left to the experts such as yourself because I left it to burn in with the Ref 8 for about 15 hours before I swapped the Ref 8 cable off my Vega with the new Ref 8 on the W80.  I can't say I'm able to distinguish the sonic differences due to the cable because I'm not intimately familiar with the W80 sound signature.
 
That being said, I continue to be impressed with what I'm hearing.  The vocals are intoxicating on many tracks with the clarity I've come to expect in high end over-ear headphones.  I don't do it often, but these do sound phenomenal straight out of my iPhone as mentioned in other posts.  I personally believe that BA IEMs sound better out of a smart phone than dynamic IEMs, but the W80s might very well be the best that I've heard as it retains all of its scintillating qualities.  I'm not going to advocate using the W80 without a DAP / DAC because it can scale to reveal more palpable dynamics, but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the W80 as the transducer of choice to smart phone only users.
 
I can't get over how comfortable these are for long durations of time.  I love the supplied silicone star tips (small), but I also had some compatible T-100 Comply tips (Isolation series - small) laying around that also feel and sound fantastic.

 

[snk8699]

   
JH Audio is using the same setup (2/2/4) in their JH13v2

 
Ok, that is interesting.  Thanks for the info!

 

[RedMax23]

Hi, I new in this forum. I currently own W40 and Noble 6, and I do have a slight issue with W40 where the star tips keep falling out and struck in my ear or drop to the ground whenever I remove it from my ear. Does any of Westone user experience or encounter this on W80? I do like the W80 however just worry will have a similar encounter which hold me back from making the purchase.