[mrhizzo]

Anyone selling the W80?

 

[Sarnia]

Yep, you are absolutely right, i previewed iSine20 at CanJam and it was way too loud for them

Btw, I heard WM1A really scales up in sound balanced, in comparison to SE HO, is that true?

The only IEMs I've listened to in both SE and balanced are the MDR-EX1000. In SE I would describe the sound as warm, lush, and euphonic with very good bass. Switching to balanced they move towards a more neutral sound with a quite noticeable amount of extra detail but still a hint of warmth. The bass tightens up and I perceive it to be reduced somewhat.

I think the WM1A is a superb DAP. The different sound signature between SE and balanced of my favourite IEMs out of it is an added bonus.

 

[fzman]

I'm totally mesmerized by this video, probably played it a dozen of times already. So, that's how they stuff 8 separate BA drivers inside of a tiny W80 shell

Very slick!!!

where's the crossover?

 

[twister6]

where's the crossover?

Good point! Wires are soldered directly to the connector socket. Hmm....

 

[sonickarma]

earphonia.com interview with Karl Cartwright from Westone Audio

http://earphonia.com/interviews/interview-karl-cartwright-westone-laboratories/
http://earphonia.com/interviews/interview-karl-cartwright-westone-laboratories/

 

[twister6]

earphonia.com interview with Westone founder Karl Cartwright

http://earphonia.com/interviews/interview-karl-cartwright-westone-laboratories/

Great interview!!! Thank you for sharing it!

 

[tyrion274al]

@twister6 What's your favorite w80's pair-up now, still OPS#2?

 

[twister6]

@twister6 What's your favorite w80's pair-up now, still OPS#2?

Yes, I do enjoy Opus#2 and Opus#3 pair up, also like pair up with Cayin i5. But it's all a matter of a personal preference. Sometimes I want a more revealing, crisper sound. But if you are after a lush detailed full body sound, W80 pairs up great with a lot of different sources, from neutral to warmish.

 

[frozst]

Hello! I've bought the w80 in February and I've been using the alo cable since then. Today I have tested the epic cable with the remote as I prefer its features.

Unfortunately I have noticed quite a lot of difference, the sound is less punchy and rich.

My question is, the alo cable has more than 100h while the epic is new, does this cable benefits from burn in?

I will still use it for a few weeks and check again how does it sound.

What do you think?

 

[twister6]

Hello! I've bought the w80 in February and I've been using the alo cable since then. Today I have tested the epic cable with the remote as I prefer its features.

Unfortunately I have noticed quite a lot of difference, the sound is less punchy and rich.

My question is, the alo cable has more than 100h while the epic is new, does this cable benefits from burn in?

I will still use it for a few weeks and check again how does it sound.

What do you think?

The stock cable with remote uses completely different wire material. It's just a regular OFC (oxygen free copper) cable, not even sure how many conductors, while ALO Ref8 has 8 separate conductors with 4 pure copper and 4 silver-plated copper. Either if you are cable believer or not, got ahead, put the remote cable through 100hrs of burn in and compare again. You will hear the same difference While the differences between premium cables could be subtle, typically an upgrade from ofc cable to a premium cable is more noticeable. There are a lot of factors, one is that Ref8 has a higher purity material which means less losses (better conductivity, less resistivity), and the other one is that with more conductors and thicker overall cable the resistance of the cable is lower and it will affect the sound since you are dealing with multi-BA IEM that has 5 ohm impedance (changes in resistance have some effect on frequency response).

 

[orifiel]

Hello!!

I have the w80s...
In the beggining i hear some sibilance, with my AK240SS and AK320, this sibilace decreased over time, then i bought the Alo Audio reference 8 balaced, and IMO is definitely better, better soundstage less sibilant, better clarity.
I just missed the bass, my final solution to this was the red silicone tips
In conclusion the Westone W80 are the best IEM i have heard
I wonder if the es80 will be better

 

[twister6]

Hello!!

I have the w80s...
In the beggining i hear some sibilance, with my AK240SS and AK320, this sibilace decreased over time, then i bought the Alo Audio reference 8 balaced, and IMO is definitely better, better soundstage less sibilant, better clarity.
I just missed the bass, my final solution to this was the red silicone tips
In conclusion the Westone W80 are the best IEM i have heard
I wonder if the es80 will be better

W80 already comes stock with Ref8 cable, though 3.5mm single ended terminated, and AK240 by nature (just like AK120ii i have) is rather smooth and with warmer tonality. I think you found the correct solution by tip rolling, finding the best tip to give you a proper seal. With a poor seal, you will loose low end impact and that will make the perception of higher frequencies to be "brighter". I can honestly tell you, with ak240 going from SE to BAL won't solve the bass problem. But either way, I'm glad you found the perfect combination of a cable and eartips to make them sound the best to you!

ES80 has a rather different sound signature, neutral tuned CIEM. Based on your comment about "missing the bass" when you were playing around with W80, I'm not sure if ES80 will be your cup of tea Yes, it has the same 8 drivers as W80, and No, it's not Custom version of W80, but rather a neutral reference quality tuned CIEM. So, ES80 is not better than W80, it's not an upgrade but a differently tuned side-grade.

 

[SSJ3TM]

I bought the w80s! I haven't had much time to listen to them yet, so i'm not comfortable enough to give any impressions on sound. However, I have come across an immediate problem. The ALO cable is too short for me. With my DAP in my front pocket, the cable isn’t long enough for me to even stand up straight. The 52in cables that come with westone earphones are also a bit too short for me. I have bought their 64in replacement epic cables in the past, but they never last more than 6 months without one channel shorting out on me. The last one I bought fits too loosely on my w40 and w80 connectors. It pops out with the slightest tug. So I’m looking for an aftermarket cable longer than 52in that’s $100 or less. Another option I guess would be to buy a cable extension for the ALO cable. But wouldn’t adding another (lower quality) cable into the mix negate the benefits of the ALO cable? If not, does anyone know of any 6-10in cable extensions that they could recommend? Or, could anyone recommend an aftermarket cable that’s under $100. I think I recall ursine audio being mentioned on this thread. Would that be a good option?

 

[twister6]

I bought the w80s! I haven't had much time to listen to them yet, so i'm not comfortable enough to give any impressions on sound. However, I have come across an immediate problem. The ALO cable is too short for me. With my DAP in my front pocket, the cable isn’t long enough for me to even stand up straight. The 52in cables that come with westone earphones are also a bit too short for me. I have bought their 64in replacement epic cables in the past, but they never last more than 6 months without one channel shorting out on me. The last one I bought fits too loosely on my w40 and w80 connectors. It pops out with the slightest tug. So I’m looking for an aftermarket cable longer than 52in that’s $100 or less. Another option I guess would be to buy a cable extension for the ALO cable. But wouldn’t adding another (lower quality) cable into the mix negate the benefits of the ALO cable? If not, does anyone know of any 6-10in cable extensions that they could recommend? Or, could anyone recommend an aftermarket cable that’s under $100. I think I recall ursine audio being mentioned on this thread. Would that be a good option?

How tall are you? 1.2m (48in) is a standard cable length, 52in is an alternative for taller people (I assume), but I never seen anything longer. Another option would be to ask one of the custom cable companies to build you one. Where did you get 64in replacement from? If they don't last for too long, it's probably some cheap DIY cable or you need longer than 64in since the reason it pops out because you put strain on the cable. Custom cable company can build you a cable of any length, but quality cables will cost you hundreds of dollars.

I would try an extension cable. There are plenty of $5 3.5mm extension cables on amazon or ebay, the only problem is they are too long. Shorter extension cable, since you mix'n'match the wires and have some reflection losses at the connector joint, is preferable. I see Penon has 1m audiophile extension cable here: http://penonaudio.com/3.5 mm-Male-to-Female but it's $30.

Here is a thing, maybe try one of those cheap cables and compare the sound quality with and without extension. If you don't hear the difference, then you are done!

 

[orifiel]

W80 already comes stock with Ref8 cable, though 3.5mm single ended terminated, and AK240 by nature (just like AK120ii i have) is rather smooth and with warmer tonality. I think you found the correct solution by tip rolling, finding the best tip to give you a proper seal. With a poor seal, you will loose low end impact and that will make the perception of higher frequencies to be "brighter". I can honestly tell you, with ak240 going from SE to BAL won't solve the bass problem. But either way, I'm glad you found the perfect combination of a cable and eartips to make them sound the best to you!

ES80 has a rather different sound signature, neutral tuned CIEM. Based on your comment about "missing the bass" when you were playing around with W80, I'm not sure if ES80 will be your cup of tea Yes, it has the same 8 drivers as W80, and No, it's not Custom version of W80, but rather a neutral reference quality tuned CIEM. So, ES80 is not better than W80, it's not an upgrade but a differently tuned side-grade.

The better sound on BAL ref8 maybe due to the lower impedance of BAL port in the aKs?? (the clarity, soundstage, with the bass i agree, the problem was the tips)
I like the sound signature of the Westones, i have the W40 and W60 too
But i want a better and most comfortable seal, and i can't use foam tips (they cause me itch)....then i think in the custom solution and ES80 comes to my mind...
A neutral tuned sound it's no a problem since i have warmish sources, the excessive treble is a problem for me, if the ES80 is not a treble-oriented CIEM maybe i like it...
Do you listen the ES80 with AK120II??, that maybe gives me an idea of how it sounds with my DAPs