[twister6]

Got the impressions made and ordered the ES80's last Friday, now the waiting game begins - very excited for my first CIEM's!

Don't think the waiting game should be that long, and please make sure to share your impressions when you get it, including the source you are driving ES80 with

 

[chid646]

Don't think the waiting game should be that long, and please make sure to share your impressions when you get it, including the source you are driving ES80 with

Yeah just checked on the status and it has been 8 working days since I ordered and the center that did the ear impressions checked with Westone who said it will be another 2 weeks so the waiting game is in full swing and now my excitement is waning

 

[FastAndClean]

 

[Down4wotever]

Yeah just checked on the status and it has been 8 working days since I ordered and the center that did the ear impressions checked with Westone who said it will be another 2 weeks so the waiting game is in full swing and now my excitement is waning

Totally understand the anxiety while waiting. My history with Westone, W3, W4, W60 at which point I lost the left earpiece. Coinicendatly I'd been contemplating ES series, so naturally resisted temptation to jump on to the W80s immediately. I held out with a pair of the old UM pro 50s which surprised me profoundly. Bring on the plunge into the ES80s,....source is Walkman gold WMIZ, honestly never been closer to the music. This is a small piece of heaven. All I'd advise is please do experiment with different cables, makes a real difference. I'm using ALO ref 8 as my regular option but pure silver and pure copper each bring different beauty to this beast. Make sure the fit is perfect or else you'll be missing out on tonnes of realism and the whole magic that's ES80

 

[chid646]

Totally understand the anxiety while waiting. My history with Westone, W3, W4, W60 at which point I lost the left earpiece. Coinicendatly I'd been contemplating ES series, so naturally resisted temptation to jump on to the W80s immediately. I held out with a pair of the old UM pro 50s which surprised me profoundly. Bring on the plunge into the ES80s,....source is Walkman gold WMIZ, honestly never been closer to the music. This is a small piece of heaven. All I'd advise is please do experiment with different cables, makes a real difference. I'm using ALO ref 8 as my regular option but pure silver and pure copper each bring different beauty to this beast. Make sure the fit is perfect or else you'll be missing out on tonnes of realism and the whole magic that's ES80

I will try some different cables for sure - I do have one from Ted Allen of Headphonelounge that i really like

 

[twister6]

Since I will continue with 2nd gen W-series discussion in that thread, just wanted to mention I posted some additional info and pictures in there. Don't want to mirror it in both threads. And yes, metal faceplates looks cool. AND YES, you can put them on original W80 And, as a teaser, the sound of 2nd gen W80 is identical to the original W80.

 

[pathworks]

I got a w80 from B&H Dealzone 2 weeks ago for a great price. I'm looking for a dap that has good matching impedance. I've been poking through this huge thread looking for recommendations and it is difficult to find a recommendation that is current for today's daps. I've been looking at Pioneer, Fiio M9 and others. I primarily listen (home office) via a Roon Rock server >> Sonore microRendu >> Chord Mojo >> THX AAA 789 >> W80. At the office it is JRiver >> Mojo >> w80. I'd like a dap that can be a roon endpoint. I also have Chromecast devices so being able to cast music from the dap (like my Android phone) would be a big plus (I don't do Airplay). Bluetooth 4 or 5 with Aptx Ldap would also be a big plus. Any recommendations on a brand or model to be looking at? Thanks for reading.

 

[twister6]

I got a w80 from B&H Dealzone 2 weeks ago for a great price. I'm looking for a dap that has good matching impedance. I've been poking through this huge thread looking for recommendations and it is difficult to find a recommendation that is current for today's daps. I've been looking at Pioneer, Fiio M9 and others. I primarily listen (home office) via a Roon Rock server >> Sonore microRendu >> Chord Mojo >> THX AAA 789 >> W80. At the office it is JRiver >> Mojo >> w80. I'd like a dap that can be a roon endpoint. I also have Chromecast devices so being able to cast music from the dap (like my Android phone) would be a big plus (I don't do Airplay). Bluetooth 4 or 5 with Aptx Ldap would also be a big plus. Any recommendations on a brand or model to be looking at? Thanks for reading.

Per your streaming requirements, I assume you are looking for Android based DAP with app support? What is your budget? That would be a starting point to narrow down the selection. Also, I'm not sure if you are looking for something with higher resolution, more audiophile quality? Pioneer/Onkyo I tried before were good commercial quality DAPs, not exactly audiophile quality sound, though my personal bar is a bit high (since I review a lot of flagship DAPs). Not familiar with FiiO M-series, but usually FiiO tuning is also geared more toward commercial sound quality. I was just listening to W80 paired up with Hiby R6 Pro and that pair up is VERY good. Not the original R6 which has 10 ohm output impedance, but R6 Pro. Plus, had some fun tweaking its MSEB dsp effects. Hiby DAP is like your Android smartphone without "phone" part.

 

[pathworks]

@twister6. I want a DAP that will bring out the best of the W80s at a great price ($300 to $500 range). I'd sacrifice 5% of supreme audiophile quality for 80% less cost - all of my critical listening has been tied to desktop systems to date. Most of my mobile listening has been to ripped lossy files copied to my phone's limited disk space. I view DAPs as disposable tech that, like cellphones, will be obsolete in two to three years and need to be replaced. Thank you for pointing me to the Hiby R6 Pro - I'll put it on a contender list. Any other suggestions would be welcome.

 

[raydenray]

I have a AK SR15 that sound great with my W80. I'm thinking to buy the ALO ref 8 2.5mm balanced cable to go with my SR15, but the output impedance is 1.6 ohm on balanced... do you think it's too much for the W80 ?

 

[twister6]

I have a AK SR15 that sound great with my W80. I'm thinking to buy the ALO ref 8 2.5mm balanced cable to go with my SR15, but the output impedance is 1.6 ohm on balanced... do you think it's too much for the W80 ?

When I tested W80 with L&P L6 dap which has 2.2 ohm from its SE output, the sound changed a little where bass was more attenuated and mids were brighter. It's hard to tell how this will translate into SR15, because it's not just output impedance but also other contributing factors like output voltage, etc. So, there is a possibility that sound could change. Are you not happy with SE output of SR15?

 

[raydenray]

When I tested W80 with L&P L6 dap which has 2.2 ohm from its SE output, the sound changed a little where bass was more attenuated and mids were brighter. It's hard to tell how this will translate into SR15, because it's not just output impedance but also other contributing factors like output voltage, etc. So, there is a possibility that sound could change. Are you not happy with SE output of SR15?

Oh I am happy with the SE output but on the SR15 thread everyone seems to praise the balanced output and how better it is... I think the best would be for me to try it and see (and maybe get a refund or sell the cable). Do you think the IEmatch could help there ?

 

[twister6]

@twister6. I want a DAP that will bring out the best of the W80s at a great price ($300 to $500 range). I'd sacrifice 5% of supreme audiophile quality for 80% less cost - all of my critical listening has been tied to desktop systems to date. Most of my mobile listening has been to ripped lossy files copied to my phone's limited disk space. I view DAPs as disposable tech that, like cellphones, will be obsolete in two to three years and need to be replaced. Thank you for pointing me to the Hiby R6 Pro - I'll put it on a contender list. Any other suggestions would be welcome.

Another really good option for you would be Cayin N5iiS DAP (Musicteck lists it for $499, but maybe you can get an even better deal). It has dual uSD for extra storage and also has access to Google Play for streaming.

 

[twister6]

Oh I am happy with the SE output but on the SR15 thread everyone seems to praise the balanced output and how better it is... I think the best would be for me to try it and see (and maybe get a refund or sell the cable). Do you think the IEmatch could help there ?

iEMatch certainly could help a lot. It was a life saver for many low impedance IEMs when I was testing the original hiby R6 which has 10 ohm output impedance.

 

[raydenray]

iEMatch certainly could help a lot. It was a life saver for many low impedance IEMs when I was testing the original hiby R6 which has 10 ohm output impedance.

Thats what I thought, but wasn't sure since the SR15 output is "only" 1.6 ohm.