options against sennheiser ie80

[mihir]

i am thinking about buying sennheiser ie80 and i would like to know other options available around same price range but better quality.

tall me what should i go for.

 

thanx

mihir.

[jscho]

I can't speak for other options, but I own a pair of IE80s, and they're unreal. Better than anything I've ever listened to before. I've never tried out any other types of IEMs though.

[mihir]

I can't speak for other options, but I own a pair of IE80s, and they're unreal. Better than anything I've ever listened to before. I've never tried out any other types of IEMs though.

thanx for sharing your amazing experience...i am also hoping for same

i will wait for more members with more experience with other IEM to make a final decision .

[xtroria]

You can find used se535 and westone 4R at that price range, both will have better sound and comfort over ie80.

[ShearMe]

Customs?

[KaminKevCrew]

Customs?

Entry level Customs with 2 BA drivers tend to start at around $400, insofar as I have found. The IE80's (If I recall correctly) are around $250... 

@OP: The Shure and Westone options are both solid alternatives. I've owned IE80s, every Shure product (except for the 315, and 846), and I've listened to the Westone 4R, and quite a few others. The issues that I had with the IE80s were somewhat myriad. I found that they didn't fit my ears well, and that I could never get a good seal with them (even with comply foam tips) and when I could get a good seal temporarily, the isolation was awful. It was roughly on par with a closed, or semi open pair of headphones, so not very good as far as IEMs go. Oh, also, one side straight up died on me for no reason, so I had to send it back to Sennheiser (no complaints about their service though). 

My 535's have issues with the low end in complex music, which is something that the Westone's don't seem to have. If you want to go with Shures, and you like bass, I would go with the 425, as it seems to have more bass than the 535. If you want bass, and don't care what you go with, I would choose the Westone 4R or the newer equivalent, the W40 (The only difference is the body, and the cabling system. The W40 uses the same style as Shure, which many would say is inferior to the 2 pin system of the 4R) 

My vote is for one of the Westone options, rather than the Shure ones, but YMMV.

[mihir]

Entry level Customs with 2 BA drivers tend to start at around $400, insofar as I have found. The IE80's (If I recall correctly) are around $250... 

@OP: The Shure and Westone options are both solid alternatives. I've owned IE80s, every Shure product (except for the 315, and 846), and I've listened to the Westone 4R, and quite a few others. The issues that I had with the IE80s were somewhat myriad. I found that they didn't fit my ears well, and that I could never get a good seal with them (even with comply foam tips) and when I could get a good seal temporarily, the isolation was awful. It was roughly on par with a closed, or semi open pair of headphones, so not very good as far as IEMs go. Oh, also, one side straight up died on me for no reason, so I had to send it back to Sennheiser (no complaints about their service though). 

My 535's have issues with the low end in complex music, which is something that the Westone's don't seem to have. If you want to go with Shures, and you like bass, I would go with the 425, as it seems to have more bass than the 535. If you want bass, and don't care what you go with, I would choose the Westone 4R or the newer equivalent, the W40 (The only difference is the body, and the cabling system. The W40 uses the same style as Shure, which many would say is inferior to the 2 pin system of the 4R) 

My vote is for one of the Westone options, rather than the Shure ones, but YMMV.

seems i cant buy westone in india..shure is available.

and it seems same price asn US and also cheaper then IE80..so its really better then IE80 in everyway?

[KaminKevCrew]

seems i cant buy westone in india..shure is available.

and it seems same price asn US and also cheaper then IE80..so its really better then IE80 in everyway?

As with all headphones, it depends on what you like. The shures will be much more universally comfortable, and much more likely to fit you properly. They will isolate much better (plane trips are fine with them, even without anc). The sound is much more balanced, and perfect for vocal and acoustic music. They don't have as much bass as the ie80, so if you want bass above all else, then get the ie80. If I want to listen to stuff with a lot of bass on my 535, I'll just turn on bass boost on my phone, and that tends to get bass to the level I want it.

The shure cable is much easier to find replacements for, and I like the swivel connector. I love my shures, and the only thing I might get instead would be the westone. Unfortunately, that isn't an option for you, so the shures are your best bet (in my opinion, anyway)

[jtai117]

For me, my Shures are more comfortable than my IE80s. Isolation is about the same, Shures have better clarity and mids, Sennheisers have better bass response and are much lighter. The cables on the Shures are thick as anything, very sturdy but the metal wire in the loop is prone to breaking if treated roughly. The cables on the Sennheisers are quite thin but seem to be ok so far. I should really get around to writing my comparison review of those two -.-

[mihir]

As with all headphones, it depends on what you like. The shures will be much more universally comfortable, and much more likely to fit you properly. They will isolate much better (plane trips are fine with them, even without anc). The sound is much more balanced, and perfect for vocal and acoustic music. They don't have as much bass as the ie80, so if you want bass above all else, then get the ie80. If I want to listen to stuff with a lot of bass on my 535, I'll just turn on bass boost on my phone, and that tends to get bass to the level I want it.

The shure cable is much easier to find replacements for, and I like the swivel connector. I love my shures, and the only thing I might get instead would be the westone. Unfortunately, that isn't an option for you, so the shures are your best bet (in my opinion, anyway)

so which shure model is better for me...425 or 535 as i listen to mostly indian songs and in english it will be top 40

another thing i noticed is shure is giving only 1 year warranty in india.

[jtai117]

so which shure model is better for me...425 or 535 as i listen to mostly indian songs and in english it will be top 40

another thing i noticed is shure is giving only 1 year warranty in india.

Depends on how much they cost. I'd go with the 5s over the 4s because I like the sound I get from the 5s (the 846s are amazing btw lol but super expensive)

[xtroria]

Depends on how much they cost. I'd go with the 5s over the 4s because I like the sound I get from the 5s (the 846s are amazing btw lol but super expensive)

 

You might as well get JH13 used rather than SE846

[jtai117]

You might as well get JH13 used rather than SE846

shhhh I know

[Aaranu]

IMO the ie80s are not good value for money. Shure se535 should be around the same price i think, id grab them

[mihir]

shure it is then

[jtai117]

shure it is then

Just keep in mind that if you like bass, you may find the Shures lacking a bit unless there is a lot of bass in the track.

[KaminKevCrew]

Just keep in mind that if you like bass, you may find the Shures lacking a bit unless there is a lot of bass in the track.

Hence the reason for suggesting the blue SE215.

[xtroria]

Hence the reason for suggesting the blue SE215.

 

or you know, balls to the walls with SE846 

[KaminKevCrew]

or you know, balls to the walls with SE846

but then, as you said earlier, he may as well get the jh13!

[xtroria]

but then, as you said earlier, he may as well get the jh13!

 

for bass? 1964 V8 or JH16, but never tried either of them. The bassiest IEM i've tried is SE846 with 3 ohm output impedance

[KaminKevCrew]

for bass? 1964 V8 or JH16, but never tried either of them. The bassiest IEM i've tried is SE846 with 3 ohm output impedance

I think we just need to strap a subwoofer to them.

[xtroria]

I think we just need to strap a subwoofer to them.

 

That's what SE846 is with 3-5 ohm output impedance, a subwoofer

[KaminKevCrew]

That's what SE846 is with 3-5 ohm output impedance, a subwoofer

but you can't see the drivers move! So it can't be a Subwoofer! (I do really need to try them sometime though...)