Sound Analysis.

W80 finally took a step forward, away from their traditional house tuning of warm and lush tonality with a laidback signature, and right into the new Signature that takes W-series to the next level with evenly balanced and more revealing sound sig and a natural smooth tonality. Every ingredient of the original W60 tuning formula is still there but now it has been refined to a level which makes W80 a few steps closer to their ES audiophile series. Actually, a better way to describe it would be by saying that W80 took the best of W60 and ES60 and supercharged it with 2 additional drivers and a custom Ref8 hybrid cable from ALO Audio. Now you have the best of both worlds with a smooth natural tonality of fatigue-free listening, a better shaped articulate bass, and the new level of clarity and detail retrieval which lifted a veil of lush blanket covering the upper mids.

I typically like to analyze IEM/CIEM sound with a stock cable, while in this case it happens to be a premium aftermarket cable which I used in all of my testing by default. Here is how I hear W80.

The low end has a deep sub-bass extension with a warm textured rumble in moderate quantity. Sub-bass here is definitely above neutral level, and it’s not just about the quality, but also the quantity which adds just enough weight to give more body to a tight mid-bass which punches right through the mix. The speed of the bass is somewhere between a traditional slower dynamic driver performance with a slower attack and decay and a faster BA driver with a shorter attack/decay. In my opinion, it’s closer to a faster BA performance, but still maintains that analog feeling typical of dynamic drivers. The bass is tight and articulate, and under control without spilling into lower mids.

Lower mids have a nice body, not too thick or too thin, but definitely above neutral level which helps to maintain an overall clarity where sound never feels muddy or congested. Upper mids is where Westone made the biggest step forward in their tuning by bringing them more forward with a higher definition while still maintaining a balanced tuning and not pushing it too forward where you can fall a victim of harshness and sibilance. Upper mids are still under control of smooth organic details, but the level of detail retrieval and transparency went up. It’s especially noticeable when you listen closer to vocals which now have more energy, more power, and better definition.

Treble is extended yet still under control with a good definition and airy sparkle that never feels piercing or sibilant. It has just enough extension to allow cymbal crashes to sound natural without any premature roll off, and to add enough airiness to improve layering and separation of the sounds, and to underline vocal details which never get congested.

Don’t expect the level of transparency and sound separation found in analytically-tuned IEMs/CIEMs, but W80 definitely broke the mold of W60 by keeping the smoothness and shattering the lushness with an improved separation of instruments and vocals to easily distinguish every sound in order to prevent congestion and muddiness which can be sometime associated with lush laidback sound.

Soundstage width is super wide but the depth is more on an average level, more intimate. This creates a wide spread staging that just wraps around you and brings you closer to the music, instead of a holographic 3D effect which projects the sound out of your head. With such wide stage, you can also enjoy benefits of excellent imaging that has an accurate placement of instruments and vocals with a convincing positioning to pin-point every sound.

Comparison.

A direct sound analysis is very important, but due to some discrepancies in how we hear and describe the sound, I find sound comparison to be equally valuable where many people can relate to how a new pair sounds relative to another set of IEMs and if it will be a worthy upgrade. I do volume match by ear and use a stock cable, unless noted otherwise.

W80 vs W60 – Due to a higher level of transparency and detail retrieval, W80 soundstage has a wider perception. This could also be due to Ref8 cable which I found to give more 3D expansion to the sound. When it comes to low end quantity, both are on the same level but quality wise there is a very noticeable difference. W80 bass is faster, tighter, more articulate, and has more control with better separation from lower mids. On contrary, W60 bass is slower and a little more bloated in comparison to W80 w/Ref8. Lower mids are very similar with a full body, but upward from there W60 mids and especially upper mids are pulled back in comparison to W80. It’s very noticeable in 4k-8k region responsible for definition of the instruments and vocals. The treble definition is very similar, but upper mids difference is what sets laid back lush signature of W60 from a more balanced and forward detailed signature of W80.

W80 vs UMPro50 – The wider soundstage of W80 is the first noticeable change to differentiate these two. They both have a similar sub-bass but mid-bass of UMPro50 actually has a stronger punch with a little higher quantity. But regardless of similarities and difference in bass quantity, W80 w/Ref8 still has a tighter and more articulate faster bass with a better control and separation from lower mids. Lower mids are similar with a full body sound, while similar to W60 tuning, UMPro50 upper mids pulled a little back and don’t have as high level of definition in comparison to a more forward balanced W80 upper mids. All these changes are especially noticeable when analyzing vocals where going from UMPro50 to W80 feels like a layer of veil was lifted off. Treble has a similar definition and sparkle, though I feel W80 has a little more airiness.

W80 vs ES60 – ES60 sounds is a little wider, finally someone can challenge W80! The bass has a similar quality being tighter, faster, and more articulate with a great control to separate from lower mids, but W80 w/Ref8 has a deeper sub-bass rumble and more noticeable impact in the mid-bass. When it comes to lower mids, while W80 has a fuller body and sounds a bit thicker in comparison, ES60 is leaner and maybe a little south of neutral. ES60 upper mids are more forward with higher definition and more transparency, while W80 have more body and a little smoother which gives them a more organic feeling in comparison. Also, ES60 treble is a little brighter and with a touch more airiness. When you compare W80 to ES60, ES60 is more reference quality while W80 is more fun. I would definitely position W80 tuning to be somewhere in between W60 and ES60 where it borrows the best from both and enhances it with Ref8 cable.

W80 vs S-EM9 w/Thor II+ – EM9 has a little more holographic soundstage with more width/depth, not significantly, but noticeable. EM9 has a little more sub-bass quantity, while mid-bass is very similar, but I still hear an overall bass to be tighter and more articulate in W80 w/Ref8 due to a little faster speed. Lower mids are a little leaner, closer to neutral in EM9 while W80 has a little more body. Upper mids are a little more forward and more revealing in EM9, while W80 is a little smoother and more organic in comparison. Treble is very similar in both. Overall, these two have more similarities than differences.

W80 vs U12 w/B1 and TWau – W80 has a noticeable wider soundstage while U12 has more depth. U12 has heftier sub-bass and a little harder mid-bass punch, but W80 bass is tighter and more articulate (and faster), and has better control where I hear U12 has a little more spillage into lower mids. U12 lower mids have more body and sound thicker and upper mids are smoother and lusher, while W80 upper mids are more upfront and better defined with more details. Both have a similar treble extension and sparkle. Difference between W80 and U12 reminded me a lot of the comparison between W80 and W60.

W80 vs UERR – Both have a very similar soundstage width, though UERR has a little more depth and a touch more width. Low end in here, as expected, is night’n’day difference where W80 has a deeper extension with high quantity of sub-bass and stronger mid-bass punch, while UERR is all about the neutral quality. Lower mids of UERR are more neutral while W80 has a little more body, but not a huge difference, and when it comes to upper mids I feel UERR being just a little leaner but otherwise they have a very similar level of detail retrieval and transparency. Both have a very similar treble sparkle and airiness. Since UERR is about to be available in universal fit with mmcx connector, it makes me curious how its performance will scale up with Ref8 cable, though I don’t expect a miracle with low end boost.

W80 vs Andromeda – Both have a very similar soundstage width, with Andro having a touch more depth. Low end also has a lot of similarities though I hear Andro sub-bass going a little bit deeper and mid-bass punching a little harder, while I find W80 bass to be tighter. Lower mids are very similar, while upper mids in Andro are a little more upfront and brighter in tonality, while W80 is a little smoother. Treble is where you get more difference with Andro being brighter, crispier, and having noticeable more airiness, while W80 is still crisp and well defined, but scaled back in comparison.

W80 vs K10UA – W80 soundstage is a little bit wider while both have the same depth. Low end is very similar, if not nearly the same when it comes to sub-bass rumble and fast mid-bass punch, and I hear both being tight and articulate. K10UA lower mids are a little leaner, more neutral while W80 have a little more body, and upper mids in K10UA are brighter and more upfront while W80 is a smoother and a little more organic in comparison. Treble in both cases is very similar with the same extension, definition, and sparkle.

Pair-up.

In my opinion, the synergy of pair up with a right source is very important, and that’s where Sensitivity and Impedance parameters play their significant role, especially when it comes to hissing. Also, gotta keep in mind the cable which could play an important part in sound equation. W80 has a decent average sensitivity of 111 dB/mW, but the impedance is down to 5 ohms, which in some cases would be a red flag for excessive hissing. It did vary across different sources, and I indicated that in my analysis below on a hissing scale of: noticeable > mild > faint. But in many cases it wasn’t too bad at all. Also, during my testing I always try my best to volume match by ear.

Opus#2 – balanced detailed sound with a deep sub-bass rumble, moderately paced mid-bass punch, fuller body transparent mids with a natural retrieval of details, and well defined treble sparkle. Soundstage is very wide with an average depth. Mild hissing.

Opus#1 – very similar to Opus#2 sound sig with a narrower soundstage (still above average) and less transparency. Mild hissing.

Lotoo PAW Gold – balanced sound with a deep sub-bass and a higher impact level of mid-bass punch. More neutral lower mids and transparent detailed upper mids, and well defined treble sparkle. Soundstage is wide with an average depth. Noticeable hissing.

AK120ii – balanced sound with a deep sub-bass and aggressive mid-bass punch. Lower mids have more body and upper mids are detailed, yet smooth and natural. Treble is well defined and with a nice sparkle. In comparison to Opus and LPG, the sound is not as transparent. There is a faint hissing.

Plenue M2 – a very balanced sound with a deep sub-bass and a faster mid-bass punch. Lower mids are closer to neutral and upper mids are revealing and detailed. Treble is well defined and with a nice sparkle. Soundstage is very wide and deep. There is a faint hissing. The sound really scales up with JetEffects BBE Headphone 2 preset which takes W80 to a whole new level.

FiiO X7 w/AM2 – a balanced sound with a slight low end tilt. Sub-bass doesn’t go deep and actually has a little more impact, and the same with mid-bass being a little stronger in comparison to other daps. Lower mids are neutral, while upper mids are detailed and smooth, and a little pushed back and not as transparent. Treble is well defined but not as airy. Overall sound is a little more congested. Soundstage is above average but not super wide. I also hear a very faint hissing. Surprisingly, this pair up wasn’t as great as I expected.

Cayin i5 – balanced detailed sound with a deep textured sub-bass rumble, fast punchy mid-bass, well controlled articulate bass, fuller body lower mids, clear and detailed upper mids with a natural revealing tonality, and crisp well defined treble. The sound has a great level of transparency and layering/separation. Soundstage is very wide with an average depth. There is a noticeable hissing. After Opus#2, this was my next favorite pair up.

Galaxy Note 4 – the sound sig is still nicely balanced, sub-bass has a deep extension with a nice rumble, mid-bass punch is more rounded, analog, with more of a dynamic warmer performance. Bass is not super tight or articulate, but still well defined. Lower mids have a fuller body while upper mids are still forward but smoother and a little less revealing. Treble is well defined, though not as airy. I expected the sound quality to scale down when testing with a smartphone, but it was more in technicalities of transparency and articulation, while the overall sound signature doesn’t stir too far off. The sound stage is still wide, but not super wide, and there is no hissing at all.

Conclusion.

W80 release definitely caught me by surprise, especially with an updated sound tuning, premium cable, and a deluxe travel case. Some might assume Westone joined driver wars, but maybe it was a necessary step to go beyond 6 driver tuning limitation to get to the next level with 2 additional “building” blocks. In my opinion, W80 did break the mold of Westone flagship W-series laidback lush house sound tuning, though it’s not a night’n’day difference when comparing to W60. Instead, it felt like W80 bridged a sound gap between their W60 and ES60 flagships, making something new while still keeping the roots in a traditional Westone tuning. Thus, instead of completely retuning the current 6 driver config, they added 2 High drivers to refine the W60 signature.

Without a doubt, we hear things differently and have our personal sound preference which changes over time. Going down the path of Westone IEMs, I moved from UMPro50 to W60 and then ES60. After a more revealing balanced signature of ES60, going back to W60 required switching to a different aftermarket cable and playing with EQ to bring back the upper mids clarity. W80 delivers all that without any extra effort of EQ adjustment or premium silver cables. Don’t get me wrong, I still love ES60 and hope one day Westone will bring its signature to universal shell so more people can discover its sound. But lately, I have been spending more time with W80 while enjoying its synergy with ALO Ref8 cable which, after a proper burn in, delivers a wide expanded sound with a tight well controlled bass impact, smooth and more revealing dynamic mids, and a well defined treble. I believe diehard Westone fans won’t be disappointed with this new Flagship release, and other audiophiles and audio enthusiast, who are not after a super revealing analytical sound, will find W80 sound tuning to be very impressive.