Westone W80 review.

When I first heard Westone’s w60’s in late 2014, I knew I was in love. To me, they reminded that pure tube sound, without expensive tube amplifiers and rare NOS tubes. To paraphrase Karl Cartwright, who is one of the leading engineers behind Westone w60 and w80 earphones, I personally like “smooth warm sound”, which is the tube sound and which is the w60 and w80 sound. My journey has started with owning w60’s and now two years later with improved w80’s. So, let’s talk about it.

In this review, I will always try comparing W60’s to W80’s and to few other well-known models. Many feel that the w80’s is the new generation of w60’s, which is not actually true; however, to allow a certain reference point of something I know very well and to compare to something new to me, I will try to force myself to be neutral in my discussion. I had a chance to ask Westone Labs this specific question and the answer was the following, “The W80 was designed from the ground up. We have certain drivers that we can choose from, specially designed for very specific purpose, in a certain frequency range, that we set up for each product.” I am not an audio engineer but I have worked with several high end audio manufacturers and we have discussed driver matching in some detail. In general, companies use proprietary software and hardware to match drivers. I imagine that Westone does something similar, where their custom rig breaks down drivers on many levels, such as frequency response, impedance matching, harmonic content and other variables. In this instance, according to Westone, the w80’s were built with “specific attention to harmonics, to shape and sculpt the sound signature.”

Sound

So, let’s get the main question answered before we move on to other elements. How does w80 compare to w60? To my ears and with my sources (Onkyo dp-x1 and iFi Pro iCan powered by L.K.S. Audio MH-DA004 Dual ES9038PRO DAC), it’s simple. W80’s sounds more neutral, yet with deeper spacial presentation (some call it soundstage), and further extended highs. To create a wider comparison, I borrowed Shure 846’s and Audeze LCD i4’s from friends. From these, w60 sound warmest of them all but lacks the extended soundstage. Compared to 846’s, w80 sounds warmer with larger soundstage, whereas 846’s are more neutral and ‘bassier’. LCD i4’s are the most neutral of them all (I would say it’s not the Audeze signature we are used to, but lately they have been changing to more neutral sound). If you were to say compare w80 to LCD i4’s, then it would be closer to comparing Beyerdynamic T1’s to Audeze LCD-3’s.

Keep in mind

One thing a few of my friends mentioned me in past: “so, I borrowed your w60’s (clean tips), and I can’t hear the difference compare to my $30 earbuds”. Ok, you caught me! I made that up; well, not really. But in reality, this scenario has occurred in one form or the other over the last 30+ years. It’s important to understand the following: I, like you, often listen to YouTube or music from my Foobar2000 player. But is it the same? Simple answer is - absolutely not. When I listen to those, I am just passively listening while working. If I am actively listening to music, then every element of my setup is important. Don’t forget, fit and isolation (w80’s come with several cables and a dozen or so tips for every possible ear canal size) are as important to an earphone as air to you or me. Why? If you don’t have great comfort and isolation, then you won’t be able to hear finer details and without a good fit, ear fatigue wins every time and you just spent a lot of money for no reason. To get the best out of any in-ears you will first need the best possible source material. These days it can be DSD, PCM or several other lossless formats. Why is it important? Simple: anytime you introduce compression (mp3, or Bluetooth, or anything else), then you’re losing information. This is where a precision tool, like w80’s will excel. It will take that uncompressed source and convert it to the details that you may previously never heard. Maybe it’s the extra breath an artist takes before the song (try Jeff Buckley’s version of “Hallelujah”) or some other effect you never heard before. Many times the song you think you know, is not the song you will potentially hear, which is why use a dedicated digital audio player over a phone is always preferred. Phones can get the job done, but there are many reasons against using it: Wi-Fi, 4G LTE, Bluetooth, constant updates on several of the apps, and non-specialized hardware all introduce noise, which will encumber it from doing the job. DAP uses dedicated components, such as a DAC and an amplifier, which are specifically selected to make sound reproduction as its main job, vs just a feature in phones. For in-ears, we only have to worry about three main elements, proper isolation/fit, source material, and delivery device to the earphones.

Build, connector and size comparisons

W80’s are sized similarly to w60’s or Shure’s 846’s. They are tiny compared to JH Audio Layla’s and overall, probably the most comfortable in-ear’s I have experienced short of eventually getting a custom molds done. The build quality is superb. I am not that gentle with my gear and w60’s have stood up without a hitch and with very little moving parts, I’d expect w80’s to have a long life. But wait... what about that connector? Yes, the infamous MMCX connector, which I personally detest. Why? Simple. Anytime I swap cables (I have 3 custom MMCX cables), I feel like I am about to tear the wire out of the connector. My thought was that why not introduce a 90 degree twist, which would create same tight (hopefully) connection, but also allow ease of swapping. I even asked Westone Labs the same question and their reply was, “We use an MMCX cable connector that has been improved for our brand. It has tighter tolerances, reducing the likelihood of shorts, and back connections. We worked with 'our provider' of MMCX cables, so that 'our' In-Ear Monitors and Earphones have a solid connection, and ultimately a better audio experience. ... There are many suppliers that make MMCX connectors for many brands, but that's like saying 'use this tire on any car, because it's supposed to fit.' It may fit, but it's inferior....)”. To summarize, Westone employed their version of the MMCX connector with tighter tolerances and higher degree of quality assurance to make sure that the fit in perfect. However, for end users who like to use aftermarket cables, the MMCX requires significant force to disconnect making cable-swapping quite challenging. It requires so much force, that you are afraid you may breaks something.

In search for perfection

Are the Westone W80’s the best earphone out there? I can guarantee you one thing, there is not one person who can tell you this with any confidence level, and if they try, then they are lying to you. Why? Many reasons. First, perfection does not exist. Second, as beauty, the sound is in the eye (in our case ear) of the beholder. So, if we assume that the above is true, then where do W80’s fall in line? To me, it’s simple: when I acquire a pair of headphones, speakers, camera, or any other intricate piece of gear, or almost anything else, being an OCD (CDO, lol), person, every product I acquire has to fit within a certain category and answer certain questions. Can W80’s compete with full over-ear headphones? Most likely not. But, that’s like saying: If my mother wants a camera to take on a trip, letting her borrow my Canon DSLR with 3-4 lenses is pointless, as her shoulder will physically detach itself from carrying it. I would give her Sony RX-100 V instead. The same applies here, as you can use W80’s in many environments where full sized headphones can never be used without losing its benefits.

Final thoughts

If this review has any point is to make, let it be this: every product has its own niche to fill and the higher end you go, the higher end equipment you will need to complement your W80’s and to get the best out of them. The same adage applies to every other specialized tool / field. Compared to W60, the W80 is an upgrade with a more neutral representation of the Westone house sound. If you have never heard Westone sound and want a highly resolving earphones that sound as close to tubes as possible, while offering a solid soundstage and a hint of neutrality and great sound isolation, then the Westone W80 is exactly what you may like.