Sennheiser IE 80

I have worn headphones at work for nearly 30 years and had never really looked past the headphones that came with the device I had purchased wether it was a radio or cassette player / walkman and then an iPod and now an iPhone and spent at most 30 bucks for a sports pair and lived with the ear discomfort from the hard plastic buds after the foam pads had disappeared as they always did, or even catching them on something and having torn them in half, rendering them all but useless, but over the last few years I started to investigate higher priced earphones wondering if there was any real difference. I have an expensive home stereo and high end sound systems in my vehicles and even played a musical instrument years ago so I appreciate music to put it mildly.Well I started out with spending a hundred bucks for a pair and then 200 bucks and so on and have now accumulated 15 sets of all manufacturers worldwide of in-ear headphones and these are simply the best at any price.I already had a pair of Sennheiser i.e. 8's that I have used for over two years daily and even though I have another set that are over double the price of the Sennheisers, they just don't compare, now the extremely expensive headphones are good don't misunderstand me -and they both feel substantial and have replaceable wires so if I were ever to snag them it is not a total loss, but the Sennheisers are perfect in every way.So for my birthday this last month I treated myself to another set of Sennheisers --the ie 80's and they are even better if that were possible. The Sennheisers are awkward at first lol, but for the best sound at any price these are the ticket to superb sound from all genres, of any style of music, to audio books, to listening my favorite talk show host-- Michael Savage. I have heard nuances and instruments in music that I have listened to all my life and been amazed at what I had been missing, they work especially well with the new iPhone and do not distort at full volume,they are comfortable to wear for hours on end and are by far the ultimate choice for completely spoiling myself.SO in this case you do get what you pay for . Having researched the internet and blogs and having invested substantial sums of money in my, in-ear headphones I figure I have done all the research and can honestly recommend these without reservation so now I have two sets of Sennheisers that are my favorites and 15 other pairs of high end in-ear headphones collecting dust, it was a concerted effort to attain the pinnacle of personal sound.In my opinion there is no need to go any further than Sennheiser. as a plus Amazon had a great deal on them as well.

I was introduced to these earphones by one of my audiophile co-workers and their price immediately sparkled my curiosity. If you're like me you may be wondering "why the heck are these little guys so expensive?". Me being a music lover, I decided to save up for a few months to purchase them and find out.First of all I don't consider myself an audiophile, so you can expect my review to contain very basic terms to describe the sound quality.For a long time I thought Bose was the best sounding brand out there and always bought their in-ear headphones due to how comfortable they are, but after talking to my audiophile coworker I realized how many brands are out there that offer a superior sound quality and better value for your money (Note that I have no intentions of bashing on Bose, I love their IE2 and are my favorite earphones for working out)After 50 hours of burn-in, I can only say that these earphones exceeded my expectations and made me feel relieved about spending such a big amount of money.SOUND QUALITYThe best way I can describe the sound quality is TRULY NATURAL. Everything from the voices to bass sounds "perfectly balanced" without being forced (like the Beats do with the bass).Bass is very tight and loud but at the same time smooth and undistorted. (For you bassheads out there, these come with the option of adjusting the bass level for each earphone, but I found my sweet spot to be only at the first notch)Finally, the soundstage is amazing. I wasn't too sure about this term when I first read about it, but it is basically means how wide the music sounds. To be honest it is something that you will have to experience by yourself, but take my word that the soundstage with these is superb.BUILDNothing short of amazing. Earbuds are very lightweight but at the same time feel very sturdy and have no obvious weak point. Heck, even the replaceable cable (1.2 M) feels very durable and rugged. All I can say here is that these were made to last.SOME WORDS OF WARNING:- Audio Source: Make sure you have a good audio source for these earphones to get the very best out of them. Sure iPod/iPhone will work just fine but it won't make them justice. Simply wont sound as good as a HiFi Man, Cowon or Walkman. I purchased a Sony Walkman Z and I can tell there's a big difference in the sound quality between this player and my iPhone.- Audio files format: Go Lossless! Here is where these little guys truly shine. I recently ripped my Pink Floyd CD "Meddle" into the FLAC format and it sounds much better than my highest bit-rate MP3s. I decided to get as many of my songs in FLAC format as I can.- Burn-In Time: Although they will sound decently good out of the box, its sound quality at that point is nowhere near their full potential (mainly because of the dynamic drivers). I know that you will want to stick them in your ears right away and feel the music, but I strongly recommend at least 50 hours of music playback (at normal volume level) before continuously listening to them and coming to any conclusions.- Eartips: As with any In-Ear, finding the right ear-tips is essential for enjoying them. This product comes with a handful of sizes and kinds of ear tips, so make sure you spend the time you need to find the best ones for you.So my suggestion is simple: if you have the money and unsure about buying them, GO FOR THEM! You will not be dissapointed.-> Helpful tip:Earphones position in your earThese earphones are designed for the wire to loop around your ear and be inserted upside down in your ear canal. Even with the included ear-loops, I'm still no fan of using earphones that way, so here's what I did: Exchanged the earphones' cables (so the L earphone will be connected to the cable labeled R and wear it on your right ear). That way the earphone will be placed the way it was designed to without having to loop the wire around your ear.

Zum Vergleich habe ich den Beyerdynamic MMX 101iE und den Monster Jamz CT gehört.Ich habe als Quelle mein IPhone 5 mit Musik einer Bitrate von 512 bis 216 sowie Musikvideos von z.B. Sademit einer Bitrate von 112 genommen.Bie qualitativ besserer Quelle wirkt der Sennheiser in der Höhen und Mittenauflösung phanomenal. Der Bassbereich ist aberbeim Beyerdynamic signifikant ausgeprägter. School von Supertramp klingt super mit dem Sennnheiser aber z. B. Musik von Testomacht wegen des dünnen Bass nicht viel Freude. Ist die Quelle schlechter verschwindet der Vorteil in der Höhenauflösung.Der Kopfhörer von Monster ist auf Bass getrimmt ohne den Beyerdymamic zu übertreffen. Allgemein ist speziell der Sennheiser aber auch der Beyerdynamic deutlich besser in der Luftigkeit und Durchzeichnung der Musik.Schlecht ist das umständliche Anlegen des Sennheiser und auch die immer wieder notwendige akribische Ausrichtung im Gehörgang, ansonsten ist der Bassbereich wie abgeschnürt. Mag auch an der Form meiner Ohren liegen.Ich habe mit den unterschiedlichsten Stöpseln 4 h versucht das Optimum herauszuholen.Der Beyerdynamic ist dagegen viel einfacher. Einmal die richtigen Stösel gefunden und in in ein paar Sekunden ist der volle Sound verfügbar.Es gibt daher nur 3 Sterne weil es schwierig ist das gesamte Potential auszuschöpfen und der Bassbereich trotz Einstellmöglichkeit zu dünn ist. Außerdem muss man natürlich auch den mehr als doppelt so hohen Preis gegenüber dem Beyerdynamic in Betracht ziehen.

I love these headphones. I will say that immediately. They go very loud, have excellent bass, and everything is clear, precise and a joy to listen to. The fit is my preference.. with the cable over the ears, and they are so light and comfortable to wear. They are worth the money in every way.To enforce and explain my comments; my previous (previous) headphones were the Phonak Audeo Perfect Bass PFE 012. Very clear, very nice to listen to, and the same fit .. over the ears, and light and comfortable too. However I was left wanting more bass (despite the name), and more volume. They did not go that loud. Also, the ear buds kept popping off,, which was irritating, and caused me to lose a couple. Getting replacements wasn't easy and despite the headphones still working (good build quality)... I replaced them.My next pair of headphones were not the Sennheisers.. as I struggled to part with over 200 pounds, so I bought the Dre Tour Beats in ears.... at 130. Now these went loud, and had great bass. After a period of burn in (I think? Or maybe I just got used to them), they were pleasing. Good bass, loud volume.. but the fit and the weight of the headphones was.... not good. So uncomfortable after just 15 minutes, and you can't really walk / run etc with them in. They will fall out! Also the highs were harsh and there wasn't really a mid-range to speak of.So after about 8 months, the cable on the Dre Beats frayed near the 3.5mm jack connector and I knew to buy something quick.I bought the headphones I had always really wanted... the Sennheisers.. and well.. you know the rest. They have the clarity, the volume, the bass, the comfort.... They just do everything you want them to do, no compromise.And that, eventually, was worth the money. (And actually would have saved me lots if I'd bought them sooner!)

I was really excited to listen to the sound of this product, when I opened the packaging, I noticed the unit was built out of cheap looking plastics (especially the part that holds the speaker in contact with the ear, the loop part), at first I thought that is no big deal, but now it really bothers me especially after the expensive price I paid. No biggie, right? This product is about sound...well, the sound was good, better than my Beats (ear buds), by Dr. Dre, better bass at least, but overall, for the price, I don't think I would tell my friends or family to purchase this unit, this should be $100 item at most. I would avoid.