Westone Earphones: 8 Driver W80 $599, 6 Driver W60 $369, 4 Driver W40

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11-25-2021 at 06:30 PM #3

Do more drivers really equal better sound?

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11-25-2021 at 07:52 PM #4

Personally, no.

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11-26-2021 at 02:17 AM #5

Is it really 8 driver in that little bud?

I have big over the ear headphone and only one driver on it.....

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11-26-2021 at 08:13 AM #6

adorama website is not loading for me, even after disabling the adblocker, anyone else experienced this?

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11-26-2021 at 09:06 AM #7

Quote from GoDm23

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Do more drivers really equal better sound?

Yes but as in everything there is a diminishing return. I have the W60s. I have some phones that are 3 driver, 4 driver and 2 driver. I didn't like the 60s with stock cable. Sounded like Shure 535s. I put a Balanced Cable on and they are stunning now. Remember the W80s come with a special ALO cable that retails for 2-300 dollars. The 80s sound better then the 60s but is it $200 better sound? Maybe 10-15% better. I would love to have a W80 but I'm moving away from a portable stack.

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11-26-2021 at 09:30 AM #8

Quote from Trickbenda

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Yes but as in everything there is a diminishing return. I have the W60s. I have some phones that are 3 driver, 4 driver and 2 driver. I didn't like the 60s with stock cable. Sounded like Shure 535s. I put a Balanced Cable on and they are stunning now. Remember the W80s come with a special ALO cable that retails for 2-300 dollars. The 80s sound better then the 60s but is it $200 better sound? Maybe 10-15% better. I would love to have a W80 but I'm moving away from a portable stack.

I honestly had no idea the cable itself made a difference.

Thanks for the explanation.

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11-26-2021 at 10:14 AM #9

I got the W80 earlier this year for $698. Looks like they took off another $100. These are great earbuds, they are obviously over priced to start with but at this price range W80 is a great deal. . They are definitely awesome to listen. Very balanced and clarity is the best. I can hear the difference over SE435 but as others said the difference is not something one would care. After all, we don't do critical listening, it is to enjoy our time.

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11-26-2021 at 03:16 PM #10

Quote from GoDm23

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I honestly had no idea the cable itself made a difference.

Thanks for the explanation.

It shouldn't in theory (unless very badly made), but the impedance of the cable will impact the crossovers in a multidriver iem, and that will change the FR. Going to a balanced cable, if you are plugging into a balanced amp, will also change things because you are, depending on the topology of the amp, increasing power but doubling output impedance and certain distortions. The resulting changes in sound may or may not be desirable.

As far as do more drivers = better, it is all about implementation, the quality of the drivers, phase and FR. Westone is one of the original players in the iem game, and they make very coherent clean sounding multi driver iem's (the bass does not thump though, so if you need visceral impact, these aren't for you). Some of the best iem's out there though still have a single dynamic driver. w40's at $200 are a nice buy to my ears and have excellent comfort in addition to a pleasing warm sound. If you like more sparkle in your highs or forward mids, check out crinacle's site for many alternatives.

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Last edited by Triode November 26, 2021 at 03:21 PM.

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11-26-2021 at 07:05 PM #11

Quote from GoDm23

:

I honestly had no idea the cable itself made a difference.

Thanks for the explanation.

normally the cables wouldnt make a big difference but Im ttalking Balanced cables. It's not the same as a regular 3.5 It's a special plug mine is 2.5 there are others. Balanced gives you more power and fuller music. You have to have a Balanced plug on your device though.

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