Sennheiser is known for making high-quality headphones and microphones, but in-canal earphones are just a small part of what the German company does. The IE 80 S headphones aren’t cheap, but the good news is that they sound great. They also come with a variety of eartips and a way to change the bass. Still, the design isn’t as user-friendly as it should be, especially for the price, so the pair doesn’t get the best grade.
The box is nicely wrapped up. As soon as we open the cardboard, we see the hard-shell carrying case with a zipper. The IE 80 S headphones come in a clean case with a few extra ear tips (in total there are 3 pairs of silicone and 3 pairs of foam ear tips in small, medium, and large).
[content-egg-block template=offers_logo hide=price]Under the carrying case is a false bottom with a box that has the ear hooks, the rest of the ear tips, a tool for adjusting the sound and cleaning the headphones, and a quick start guide.
Specifications
- Impedance: 16 Ω
- Frequency response: 10 – 20,000 Hz
- Sound pressure level (SPL): 116 dB (1 kHz / 1 VRMS)
- THD, total harmonic distortion: < 0.1 % (1 kHz / 100 dB SPL)
- Ear coupling: Ear-canal
- Jack plug: 3.5mm, straight
- Cable length: 1.2m
- Attenuation: – 26 dB
- Headphone connector: Sennheiser proprietary 2-pin connector
Where to buy Sennheiser IE 80 S Adjustable Bass earbud Headphone?
There is no remote control built in. The cable that comes with it can be swapped out for one with a remote, but it costs more (as of this writing, there is no official word on the pricing or availability of the replacement cable). At this high price, it’s hard to understand why Sennheiser doesn’t include an extra cable.
Why make earphones that only work with mobile devices and then leave out the remote? The good news is that the cable can be taken off. This is a design choice that will likely make the earphones last longer, since cables are usually the first thing to break.
The fit in the ear is great. This is partly because the IE 80 S is small and light, and also because it comes with a lot of different ear tips. There are three sets of Comply foam ear tips that block out noise (S, M, and L) and five sets of silicone tips in different sizes. Also included are a pair of silicone cable hooks that go over the ear to make the fit even better and an earpiece cleaning tool for getting rid of wax buildup.
It’s not clear why the snap-on cable hooks aren’t just part of the design, since they seem pretty important to getting the right fit. As they are, they can easily come off in parts. All of these things fit inside the carrying case that comes with the headphones. The earphones are held in place by foam moulds.