WESTONE MACH 80 IN-EAR HEADPHONES REVIEW

HiFi PiG’s resident HeadFi expert, Oscar Stewart, takes a listen to the Westone MACH 80 in-ears.

Westone is well known in the industry, they were pioneers in the early days of custom in-ears for musicians and made the first in-ear stage monitors. Acquired by Lucid Audio in 2020 they continue to strive for the best sounding in-ears, continuing to make custom in-ears alongside universal fit models both for musicians and audiophiles.

The MACH 80 is their flagship model, made to appeal to both audiophiles and the pro-audio side of things, easily being classed as a reference monitor. A successor to the excellent W80 V2 model, let’s see if the MACH 80 carries on that age-old tradition of sound quality without compromise.

BUILD QUALITY AND DRIVEABILITY

The Westone MACH 80 housings are made of smooth plastic, the two halves mated together quite seamlessly to create a rounded and attractive shape. The design is understated and they don’t stand out, with no fancy materials being used on the housings themselves. Moving on to the cable though, you get the superb Linum UltrabaX cable which is incredibly thin, lightweight, and ergonomic. It’s also robust and built to last, with an exceptionally low impedance of 0.6 ohms for minimal sound colouration.

The cable terminates in an angled 3.5mm jack on one end, and T2/IPX connectors on the other – these connectors are quickly becoming commonplace in high-end earphones as they are robust and resist oxidisation better than the old MMCX standard connectors. They are also smaller, so allow the earphone designers more options to incorporate the cable in a comfortable way.

These come with an impact-resistant, quite large, pelican case along with a soft carry pouch, cleaning cloth, wax cleaning tool, and a huge variety of both silicone and foam eartips – a comprehensive list of accessories by anyone’s standards. The MACH 80 are a very well-built earphone, the T2 connectors are a welcome inclusion and they are so much better than MMCX in use; overall these should, based on previous Westone models, last you a very long time.

A robust case and lots of accessories come with the MACH 80s

The Westone MACH 80 are a 66ohm earphone with a sensitivity rating of 104dB @1kHz meaning they are incredibly easy to drive, this doesn’t however mean they won’t scale up with a good source. These really will sound much better out of a high-quality source than a basic dongle, so make sure you treat them to a nice DAP or DAC/Amp.

COMFORT AND ISOLATION OF THE WESTONE MACH 80 IN-EARS

I’ve long held the belief that Westone make the best-fitting universal earphones out there, and this doesn’t change with the MACH 80. Despite housing 8 balanced armature drivers per side the housings are small, discreet, and smooth. All of this contributes to an earphone that really does disappear in your ears once you find the right eartips – something easy to do when they include such a huge variety (5 pairs of Silicone and 5 pairs of Foam). The thin Linum UltrabaX cable also helps with the overall comfort and due to the construction, you barely feel the cable at all.  These really are excellent earphones for wearing over prolonged periods of time.

Along with excellent comfort, they also provide above-average isolation due to the fully sealed housing design. The use of balanced armature drivers means it is easier to have a fully closed shell, allowing for superior isolation and the included eartips and the overall design help with this too.

Inside the MACH 80 from Westone

SOUND OF THE MACH 80s

The MACH 80 contain 8 Balanced armature drivers per side; 2 for the bass, 2 for the midrange and 4 for the treble, in a 3-way design. By today’s standards, this may not look hugely impressive on paper, however, I believe tuning and implementation matter much more than quantity and driver type.

Delving into the bass first we get an incredibly well-controlled and accurate-sounding lower end of the audible spectrum, yet there is plenty of body when called for. The MACH 80 are not thin sounding, but they do present the bass in a more moderate way without drawing attention to it. Bass lines in songs are easy to pick out, kick drums have good impact, and the bass digs down into the sub-bass region without issue. It is however, always tight and never overblown, these are designed with a more neutral sound in mind and those who want a little more impact may want to look elsewhere.

Oscar found the cables on the MACH 80s to be excellent

The Jay-Z & Linkin Park – Numb / Encore is a brilliant collaboration track and has a strong bassline to carry the song. The MACH 80 never lose focus of the bass and yet never present it in an overly strong or upfront manner either. There is absolutely no bleeding from the lows into the midrange, allowing the rest of the sound to cut through without any veil or smoothing. These may not appeal to those looking for a more dynamic bass presentation, however, if you want to hear every single part of the track these would be an excellent pick.

Vocals are stunning, cutting through the mix with accurate placement and balance, and that’s what the MACH 80 are all about – balance. Nothing ever sounds like it is competing for your attention, instead, every single part of the sound comes across in such a clean and controlled manner that the overall sound is balanced and cohesive. Guitars have power when called for, bite when needed, and yet delicate acoustic fingerpicking is perfectly balanced with believable tonality.

I love Biffy Clyro’s – Unplugged at the Roundhouse, it’s an exceptionally well-recorded live album and I love the stripped-back nature of it. The MACH 80 really do sound like an engineer’s tool – get the mix sounding right on these and it will sound right on other equipment. You may as well be at the sound desk and with these having a direct feed from the stage when listening to this album, they sound that accurate. This level of accuracy won’t be to everyone’s taste, but I personally love how true to source they sound. They manage this level of clarity without ever sounding forced, and they also don’t have any peaks in the treble to try and increase perceived detail retrieval.

Having 4 drivers for the treble may seem like Westone wanted to increase the treble presence, but don’t worry, they haven’t gone and made a bright-sounding earphone with boosted treble. These 4 drivers allow the MACH 80 to have excellent detail in the treble, but without boosting the quantity.  They are smooth but don’t hold back if the mix is tuned wrong. Luckily most mixes sound resolving yet smooth, extremely airy, and well extended. The way they render snares is awesome, they are so snappy and cymbals are crisp and with excellent extension.

Aaron Gillespie is a superb drummer, so playing something from Underoath’s catalogue should easily highlight some of the excellent qualities of the MACH 80. I decided to go for Writing On The Walls – even with this dense-sounding track the treble is never lacking. It cuts through with such clarity and control without ever sounding bright or in your face – it is expertly balanced with the rest of the sound. With a good source and the right music, you really do realise how much some other earphones colour the sound, I know this is only Westone’s idea of a reference sound, but it is one that is wholly believable.

The cable connectors on the MACH 80s

For soundstaging and separation purposes, I thought I’d see how they handle 30 Seconds To Mars’  Kings and Queens, a track that has a few different effects in it. These never come across as congested, every single instrument is always easily audible in the mix. Then on to the soundstaging which is impressive from a sealed earphone, the MACH 80 have an open sound giving you a real sense of width, with some height too. They are true to source and present the stage as it is in the recording. It’s easy to place instruments within the soundstage, and the size of the stage does depend on the recording.

CONCLUSION

Westone has stuck to what they know! There are earphones out there costing more, packing more drivers in, and giving you a more “wow” sound from out of the box. But none of that takes away the fact that the MACH 80 have, what I would call, a fundamentally correct and accurate sound. They sound natural, yet are incredibly resolving and revealing.  Treat them to a good source and you will hear every little nuance and detail in your music. These are a tool, but they are also a pleasure to listen to if you like an accurate portrayal of your music.

They will not suit everyone, but Westone has shown once again that making an earphone that is comfortable and has a realistic and neutral sound will beat numbers on paper and fancy marketing language.

I am awarding these the highest award I am able, with Westone being given the opportunity to submit the MACH 80s for a second review by our editor for a potential Editor’s Choice award…yes, I think they are that good!

AT A GLANCE

Build Quality:

Plastic shells with T2 connectors

They are very well put together and the Linum cable is an excellent addition

Sound Quality:

Neutral but not dry, a very natural and open sound that is revealing and allows you to hear your music as it should be

Detailed and well-controlled.

Value For Money:

They may look understated and slightly boring, but the sound quality, build quality and overall package is not overly expensive in today’s market

We Loved:

The detailed and reference-like sound

They remain smooth whilst being incredibly revealing

We Didn’t Love So Much:

Honestly, there isn’t anything not to love if you appreciate this kind of sound

Price:  £1599

Elevator Pitch Review: The Westone MACH 80 are a superb reference monitor, perfect for listening to your music as it was intended to be heard. They might not appeal to those wanting a more exciting sound, but they have a smooth, balanced and revealing sound all wrapped up in an ergonomic shell.  What’s not to love?

Oscar Stewart

SUPPLIED BY KSD DISTRIBUTION