Westone UM3X Appreciation Thread

[music_4321]

Originally Posted by mark2410

thing is its not the only song or artist ive found S and T's to be rather sharp and harsh on the ear and its defiantly a um3x thing.

only really seems to occur with female vocalists but they are fine on other IEM's but strangely a song that i normally use as my sibilance check there isnt a hint of it

Eva Cassidy's Songbird album sounds wonderful with the UM3X's. Also a band called Sunday All Over the World's only album Kneeling at the Shrine has Toyah Wilcox singing and it sounds absolutely superb with the UM3X. Same goes for some Kate Bush's The Sensual World. So, I honestly don't think it's anything to do with female vocalists.

Call me ceazy, Mark, but I've a feeling that on an unconscious level you don't want to like the UM3X. We do, after all, have different tastes in music and also probably in what we consider to be right sounding. I, for one, had a hard time with the SE530's and you (and plenty of other head-fiers) seem to really like them.

Funny, also, you've mentioned a few times not getting excited with any songs or found yourself grinning/ tapping/ dancing (or whatever it was you said) with the UM3X. I had the exact opposite scenario, where I had so much enjoyment & excitement that it really caught me off guard. Really - I just thought 'these really can't be THAT good', but they were to ME.

[SOUNDinterpreter]

So far I haven't really read any disappointing impressions about the ES3X, which is strange when compared to the negative impressions some people have had on the UM3X. If the ES3X is just an improved sounding UM3X (same drivers), with maybe 15%-20% better sound (according to Music_4321 who owns both), then why is there such a drastic amount of negative opinions between the two IEMs?

[toughnut]

Originally Posted by SOUNDinterpreter

So far I haven't really read any disappointing impressions about the ES3X, which is strange when compared to the negative impressions some people have had on the UM3X. If the ES3X is just an improved sounding UM3X (same drivers), with maybe 15%-20% better sound (according to Music_4321 who owns both), then why is there such a drastic amount of negative opinions between the two IEMs?

I like vanilla, u like chocolate. When u get a custom, u have to live with it.

[bakhtiar]

1) Not many can afford ES3X.
2) Only the serious peoples bought it.
3) These serious peoples have their own listening taste.
4) And most of them able to adapat the new sound signature very well.. Hence, they have to adapt to hundreds or thousands of sound source (cd, vinyl, ...) to enjoy them,

I can assume that the peoples who have customs such as ES3X, are the peoples who able to adapt any sound. This is one of the audiophile's enjoying techniques. But, for sure, good source is a GOOD source.

[decay]

Well, IEMs need to be fitted correctly for the wearer to hear the sound it suppose to make.
You'll know soon enough with customs whether they fit your ears well or not, but fit for
universals is tricky, you really have to try different tips and play around to see if you got
the right seal, if the tip sacrifices something, if... Without discovering a right fit/tip the sound
you hear can be drastically different from what others hear, the disappointments that you've
heard with your ears might never be experienced by those who got the "model" ears or
the right fit first time around. For example I differ from what the majority hear on IE8's
transparency and high, both I find extremely satisfying, particularly the high is borderline
sibilant on some cymbals and electric guitars though it never crossed the line.

[SOUNDinterpreter]

Originally Posted by toughnut

When u get a custom, u have to live with it.

That doesn't mean you can't or shouldn't say anything negative about it. There are people who bought Livewires and were disappointed by them.

And there had to be a few ES3X impulse buyers who might not be too new with this forum, but were probably new with high-end IEMs. They seem to love the SOUND of their customs like almost everyone in the ES3X thread. "Wow...sounds so natural!" Yet, here in this thread, we "understand" why this sound signature might not be for everyone.

[kloan]

Originally Posted by tigon_ridge

When you felt that it was boring and unengaging, what was it you thought was lacking? After you got around to be acquainted with the sound signature and started enjoying them a lot more, what was it you thought was so enjoyable (other than that the treble opened up a bit)?

When I first had them, I only had the Complys. I feel those tips ruin the sound of the UM3X. They muffle the highs, and make the overall sound congested.

Once I had better tips, such as the Olives, the sound improved significantly.

It did seem that the treble opened up a bit, that I'm sure of. Once that happened, I was very happy with what I was hearing. I started encoding all of my new music with lossless to get the most out of them.

Basically, coming from the Triple.Fi it was a bit of a loss going to the UM3X. The Triples have a lot of treble energy (too much for me) and huge transparency. It took some adjusting to the UM3X, but I now prefer them over anything else I've listened to. The 'upfront' sound isn't actually that much more than anything else I've heard. True, they do sound more similar to being in the recording studio than they do being at a concert, but when I went back to other IEMs, the difference was more subtle than I originally thought.

I just like how relaxing they are on my ears. When I was amping the IE8s, I really enjoyed the improved bass, mids and highs.. they sounded fantastic, but when I put the UM3X in my ears suddenly felt more relaxed.. the sound itself was still exceptional, bass was a little less than the IE8s turned up to 3, but easier to listen to.

To reiterate what I've said in the past, the UM3X are the least fatiguing IEMs I've ever heard. That's really something that just can't be matched with anything else I've heard.

If there's any sibilance at all, it's with bad recordings, the UM3X are NOT sibilant.

[gameboy115]

The less fatiguing signature which I agree with Kloan is mainly because UM3X is a very balanced. I would see this as the most balanced IEM known in the market. Not one spectrum dominates others, overall presentation between all spectrum is smooth and consistent. As a trade off, you won't have prominent mid, extra deep end or razor sharp high end.

My experience is, before burn in, mid is little weird sometimes it is less consistent to other spectrum. After 280 hrs, I feel satisfied, as transparency and detail has improved as well as mid being what it supposed to be.

Bass is not bloated to drown mid and low end, separation is excellent, the detail I never noticed before is never clearer now. It is very funny that I can pinpoint one of instruments from start to end if I am looking into it instead of focusing on vocal. Layers of instrument and vocal has their own space which seems never cross over each other.

If you are looking for a balanced, pretty natural IEM, it would be the one. But it is definitely not for people who are basshead, treble/ mid /low lover, soundstage lover.

It seems to me UM3X is doing 70- 80% of thing that other IEM dominates in that area, like it have 80% low end presentation of IE8, 70% soundstage of IE8.

It is true all arounder, but it is also not for everyone, that is also why some people don't like it, for instance, people prefer extreme clarity would love CK 100 instead

[animalsrush]

Sometimes i wonder do we over analyze things we buy and instead of enjoying them, try to find if something is wrong with them. I am guilty here as well. When i first got UM3X i was pissed that it didn't have the WOW feeling, then i was pissed that i couldn't find the right tip mix and mad at westone for not giving me a free fit kit. After few weeks of honeymoon i stopped analyzing them and started listening to them. Then one night it hit me like a ton of bricks i was enjoying the music so much through these and i couldn't find any fault. Looks like they are growing on me. So now i am real happy with them . I am sure there are better ones than these out there but i think i am satisfied with these. So in retrospect i would have had an overall pleasurable experience if i had just listened to music than being overly critical of them

Just my thoughts and please these comments are not pointed towards anyone

PC

[gameboy115]

Originally Posted by animalsrush

Sometimes i wonder do we over analyze things we buy and instead of enjoying them, try to find if something is wrong with them. I am guilty here as well. When i first got UM3X i was pissed that it didn't have the WOW feeling, then i was pissed that i couldn't find the right tip mix and mad at westone for not giving me a free fit kit. After few weeks of honeymoon i stopped analyzing them and started listening to them. Then one night it hit me like a ton of bricks i was enjoying the music so much through these and i couldn't find any fault. Looks like they are growing on me. So now i am real happy with them . I am sure there are better ones than these out there but i think i am satisfied with these. So in retrospect i would have had an overall pleasurable experience if i had just listened to music than being overly critical of them

Just my thoughts and please these comments are not pointed towards anyone

PC

I got your point.

But that is not our fault for being perfectionist, after all this is a place called headfi which bunch of audiophile hanging around. I really understand people being picky and have to justify its purchase.

I also happy for you that you can get over and enjoy UM3X

[Bilavideo]

Originally Posted by SOUNDinterpreter

So far I haven't really read any disappointing impressions about the ES3X, which is strange when compared to the negative impressions some people have had on the UM3X. If the ES3X is just an improved sounding UM3X (same drivers), with maybe 15%-20% better sound (according to Music_4321 who owns both), then why is there such a drastic amount of negative opinions between the two IEMs?

I'd be surprised if there were a whit of difference between the ES3X and the UM3X outside of the drivers. One of the things I really like about Westone is the logic, and straight-forward nature, of its product line. If you look at UE, for example, there's a certain sloppiness in the way it slides in its offerings over the custom, triple fi, super fi and metro lines. Any attempt at symmetry gets royally mucked with mid-point introductions that sort of hang on past their due date, making UE's product line looking like a fossil record full of species with more past than future. UE is running four levels of monitors, four metros, eight supers, two triples and five customs -three of which are pretty hard to tell apart. It's reminiscent of Apple before it took Steve Jobs back.

Compare this with Westone where what you see is pretty much what you get. Westone sells four universals: the UM1 (single driver), the UM2 (dual driver) the W3 (triple-driver with a lot of kick) and the more-neutral UM3X. Westone also sells four custom fit monitors: the ES1 (single driver), the ES2 (dual driver), the ES3X (triple driver) and the CR-1, a single driver custom that seems to market itself as a lower-cost version of the ES-1. It's not like UE, where you have to figure out what link, if any, exists between this custom and that universal.

Of course, there's also that other possibility - that customs don't get bashed the same way universals do because you can't swap 'em out. Customs get immediate respect for being customs the same way people practically live to tell you that nobody can understand their pain. Apparently, a lot of people are having bad days nobody can possibly relate to.

[Oomingmak]

Originally Posted by tigon_ridge

When you felt that it was boring and unengaging, what was it you thought was lacking? After you got around to be acquainted with the sound signature and started enjoying them a lot more, what was it you thought was so enjoyable (other than that the treble opened up a bit)?

Well, the UM3X does everything well which means that if you're looking for highs that dominate the song you aren't going to get it. If you're used to a sound signature where the highs are dominant then the UM3X will seem "boring" to you. When you realize that instead of say, 100% great highs, 70% good mids and 80% good lows you're getting 100% highs, mids and lows you'll learn to understand that the reason the sound is "flat" is because nothing is lacking or sub par and everything is balanced. Eventually you learn to appreciate it.

[gameboy115]

Originally Posted by Oomingmak

Well, the UM3X does everything well which means that if you're looking for highs that dominate the song you aren't going to get it. If you're used to a sound signature where the highs are dominant then the UM3X will seem "boring" to you. When you realize that instead of say, 100% great highs, 70% good mids and 80% good lows you're getting 100% highs, mids and lows you'll learn to understand that the reason the sound is "flat" is because nothing is lacking or sub par and everything is balanced. Eventually you learn to appreciate it.

Agree with your point. That is what I want to say too, UM3X is flat as it is balanced, but not for the part everything is 100%

[madwolf]

The phone that comes free might do say 15s in a 100m race
The off the shelf phone you could buy at a petrol kiosk might do 14s
If you pay $50 for a phone it might do 13s
An $100 phone might do 12S
If you are paying top dollar for a phone you might do 11s

But When we buy one of the most expensive universal we might be expecting it to do 8s, Which is simply impossible and that is why we get disappointed.
Some cannot even accept them performing 13s during burn in.

Some IEM can do very well in 100m, some 200m some long jump, some high jump.
I would say UM3X is not a winner in any category, but would stand a chance to win medal in the decathlon.

[bakhtiar]

Now, we can start the listening marathon. How many hours/days you can NON-STOP listening to your IEMs . .

p/s: Don't take this seriously.