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E4C vs. UM2 brief impressions

post #1 of 19
12/29/05 at 2:32pm
Thread Starter 
I have in my possession a pair of UM2 (on loan thanks grawk you kick @ss!) and E4C. I'm doing some switching between the two today while at work and thought I'd share some brief impressions.

Source: Iriver H10 20gb
Music: variety of Rock/Metal, Jazz, Country, Pop/Rock, and some electronic
Amp: SM3 with NE5534 bias in class A.

Appearance/Build
First I have to say I am far more impressed with the UM2 than I was with the Super.fi 5pro. The UM2 has a very nice solid feeling braded black cable that is easy to manage (better than the E4C) and remains feeling very durable.

The UM2 fit in my ear very nicely, I'm using the tri-flanges off my E4 which have the stems cut so they are flush with the last flange. They fit in the ear very nicely and I'd say they are a bit more comfortable that the E4 and the cable feels as if it is not there. They are basically flush with my lobe (great for those who like to lay down while listening).

Sound
I'm not going to rehash what most already know or could find via search about the sound of the E4 but will draw some brief comparisons between the two.
The UM2 falls a little short of the E4C in some areas but has it beat in others. The warm mid range and detail in the upper end of the E4C is still king between these two. While the UM2 does have a very nice warmth to its mid range and good detail and extension in the high end there it is slightly muffled sounding when you compare the two. I would say the it is not a large sacrifice but... oh crap! hold the phone! I just took my amp out of the loop and went directly into the Iriver Ok, I'm going to have to do some listening like this before I can really continue I may have some different impressions, this sounds damn good boy!

I will say that the UM2 bass is tight and punchy. The quantity and quality is excellent and sounds much better and more accurate than the E4C. Another plus about the UM2 is soundstage which is larger than the E4C. More to follow as I listen.

If anyone else has had the opportunity to hear both please feel free to chime in with your thoughts.
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post #2 of 19
12/29/05 at 3:44pm
I have not heard the e4's but I do have the UM2's and i love there soundstage. Biggest I have heard in canal phones, but I do wish they had a little better mids though.
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post #3 of 19
12/29/05 at 3:55pm
Thread Starter 
I'm finding they actually sound better unamped... much better. The muffled sound I mentioned before is severely reduced and with a bit of eq the mids and highs sound very nice indeed. They are still missing a warmth and that sparkling detail that the E4C have but if you were to consider that the E4C do so much better with the amp in the loop the UM2 is a better bang for buck.

I guess the E5C would be a better competitor for the UM2 but I've not heard that yet.
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post #4 of 19
12/29/05 at 6:06pm
I started with e4's from a Micro Stack DM and h120 optical out and thought I was really happy. Subsequently traded for the UM2's and preferred their deeper bass and smoother highs, so traded away the e4's. One evening on the subway, my batteries ran dead on the Micro Stack (an all too common occurrence), so I plugged the UM2's right into the headphone out of the h120. Got 95% of the sound quality, with a great deal less hassle, so I've just traded away the Micro Stack as well. For me, it took several months to realize that the more minimalist approach works best for my commute.

Generally, I found the e4's to be slighter sweeter and more detailed in the midrange, but the UM2's are more balanced throughout and a better overall performer. The different tips have fairly significant sound variances though, so it's best to try them all out to see what suits you best.
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post #5 of 19
12/29/05 at 6:24pm
wakeride, how does the UM2's soundstage compare to the sf5p?
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post #6 of 19
12/29/05 at 6:26pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by ShaolinRasta
I started with e4's from a Micro Stack DM and h120 optical out and thought I was really happy. Subsequently traded for the UM2's and preferred their deeper bass and smoother highs, so traded away the e4's. One evening on the subway, my batteries ran dead on the Micro Stack (an all too common occurrence), so I plugged the UM2's right into the headphone out of the h120. Got 95% of the sound quality, with a great deal less hassle, so I've just traded away the Micro Stack as well. For me, it took several months to realize that the more minimalist approach works best for my commute.

Generally, I found the e4's to be slighter sweeter and more detailed in the midrange, but the UM2's are more balanced throughout and a better overall performer. The different tips have fairly significant sound variances though, so it's best to try them all out to see what suits you best.
I've been trying different tips from my E4C so as not to use any of grawks and I have settled on the soft flex. Odd thing is I need a medium in my left ear and a large in my right. The foamys sound too thin and the triflange kept collapsing in the right canal making the volume lower on that side.

After comparing the two (E4 amped and UM2 unamped) I find the UM2 to be superior in the bass, high mid (or low high) range, and music proximity (meaning I feel that the UM2 brings me closer to the music. I find the E4C to be superior in the Mid range and upper end highs and it seems to provide a more accurate presentation of the music while the UM2 is more fun.

I may have to get these instead... blame it on my love for the PS-1 sound!

edit - I do find a very small amount of sibilance with the UM2 but it is really minor and with a little eq is nearly unnoticeable.
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post #7 of 19
12/29/05 at 6:58pm
i am owning the westone um2 too, it is driven by my iriver h10 5gb unamped.

i would be interested to compare my equalizer-settings to yours, please reply the next days please. seems the iriver h10 is only different in harddisk-volume.

50hz -3
200hz -2
1khz -1
3khz 0
14khz +3

thx a lot.

björn
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post #8 of 19
12/29/05 at 7:04pm
Thread Starter 
If you are talking about +/- from the middle line mine is:

50hz +4
200hz +4
1khz +2
3khz +4
14khz +3

On the E4C it was:

50hz max
200hz +3
1khz +2
3khz +4
14khz +3

+ bass boost on the SM3
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post #9 of 19
12/29/05 at 7:17pm
You can try the Shure Clear Flex tips on the UM2, they bring the midrange forward quite a bit while keeping the extremes more or less balanced. If you want a more recessed midrange, the Shure foamies will do that quite nicely too.

I've owned both the UM2 and the E4 at one point. I've sold the E4 and will shortly sell the UM2, since the ES2 makes either of those 2 redundant. The UM2 does have better detail in the bass and midrange, but it's recessed treble masks detail in the upper frequencies. The E4 has a more forward treble with more readily apparent detail, but I can't say that it actually has more resolution. If you crank up the treble on the UM2 you will get all of the detail of the E4, though it will still have a somewhat creamy sound to it overall.

The UM2 is definitely better for a minimalist rig. Straight out of the headphone jack, it gives you pretty good performance, and it's ultra high sensitivity means that you're listening at lower output levels on your player, which helps battery life considerably.

The E4 was much better in terms of imaging and instrument separation. The UM2 has a fuller sound, but it's also fuzzier around the edges, so to speak.

Get the ES2, and you'll have the best of both worlds: the UM2's great low end - though tighter and more controlled - and it's massive soundstage, together with detail that's better than the E4, and razor-sharp imaging and instrument separation.
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post #10 of 19
12/29/05 at 7:28pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by catscratch
You can try the Shure Clear Flex tips on the UM2, they bring the midrange forward quite a bit while keeping the extremes more or less balanced. If you want a more recessed midrange, the Shure foamies will do that quite nicely too.

I've owned both the UM2 and the E4 at one point. I've sold the E4 and will shortly sell the UM2, since the ES2 makes either of those 2 redundant. The UM2 does have better detail in the bass and midrange, but it's recessed treble masks detail in the upper frequencies. The E4 has a more forward treble with more readily apparent detail, but I can't say that it actually has more resolution. If you crank up the treble on the UM2 you will get all of the detail of the E4, though it will still have a somewhat creamy sound to it overall.

The UM2 is definitely better for a minimalist rig. Straight out of the headphone jack, it gives you pretty good performance, and it's ultra high sensitivity means that you're listening at lower output levels on your player, which helps battery life considerably.

The E4 was much better in terms of imaging and instrument separation. The UM2 has a fuller sound, but it's also fuzzier around the edges, so to speak.

Get the ES2, and you'll have the best of both worlds: the UM2's great low end - though tighter and more controlled - and it's massive soundstage, together with detail that's better than the E4, and razor-sharp imaging and instrument separation.
What is ES2??? I've not heard that one yet

As far as minimalist vs. non I'm impartial but the UM2 actually sounder better (to my ears) straight out of the Iriver than the E4C with the SM3. There is a small sacrifice in detail and midrange warmth going from the E4C to the UM2 but the other benefits are well worth it. Remember I am a PS-1 diehard fanboy so my tastes may lean more towards what sounds fun and energetic vs. what sounds "accurate".
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post #11 of 19
12/29/05 at 7:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by wakeride74
What is ES2??? I've not heard that one yet

As far as minimalist vs. non I'm impartial but the UM2 actually sounder better (to my ears) straight out of the Iriver than the E4C with the SM3. There is a small sacrifice in detail and midrange warmth going from the E4C to the UM2 but the other benefits are well worth it. Remember I am a PS-1 diehard fanboy so my tastes may lean more towards what sounds fun and energetic vs. what sounds "accurate".
http://www.westone.com/music/elite.html#es2

It's a custom-molded IEM that uses the UM2's drivers but in a fully custom dual-bore mold. It really doesn't sound much like the UM2 - it's more of an Ety-like hyperdetailed sound, but it has a very linear tonal balance without the jacked-up treble of the Ety's and the E4. Let's just put it this way: it takes everything that's good about the E4 and the UM2 and the ER-4S for that matter, and makes it better. Hyperdetailed + huge sounstage + deep bass + tonal balance and no harsh highs.

It's also a very forward, Grado-like sound. Senn fans need not apply
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post #12 of 19
12/30/05 at 12:09am
Oh, so you believe you have discovered the much spoken of in the past but never attained "Grados of the custom IEM world"? If my memories are not wrong, I'm sure that certain people will rush to this thread soon then
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post #13 of 19
12/30/05 at 12:19am
Lovin my UM2's with E5 triflanges modded into biflanges
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post #14 of 19
12/30/05 at 12:59am
I found the e5s sounded much better amped and the um2s sound alittle better amped.
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post #15 of 19
12/30/05 at 2:40am
re-asking my question above:

How does the UM2 soundstage compare to the sf5p?
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