WESTONE 3 IMPRESSIONS AND APPRECIATION THREAD - Page 48

Hmmm... have you tried the small or slim Comply Tips yet? Those will get a little smaller than the gray or clear harder materials.

I haven't tried those. I am not keen on comply tips thought. I have really wet and sticky earwax which is real bad for foams. Plus the weather in Singapore makes me sweat alot. Again bad for foams.

I think we call that hype, but these do perform very well for what they are. Just don't inflate your expectations.

Comply tips apepar to be a bit more resistant to that. I used UM2 with only one set of comply tips through 3 months of perpetual rain where I live without troubles...

On the case of earwax - clean your ears with more than just q-tips =).

I just can't get the treble to sparkle... no matter how hard I try. I have a D2. Any suggestions?

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Got mine yesterday and couldn't do a lot of impressions because my ears were still ringing from seeing Q-Tip Sunday night. Rocking them today though.

I'm not going to comment a lot on the sound because a bunch of people already have. I will say that they're amazing. Best IEMs I've heard, hands down, and that includes the UM2, Image X10, SE530, and super.fi 5 pro. The bass is definitely there, which makes me really really happy.

The sensitivity is definitely less than the UM2, which is a good thing. I still hear some hiss when plugged into my MacBook Pro, and I've been playing them on the lowest volume notch, but it's reduced enough that I won't have to cringe every time I listen straight from my laptop like I did with the UM2 (which exhibited loud hiss, blown-out sound, and excessive volume on even the lowest volume setting).

About the ergonomics, the cable is definitely a little slicker and more flexible than my UM2. I don't know if that's because it's new or because they've actually changed the cables, but it's a definite improvement. The cable is also a bit longer from joint to earphones as well as a couple inches longer from joint to jack. Also and improvement, in my opinion.

The earphones themselves, which I always thought looked bigger than the UM2 in pictures, are not in fact bigger. Their design is more rounded and tapered, making them slightly more comfortable.

The biggest change between the UM2 and the 3 is definitely the length of the stalk which the tips sit on. The stalk on the 3 is significantly shorter, such that to get the same seal, I have to angle the 3 more inwards to my ear canal than I did with the UM2. I was afraid the difference would necessitate a change in tips, but fortunately I can still use my medium Shure soft-flexes (which I have a nice little stock of). If anything, this change may turn out to be positive. I think it makes the earphones less likely to become unseated when I wear a winter hat, and (possibly) reduces the tendency for pressure and positioning to cut out the sound when I sleep on my side with them in.

In short, I'm in heaven and don't envision buying any new IEMs until at least the Westone 4 . My UM2 will be up on the for sale forum as soon as I get around to it.

got mine today. They sound pretty good but two of my complys had rips in them.

Anyone think that the bass may be a little strong at times and almost muffled?

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f103/r...ml#post5078097

My impressions.

the only aussie retailer is phoenixhearing and they have priced them at $780AUD shipped.

@FeedMeTrance. Check your Gmail. I sent you an email.

Looks like i wont have the pleasure of owning these right now. Had a mini-fight with my missus last night bout upgrading from my TF10's to these.. *shakes fist in air*

lol metrobboy tell her she can hav the tf10s

Nice impressions. That rounded affect you mentioned reminds me of how I felt about the PS-1. It helped on badly recorded music, but it did add a colored element to it.

I think I might just have to buy a pair of etys. I like the Shure E500 and the slight improvement without giving me the Ety highs may not be worth it. I'm sure I will go back and forth for awhile. I want 1 IEM (not spending over $1000 though) that does everything well, but it seems the Ety's still own the extended high frequencies which are really needed for voilins to sound strong.

I also put a link to your impressions (and rhythmicmoose and many others) at the bottom of the first post of my review thread. I had made mine an Appreciation Thread after it took a few days for the OP of this thread to see my PM request for him to change this thread's title. So, now we have two Appreciation and Impression Threads.

Just want to clarify: Are you saying the gray soft-flex tips lead to astounding amounts of sibilance on the W3? (If so: Eek, that's not good. I deplore foam tips. )

To my ears the Westone 3 are more than a "slight improvement" in the highs over the SE530...