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REVIEW: WESTONE 3, the ULTIMATE UNIVERSAL IEM vs everything else - AKA W3 Appreciation Thread - Page 44

post #646 of 2095
12/11/08 at 5:09am
Quote:
Originally Posted by HeadphoneAddict View Post
It could be a mismatch between the shape and length of your ear canals and the W3, similar to how some IEM cause my ears to roar and others don't?
Very well could be...I figured out that the small translucent tips give me the sound closest to Grados with the best separation, but then everything sounds tinny even though I have a good seal.

See, this is why I was so afraid of posting that long spiel...the whole backfire possibility.
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post #647 of 2095
12/11/08 at 5:14am
Thanks Mule for the impressions. I really want an earphone that can keep up with all genres and I guess I should be happy with my Shures. You may have saved me $400 but I will probably get a P-51 Mustang amp with it anyway.
Also it seems I prefer a more energetic type sound usually with my speakers or headphones (although I really really loved the HD600s I had)

Thanks for being honest though dude.
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post #648 of 2095
12/11/08 at 5:33am
My head is spinning with trying to choose an IEM after reading all these different impressions.

Seems its a bit love-it-or-hate-it.
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post #649 of 2095
12/11/08 at 5:37am
Quote:
Originally Posted by darkninja67 View Post
Thanks Mule for the impressions. I really want an earphone that can keep up with all genres and I guess I should be happy with my Shures. You may have saved me $400 but I will probably get a P-51 Mustang amp with it anyway.
Also it seems I prefer a more energetic type sound usually with my speakers or headphones (although I really really loved the HD600s I had)

Thanks for being honest though dude.
Yeah, I'm that kind of person to when it comes to earphones, and I've been burned so many times with IEM purchases that I may just stick with these anyway, whether I turn out to like them or not.

I am currently playing with the hard translucent tips, but my calls on one thing remains sturdy: if you want Grado-like energy, this is not it, because the drums just don't have that kind of snappy life to them.
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post #650 of 2095
12/11/08 at 5:45am

Free Pelican Case worth $29.50 with W3

FYI,

Mike at FreqCity on eBay, item # 250133546370, is offering a free Westone Pelican Hard Case worth $29.50 along with the W3 + free shipping.

I wish he'd offered same deal when I ordered mine back on 20th November, but I'm passing on this to you as he did offer first class service and my W3 arrived in Europe in 4 working days (I upgraded to Express delivery for an extra $8). Item was very well packaged as well.
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post #651 of 2095
12/11/08 at 6:12am
Can anyone else comment on the suitability of the W3s to rock?
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post #652 of 2095
12/11/08 at 6:18am
Quote:
Originally Posted by NicktheNorse View Post
Can anyone else comment on the suitability of the W3s to rock?
Hey NicktheNorse, if you don't mind my opinion, I had the Triple.fi 10 Pro in the past, and if you listen mainly to rock, you should definitely stick with them.
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post #653 of 2095
12/11/08 at 6:26am
Hm, I'll have to check out how the W3 handles death and black metal then. I'm not in an extreme metal phase but Nile was at one time my favorite metal band.

IME no balanced armature has ever been able to get Nile right. 'Stats were the only thing that had enough speed.
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post #654 of 2095
12/11/08 at 6:27am
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheMarchingMule View Post
Hey NicktheNorse, if you don't mind my opinion, I had the Triple.fi 10 Pro in the past, and if you listen mainly to rock, you should definitely stick with them.
I see! TF10s are just too uncomfortable for me though, I have to move on soon...
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post #655 of 2095
12/11/08 at 10:04am
i have mixed findings on these.

at some points i found things to be all muddled and blah, but for the most part everything was great.

using ety foam, listend to dragonforce, slayer and cradle of filth and was quite happy. altho, the start of cthulu dawn by CoF was muddled and muffled not sure of its just the track tho
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post #656 of 2095
12/11/08 at 12:51pm
wow that was one hell of a stir up, fair play to you, funny how one person states that the westone 3 dont do rock and just says its plain rubbish at it...and then all of a sudden everybody comes out of the woodwork and starts to agree.

not one bad word was said about the westone 3 rock performance before that statement and now its possibly the worst performing IEM when it comes to complex passages of music. i believe this would be called slow...in the same way people complain the se530 is slow compared with the ety's.

is this the general consensus now? are the westone 3 just too slow for rock and metal instrumentals?? if this is the case it is a real downer for the westone 3 as i would guess 80% of head fi members love thier rock music.
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post #657 of 2095
12/11/08 at 1:14pm
I have no issues with the 3 on complex passages of music. It handles orchestral music just fine, and rock music is just great. I don't listen to anything THAT heavy, but so far the 3's have handled everything with aplomb. They do, however, show poorly recorded music for what it is, and some music I'd thought was ok, is now being revealed as not so well mixed/mastered.
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post #658 of 2095
12/11/08 at 1:18pm
I just spent a very enjoyable morning listening to Tool and Pink Floyd with the 3's so I'd have to disagree. No, they're no Grado when it comes to rock but then what is?
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post #659 of 2095
12/11/08 at 1:28pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jinx20001 View Post
wow that was one hell of a stir up, fair play to you, funny how one person states that the westone 3 dont do rock and just says its plain rubbish at it...and then all of a sudden everybody comes out of the woodwork and starts to agree.

not one bad word was said about the westone 3 rock performance before that statement and now its possibly the worst performing IEM when it comes to complex passages of music. i believe this would be called slow...in the same way people complain the se530 is slow compared with the ety's.

is this the general consensus now? are the westone 3 just too slow for rock and metal instrumentals?? if this is the case it is a real downer for the westone 3 as i would guess 80% of head fi members love thier rock music.
To these ears all my 4 Tool albums, King Crimson's Lark's Tongues in Aspic, Red, Starless & Bible Black, Thrak, Power to Believe, Discipline, The Nightwatch, The Sex Pistols' Never Mind the..., 3 Henry Cow Albums, plus 2 Nirvana ones sound just fine - again I much prefer the sound on the W3s than on my SE530's with all this music. Burn-in has gone past 100 hrs on the W3
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post #660 of 2095
12/11/08 at 1:38pm
This is the first time I have ever owned a pair of "high end" IEMs (more than $300 MSRP), if you don't count the discounted Klipsch models, and I have to say, the entire thing is getting really tired. I even was part of the madness on a couple of posts. It's getting very clear that this process (comparing the "best" universal IEMS, re W3, SE530, TF10, IE8, etc.) is now starting to lose any real meaning, even though I realize this is supposed to be a place where people offer differing views on pieces of gear. Not sure what I am trying to say other than maybe it's time everyone just enjoy their IEMs, whatever the brand. I really think perspective/added views on the W3s when compared to other IEMs is turning into a muddled and meaningless mess due to the extreme views in either direction (and many in the middle). Every day another "revelation" about the W3s, another naysayer, another champion, another naysayer turned champion, and vice-versa. It's getting pretty weird, no?

Maybe I am just crazy. But since the only really new (in the past year or so) universal EMs on this level are the W3s and the IE8s (sorry Klipsch, but the X10s and Custom 3s are decent, but are really more worth their discounted prices), did this same thing happen when the TF10s and the E500/SE530s hit the market?
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Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Portable Headphones, Earphones and In-Ear Monitors › REVIEW: WESTONE 3, the ULTIMATE UNIVERSAL IEM vs everything else - AKA W3 Appreciation Thread