Westone UM3X Appreciation Thread - Page 9

I may have to consider these too. Especially if the bass is closer to the IE8 than PFE. But I think I'll hold off for a while and wait for more reviews to come in, mainly as I'm really happy with the IE8's. I'll keep reading, and following the threads.

....and now you have all three bases covered.

I absolutely love my ES3X so I do look forward to trying the UM3X at some point, but I am still happy with the Westone 3 for those times when I don't want to risk my customs (to damage or loss). I just got my Westone 3 back from a 3 week long round-trip journey to Vinnie at RWA and Ken at ALO to do some testing with sensitive IEM with their gear, and boy am I glad to get them back now. I still like them a bit more than the IE8 which I haven't been using much, as I was using my ES3X and Phonak more than the IE8 during the W3 absence. Obviously I still prefer my ES3X over all of them, but the W3 still do a fine job for my ears.

Sure, if the wrong tips are used (trimmed triple flange to biflange) I can see where some people would say the W3 mids are recessed when compared to the ES3X and Phonak; but with my UM56 or the grey silicone tips the mids fill in nicely and with NO sibilance. The worst I can make them sound is to use the un-modded triple flange where the treble sounds a bit artificial or "plasticky" as I once said.

My point is that I would counsel people to not give up on the W3 so quickly as a high-end universal IEM. There are many people out there that love theirs and the emergence of a new IEM that sounds different and possibly better doesn't mean the "other" model is all of a sudden made worse than it is. The sound is the same, but its relative position among competing products can change. I called the W3 the "other" model and not "older" model because they are each a part of a separate product line. Just my thoughts on the matter. Everyone enjoy what you have, and I love reading your impressions.

I got my UM3X today. When comparing them to the W3 I have to agree with the majority that the overall sound is very neutral. I don't hear the mid bass hump I heard with the W3's and the highs are clear but not harsh.
I have been listening to Mozart's violin concerto and the strings sound very nice. Tried the comply's and the triflanges with the stem cut and the triflanges sound fuller and more detailed all over the spectrum. Brahm's Quartet in Bb No.3 (Op. 67) 2 Andante sounds so lovely! They are definitely better than the W3's and the UM2's which don't have as much clarity and sound a little more bloated in the bass.
Mozart's Regina coeli in C major, K.108: 1. with Nikolaus Harnoncourt and Concentus Musicus Wien sound so clear and the voices so detailed!
I am also surprised at the wider soundstage than the W3 or UM2. This is something I did not expect. One thing I love to do when listening to my favorite pieces is following each instrument separately and the UM3X allows me to do this without difficulty.
I definitely have no regrets about returning the W3's for the UM3X.
I believe for classical music (which is my favorite genre) and Jazz these little gems are wonderful.
Furthermore, the UM2 shell is more comfortable than the W3.
I will try to compare them to the Image X10's when I have some time.

I received my um3x too.

I never heard such a wide sound stage for an IEM. Sometimes, I feel like I listening to full size headphones.

With the full size comply tips, the sound is quite dark. With the short comply tips, I lose isolation and the sound signature becomes much brighter. I figure different people will have varying results all over map.

While wearing the larger comply tips, the bass is pretty strong. It goes deep and retains a lot of detail. The mid range presentation is quite good, although I do feel its a little slower compared to the bass and treble. The treble is excellent and is never harsh. I think the overall sound signature is quite balance and smooth.

My previous IEMs are the SA6 and it wouldn't be fair to compare them. Lets just say you get what you pay for. I think the SA6 is a bigger bang for the buck, but the um3x is just better. I would also consider the um3x to be very comfortable for extended listening periods - the treble does not cause listening fatigue. I would still prefer to use other headphones/IEMs for analytical listening. I think the um3x is now my favorite IEM for commuting, office, and long airplane trips.

My biggest problem is sensitivity. I am in the camp where I hate super sensitive ear phones and headphones because of line noise. This is the first time I can hear noise from the headphone jack coming out of my Nano iPod, running off its own battery. Need to buy a inline pot or impedance adapter later.

Thanks pedxing, I was looking for a comparison versus the SA6.

Would you say the UM3X has a more defined, deeper and more impactful bass than the SA6?
How do you compare the mids and treble detail to the SA6?
Also, do the SA6 flanges fit on the UM3X and sound good?

I get the feeling that the UM3X and SA6 are in the same sonic ballpark, in that they are both detailed yet smooth/laidback.

Thanks in advance

If you have to choose only one, which do you prefer the um3x or the ie8?

lol

For me, um3x. I prefer a more neutral sound. I sold my IE8 away after more than 500h burn in which still couldn't tame the bass and mid enough for me.

Personally, I find um3x bass to be on the heavy side but not boomy. Look like i need to configure my D10 to reduce the bass.

Huh, these are starting to look quite appealing. It's the first IEM where every description is actually easy to relate to since I've tried so many of the other IEMs people are comparing them to.

Hmm... what to do.......

How are they for sub-bass?

Well, I never really heard that with TFPRO10. Perhaps very subtle.. I'll do some direct A/B comparisions to TFPRO10 since I have those right now as well.

Zalithian, when you wrote that the PFE and IE8 both had sparkly highs, did you mean they sounded the same to you in that respect? I agree that the PFE definitely had a lot of sparkle, but I didn't feel that way about the IE8 at all, mainly because the excess warmth dulled the highs a little (good for a non-fatiguing listen though!) The detail was all there with the IE8, but the one thing I didn't hear was sparkle, not at all. And unless I'm interpreting sparkle differently to other people, I'd have said the PFE highs were totally opposite from the IE8, in that piano notes and cymbal crashes were crystal clear with the grey tips / PFE, but much 'fatter' and less realistic sounding with the IE8. Which tips did you use with the IE8 by the way?

Now to wait for a head-fier to come up with a 3-way battle royale between W3, IE8 and UM3x :P