Looking to upgrade my Monster Turbines. Westone 3, UM3X, Westone 4, Monster Copper, Miles Davis??

Try the earsonics sm3 as well. It sounds fantastic on Norah Jones' Album, Come Away with Me.

Check Ortofon series e-q5 or e-Q7

Radius DDM series (W11 or W21)

Also Ck10 or Ck100

What is your budnget?

I do suppose that when u meant warm, you were referring to the se530 in general, no just vocals ya?

Cos i find many iems to have boderlining midbass that does heighten that warm impression very much as well even if it is well controlled,

and doesn't bleed into the mids.

To me the se530 do not have bordelining midbass like what i mentioned, but the mids are definately warm.

So i'm not too sure where you are coming from.

However, If you find the se530 warm in general, i guess only UM3X and W4 is gonna work for you in the list you shortlisted.

 

 

 

I haven't tried the Monster Copper and Miles Davis, but so far, I'm loving my SM3, the lush mids are just fantastic. I tried the Westones, but they seem neutral to my ears. I guess I prefer something which has a more, say, fun sound. Meanwhile, you might want to test the Shure 535s, as well as the IE8's. Quite serious contenders in the price range as well. 

If you found the SE530 warm, and you have enough budget, I can recommend the Westone 4. It is more neutral than the UM3X (which is on the warm side) and the W3, which is skewed towards lows/highs. Don't go for the IE8's, they are much warmer than the SE530's.

 

It depends what works for you - if you want balance, you're not going to go wrong with the 4's. 

 

For reference, I own Westone 4's, UM3X's, have owned IE8s, and have heard over 50 hours of SE530, about 5 of Westone 3's.

It depends what you love from Turbines, If Bass Body and its low end timbre are what that consists majorly, Would be sorry to say that Chances are extremely low that you may seek one in the BAs,

Westone 3 has good bass but loses great deal to MDs for me since i cant just kill the sibilance despite following ljokerl's method and bass was too crude, a comparative definition to it would be 'Unrefined'.

While Westone 4 is a completely different animal from 3 and personally i kinda like W4, but again, loses big time to MDs and etc on realistic low end production while it don possess the treble extension of the likes of CK10 / CK100 etc to have a desired advantage over MD one, But it performs better in symphonies than MD for the tonal balance wise, W4 is also the best Mid-Range performer within Westone Universals if i have to choose 1.

UM3X are more Neutral than MD and Copper, Have a over intimate mid (depending on the source / + EQ used) and its dissection of instruments, which can be a good or bad thing as compared next to MD and MTPC its like showing its instruments out to show how artificial its general timbre is when placed next to the dynamics wide open.  However UM3x is hands-down more true-to-recording and accurate.

Lastly, MTPC compared to MD has more edgier treble, slightly recessed at times while generally neutral mids, lesser thickness and lesser overall presence with a linear soundstage.

While MD has a cozy but spherical soundstage, Bass is very strong and of top quality that has no bass bleed with all instruments sounding big though itself is a drawback when multiple cellos / etc instruments blends together as MD already has a "Blending" type of overall sound and musicality.

 

On a side note if you considering Ortofons, The e-Q7s sounded to me like a SE535 counter-part = A version that has more superior Timbre and Transparency, While SE535 storms for the Warmth and Handling Dynamics.

So it depends on which you seek, I for one upgraded from Monster JAMz to MDs and has never looked back even after i manage to give the rest a long audition.

 

(P.S. If Isolation is not of utmost issue for you, Do try the Victor JVC FX-700 or Sony EX-1000, those two are said to have top timbre and i am getting the FX700 soon)

Edited by kendric - 4/16/11 at 12:32pm

I might also add that the SE535 is actually a different kettle of fish to the earlier versions. Not only is the cable improved, the upper midrange and highs are more prominent.  I also feel they have refined the bass, and reduced the smearing effect it had on midrange detail.  In fact I prefer it to the Westone 3, and maybe over the UM3X too.  Show's how dual channel, if done right, can still be very competitive.  The Westone 3 did not impress me as much as others on your list as to me it lacked clarity and was inferior in terms of accurately reproducing timbre.  All the details were there, but I felt instrument separation was lacking.  The UM3X to me is an improvement in the aforementioned inadequacies of the Westone 3.  However, bear in mind the sound signature is different too.  It is a much less impressive earphone.  Nothing about the sound really "wows" you on first audition.  The sound is more accurate to my ears, and is better at letting the recordings speak for themselves with less coloration.  I actually quite like the frequency response too, although the overall sound could be still be a bit more analytical whilst gaining a little of the SE535's smooth treble and the Miles Davis Tribute's musicality.  Alas, there is no perfect universal IEM. The other IEM on your list that I have auditioned is the Miles Davis.  It is also my favourite depending on the genre concerned.  The combination of power, control and refinement is difficult to beat.  A UM3X may be able to outresolve it, but for vocal-heavy music I doubt it will come anywhere close in terms of enjoyability.  They are bass heavy, but the bass is very well controlled.  You need to listen to understand.  Midrange/high frequency detail is not compromised at all.  I think for the genres you listen to, these will be a fabulous choice. The other earphones will have a wider appeal.  Certainly audition this, and also the SE535.  I've not had much luck with the W3.  Not only do I disagree with the sound signature, I also find it technically lacking in ways which I cannot ignore.

Edited by milkpowder - 4/17/11 at 1:12am

Agree with you on the Westone 3. But yeah, get the MD's if you're sure that you're only going to listen to a specific genre of music. 

 

I personally don't think the MDs are worth the price difference over the Std Turbine. I got refurb Turbines for $49 from Monster, & slightly used MD Tribs for 150. The performance distance is marginal, IMO. But hey...I like the sound of the Turbine.