JH5's vs. SE535 vs. Westone 4's

All 3 are different.   JH5 keeps up fine as a dual driver.  Just trust me, it does.  If you listened to SE535 and JH5 back to back you would think that SE535 was the dual driver.

W4 are certainly the most refined and smooth sounding.  It is also the leanest in bass department as well and least efficient among the three.

SE535 is decent but I think lacks a bit in frequency range for a triple driver.  Not a fan of the cable set-up.

JH5:  Great all arounder.  Not the most refined sounding but covers all frequecies "very well" and has a decent amount of air.  Big and fun sound. Really not much to complain about.  An amp really helps the JH5.

I think that the W4 really benefits from an amp too.  The Westone UM3X much less so, imho.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spyro 

 

W4 are certainly the most refined and smooth sounding.  It is also the leanest in bass department as well and least efficient among the three.

 

However, don't get the impression that they are inefficient by any means. My iPhone drives them to brain-blasting unlistenable levels, and I like it louder than the next cat, usually. 

My vote is for the neutral W4s.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Glow Fish 

I think that the W4 really benefits from an amp too.  The Westone UM3X much less so, imho.

What? I think it's the other way around - the W4 hardly needs an amp while the UM3X tends to sound a little better (fuller bass, slightly widened soundstage) with an amp. However, even with an amp, the UM3X's soundstage is still a lot smaller than that of the W4 unamped.

Honestly though, neither really need an amp out of something like an iPod/iPhone.

OP, out of those 3, I've only heard the SE535s and the W4, and my preference solidly lies with the W4. It's a solid performer and unless you are accustomed to a specific house sound, it's going to put a smile on your face.