[Kepller]

Which one has more emphasized lower-mids; the W40 or UM3x/Pro 30 V1?

I've auditioned the W40, the Pro 30 V1 and the Pro 30 V2. In my opinion the Pro 30 has the most lower mids out of these 3. I did listened to the UM3x but that was a long time ago and cannot remember enough to include them in this comparison. I ended up with the UM 30 Pro in the end, as I preferred its fast, aggressive and impactful characteristics in the lows, smooth and thick mids, tamed highs, and forward sounding presentation.

 

[dakanao]

I've auditioned the W40, the Pro 30 V1 and the Pro 30 V2. In my opinion the Pro 30 has the most lower mids out of these 3. I did listened to the UM3x but that was a long time ago and cannot remember enough to include them in this comparison. I ended up with the UM 30 Pro in the end, as I preferred its fast, aggressive and strong characteristics in the lows, smooth and thick mids, tamed highs, and forward sounding presentation.

And which one has smoother upper-mids and treble texture, between Pro 30 and W40?

 

[Kepller]

And which one has smoother upper-mids and treble texture, between Pro 30 and W40?

Upper mids, I believe would be a tie between W40 V2 and UM Pro 30 V1. The W40 definitely has more emphasis on the higher frequency, I love its treble performance. It is smooth and definitely have decent texture to it, without sounding sibilant. The older W3 had slight sibilant but I only noticed it after auditioning the W40 which was a good improvement. The UM 30 Pro V1 definitely has some emphasis on the lows and mids, more so than the treble. With the UM 30 Pro V2, this emphasis is less as I noticed more treble and the overall presentation is less forward compared to the UM 30 Pro V1.

My breakdown would be:
W40 V2: Good treble and a wide/laidback soundstage, decent mids and good low frequency extension, overall this is in-between a warm and bright sounding signature but it is not overly analytical, its smooth. The bass has decent speed and accuracy. Mids are not as thick as the UM 30 PRO V1 but not thin either.
UM 30 PRO V2: Slightly more fun sounding signature and a mid size soundstage. I'd say the middle ground between W40 V2 and UM 30 PRO V1. It is somewhere in-between the W30 and UM 30 PRO V1 in terms of sound signature, presentation/characteristics and sound stage. (The W30 has now been replaced by the B30).
UM 30 PRO V1: Aggressive, impactful and fast low frequency, thick sounding mids, tamed but still sufficiently present treble, forward soundstage. Drums (especially snares) hits the hardest among these 3 westones, but the UM 50 PRO V1 hits even harder.

W30 V1: The W30 has smooth treble as well but less texture compared to the W40 V2. It has slightly more emphasis in the bass when compared to the W40 V2. The bass is not bloaty nor boomy, it is less aggressive and not as fast and slightly less impactful when compared to the UM 30 PRO V1, but it is not slow nor is it weak either, its simply the forward nature of the UM 30 PRO V1. Mids are decent, but not as thick sounding in the UM 30 PRO V1.

All 3 have decent sound separation. None of them are bright sounding, but the W40 V2 definitely has more treble extension among these westones.

 

[dakanao]

Upper mids, I believe would be a tie between W40 V2 and UM Pro 30 V1. The W40 definitely has more emphasis on the higher frequency, I love its treble performance. It is smooth and definitely have decent texture to it, without sounding sibilant. The older W3 had slight sibilant but I only noticed it after auditioning the W40 which was a good improvement. The UM 30 Pro V1 definitely has some emphasis on the lows and mids, more so than the treble. With the UM 30 Pro V2, this emphasis is less as I noticed more treble and the overall presentation is less forward compared to the UM 30 Pro V1.

My breakdown would be:
W40 V2: Good treble and a wide/laidback soundstage, decent mids and good low frequency extension, overall this is in-between a warm and bright sounding signature but it is not overly analytical, its smooth. The bass has decent speed and accuracy. Mids are not as thick as the UM 30 PRO V1 but not thin either.
UM 30 PRO V2: Slightly more fun sounding signature and a mid size soundstage. I'd say the middle ground between W40 V2 and UM 30 PRO V1. It is somewhere in-between the W30 and UM 30 PRO V1 in terms of sound signature, presentation/characteristics and sound stage. (The W30 has now been replaced by the B30).
UM 30 PRO V1: Aggressive, impactful and fast low frequency, thick sounding mids, tamed but still sufficiently present treble, forward soundstage. Drums (especially snares) hits the hardest among these 3 westones, but the UM 50 PRO V1 hits even harder.

W30 V1: The W30 has smooth treble as well but less texture compared to the W40 V2. It has slightly more emphasis in the bass when compared to the W40 V2. The bass is not bloaty nor boomy, it is less aggressive and not as fast and slightly less impactful when compared to the UM 30 PRO V1, but it is not slow nor is it weak either, its simply the forward nature of the UM 30 PRO V1. Mids are decent, but not as thick sounding in the UM 30 PRO V1.

All 3 have decent sound separation. None of them are bright sounding, but the W40 V2 definitely has more treble extension among these westones.

Thanks. Seems like UM Pro 30 V1 would be more up my alley.

How is the sub-bass extension of the Pro 30 V1 compared to Pro 30 V2 and W40 V2?

Also, do you notice any grain/distortion or unnatural timbre in the Pro 30 V1?

 

[Kepller]

Thanks. Seems like UM Pro 30 V1 would be more up my alley.

How is the sub-bass extension of the Pro 30 V1 compared to Pro 30 V2?

Both the Pro 30 V1 and Pro 30 V2 seemed to have similar sub bass extension to my ears. I found the W60 V1 and the W40 V2 to be better when it comes to sub bass extension than both the PRO 30s. The PRO 30 V1 and V2 are adequate in sub bass extension but the W40 V2 has slightly more "heft" in the sub bass because of the lower extension. That said, this is just extension as the W40 V2 has an "airy" sounding signature and does not have emphasis on the bass IMO.

Something to beware of is the forward presentation of the UM 30 PRO V1. I'll share my experience.

I used to own a UM 30 PRO V1 back in 2014, sold it away after a month and replaced it with the W60 V1. Back then, I've to admit that I was not used to the UM 30 PRO V1's forward sounding / "in-your face" presentation thus my reason to sell it off and replace it with the W60 V1.

My enjoyment with the W60 V1 was short-lived though. After 4 months with it, I realized I missed the forward, impactful, fast and aggressive nature of the UM 30 PRO V1. The W60 V1 has a wide and laidback presentation, the low frequency, both sub bass and mid bass has both quantity and texture, more so than the W40 V1 at that time especially in quantity which was why I thought the W60 V1 was the ideal one for me. I think it was due to the fact that I went from a forward sounding IEM back to a laid back sounding IEM that had plenty of "space to breathe", the sudden change in presentation made me learn to appreciate and also realize how exciting it was with the UM 30 PRO V1. The vocals were so forward I felt like I'm standing on the stage with the singer and right beside the drummer and the other musicians with lesser "breathing space". The W60 V1 sounded boring/less engaging to me as I felt further away from the instruments and the singer. I sold my W60 V1 because of this.

The UM 30 PRO V1 are definitely uniquely tuned with its presentation IMO and may turn off first time owners/listeners like it did with me. I think because of the forward presentation / small sound stage, drums, especially snares hits harder as well. Instrument separation is great too, they do not get lost in the sound and their all decently spaced out and easy to focus on.

As I found them to be sensitive to the type of source device, I pair them with a warm and dynamic sounding source device/dac as it unlocks their full potential IMO.

So fast forward into early 2020 while casually browsing B&H, I saw the UM 30 PRO V1 on sale and immediately jumped on it. I'm glad to report that I've ended my audio journey since (Till it quits on me at least). Just be aware that the forward sounding nature may not be for everyone, though if given time the energy and excitement it gives in exchanged for the reduced soundstage might grow on you. Alternatively you can simply complement it with another IEM that has a more usual sized soundstage.

 

[dosley01]

Picked up some Etymotic ER3-XRs and found that their unique Round->Rectangle Dual Flange tips work great on Westones. Will probably replace my usually Shure Olives or SpinFits.

 

[dosley01]

Has anyone heard the J30 Special Edition for the Japanese Market? Just saw some for sale here in the US from Westone directly but I can really find anything aside from them being a W30 tuned for Japanese music.

 

[dosley01]

Has anyone heard the J30 Special Edition for the Japanese Market? Just saw some for sale here in the US from Westone directly but I can really find anything aside from them being a W30 tuned for Japanese music.

I heard back from Westone/Lucid Audio and the J30 is tuned to be a brighter W30.

 

[caracara08]

Man, I love Westone’s ergonomics!!

 

[assassin10000]

I heard back from Westone/Lucid Audio and the J30 is tuned to be a brighter W30.

Any FR graphs?

Spoiler: J30 Specs

 

[dosley01]

Any FR graphs?

Sorry, that's the only info Lucid Audio supplied.

 

[rantng]

Westone W80 v3 - https://westoneaudio.com/product/w80-v3/

Not sure what changes have been made besides the new logo. I do like the new pricing of $999. It’s weird the gen 2 is still being sold for $1499. V3 doesn’t come with the Ref8 cable, but that’s a $299 cable.

 

[Tiax]

Not sure what changes have been made besides the new logo. I do like the new pricing of $999. It’s weird the gen 2 is still being sold for $1499. V3 doesn’t come with the Ref8 cable, but that’s a $299 cable.

Rehashing old ideas is what they have been doing for years now, and this one is among the laziest attempts: slap a new logo, throw bluetooth cable away, replace alo ref8 with a cheaper "HD silver" one, and that's it, version 3 is ready.
Well, if Adorama starts selling these for $400 or something, it may still be popular i guess.

 

[the_thatguy]

That new logo is dreadful. I miss the good old UM2 - UM3x days of Westone. They've lost it after that.

 

[musicday]

That new logo is dreadful. I miss the good old UM2 - UM3x days of Westone. They've lost it after that.

I really liked the UM2 and also 4R was great.