[not_sure]

What if I write (please dont kill me

) that um3x are very warm and dont have much highs for the present, also sparkle and bigger soundstage missing me. I am using them with comply. Maybe comply is problem who know, they are comfy but I feel they are not the best for sound. What is the best silicones for them, shure silicones or shure foams?
And sorry I just dont understand as someone can prefer iems over quality full size headphones becose um3x is not opponent for AD2000, K701, RS1 for example. but I am aware that one day is little time with um3x so I will give them more time and will try some new sleeves.

 

[Zalithian]

I think the small Comply's sound the worst with them. They absorb some of the treble energy, specifically. Try new tips, either the large comply's, modded bi flanges, or something else. I doubt they'll ever "sparkle" though, no matter what tip you use.

 

[communic]

I would definitely recommend switching to silicones, I'm sure any any would give you better a better sound than with the complys. I've exhausted klipsch gels, pfe silicons, shure silicons, shure olives, generic biflanges, sony and jvc silicons, sennheiser biflanges and still havn't found that sweet spot...yet.

The silicons no doubt give me a better sound than comlys and alleviate the violent frequency dip from around 2-4khz but I'm picking up on a bit more harshness than my pfe's due to the um3x's delivering a much more powerful sound. As such I'm getting the best sound now from the complys.

I've never heard the q-jays but the pfe are a close brethren. Based on that I wouldn't say the highs are any less extended. Just for me, that freq dip which is obviously going to be exacerbated with any foam tip is making some music harder to appreciate. I could EQ it but I've always had issues with doing that to mids and highs as it almost always throws the tone totally off since I pick up more details from there than I do with bass (most notably sub bass).

I'm still going to pursue the best sound from these as I do like them alot as they do little wrong, have an almost perfect balance to me and deliver a nice rich powerful sound.

 

[gameboy115]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zalithian /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think the small Comply's sound the worst with them. They absorb some of the treble energy, specifically. Try new tips, either the large comply's, modded bi flanges, or something else. I doubt they'll ever "sparkle" though, no matter what tip you use.

x2 I will say comply is a worse choice among all tips I tried. So far, I used sony hybird, tri flange, and shure grey soft flex

 

[ckhirnigs113]

To my surprise, I received my PFE's in the mail today. I have been trying to compare them to the UM3X. I've been going back and forth with the same familiar track to notice the difference. I want to make clear that I'm no expert on sound signatures or describing nuances in sound.

I have had the PFE with the default gray filters installed, and I have been using Shure olive tips. I've been listening with my iPod Classic > LOD > iBasso D3 to do the comparison. I have left the DAC out of the equation for the present. I have Shure olives on the UM3X as well, so the fit and seal are comparable.

The immediate thing that strikes you when you go from the UM3X to the PFE is the brightness of the PFE compared to the Westone. It at first seems like increased clarity in the upper mids, but the more I listen to the same singer on both phones, the more I hear the PFE's presentation as unnatural. The PFE seems to make the singer louder, but also more nasally if that makes sense. There is definitely more treble energy in the PFE. When switching back to the UM3X it at first seems like the highs are rolled off. After settling in to the different presentation you realize all the details are still there, but not as "thrust in your face" like with the PFE.

If I understand the terms properly, I feel like the PFE's are more "forward" because the vocals are more prominent. This surprises me because everyone refers to the UM3X as having such forward mids. I may need a little clarification on the term "forward", but this is how I understand it.

As far as bass, both have pretty good attack. There is more quantity with the UM3X, and this is very noticeable at first. I also feel that the bass "decay" is represented better by the Westone's. I feel like the PFE has very high quality bass that is easily heard but a little less full and present in the whole sound. I like the bass on both phones.

Both phones sound better amped out of my D3, but the PFE definitely shows more improvement. When I use the PFE straight from the iPod HP out, it sounds much thinner than the unamped UM3X. The PFE fills out very well with external amplification. Amping the UM3X improves them more than I thought it would. It really adds to the soundstage and the instrument separation. The PFE seems to gain the most in the areas of bass and fullness of sound when adding the D3.

I will follow up further when I put in the black filters on the PFE. This supposedly adds to the bass presence, so this may make them sound more similar to the UM3X. Who knows at this point, but I will let you know. So far, I am finding this an interesting comparison. The main question remaining for me is whether the Westone's warrant an extra $200. Thankfully, I don't have to make my decision yet!

 

[gameboy115]

Very nice comparsion,ckhirnigs113.

That would be interesting if you think PFE with grey filter has a more upfront presentation than UM3X does since UM3X for me is belonging "in your face" type already. I definitely want to try PFE at this point.

Heard with black filter, bass quauntity should be elevated. This also strikes me they are both same type of IEM when putting black filter on. How is soundstage and instrument seperation of PFE compared to UM3X though?

 

[gameboy115]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gilency /img/forum/go_quote.gif Very nice description. People who get into arguments regarding which IEM or headphone is better, etc should read your comments.

Thanks for your reading. Comparsion should be made only if they share some similarities, not to something totally different.

 

[kloan]

Call me crazy, but I'm almost certain the UM3X change a little bit from burn-in.

I've noticed a slight increase in treble after around 12 hours or so of playing. After around 5-6 nights of listening, there is more treble detail. I remember when I first listened to them I thought, hmm these sound pretty dull, and I know that is partly due to the Complys, but even now with those I find it sounds a little better.

 

[gilency]

is your brain adjusting to the sound...

 

[sooby77]

No UM3X bashing meant here, but I was going back and forth between UM3X and my Triple.Fi and my best description is this. The UM3X sounded as if I have stuffed up ears, you know like when you have a cold. The TF was just sparkly, clear, and the soundstage just breathe... wide and nice.

Of course, this is purely my preference. And yes, I am rather disappointed. I listen to mostly classical, a bit of pop here and there. But I would say 95% are all classical. My gear is Cowon A2.

 

[ckhirnigs113]

^^^I felt the same way when switching from the PFE to the UM3X, but it just takes a minute to become accustomed to the new sound signature. After the adjustment, I find all the details of the PFE without being in-your-face and fatiguing. I think the UM3X is unique in it's ability to resolve without being fatiguing.

Well using the black filters on the PFE, the sound is more similar to the UM3X. The bass is still bigger on the Westone's, and vocals are still more upfront on the PFE. The fact that it takes amping the PFE for me to really enjoy them, I'm thinking the UM3X are the better choice (but they are $200 more, so they should be!).

Another thing I've noticed is the edgier vocals on the PFE with the black filters. There isn't bad sibilance, but it is more present than on the UM3X, which is very smooth. I'm starting to think I am going to stick with the Westone's as much as I wanted to save a few hundred dollars. I'll keep reporting my findings.

 

[qusp]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sooby77 /img/forum/go_quote.gif No UM3X bashing meant here, but I was going back and forth between UM3X and my Triple.Fi and my best description is this. The UM3X sounded as if I have stuffed up ears, you know like when you have a cold. The TF was just sparkly, clear, and the soundstage just breathe... wide and nice. Of course, this is purely my preference. And yes, I am rather disappointed. I listen to mostly classical, a bit of pop here and there. But I would say 95% are all classical. My gear is Cowon A2.

please dont take this the wrong way, because it is not meant to insult as people have different preferences and thats totally cool and understandable. but....ermm... it seems that you actually prefer an unnatural; overly bright and U shaped presentation of frequencies. this type of sound does show off detail in strings; some percusion and overall detail in classical, but it is certainly not natural. the soundstage on TF10 is also perceived as wide because of this U shape, it makes them sound more expansive (although to me it seemed rather cavernous); like the performers were holding a concert in a canyon (or concert hall I guess); rather than the slightly more intimate presentation that comes with using a headphone with a fairly flat response. also I recomend putting the TF10 away for a while and letting your ears/brain adjust (burn-in) to the sound of UM3X. IEMs like TF10 and W3 have more wow factor because of this tilted FR curve, but I certainly got rather sick of the TF10 because of the tilted and IMO unnatural highs.

 

[gameboy115]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kloan /img/forum/go_quote.gif Call me crazy, but I'm almost certain the UM3X change a little bit from burn-in. I've noticed a slight increase in treble after around 12 hours or so of playing. After around 5-6 nights of listening, there is more treble detail. I remember when I first listened to them I thought, hmm these sound pretty dull, and I know that is partly due to the Complys, but even now with those I find it sounds a little better.

Call me crazy me x2. After I left my UM3X plugged with my player on two days in a row accidentally , I found treble is opened up with more detail. The sound signature is slightly changed, became more transparent and contracted, for example, some lyrics of rap is barely articulated back then, now I can hear them clearly with same vol

 

[ckhirnigs113]

It's really amazing how much can change in just a few short hours, but I am really enjoying the PFE's with gray filters connected through LOD to the Fiio E5 w/ bass boost enabled. It is incredibly clear and surprisingly not fatiguing. I am really impressed with the sound considering the cost of these PFE's. The main thing I liked about the UM3X was their balanced sound that was easy to listen to for extended periods without fatigue. If these PFE's are able to sound this incredible without fatiguing my ears, I may have to switch back to these.

The quality of sound from both the UM3X and PFE is outstanding. If I were given them both to try without knowing the price, I would assume they cost around the same amount. This really shows the value of the PFE. As many have said, when getting into the higher tiers of IEMs, you really are choosing between competent products that offer different sound signatures. It is very hard to say one is better than the other.

If you guys see my UM3X on the FS forum, it is not because I don't love them. It is a monetary issue at this point. The PFE is such a great deal that I may not be able to come to terms with choosing the Westone's. We'll see...

 

[kloan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gameboy115 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Call me crazy me x2. After I left my UM3X plugged with my player on two days in a row accidentally , I found treble is opened up with more detail. The sound signature is slightly changed, became more transparent and contracted, for example, some lyrics of rap is barely articulated back then, now I can hear them clearly with same vol

Glad someone else can back me up on this.. I know it's not my brain getting used to the sound.. I can tell the difference, since I've plenty of practice with that..