Westone x50 pro

Hi there !

I am new in the « audiophile world » so I will focus on what I know and not try to copy the experts.
I dont own or did try a lot of equipment but I feel quite sure of myself about music !
Today I want to share my humble experience about these fantastic iem to help the community, not write an exhaustive endless description of the main box texture and color and I am not good enough to know if they are W V U or A B C shaped.
Just lets try writing something interesting !

I’m a serious big rock (stoner, prog, math, hard) and heavy metal enthusiast (from speed to grind, hardcore, alt rock) and occasionally some jazz, electronica(DnB, deep tech,ambient,house, minimal), blues but not specialist.

My ears are particularly sensitive and can’t support some noises even at low level, so I spot sibilance very easily or “tiring “ music rendering.
I am not a bass head

I have owned several westone iem (um2, w30, w10, um20 and lastly w50) and I couldnt resist to the opportunity of buying a « discounted» x50pro (550€ in Europe) when my um20 recently died and after selling the w50 I disliked .
It’s a lot more money than I was ready to spend few years ago but now I understand why it’s Worth the money .

I used to have an Iphone (now a samsung ) with an AQ dragonfly cobalt DAC because I mostly listen music at work and noisy environment (tractors,vineyard).

So, a bit of explanation about my last investments.
During 6 monthes, tried a FiiO utws5 but the sound was really not good enough with this source and the w50.
In fact, I also own a pair of those samsung budget iem "galaxy bud 2" and I prefer them to this previous setup, for 10 times less money...

But since I tried the cobalt at a physical audiophile boutique, believe me this little piece of hardware did miracles to make the lossless apple’s music app’s songs from the phone sound hi-fi with the w50.
It just seemed to need a long "warmup" because I felt like the sound being a bit too bright and thin,at least the 200 first hours,or maybe just it was my ears !

So Just before the x50, I was owning a w50 (discounted too !) but with my « basic setup » (thanks mr apple for those « fantastic » EQ settings, we the people must be too dummy to setup audio properly) they were simply too bassy for my tastes.

Now with a samsung, Apple music has an inbeded EQ that I use to tune with less bass and some more mids.

And finally bought the x50 thx to this discount

Now the test

-Bundle

All comes in a nice box with the classic westone huge set of silicon and foam tips to fit perfectly to you.

First, the cable is really thin and light, but is strong enough and the tightening system works Well.
I broke it after à phone fall after one year, another one would have broke too i guess.
Bought the same one for 99€, and it feels even stronger (more rigid plastic?)
As you can read everywhere else, the confort is exceptionnal, you just forget you wear them.
Note that it’s no more à mmcx connector but the estron's T2 connector, the whole never "de-plugs" unexpectedly.

Twice, the everyday storage box is still qualitative but not practical IMHO.
I prefer an old round one I own for a long time.

And there is a nice soft pouch but I don’t know what it is made for.
A stick to clean the canal that your ears' sh.. could get dirty

And of course the westone package with ton of foam and silicon tips

. -Comfort

Like my previous westones, perfect fit for a whole day of listening, even better than the w50 thanks to almost no contact with my ears.
Smaller and lighter than w50, discrete transparent look, good apparent quality

Foam tips are even more comfortable than the silicon ones but I prefer the sound from the silicon ones (read the final edit).
But silicon tips tend to slide out my ears when heat and sweating come at spring..!
So I made the review with silicon ones.

- Sound

Ok, as I said I don’t have huge experience so I will compare with what I know, because I seen no real reviews about these iem

Bass

Bass is well present, but not bleeding on low mids like it does on my w50.
Extremely qualitative, fast, articulate , very resolving
Much better than all I heard before
Giving always body to the sound, not here to “boom boom “but make what you hear sound realistic
Bass guitar rendering top level
For my taste, a bit too high but not invasive

Mids

Here is a serious topic for a metal head!!
They are exceptional!
Fast, detailed, textured, accurate but warm and organic, marvellous!
groovy westone signature
The sweet spot of these iem

Treble

Keep in mind I used the silicon tips for my opinion
never metallic or tiring, they sound as they should with a natural feeling
Quick, crisp, vibratingbut never too much
The first iem I don’t push their level with EQ
Rediscovered what cymbals sound like and all nuances in guitar soli.
Classic music enthusiasts will enjoy these vibrations, really immersive feeling
Same quality than w50, wayyyy better than all what I heard before
They are not recessed, but maybe a tiny bit less emphasised than the rest of the mix in rock music, maybe just because in some tracks/albums voice and drums can be somewhat prominent


Scene

Here’s what impressed me the most!
I find back what I loved on um20, a very “live” feeling, like being on the scene, not spectator few rows behind when the recording is live.
For studio recorded tracks, this sense is not as visible , but you are generally very close of the action and it’s very exciting.
Drums benefit particularly, hitting hard and airy, so it does not forgive a boring battery set.

The placement of instruments is very impressive
In fact you always feel where in space is what you hear
The depth and width is impressive, but always closer than on the W signature westone lineage.

I feel like as if drums and vocals are the sweet spot of these (pro) iem on balanced musics.
But that not all the time, more airy mysic styles shine perfectly on mid/highs without being "invaded"

-Details:

-Jazz

Michel portal
Mp85
First track
Warm lovely musical cosy 3D sound, trumpet very close “In your head”, piano a bit behind right side, double bass a bit behind left, perfect percutions and cymbals, all sounds perfectly realistic and feeling like if I was there…wow

Norah jones
Don’t know why

Ok, this one will talk to everyone!
Voice very close, vibrating in my head, so much definition but so sweet
Wonderful
Gives me the want of hearing this kind of music
Next track
Incredible live feeling too, with a guitar left, and a second on the right after , still so close

-Classical

Ok, not a specialist but let’s try!

Boléro de Ravel
Paris Orchestra

Ok, I am more spectator here, but despite further(few rows behind) the different instruments seem to appear successively from different places left, right left right magic
No coloration, all is natural and accurate but organic
Small details can be heard too
Finished headbanging on classic, with this martial drums behind, awesome!

-electro

Massive attack
Mezzanine deluxe edition
Angel

Solid bass presence surrounding, quick and accurate, and a post core/punk amazing part
All perfectly balanced and accurate
With w50 it’s interesting, it’s not a rock song with big bass, but a dark electro song with a guitar background, totally different way for the same song

-serious music…(but not the worst..!)

Megadeth
The system has failed

Well. I never felt this good old album so strong
Applied here the “reduced bass setting” because too much bass by default
Mid tempo trash album, the strong point of x50.
Incredible general presentation, speed definition separation details dynamic organic groove…
I could even translate better lyrics and “see” where Dave was singing from…


Dream theatre
Train of thought
As I am
Less bass setting too

Very strong battery impact and placement , treble not too in front and nice guitar solo, a bit behind.
mid centred groovy track rendering, round bass guitar contour, perfectly clean and realistic result
Perfect

Mastodon
Leviathan
First track
Mid centered track, another track I “rediscovered” here
Such a palette of detailed textures and this stoner "grain" on guitars!
Bass very present again, but not too much and perfect quality, fast and accurate
Treble a bit “behind “ again maybe but perfect balance again

Joe satriani
Always with me…
Some treble test here, feeling a tad behind, but perfect quality, so much definition and accuracy for a non fatiguing experience

Isis
Panopticon
So did we

Another track that I hear with a better point of view
With w50 there was too much slow bass and the lack of mids plus very in front treble and nothing between made the whole unbalanced and flat
With x50, fantastic deep experience again, shivers down my spine

Death metal is terrific, brutal styles too.
Heavy is just beautiful but guitar soli just sound more relax sometimes, a bit less forward behind the drums or singer

Mids/trebles in Post HC, black, screamo etc feel incredibly vibrant, touching when the studio recording is smart (not too much drums or voice)


-Comparisons

Coming from um20 and w10, w50 sounded like a fantastic improvement

From w50 to x50 is mostly a “matter of point of view”
W50 bass remains always predominant despite trying to EQ and bleeding on low mids for what I hear.
Their bass is bigger and slower, with a less refined result
With x50, I am easily able to hear a bass guitar details or counterbass whereas on w50 I sometimes don’t know what is playing
Mids are backward, less detailed, just less everything
Treble are good, maybe the closest point in common with x50
You listen way further from the scene, really more spectator
In fact for instrumental music they are just less interesting, flatter, slower, warmer, lacking mids, unbalanced.
But the situation is reversed when I listen electronic (underworld, mass hysteria, dub, etc) while x50 give a realistic studio experience, w50’s bass give a deeper, darker urban feeling immersion, more “soul” and body
16/20 (for bassheads)

um20 pro

Ok, the closest about scene positioning, all the rest better, especially the treble
13/20

Vs w10

On too bassy rock tracks, I preferred the less bassy w10 to w50.
Good general balance and quality at low and average levels, for instrumental umusics, but not stellar performance of course in comparison
12/20

Vs galaxy ear buts 2 (70e)

I recently own they for running or when I février damageing the "pricey hardware".
Really impressed about those cheap things.
Surprisingly capable for "dense " music (clarity, résolution,enough mids) not only for modern styles.
More bass than x50 but not too much, highs are good (on par with um20 and w10 or better)
Better than w10.
Not tiring
I clearly prefer them over the w50 for overall balance.
X50 better (phewww!!!)

13/20

Edit 1

Tried them with the stock apple dongle DAC and they react much better than the w50.
The loss of quality is here but not dramatic , good news!

Edit 2:

Voices/vocals are coherent with the global tuning, closer and lively (from “in your face “ to “few rows behind “)/w10 and w30 w50, with impressive depth feeling/ instruments, but perfectly balanced and never over emphasised/ background (um20 does).
Like mids, vibrant fast and accurate, coherent tonality but incredibly intimate smooth and pleasant, and no harsh highs.
I need to listen more, maybe you can suggest me some songs to comment

Édit 3

Gone deeper comparing foam vs silicon tips.

Silicon ones sound brighter, crispier treble, more width and depht, deeper and faster bass.
cymbals are much more here for example, and bass are also more present and contoured.
Plus more séparation, resulting in a less mid centric music and more modern"active and live" listening .
Modern and perfectly technical sounding.
Sounds like studio recording, particularly good for drummers?


With foam ones, it is à bit like going back listening on w10 or um20.
Not the same "wow effect"!
Less résolution and séparation, more spectator view, but more mids and less fatiguing sound, I would even say more musical.
I surprisingly found myself headbanging or taping the feet here when not with the silicon ones.
More spectator view of the scene.

For example, a great old school trash metal album like mekong delta 's dance of death sounded better with foams (with tons of groove an almost death metal feeling, sounded more heavy metal with silicons) while more modern albums sound better with silicones.

Silicons are more fatiguing and sound feels stronger (need one less volume control on phone's level ) and can tend to escape from your canals with hot weather.


Conclusion

Again it’s my opinion, and I am not an expert
I bought these quite expensive iem without virtual knowledges about them and finally absolutely not disappointed !

They are exceptional for instrumental musics,with an almost perfect balance (im not saying neutral) , exciting live feeling and pleasant sound for a not fatiguing all day listening and wearing.

I understand the opinions that I red about the um50pro, their predecessors .

They are so "westone ", while definition is exceptionnal, they sound so musical and warm, all sound realistic and live, you feel involved inside the music.
They have been good whatever I listened to, I mean instrumental music mainly.

They are excellent with the dragonfly cobalt (after break in).

I’m not musician but I think that westone made here also a perfect product for them, and I will go further guessing it’s their main aim.
But so, maybe a bit too bassy?
For drummers and bassists?
For sure I am not pro enough to conclude and my tastes too specific to understand and it really depends of the album’s tuning.

Maybe also more “audiophile “ listeners may look Mach series to avoid these “drawbacks “?!

So a good 18/20, 2 less points because of the sometimes too high (exceptional) bass , but maybe it’s because of my setup , taste or some albums???

Let me know if you appreciate my review and please correct the mistakes/errors or disagree and pardon my average English

Romain