Westone W30 Triple Driver Universal Fit Noise Isolating Earphones, 78503

Heres my review from amazon "Sounds guy" surpisingly it is the top review on amazon , This review was slighty modified since I do own the se846 currently and can comment on the two.
 
 
 
The comfort is so good, I can't even feel them in my ears, which makes the sound stage that much better. The iem and MMCX cable,and connectors have awesome build quality.

The BASS, EXTREMELY tight and punchy compared to my Sennheiser Momentums or AKG k702, and Sennheiser HD600, these sound way tighter and natural. The PRAT (pace,rhythm, and timing) are extremely fast due to the 3 speaker system. The bass attacks and decays instantly, and when the song was bassy heavy these iems came through with no distortion.

Now onto the treble, the treble is so shimmery and well extended it puts my sennheisers to shame, the treble is almost perfect, it has this nice airy tone to it which makes everything sound spacious, with females vocals the "S" and "t" sounds, sound crystal clear without it being sibilant or harsh.

Mids- the vocals sound extremely nice and can put you in a HAZE!! When you hear the instruments it has better seperation and speed than my HD600 Mometums and akgs. Idk how westone did these but they captured every vocal nuance. You can hear the vocal chords reverberating with clarity like never before. Listen to taylor swift, Adele, skylar grey, christinna perri... It will sound absolutely amazing.

Soundstage- Obviously these little iems won't sound as open as the AKG or Sennheiser HD600, but they have a pretty massive soundstage thanks to the 3 way drivers, these have a better stage then my Momentums. Everything has it's place, including instruments, other detailed nuances in your music.

Isolation- when I have these on nothing goes out and nothing comes in, meaning it's only you and your music.

Reccomendations: If you are looking for the most natural timbre I would still go with dynamic drivers since they have more bass since they move more air, in sacrifice for clarity. Something like the sennheiser ie80 should work well. I will make one thing clear the W40 DOES NOT SOUND BETTER THAN THE W30, many people assume more drivers= better sound quality, that's not the case here. The W40 have a recessed midrange that sounds bad to my ears, and completely unnatural since females vocals won't shine as much. Over all the W40 is a good package if you want LUSH sound... Keep in mind the W30 is more brighter (better treble response). If you love vocals like me you can also opt for the Shure se535 or se846. Over all I would say these have more clarity than the se535, but for purely vocals the Se535 takes the win. Se846 sounds a little more refined in the treble, and the mid range is still the best tonality, with the super extended bass, however, the Westones are half the price and have good enough sound.
 
Conclusion- I would HIGHLY recommend these for your everyday audiophile/ music enthusiast. These fit the bill perfectly.

So just posting this review here as the W30`s haven`t been getting a lot of attention past the initial hype. It was very difficult to decide whether or not to buy them based only on the few reviews on the internet. So for anyone interested in the W30`s, I`ve written a review on my blog that I`ll also be posting on head-fi, I hope it helps in your purchase decision, enjoy the review!

Introduction - 

when I first saw the W4, it blew my mind (and many others), it was the first quad ba earphone, compounding upon Westone`s success with the W3, and there was no shortage of online reviews  hailing them as the best sounding earphone on the market. Since I prefer a slightly bassier sound than neutral the W4`s were at the top of my "to try list" but for one reason or another I never got around to trying them, purchasing a set of PFE232`s in favour of their even more glowering (yet less abundant) reviews and removable cables.

Since then Westone has updated their lineup with many more features such as removeable cables (now using the widely adopted mmcx connector) and replaceable face plates. Recently I was on the hunt for a bassy, over ear earphone I could use for jogging and travel. They had to have minimal microphonics, good isolation and a mild v shaped signature. I eventually settled on the W30`s by virtue of some small but positive reviews scattered around head-fi. During a recent trip to NY, I found them on sale at B&H where I got to compare them to the rest of the W range too.

 

Accessories - 



 
 


The earphones come in a small box with a sliding cover showcasing an image of the W30`s. Underneath is a rubberized hard case with a magnetic flap that exhumes quality. Opening up the flap reveals the earphones and vault case in a foam insert alongside two other faceplates, red and black that can be swapped out from the stock blue ones using an included screw driver.

Westone includes a generous selection of Star Tips, one pair of medium short silicone tips on the earphones themselves, two pairs of short silicone and foam tips (S,L) and three pairs of long silicone tips and foams (S,M,L). The vault case possesses an indestructible quality, one of the best included cases of any iem. It looks and feels like a small pelican case with waterproof seals and even comes with a pressure equalization valve. I would even buy these cases for other earphones, they`re that good. The new version adds the valve to the front, a frosted texture and corner shock absorbers.



 
The earphones come with two cables, the signature Westone epic braided cable and an iPhone MFI cable with remote and mic. The epic cable is as described, epic, with minimal microphonics, a smooth texture that doesn`t tangle or grab onto clothes and ergonomic heat shrink near the connectors (as opposed to memory wire) much like effect audio cables, very light and comfy. On the other hand the MFI cable inspires no confidence in its quality. It has no routing and falls of the ears and a tacky rubbery texture that catches on everything. Since I jog with an iPod nano I would have strongly preferred to have an epic cable with remote, but it`s nice to have in case you need the functionality. Of note, the cables use an mmcx connector although it is slightly shorter than the average mmcx. I use a ue900 cable when jogging as it has low microphonics and a remote (plus it`s relatively cheap and the blue matches the housings well) but the connectors are a little loose which may allow grit and debris in, the signal has been disrupted a handful of times during the last few months despite using deoxit regularly.

 

Design - 

Unfortunately when I visited B&H, the W30`s and W40`s were at another warehouse and had to shipped in, so in the interim I tried the UM50 Pro and eagerly looked forward to an audition. The UM50`s were absolutely tiny, lightweight and very comfortable. So when I got the W30`s I was honestly a little disappointed, the housings were much larger and heavier even though they had just over half the drivers. Without the face-plates and mechanisms involved, I believe Westone could have created a much more ergonomic and much slimmer housing, it`s more of a gimmick.

The W30`s have the usual pod shaped housing with cables routing over the ear.  They are quite ergonomic and very smoothly sculpted but they are a little tubby for me (not as slim as the se535`s but not as bulky as the se846`s either). For more reference, they have the same housings as the w40`s, the only difference is the print on the face-plates. Don`t worry about getting scammed either, the earphone housings themselves state the model so people can`t just put W60 plates on a W30 for instance.

Apart from that, they sit just a little over flush in my ears (the se535`s sat flush), I can comfortably sleep on my side with them on and they produce no wind noise when I jog. In addition, they remain well seated in my ears throughout my  whole 6K course with silicone tips, they sit even better with foams but for longevity reasons, I`m using silicone. Isolation is also fantastic with the silicone tips and even better with foams. In fact during the plane trip back to Aus they isolated even more than my Bose QC25`s! They isolate about the same as my se535`s with olive tips or Etymotic Er-4p`s.  They are also quite comfortable, not the most comfortable I`ve worn, but definitely not bad either. I wore them for 8 hours on the plane and had to take two half hour breaks which is pretty good for me.

edit: Just had the infamous faceplate cracking issue on both earpieces! Lucky I have 3 pairs, but it`s still disappointing and another reason why this feature is form over function, quite disappointed as it will be hard to get warranty support in Australia. This occurred even though I was explicitly careful not to over torque the screws, what a shame.  

 

Sound - 

I`m told that Westone redesigned the W30 from the ground up with all new drivers and crossovers and it shows. These earphones are no longer basshead specific but provide a much more natural, balanced signature with a prominent if not standout midrage. Compared to the W40 which uses the same internals as the W4, the W30`s depict a more lively sound that strays from the darkness of Westone`s house sound. In this sense the W30 isn`t better than the W40 but different, so perhaps Westone is trying to cater to a wider consumer base. While the W30 will suit many listeners, some may feel that the low end is still too bassy or that the treble is too fatiguing whilst the W40 is quite inoffensive in comparison. Buyers have to  consider, however, that the W30 is quite a bit cheaper than the W40 and represent greater value.

The general sound signature is slightly warm, v-shaped and excited with a focus on details. It`s an extremely engaging sound, and very atypical for a ba, with a solid lower midrange body and bass presence paired with a more typical extended, airy treble response. They have a good soundstage, not a great one, aided by the airy treble response. It`s not out of the head and favors depth over width. As such, imaging is quite good and the timbre of string and acoustic instruments is superlative for a ba. Instruments are decently separated, it`s a far cry from the separation offered by the vented dynamic ie800`s (cost twice as much!), however they never sound claustrophobic. This is probably the biggest weakness in their sound compared to the W40`s. They are quite sensitive and have a low impedance (30 ohms), they don`t hiss too much (not nearly as much as Shure earphones), but they do pick it up on pretty much any smartphone, ranging from definitely noticeable (HTC M8) to quiet but still audible (iPod Touch 4) to silent (Fiio Q1). Output impedance noticeably affects the sound for the worse so be sure to use a low impedance source (<1 ohm). They don`t need amping but will benefit from a darker noise background, and they do sound better with a good DAC, details are more perceptible, bass more extended and mids cleaner when running through my Fiio Q1 as opposed to my laptop sound card.

Of note, tips do change the sound quite noticeably, I`ll be judging them on the stock short silicone tips. I found the longer star fit tips to muddy up the bass too much and foams soaked up too much detail so I only use them for plane trips. The longer tips do increase sub bass response, so for people searching for a bassier or more neutral signature, tip rolling works kind of like the filter system employed by other iems.

Bass - 

The W30`s have a heightened bass response, mainly in the mid-bass area. They don`t provide dynamic driver like sub-bass extension but still portray a sense of rumble and kick. They are a decent amount bassier when compared to my Oppo pm-3`s (which I use as my reference), but never overbearing, the pm-3`s do have better sub bass extension though. Bass quality is great, strings have fantastic texturing and instruments such as bass drums have moving authority. This is in part due to their lack of sub-bass which is quite rolled off (typical of a ba earphone), which can allow for better perceival of mid-bass details. The bass response is a tad boomy compared to my ie800`s, it never achieves that effortless sound and gets a little sloppy at times. This aspect of the bass response is probably the main reason why people say the W30`s get lost during complex passages, it does take some time to adjust to the sound signature but the two smaller bass drivers in the W40`s do provide cleaner bass reproduction.

Mids - 

The midrange performance on a whole is very good. It is a little recessed as the earphones have a v-shaped signature, but there is a nice sense of clarity and layering to vocals that brings details to the fore. Lower mids remind me of the pm-3`s  a lot and that`s a great thing. They have a little more body than neutral and flatter with a authoritative representation of male vocals and acoustics. Upper mids are slightly scooped, it`s nothing drastic but female vocals can sound thin, especially evident with J-Pop/K-Pop if that`s your thing. I don`t feel at all that the midrange is lost in the mix and the earphones have no troubles depicting complex midrange details. My one gripe is that the midrange isn`t super smooth, but rather raw, like a processed image taken on a smartphone vs an unprocessed DSLR image. The smartphone photo might look better due to the extra sharpness processing, but the DSLR actually captures more detail. This is another thing to look out for as the W40 has a much smoother midrange presentation. Otherwise this raw presentation only heightens the excited sound of the W30`s, they are awfully easy to groove to.

Highs - 

The highs are accentuated, extended and sparkly. Instruments such as Cymbals never sounds thin or trumpets tizzy and this adds to the sense of clarity and detail that the earphones portray, so like the bass response, it`s more tastefully sculpted rather than overbearing. The highs are actually perhaps the best part of the earphone, I really like the response (I generally prefer a slight treble  boost) and they tread an intricate middle ground between sibilance and the boring lack of presence so common in iems.

 

Verdict - 

On a whole, these earphone works great for pretty much any type of music, however vocals can sound a little unrefined. They are no longer bass-head earphones and should appease a large audience. I personally prefer this more engaging sound of the W30`s to the more refined and darker W40`s as I use them for travel and the forward detailing offsets intrusive background noise. If you are looking for a comfortable, isolating and well engineered V-shaped earphone with an emphasis on clarity then the W30 is hard to beat. They are a truly great all purpose earphone and I don`t think many will be unhappy with the purchase, just make sure you know what you want. Sure the W40`s are hard to dislike but the W30`s are easy to love.

Design and Accessories - 9/10, Nice design, colour swapping ability and interchangeable cables, pretty much any accessory you could want is included and the carry case is fantastic.

Ergonomics and Isolation - 9.5/10, Comfy but a little large, those with smaller ears will have problems. I doubt you will find many iems that provide greater isolation apart from customs.

Bass - 8.5/10, Definitely polarizing, but not too emphasized, will appeal to people wanting an audiophile quality "consumer sound". A bit flabby but that`s considering the pricetag, they are solid performers.

Mids - 8.25/10, A little unrefined, but clarity and detail more than make up for it. Know what you are buying, this earphone leans far more towards exciting and engaging the listener than providing a reference/studio sound.

Highs - 9.25/10, Highs are all around great, I don`t think too many people will have any issue with them.

Soundstage - 6.5/10, Very much in the head, considering how much these earphones isolate I would not expect it to be much better, but the se535`s do provide a more 3d sense of space. Still enough space to avoid sounding compressed but on the borderline. Since soundstage is perceived differently by everyone YMMV.

Overall - 9/10, I`ll be holding onto my W30`s for a while, they are the clear choice for anyone looking for a sub $400 (Paid $300 for my set NIB) v-shaped earphone. Don`t let the numbering hierarchy fool you, they are on equal footing with the w40`s, in the ideal world one should own both, but if you have to make a choice, do consider the sound discrepancy.


Review taken from my blog, please take a look if you like my style of review, I am frequently updating reviews and guides there:
https://everydaylisteningblog.wordpress.com/2016/03/13/westone-w30-better-than-the-w40/

INTRO:
So this is my first review. All here is based on my opinion, which most likely will differ depending on the person. My W30 was bought 2nd hand during my trip to Japan. I don't know how long it has been used but it should have "burned in" now.
 
PACKAGE:
Westone includes 10 sets of tips, 1 Westone hardcase, 2 cables (1 straight cable with mic and 1 braided cable). No complain here.
 
BUILD & DESIGN:
The housing is made of plastic. I once tried to screw the wrong plate on right housing, causing the screw hole to crack. Additionally, the braided cable start to untangle after months of use. Considering the price, I would prefer to have better build. The design itself is quite nice, having 3 color plates which can be changed depending on the mood.
 
COMFORT & ISOLATION:
W30 is currently my most comfortable IEM I owned. It sits perfectly on my ear. It's light. It includes 10 sets of tips to be chosen. Great! Regarding the isolation, due to the over-ear design, the isolation is also great. When I use it at work, sometimes I can't hear my phone ringing right beside me. The isolation is comparable to my JH5 while in term of comfort, I actually prefer W30. W30 is lighter!
 
SOUND:
Bass:
The bass is deep and punchy. The quantity will not be enough to please bass head, but it is enough for me. 
Mids:
The mid is a little bit recessed. Nonetheless, it is clear, smooth, and free from the bass.
High:
The treble is not that sparky but still extend quite well and non fatiguing for long term listening. I never feel any sibilance with W30.
 
SOUND STAGE, IMAGING, & DETAILS:
W30 has quite a big soundstage. It is better than average. The imaging is also good. I can pin point where the instrument are located clearly. Details also good in W30. I started to hear some details which wasn't heard before (Well, I was using earphone which is less than half W30 price, so it should have been expected).
 
SUMMARY:
At first W30 feels a little bit bland for me. However, after wearing them for months it started to grow on me. For me, W30 does everything right. It has great bass, nice mid and high. It is very comfortable for long term listening. The only minus for me is the build quality need to be improved. Considering the price (second hand) I think this is a steal for me.

Disclaimer: these are just my thoughts of the W30 after over a year of listening. I dont have too much experience with other mid range IEMs, or HI-fi IEMs for that matter. Also, I had originally purchased the predecessor the W3 for $160 off of Amazon, however those broke after a little bit of use. Instead of fixing them Westone was so very gracious as to replace them with the newer model that is the W30.
Here are my thoughts:
 
Packaging/Accessories: Package is a nice unboxing experience and can serve as a great holder for the abundance of accessories. Comes with the W30 IEM, Multiple foam tips, Patented Westone star tips, Two cables (apple remote/double helix w/ memory wire), and an orange and rugged carrying case, as well as 3 different pairs of colored face plates, mini screwdriver, and earpiece cleaning tool. Definitely great amount of accessories as expected with the price. Only complaints is that the remote cable does not support volume control for other systems except apple products and that the carrying case is kind of small making it hard to squeeze in the cable and earpieces.
 
Build/Design: The cables are both strong and last a long time without much sign of wear and tear. Cable memory on the control talk cable seems just a tad weak and take awhile for it to form a solid shape. This is probably due to the wire turning on the earpiece so it is set on the ear a different way each time. Earpieces are very stylish and seem to have average toughness for plastic housings. I do definitely enjoy the detachable cables as they work well. They stand up pretty well against sweat as I see no damage after many workouts with them. During workouts the stay in the ear very well.
 
Comfort: Comfort is at a great level and I can see hours of listening with them with minimal fatigue. Fit and seal is very nice with the correct tips.
 
Isolation: Depending on the tips and seal you will get different isolation performance. However, with foam tips that sealed very well with me I found that I was getting very good sound isolation in even the noisiest places. Definitely great for noisy environments. Also, sound leak is seemingly non-existent except at ear damaging levels.
 
Fun part..... sound: After many many hours of listening and burn in I find these headphones to be great. There was little change with burn in except for the sound being less flabby and becoming tighter. here is my assessment on the different aspects of the sound:
 
Treble: Overall the presentation of the treble is done very well. Minimal sibilance, however still occasionally can give a little bite of sparkle and snap allowing for an exciting yet still comfortable listening experience. There seems to be no major flaws in terms of presentation. Treble extends pretty well.
 
Mids: Mids are a bit more laid back definitely exposing the V-shaped sound signature of these IEMs. Definitely the weakest point of these IEM's, however not much of a problem. Mids are still smooth and presented well enough that the bass and treble frequencies do not overpower them. Still, they seem to have a slight veil on them making them not the clearest and most revealing balanced armature IEM's.
 
Bass: This is what makes the W30 a "fun" BA IEM. Bass is very well done with decent extension, superior decay, satisfying punch and prominence allowing for a very fun listening experience for bass heavy genre's or movies/gaming. The bass does have a slight mid-bass hump which seems to contribute to the veil over the mids, but overall doesn't seem to distort the mids in a great way. This isn't just your regular BA IEM. This was made for the less analytical audiophile or music lover.
 
Soundstage/separation/ imaging: These categories are some of the reasons why I love these IEM's. Soundstage is above average for an IEM allowing for a more immersive experience. The imaging is spot on by giving a natural sounding location of every instrument while implementing soundstage to add on to that immersive effect. Instrument separation might be one of my favorite attributes with the imaging as it is very clean and precise which really gives it the feel like a band is playing right next to you. Overall these attributes of this IEM is above average. Overall the W30 are very detailed and will expose all parts of the music either good or bad. I love the detail these provide!!
 
Comparisons to W3 (prior model): It seems like an improvement in every way. Better design overall. In terms of sound there are massive improvements such as lessening the oh so prominent mid bass hump of the W3, smooth the treble to remove sibilance, provide greater bass control and decay, and clear up the mid range frequencies quite a bit. Definitely worth the upgrade for those deciding to buy the newer model.
 
Price: For full retail I could guess there are superior options, however at a discounted price the Westone W30 and be a fun IEM for all music genres as well as be used during activities especially in loud places.

Intro (Kind of)
 
The Westone W30 is one of several IEMs in Westone's newly revamped universal IEM collection, intended as a removable-cable replacement to the older W3. For those of you who are unfamiliar, the W3 was, to the best of my knowledge, the first 3-way universal in-ear monitor, and had a sound that many loved and that many others hated. It reportedly had a fairly exaggerated "V-shaped" frequency response, where bass and treble were considerably emphasized over the mid range.
 
Sound
 
This in-ear monitor was reportedly tuned differently from the W3, and I can confirm that these feature a balanced, relatively neutral tuning. I have not tested these with frequency sweeps, so they may not be perfect, but I have not heard any deviations large enough to catch my attention. They lack the kind of brightness observed in VSonic IEMs and the warm, bass-y sound of earphones such as RHA's monitors, Ultimate Ears' UE900 and TF.10, and, reportedly, the W4/W40. Other than single-dynamic driver earphones, these also provide the most coherent response I've heard in a pair of in-ear monitors. Never does the sound feel disconnected. The bass, mid range and treble do not exist completely separately from each other. They complement each other and contribute to the overall sound presented by these monitors.
 
They are quite revealing. MP3 compression artifacts are easier to hear with these earphones than with any others I've used thus far. Details in orchestral and rock recordings are apparent, but not aggressive. And, cliche time: these earphones introduced me to details I'd never heard before in a number of John Coltrane albums that I've been listening to for 5+ years. Most earphones I've heard are capable of producing these same details, but are either less clear or more aggressive in their presentation. The W30 is resolving, but appropriately subtle about it. You don't have to strain yourself, but you need to listen carefully at times in order to really hear everything these are capable of doing. If you want earphones that won't reveal flaws in marginal recordings, steer clear.
 
tl;dr: These sound very good.
 
Build/Design
 
The build is all plastic, but feels pretty strong. Having owned them for a pretty short period of time, I can't speak about this with absolute confidence yet. This section will remain a work in progress for some time as I continue to live with these IEMs.
 
The design is classic Westone; ergonomic shells that fit snugly into the ear, with fairly long nozzles which allow users to achieve a deep seal without too much difficulty. Comfort is not as superb as the VSonic GR07, which are aided by rotating nozzles, but the ear tips (of which there are quite a few - both silicone and foam) are soft and pliable. These are unlikely to be the least comfortable IEMs you'll ever try out.
 
Isolation is not on par with custom in-ear monitors, of course, but is quite good with silicone ear tips. My most memorable reference is the VSonic GR07, which isolates a little better than average for a dynamic IEM. The W30 isolates considerably better. No doubt the lack of a pressure equalizing vent improves the isolation considerably; this is to be expected of a balanced armature IEM, though. With the included foam ear tips, isolation is superb; only the custom Heir 4.A I used to own was superior here.
 
Complaints
 
There are a lot of high-value in-ear monitors on the market today, and while I feel that these outperform every example I have tried, I must also admit that I haven't tried everything out there and that a handful of them come pretty close for considerably fewer dollars. If these ever drop to a price below $300, then I'd unconditionally recommend these.
 
Also, these are very sensitive earphones that can reach ear-splitting volumes even with relatively common portable amplifiers (Leckerton UHA-6S Mk II) on low gain. I had to have my amplifier set to a custom gain, far lower than normal, in order to avoid this problem.
 
Additionally, I suspect that W30 reaches very, very low impedance values at crossover points, so these should only be used with amplifiers and portable players with very low output impedance (less than 0.5 Ohms is ideal). Using them with something like Asgard 2 on low gain, I found that the bass becomes bloated or the treble is reduced, or both. I'm not entirely certain what is happening here, but they sound pretty funny out of the Schiit amplifier, which also has pretty low impedance (less than 2 Ohms, I believe), so the lower the better.
 
Conclusion
 
These are a little expensive, but the combination of design, comfort and sound quality has made them worth every penny for me. They are great in-ear monitors, plain and simple.
 
[Pictures may be coming soon if I can capture some almost decent shots.]

First things first: this is my first review on Head-Fi. I purchased these a couple of weeks ago, and it was quickly apparent that they needed to burn-in. I don't know who said that BA's don't need the burn in time, but whoever said that never owned a pair of Westone W30's. So definitely give these at least 30 hours of burn-in before even listening to them.
 
For so long, I have missed the beautiful, smooth, sparkly highs of my Grado GR-10's. The W30's bring that back, and it really gets me excited! They're not really sibilant at all; I listen mostly to metal with various levels of recording quality, and I am not really having any problems with that. The bass is just about right, not too much and not too little. It's punchy enough to render faster double bass in some of my metal pretty well, and it has a good amount of character. Overall, the sound frequency is balanced just about right, without any one part overwhelming any others. The sound stage is more than enough for my purposes, but your mileage may vary.
 
It doesn't work out of your laptop; the hiss is still there, sorry. I got the Audioquest Dragonfly, and it's been working great for me. It works out of phones and stuff, of course it's still an IEM so that shouldn't be a problem. I really do like it out of the iPhone 6. The cable noise isn't bad, and it's very comfortable. I think the included tips are good, and it is more comfortable than the Sennheiser IE8 or Grado GR-10. I use the large, shallow silicone tips.
 
Anyways, I know I'm not adding too much to the information on the internet around the Westone W30's. I just wanted to say that they work very well for my purposes: power, progressive, and symphonic metal, and some orchestral/electronic video game music. Double bass is good, highs are very good, and it isn't too revealing for crappy recordings or MP3 files. Definitely would recommend for metal listeners.

**Updated 10/27/15 - 10 months of ownership**
 
Disclaimer:
I purchased the W30 for myself and am in no way affiliated with Westone.
 
Background details:
I've spent a while searching for a comfortable slightly warm IEM that isolated noise well, had detachable cables and most importantly - offered high resolution with a touch of rumbling bass. So far my search had led me to the world of hybrids but I found the most popular models in the audiophile community had either problems in the treble and/or weren't too comfortable to wear over an hour or so. Well my search seems to have come to an end...for the time being at least.
 
I won't spend too much time on the packaging and photos. There are plenty of photos and videos out there, which you've probably already seen. Jumping straight to the meat of it.
 
Design, build quality and fit:
Happy to report Westone have stayed true to their funciton over form design philosophy. The design is very inconspicuous and it seems every aspect of it is focused on comfort - no rough edges and nozzles are slim like Shure's models. The only exception is the swappable faceplates, which IMO add questionable value. It's nice to have a blue left channel and red right but they kept cracking right below the screw. Westone sent me replacement ones but it keeps happening for some reason. 
 
The fit is the most comfortable I've tried to date and I have literally no complaints in this regard. I can wear them for hours and there is no way they can fall off my ears. The epic twisted cable seems flexible, sturdy but also thin and inobtrusive. Unfortunately it hardened pretty quickly in the parts that touched my face and started tearing near the housing tension reliefs. Westone replaced it but it happened again. I bought the earhook epic cable for the UM Pro series and it has worked well for me for over 6 months now. The iPhone G2 cable is pretty useless to me as it's too springy to stay over my ears and I don't use Apple devices.
 
The standard Westone tips are new to me and I am extremely pleased with them. Even the short medium silicones feel much better than what I am used to. The long ones seal easier but they are a bit too long for my canals causing the housings to stick out a little. My only criticism here, and mind you I'm nitpicking at this point, is that the housings could feel a bit more premium for a $400 UFIEM. I would even be happy with a clear plastic option. Also I was a big fan of Westone previous generation's 1, 2, 3, 4 stylized logos. Not loving the W logo as much.
 
Ok now to the really important stuff - sound. My listening is done with either the medium short (black) star tips or medium Shure olives with removed filters. As you will read below, the other tips change the signature for the worse so I avoid using them. My source is mainly my Fiio X1 (no amp) and sometimes my LG G3 (for streaming services).
 
General Signature:
I would define the signature as mildly v-shaped.
 
Lows:
The first time I put them on I was expecting there was no way the bass could come close to a hybrid. Boy was I wrong. They were a bit underwhelming the first time I put them on but an hour in I constantly found myself decreasing the bass bump on the EQ I had initially implemented. Goldenears' measurements show these have the most linear bass out of all Westone models and I agree completely. There is no noticeable midbass bump and the bass is typically quick for BA. No bleed into the mids. I think only bassheads can't be happy with the bass.
 
Mids:
Although mids are slightly recessed, both male and female vocals sound great - not nasal and not distant, very articulate. The detail is great and I can hear details I haven't heard before. In the first time in my life I'm actually looking forward to songs with lyrics.
 
Highs:
All my other BA IEMs have had some issue with the highs - too recessed or too hot. Sibilance is a big issue for me as I love the treble energy and sparkle but I am very sensitive to sibilance. Happy to report listening to sibilance-prone genres like heavy metal and drum&bass even at high volumes, I didn't notice any sibilance whatsoever. Furthermore, this is my first IEM where there are no glaring peaks or dips in the treble. At the same time the highs are very detailed, sparkly and, as with the mids, I actually hear details that I haven't heard before.
 
Resolution and soundstage:
Hands down these are the most smooth and detailed IEMs I've ever tried. I have a few tracks that have always sounded distorted at some spots with any of my other IEMs, but the W30 made even them into masterpieces. The soundstage is pretty track-dependent IMO. I have some songs that felt really airy while others felt like the band was right next to my ear.
 
A note on tips:
After spending a while tip rolling, I found that the short star tips and Shure olives with removed filters give me the best sound and fit. None of the long star tips worked for me as they created a mild sibilance and a midbass bump. Don't like the westone foams at all - they lose seal easily and create the same sibilance and midbass bump I see with the long star tips.
 
Conclusion:
The W30 are still my favorite IEM to date. Even the UM Pro 50 couldn't win me over. They have great bass slam, smooth and detailed mids and highs, a closed IEM noise isolation and the ultimate fit and comfort for a universal fit IEM. They work great with every music genre I throw at them from jazz and classical to bass-demanding EDM and hiphop. Really happy with my purchase and I hope they last me a long time. Highly recommend to anyone that can afford them, except for die-hard bassheads or ppl who are looking for flat sound signature.
 
Comparisons:
UM Pro 50 - Treble is more laid back than W30. Midbass and mids are more present. Sound is warmer and more natural. W30 is brighter and crisper.
Dunu DN1000 - Treble gets too hot at high volumes and is not as detailed. Bass is slower but more in quantity. Subbass is more elevated. Mids are slightly more recessed.
Fidue A83 - Treble is more laid back than W30. It's drier and doesn't have the W30's sparkle. Mids are more present. Bass is similar.
JVC FXT90 - Very similar signature. Treble is slightly more recessed. Mids are slighly more elevated. Subbass rolls off a bit, whereas W30's extends all the way to 20Hz.
VSonic VSD1 - More pronounced v shape than W30. Highs have similar energy but get sibilant at high volumes. Not as detailed and as sparkly as the W30. Bass is more in quantity and a bit slower.