[ADD]

Hi all,


I am interested in canvassing feedback from anyone here who seriously listens to classical music and who either used to own Westone UM2s or currently own Westone UM2s as well as Etymotic ER-4S monitors. If they also own CX300s, that would be a big bonus.

The reason I ask is that I myself listen almost exclusively to classical music, but I don't feel the Westones are best suited to it.

When I bought the Westones several months ago it was mainly a judgement call based on other user's feedback, the manufacturer's reputation, plus I felt the build quality appeared to be excellent. To tell the truth, when I first plugged them in (in lieu of the CX300s which I still really like and continue to use), I was a bit disappointed. The sound with the UM2s was rather muddy and recessed and tailed off a bit too excessively in the highs. I stuck with them though, as I started to get into amplification. They improved a lot when I got my first amp (a humble CMoy) and probably worked as well as one could expect with a Corda Move (but you can't really change a "house sound").

Nevertheless, yesterday I plugged the CX300s back in and was admittedly enjoying the music more with them than I was the UM2s. Now the thing is, this problem is unique to classical music - in most other types of music the Westones are very good to my ears. Where the CX300s were better in classical music is that the mids and highs were stronger and more open and transparent (but perhaps a touch sibilant and a bit more tiring over the long haul) and the imaging was better. I even heard far more ambient background noise in the recordings with the CX300 than the UM2. For example, musicians shuffling about, page turns, etc.

So I am starting to feel that the UM2s were not really the best choice for a classical music enthusiast. Additionally, now that I am using reasonable amplification (Firestone Beyond Cute), it isn't really necessary to have such a highly sensitive, low impedance phone with all the troubles such designs can bring.

I emailed a dealer yesterday who told me that the ER-4S would probably be the best choice so long as I did not wish to use a ER-4P (and I have no desire to get an ER-4P - I'd rather take advantage of the fact that I have amplification sufficient to drive the higher impedance, lower sensitivity design - the Cute Beyond drives my PXC250 phones for example with absolutely no trouble whatsoever.

So what I am looking for is canal phones that are best suited to classical. This same dealer actually told me that (quote) "....they (the ER-4S) were
specifically designed to replicate the response of a live orchestra as
accurately as possible...". You can't get any better than that, but that is dealer talking. Nevertheless, the dealer sells many different canal phones, and quite a few of them are more expensive than the ER-4S. The dealer's opinion has to count for something, but I am not sure on what basis they are able to make that claim either.

So the question is, for those classical music enthusiasts who used to own UM2s - what do you own use now and how does it compare to the UM2s? And for those classical music enthusiasts who still have UM2s and the ER-4S, how would you compare them?

Thanks

 

[tnmike1]

Use my Etys almost exclusively for classical--big symphonies like Mahler or Beethoven--as well as chamber/baroque. You may also want to audition Westones; slightly more expensive than Etys but could also be viable for your use.

 

[DavidMahler]

I owned the UM2s for a little while. CLassical music is 90% what I listen to. I thought of all IEMs I'd ever tried.....which included ER4P, Triple Fi, Shure E500, Shure E4c, UM2, Sensaphonics 2XS, and the UE10.......that the UM2s are the most ill suited for classical music. In fact I found them the most illsuited for anything. I disliked them. They were the epitome of boomy!

The ER4P is the second best universal for classical.....I think the Triple Fi 10 Pro is even better, however dont buy the triple fis unless you can return it as they don't fit everyone.

IF you're willing to wait, i promise you the sound of the UE10 is so superior to anything for classical.....id imagine even the UE11 can't match the UE10 for classical.

One last thing.....a piano is unlistenable on the UM2s

 

[ADD]

Hi David,

Well I think the best way to describe the Westone UM2 is the way I hear when I have an extremely severe head cold. I've gone back to the CX300s for the time being.

As for the UE10, unfortunately it is way out of my price range - the Triple Fi Pro would be at the top of my price range.

I was wondering if you could give me a bit more detail about the relative strengths of the ER-4 and the Triple Fi, since you state you feel the Triple Fi is even better for classical. As for the fit, looking at the Triple Fi pictures, I would have thought it would fit similar to my CX300s, since the tip seems almost identical to my CX300s.

I'm slightly put off by the Triple Fi's because they are quite sensitive and relatively low in impedance. I think the noise floor would be higher with these than the ER-4. On the other hand, I worry about getting a good fit with the ER-4.

 

[DavidMahler]

The triple fi's have more bass and a more open sound. The ER4 have greater isolation (by a mile) for chamber music, I'm not sure the triple fi's outshine the ER4, its in the tremendous orchestration area that the ER4 feel a tad hollow, lacking bass.........but ER4 has a similar signature to the K701s with less bass extension.

 

[Dexter Morgan]

I also listen almost exclusively to classical music. I started with the E4c, which had nice detail but its sound lacked body or volume. Next came the UM2, which I found fantastically euphoric for electronica and rock, but absolutely uninspiring for classical... poor instrument separation, muddy details and boomy. I now use the SE530, which might be worth an investigation for you. Besides great detail and a large sound (orchestras feel huge) it excels in comfort factor and you won't have any problems with sibilance (something I've heard mentioned with the triple fi's). On the other hand, some feel that the highs are too rolled off, and this is definitely a characteristic though I don't mind as I have very treble-sensitive ears and this prevents them from being fatiguing for me.

You mentioned the comfort of the Ety's, and part of the deal for me was that I wanted to be able to listen to classical music while I went to sleep, and I sleep on my side, so getting an IEM that lays flush with my ear was important to me.

Your dealer is telling you the truth... most people will recommend the Ety's for classical music in your price range. The detail cannot be beat, though they suffer from lack of bass and, therefore, probably don't have a very full sound (I would imagine). Though I have read that a good amp can really help.

I have no personal experience with the triple fi's.

Oh, and let me save David the trouble of remarking about how he'd rather endure water torture than listen to the 530s.

 

[ADD]

Hi,

Thanks very much for an extremely informative post. I can see that we seem to agree about the Westone UM2s shortcomings, so your summation of the other earphones is extremely valuable to me.

I was actually thinking Shure, but the SE420 is pretty much at the limit of my price range. The SE530 you mentioned is pretty expensive here in Australia - nearly $650. Did you happen to try the SE420? I wonder how much of a step down it is from the SE520.

As for the bass with the ER-4S, I just wonder how that responds to equalisation.

 

[shigzeo]

neither headphone goes very high at all. ety 16hz and um2 18hz. any dynamic driver iem will make strings and others for instance sound so much better. my girlfriend prefers the ep630 to other high-priced iem for this.

other than the bass, i actually prefer the ety for electronica as it is sharp. classical needs a sharp edge as well, but does for me not need to be heard from a factory as the etys sound for me. the um2 was my overall favourite for classical. it is however a little too sloppy for trance and electronica and on the same vein, perfect for rock which is all about slop

 

[rabbitsfoot]

I've owned both (still use the UM2 for drum monitoring). I find the Westones do indeed have a high frequency roll off and the ety's have little warmth. Both can be EQ'd although I think the Ety's can sound excellent with some judicial low end contouring. They cannot handle the low end volume needed for drum monitoring unfortunately. I think an alternative might be the Livewires custom IEM. These may be a cross between the two with a more apparent low frequency range like the Westones but a flatter upper frequency range like the ETYs. They do have a 30 day money back guarantee so might be something to consider-they would be more comfortable for long term listening than the Westone or Ety.