[tayano]

I have problem with sibilance and I wonder if UM2 will kill me with sibilance ?
Sibilance is the only thing making me about UE´s super.fi instead of um2.

 

[drssyoon]

Although it may have to do more with your biology compared to mine, I really haven't noticed. I did notice with the Ety 4Ps.

 

[jonasb]

Short answer: no.

The UM2s sound smooth and warm, no edgyness or sibilance whatsoever. To my ears they even sound a little muffled and overly warm ... but that's another story.

 

[Elephas]

Agree that the UM2 sounds smooth and warm.

No sibilance at all out of a SuperMacro-3.

UM2 treble is rolled off compared to the ATH-AD2000.

 

[ProleArtThreat]

I guess I'm in the minority here but I definitley noticed more sibilance on the UM2 than the ER-4P. I don't think sibilance is merely a function of boosted treble. However, I never did use the comply tips, limiting my use on the UM2 to Ety tri-flange and Shure flex tips, so this may have had something to do with it.

 

[Jmmmmm]

I never noticed any sibilance with the um2's....until I got the ue5pros. So, I don't think the um2's are sibilant; however, if you compare the two, the ue's are definitely the less sibilant of the two. I think it also has to do with your source and eq'ing; I think boosting the treble with my karma causes a bit of sibilance that wouldn't be noticeable without the treble boost.

 

[tayano]

I've ordered Um2 now...I hope that I don't regret not buying UE super.fi.

I hope that the UM2 will beat it and that UE's get bad impressions

 

[RiderCoach]

Tayano...

I find my UM2s to be my favorite headphone of all my collection, which includes HD650, HD600, Ety 4P, S, 6i, B&0 A8, and a host of other lesser phones.

I did spring for the custom Westone#56 moulded earpiece, they made a huge improvement in comfort and sound over various push-on tips.

I notice no unnatural sibilance, very accurated imaging, and a sound that is as close to "being there" as I have experienced. They sound at their best with my Xin SM v3. Many of my other amps, even my Cosmic Headroom with the reference module exhibit hiss at high volume settings due to the high sensitivity of the Westones. The SM is totally silent at any volume setting with no input signal. Choose your source player and amplifier carefully with these phones and you will be rewarded with a superb audio experience.

 

[drssyoon]

Can you elaborate on the custom ear mold? Is it that much better? Comfort? Thanks.

/S/

 

[catscratch]

UM2's are a tiny bit sibilant, but only with recordings where it is already a problem. They don't add any sibilance to the music, but they don't conceal it either by softening up the treble, which for example is what the SR-001 does. So, if you have a lot of poorly produced rock and metal around, then sibilance could potentially be a problem - but if not, then it shouldn't even be noticeable.

I like the UM2's, but I won't go as far as saying that they can match high-end full-size headphones. They're nowhere near my SR-404 rig. But, they're good enough that I can use them portably and not care about their sonic deficiencies. They have a nice, smooth, musical sound, slightly upfront, with a solid palpable bass, though slightly muddy. They may not be as detailed as the ER-4P/S but they are certainly very detailed. And on top of that, they have a thoughful ergonomic design.

I think you'll be happy. Just make sure to try different kinds of tips with them. I use Ety tri-flange turned bi-flange, but no two ear shapes are alike, and what works for me, may not give you the best sound. Experiment around before you make a final judgement.

 

[RiderCoach]

Drssyoon....

I find the #56 inserts to be MUCH more comfortable, and allow the headphones to neatly fit inside your ear, such that you can easily sleep on them.

The fit depends upon the accuracy of the ear impression. It is recommended that a "open mouth" impression be made, and a full ear impression sent to Westone.

I found that the UM2 sounds best (to my ears) with the custom insert rather than the different tips I tried before I got the #56s. They also stay firmly in place, maintaining a tight seal until I pull them out using the little stalks that project from them. I did cut those down a bit so they just barely stuck out from my ear. They come quite long.

 

[bg4533]

My UM2s had very pointy/ edgy sounding high end and were a bit sibilant. The midrange and bass was still nice though. Overall, I did not like them.

 

[hawkfire]

hello,

The UM2s are indeed midrange sibilant and that pretty much is the difference between the sound of the UM2 and the E5 imo whereas sibilance is found on the high side of the Etys.

None of the current canalphones do accurate sound rendering, but then the same can be said of any headphone.

Catscratch,

I don't think its fair to compare the stax 001/003s against the UM2/E5 style dual driver designs as the open design, soundstage and presentation are way different than that of both IEMS.

IMO the Stax is more forgiving as to the source and quality of recording because the soundstage is akin to that of a concert hall whereas the westone and shures have that directly in front of the performers stage type sound.

But simply put as the topic states, are the um2s sibilant?

answer is: yes

 

[rabbitsfoot]

The Westone UM2s are not sibilant to me. Seems we have the "are" sibalant and the "are not" sibilant camps on this one. I get a chance to put through high levels of cymbals through the UM2s and there is no distortion or overload of the signal at these levels. I think of sibilance as a distortion or overload of signal at a narrow band of frequecies, such as the 'S' sound in speech and similar frequencies. This can of course happen quite easily in the recording stage or after in the playback device if either is not able to deal with the signal level of these frequencies. I haven't noticed this on the UM2s but doesn't mean it's not there. I would look closely at the source first to see if it isn't contaminated somehow. I'm sure sibilance happens but with all the tools available to the recording engineer these days it's probably a matter of running the mouse over a small section and clicking "erase sibilance".

 

[benjamind]

The UM2 are anything but sibilant. I got sibilance with ER-6i and E3c to a small degree. E5c was better, with more bass. Everyone's ears are different. Just like eyes and facial features, the same rule is that everything is different.

But UM2 totally poops all over the ER-6i and the E3c, and it beats the E5c because the bass is tighter and more defined than the E5c and the midrange isn't emphasised like it is on the E5c. So you get a more or less flat response all throughout the frequency range. It's not 100% perfectly flat, but neither is any headphone for that matter.

The UM2s are good for mixing, and they're very musical too. They are often called in-ear monitors and that is what they were designed for - musician applications. A match made in heaven for a composer and songwriter like me.