[JoeyRusso]

Quote:

^^ Well, if you've read all 4 pages (not a lot) of this thread, you'll see that right now it looks like the UM3X may have that little extra edge over the CK100 -- see last few posts. I'm still waiting to get my UM3X replacement to make a final decision.
 
All this is very personal and I don't claim to have the 'right' answer for you or anyone else. Having said that, I find quite a few of the claims made about the merits of the SE535 & SM3 to be result of hype and the novelty factor (+ aesthetics in the case of the SE535).
 
I also think, and I haven't said this before, that I think more people (the general public) would find the W3 a more appealing/ exciting IEM than the UM3X & even more so than the CK100.

music, I'd like to personally thank you for saving me and my wallet from any unnecessary strain.. 

  I love my W3's!!  

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

music, I'd like to personally thank you for saving me and my wallet from any unnecessary strain.. 

  I love my W3's!!  

I'm sorry to do this....
 
But here goes, as much as I enjoy my W3s (had them since January 2009 when they were first released), they get very little ear time with the SE535s in house (had them since their release this past May). The new toy factor has worn off, but I just keep going back to the Shures for incredibly balanced sound and the best, most lush mids of any universal IEM I've ever heard. The W3s are great fun "U" sounding IEMs, but the bass can be a bit woobly and the mids recessed next to the SE535s.
 
And then there's the issue of solid construction...the SE535s win hands down with the best cables out there (you can use them to lock your bike up) and they are user replaceable. Then the noise isolation....much better with the Shures.
 
If you like fun will tuned up bass and treble (and listen to rock/metal), then the W3s. But if you like balanced sound that works with anything you throw at it, then I strongly recommend the SE535s.
 
Just my two cents and I'm sorry your wallet had to hear that.

 

[Hero Kid]

Quote:

music, I'd like to personally thank you for saving me and my wallet from any unnecessary strain.. 

  I love my W3's!!  

 
Why strive for better when you are happy with what you get?
It seems like a a silly, expensive merry-go round.
 
The only reason I see to upgrade is to try and leave behind what you consider to be downfalls of your current 'phone/s.

 

[rawrster]

MacedonianHero..how evil

Although I think he wants the W2 if he hasn't already gotten a pair

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

MacedonianHero..how evil

I know...buhahah!

 

[DaEMoNteNTAcLe]

i consider what music_4321 hears as 'lesser' treble to be unemphasized treble, they do sound fuller because of more body given by the mids. I compared my ck10 with ck100, the latter are obviously more balanced, ck10 lacks bass anyways, so the balance will definitely feels tilted to treble. mids needs sound body from bass to sound full.
 
balanced sounding does sound boring to some people, they needed some kicks in the bass and treble to make things lively. imho this is more a limitation of source, since poor source and player cant bring the out the dynamic strength of the sound, making everything feels very flat sounding.
 
i do prefer ck10 over ck100.. since somehow i found ck100 to be 'harsher' to my ears, despite being tighter sealed than ck10..
 
now if only ck10 has ck100 bass.. i would be very very satisfied already.. lol.
 
 
Quote:

There's lots of great options out there and lots of new options always coming out.  It's kind of crazy the shear amount of earphones out there these days, not just earphones in general but really good ones.
 
I do want to suggest to you that you shouldn't only look at BA driver earphones.  There are a bunch of really good dynamic earphones out there too.  The Hifi-Man RE252 and RE-ZERO are very, very good.  I'm a big fan of the Denon C751 too.

i tried the C751 too.. i think it sounded similar to ck10? xD
 
 
neways congrats on obtaining ur ck100 music_4321

 

[AudioHeadHZ]

 
Quote:

^^ Well, if you've read all 4 pages (not a lot) of this thread, you'll see that right now it looks like the UM3X may have that little extra edge over the CK100 -- see last few posts. I'm still waiting to get my UM3X replacement to make a final decision.
 
All this is very personal and I don't claim to have the 'right' answer for you or anyone else. Having said that, I find quite a few of the claims made about the merits of the SE535 & SM3 to be result of hype and the novelty factor (+ aesthetics in the case of the SE535).
 
I also think, and I haven't said this before, that I think more people (the general public) would find the W3 a more appealing/ exciting IEM than the UM3X & even more so than the CK100.

So, in my case, you will suggest me the Westone W3 over the UM3X?

 

[music_4321]

^^ Since these products are not cheap, I suggest you do a bit of research and read the relevant threads of the IEMs you're interested in, then perhaps ask questions on those threads.
 
I'm not the sort of person who tends to recommend a particular phone but rather give my opinions of what I like or not, what I consider to be good sound or not and comment on some factual information, eg build quality, cable type, accessories, and so on.
 
I cannot say the W3 will be better for you or the best IEM for you out there -- my view is the general public would find it more exciting than the UM3X, CK100 and probably most other phones listed in my sig. I know I did, but soon afterwards I found it wasn't what MY ears were really wanting to hear. When I tried the UM3X a few months later, the sound did not wow me at first like the W3 had, but I gradually came to appreciate it's more balanced, neutral, non-fatiguing sound and excellent performance along the whole freq spectrum. But, that's me.
 
Some people, like me, chose the UM3X over the W3, others went back to the W3, finding it more exciting. I find the UM3X very exciting now, and would find the bass & treble of the W3 unacceptable.

 

[AudioHeadHZ]

Quote:

^^ Since these products are not cheap, I suggest you do a bit of research and read the relevant threads of the IEMs you're interested in, then perhaps ask questions on those threads.
 
I'm not the sort of person who tends to recommend a particular phone but rather give my opinions of what I like or not, what I consider to be good sound or not and comment on some factual information, eg build quality, cable type, accessories, and so on.
 
I cannot say the W3 will be better for you or the best IEM for you out there -- my view is the general public would find it more exciting than the UM3X, CK100 and probably most other phones listed in my sig. I know I did, but soon afterwards I found it wasn't what MY ears were really wanting to hear. When I tried the UM3X a few months later, the sound did not wow me at first like the W3 had, but I gradually came to appreciate it's more balanced, neutral, non-fatiguing sound and excellent performance along the whole freq spectrum. But, that's me.
 
Some people, like me, chose the UM3X over the W3, others went back to the W3, finding it more exciting. I find the UM3X very exciting now, and would find the bass & treble of the W3 unacceptable.

 
I've read some reviews about all the earphones I'm looking at and by riassuming them globally, I can say, now, that my choice is probably restricted to the Westone W3 or UM3X vs EarSonics SM3, and that's way I'm referring to you (you are one of the few that have TESTED them all)
 
By the way you are, substantially, telling to me that if I want a more natural sound I should opt for the UM3X otherwise if I want a more 'pumped' sound I should opt for the W3?
And in what sense the bass & treble of the W3, now, are unacceptable to you?
 

 

[music_4321]

^^ Yes, the UM3X is a more balanced, neutral & natural sounding phone than the W3. Bass and treble on the W3 are more pronounced and the mids, a key frequency, are slightly recessed. This U-shaped type of sound presentation you get from the W3s caused listening fatigue in longer listening sessions - I usually couldn't take more than 1 hour, the louder the volume the less time I could have the W3s on.

With the UM3X (and CK100), by contrast, I can go on for 4 - 6 (or longer) hours easily and at higher volume levels if I so wish to. The great thing about the UM3X & CK100 is that they don't lack bass or treble extension at all, you get all the details, and they both have, in my view, great mids.

 

[JoeyRusso]

Quote:

I'm sorry to do this....
 
But here goes, as much as I enjoy my W3s (had them since January 2009 when they were first released), they get very little ear time with the SE535s in house (had them since their release this past May). The new toy factor has worn off, but I just keep going back to the Shures for incredibly balanced sound and the best, most lush mids of any universal IEM I've ever heard. The W3s are great fun "U" sounding IEMs, but the bass can be a bit woobly and the mids recessed next to the SE535s.
 
And then there's the issue of solid construction...the SE535s win hands down with the best cables out there (you can use them to lock your bike up) and they are user replaceable. Then the noise isolation....much better with the Shures.
 
If you like fun will tuned up bass and treble (and listen to rock/metal), then the W3s. But if you like balanced sound that works with anything you throw at it, then I strongly recommend the SE535s.
 
Just my two cents and I'm sorry your wallet had to hear that.

LOL, no worries..  While I'd love to hear the 535's, I'm not about to drop that kind of money on an IEM anytime soon. I'd like to hear Shure's mids to compare them to Grados.  Perhaps I'll find a 530 floating around.  Personally, I don't hear the W3's as U shaped as others do, call it luck or a perfect fit for my ear canal, but the mids are right where they should be for me.  Vocals are positioned properly, not buried.. the snare drum sits nicely in the mix and guitars are never behind the bass or bass drum.  I've never had sibilance issues with them and the highs are just right with either comply's or Shure olives.  While I do listen to a lot of rock/metal, my library is full of pop, classical, jazz, techno and even country and I've yet to hear any genre sound "off" with the W3's. Oh, and the bass.. oh the beautiful bass.. I never find it "wobbly" or sloppy un-amped or amped.  Anything less in the bass region would be a let down.

  My wallet is safe... for now

  and if I need a back-up W3, I know who to go to now... LOL
 
Quote:

MacedonianHero..how evil

Although I think he wants the W2 if he hasn't already gotten a pair

" class="bbcode_smiley" height="1" src="http://files.head-fi.org/images/smilies//tongue.gif" title="

" width="1" />

You are correct rawrster.. the W2's are on their way to me as I type this.. They'll make a good back-up/change of pace I think.  I can't wait to hear and compare them.
 
Quote:

I know...buhahah!

You're bad Hero... LOL   Me and my wallet are happy. Thanks to the great deals I found on the W3 and the W2, I've spent less on the two of them than I would have for the 535's.

Quote:

^^ Yes, the UM3X is a more balanced, neutral & natural sounding phone than the W3. Bass and treble on the W3 are more pronounced and the mids, a key frequency, are slightly recessed. This U-shaped type of sound presentation you get from the W3s caused listening fatigue in longer listening sessions - I usually couldn't take more than 1 hour, the louder the volume the less time I could have the W3s on.

With the UM3X (and CK100), by contrast, I can go on for 4 - 6 (or longer) hours easily and at higher volume levels if I so wish to. The great thing about the UM3X & CK100 is that they don't lack bass or treble extension at all, you get all the details, and they both have, in my view, great mids.

That sucks music.. I experienced that with the ER-4P and the TripleFi's, but never with the W3's.  They were in my ears last night for over 3 hours with no fatigue.  Like I've said before, it's as if they were made for my personal sound signature.  I would like to hear the UM2 and the UM3X somewhere down the road, for comparison purposes..

 

 

[music_4321]

Quote:

That sucks music.. I experienced that with the ER-4P and the TripleFi's, but never with the W3's.  They were in my ears last night for over 3 hours with no fatigue.  Like I've said before, it's as if they were made for my personal sound signature.  I would like to hear the UM2 and the UM3X somewhere down the road, for comparison purposes..

 

Just happened to get a UM2 pair, BTW, courtesy of Westone (looong story). I've only listened to them for about 10 mins and that was done while comparing them to my CK100 thinking the UM2 were actually my UM3X (Westone had sent the wrong replacement). While the UM2s are quite good, they cannot go where the UM3Xs can.

Before I realised I was listening to the UM2s and not the UM3X I thought, "OK, this is it, I'm definitely keeping the CK100s" and selling the UM3Xs, but suddenly I thought, "Wait, this can't be right, I don't remember such marked difference between the UM3X & CK100" - some burn-in needed? a faulty set perhaps?. I then went to check the box (practically identical for both UM2 & UM3X) and that's when I realised it was, in fact, the UM2. I should be getting my UM3X replacement tomorrow or the day after.

Quick first UM2 impressions (no burn-in and literally 5-10 mins): less bass than the UM3X, treble seems just a little more present than I like on the UM2 with very good mids, but the sound overall was not as rich/ full as the UM3X. Clarity is superior on the UM3X. The UM3X has a smoother, warmer sound.

 

[shane55]

Quote:

Quick first UM2 impressions (no burn-in and literally 5-10 mins): less bass than the UM3X, treble seems just a little more present than I like on the UM2 with very good mids, but the sound overall was not as rich/ full as the UM3X. Clarity is superior on the UM3X. The UM3X has a smoother, warmer sound.

Hmm... well, that's all very interesting. A smoother, warmer sound on the UM3X, with slightly more 'present' highs on the UM2.
Ok, well, maybe that will change after some break-in. Keep us posted, please.
 

 

[AudioHeadHZ]

Thanks for the clarification music_4321... but I've one more question.
 
If I should decide to order the UM3X in which way I can be sure that I've a pair of fully working Westone UM3X new version?
 
Because for what I've understand you have had a lot of problems with Westone... . So, maybe its only you that are so badly unlucky... but to be sure, in your misfortunate experience, there something ones can do to understand (as quick as possible) eventual problems in which is possible to run into in this case?

 

[music_4321]

^^ The most serious problems I had were with my customs.

Here http://www.westone.com/warranty Westone explain what the current problem with the UM3X is -- and it's only for the new version with detachable cables. If you or anyone else has that problem, they send you a replacement, and they cover the shipping costs both ways. My set wasn't faulty but Westone still suggest you send it back. Also, you get 2 years' warranty and they do honour it
 
Westone has excellent CS most of the time as reported by quite a few people.