[Pianist]

I would rank the high end IEMs I've heard so far as follows:

e-Q7 =>SE530 > ES3X > UM3X > W3 > IE8 => Triple.fi

IE8 has way too much bass and rather poor treble quality for a high end IEM, Triple.fi has coherency issues in the mid/upper bass region, W3 mids are too recessed, ES3X and UM3X are too analytical and boring, e-Q7 and SE530 have the best balance of musicality and accuracy IMO, but I found SE530 to be extremely tricky to insert properly into my ears. e-Q7 is much easier to fit properly.

Just my 2 cents of course.

 

[Spyro]

Wow, surprised to see SE530 so high. The rolled off highs always got to me after a while but generally a great IEM!

I should have my Grado GR-8's tomorrow (quite excited I might add!). Full review coming later this week. Stay tuned.....

 

[Pianist]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spyro /img/forum/go_quote.gif Wow, surprised to see SE530 so high. The rolled off highs always got to me after a while but generally a great IEM! I should have my Grado GR-8's tomorrow (quite excited I might add!). Full review coming later this week. Stay tuned.....

The treble on the SE530 sounds very nice if you have a good fit, which is very hard to get with SE530. Even if you think the fit is right, it probably still isn't. This was my experience with this IEM after owning it for more than a year. It's the pickiest IEM I've tries so far in regards to fit.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spyro /img/forum/go_quote.gif Wow, surprised to see SE530 so high. The rolled off highs always got to me after a while but generally a great IEM! I should have my Grado GR-8's tomorrow (quite excited I might add!). Full review coming later this week. Stay tuned.....

They use the same driver as the Ortofon e-Q7, but in a different housing. From what I've read e-Q7 is technically superior as it has better treble extension and somewhat better overall balance. If you will like GR8, you will probably love the e-Q7. Looking forward to your review!

 

[Spyro]

We shall see. Personally I much prefer the look and design of GR-8 (including cables) but sound is obviously most important. Looks so comfy! I dug deep for opinions and found that many also prefer these as well over W3, IE8, etc.

 

[Young Spade]

Wow after reading all of the posts in the thread I can happily say that I'm getting the UM3Xs sometime next week. I can't wait.

I already have a re-cabled Triple.Fi so I'm going to use these with the genres that it excels in and the genres the Triple.Fis don't

 

[Cowdor]

UM3X now has detachable cables and full set of stock tips. Nice.
Wonder why they didn't do the detachable option for the W3's

 

[Flavio T]

The UM3X with detachable cables will be an option and will not be replacing the current version of the UM3X as Westone (and I agree) understands there are advantages to keep the ones without removable cables. So this will be a matter of preference. The removable cable versions have a wire similar to the Shure SCL5 to mold the cables behind the back of the ear. For some people this will be a nuisance. For others it will be a plus.
 
The Westone 3 doesn't have removable cables... probably because you really don't need it. I never had a Westone cable fail on any of my sets (UM2 going 5+ years). The UM2 and UM3X are targeted towards professional musicians. As I understand, many musicians would like to have removable cables on these universal fit earphones as they are used to see this feature on the custom counterparts. Professional musicians also, in general, don't use their earphones as frequently as consumers do.
 
As UE learned, consumers will fidget with removable cables even when they don't need to. Every time you create a connection, you create a "link". If you keep fidgeting with that "link", chances are the connection itself will fail before the cables would. In UE's case, I had problems with the female socket on the earpiece. If I remember right, so did many customers.
 
Westone's female socket are a solid part of the earpiece and I don't anticipate they running into that same problem. There will also be a price difference between the model with removable cable and the ones without.
 
It's really a personal preference. People that had bad experiences with cables in the past will probably prefer the removable cable version. People who has not had problems with non-removabe cables and that has had problems with earphones with removable cables such as the Triple.fi (like myself) will prefer the standard version.
 
I apologize for the poor pic. It was taken with my iPhone:
 

 

[Young Spade]

Thanks for the picture

 

[Sonic 748i]

Do I hear, balanced UM3X's?

 

[Young Spade]

^If someone offered that I would sell the Rx, get the Predator, and have that done immediately.

 

[Sonic 748i]

According to those pictures the UM3X seems to have the same cable pin out the TWag balanced replacement cable uses. So you can in fact use your UM3X's in balanced. You'll just need a balanced TWag cables 48" ( $300 ) and a RSA Protector ( $475 ).

 

[Young Spade]

Reading your post I really want to drop a load of money and get that balanced amp and cables. 

 

[Sonic 748i]

The cable needs to have 2 wires leading to each earpiece and 4 wires from the Y splitter going to the jack.

 

[Freeze]

Quote:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Foxxy /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thank you very much for your little review! I am starting to get more convinced the UM3X (or Sennheisers IE8) is the deal for me. Is there anything negative about UM3X compared to W3 as you know?

The UM3X's only come with comply tips, NO level attenuator or 1/4" adapter is included, but they're also $20 cheaper. In my case I only wish they included the soft grey silicone tips as I don't need the other extra stuff.

Also I'm sure some (many?) will prefer the more polished and 'cool' look of the W3 and better finish - not me, I like it just as is as long as they are well made and long-lasting.

The UM3X with the removable cable comes with the 10 pairs of tips level attenuator and 1/4" adaptor. but it's 399.00

 

[pearle]

Wait a sec... the UM3X RC comes with more tips than the regular UM3X?
 
If so, bonus! I should be receiving the RC version next week. I expected the accessories would be the same as the as the UM3X!
 
Note: Just checked the Westone site and Freeze is correct. The RC version does come with extras beyond the replaceable cables.