[blackreplica]

I am a previous e2c user and just got my um2s in the mail from the ebay seller i'm sure you guys know about.

Its funny that the um2s are advertised as having opened packaging but arrived brand new in plastic shrink wrap. maybe its a way of avoiding westone clamping down on his cheap prices?

anyway i've been listening to these phones for about 20 minutes. First things first, the packaging is awesome. The comply tips are excellent, provide fantastic isolation, much better than the regular shure foamies, and are supremely comfortable. Much better than the e2c foam tips if thats any comparison

First impressions of the sound as follows: When i first put them in, i played some music, and thought to myself, hmmm...not bad, but doesnt seem *that* much better than my e2c. So i put my e2cs back in my ear(havent listened to them since 2 days ago), and realised, after a nearly a year of using them, how muddy and veiled they actually sounded. OMG! 30 seconds later the UM2s were back in my ear (with the small tips this time, and i preferred them, they fit better and gave me just as much isolation as the large tips i used at first). Then i played some more music, tried a few different genres, and realised how good these damn things were.

I would characterise the sound as very shure-like. The midrange is very forward(surprising i found this since people say the um2s are actually more balanced). Very in-your-face and involving voices. Overall sound: warm, in a good way. Bass is very, very good. it goes amazingly deep and is damn clean doing it. i wouldnt go so far as to say that you can 'feel' the bass, except for select types of music, but i have no doubt that this is as good as it gets with canalphones. More than i expected a canalphone as capable of doing. I detected some sibilance at the beginning, and then realised i had my treble boost on (for my e2cs)...doh! turned the treble boost down from +6 to +2 and the sibilance is gone. Even at reduced treble boost, there is more upper end detail on the UM2s. Its just the right amount, i hear the sounds i am supposed to hear, and yet its not fatiguing in any way.

I dont suppose its a fair comparison, but compared to my e2c, there is also a lack of congestion all around. soundstage seems a little more spacious, and the layering of individual instruments are clearly superior. the e2cs just mush everything together compared with the um2s.

I am expecting the triflange tips in the mail later today or tomorrow. i have never used tri-flanges before, having restricted myself to foamies because i expect them to be much more comfortable and provide better isolation. i could be wrong though, anyway i'll soond find out if i'm right or not.

Last thing to note, these phones are ridiculously easy to drive. I only need to run at volume 11 on my iriver ihp-h140 now, when i needed to run at 15-16 before to get the same SPL on my e2cs

Closing line? Clearly superior to the e2c (duh!). I'm not sure if its 200USD better though, the jury is still out on that. i am impressed, but i was expecting to me *more* impressed (if that makes any sense at all). But the phones are still new, and i will need to get used to them before i make any firm judgement one way or another.

Happy to take questions or comments!

 

[blackreplica]

OK that stuff about not feeling the bass, i take that back. Just played some techno music. HOLY SH#@&(*#!!! The bass!! OMG, on some songs, the bass really pounds into your skull!! Very very cool

I also tried some music with information that goes to 20Hz. No trouble hearing even the lowest notes, though it was pretty rolled off at the really low end. Its hard to estimate, but i think the rolloff starts at about 30-40Hz? Anyway its still better than any canalphone has the right to be

 

[Max Minimum]

Thanks for the UM2 impressions. I have the Ety ER-4P's and I long for a bit more bass (though I DO enjoy them...). When you mentioned how you weren't overly impressed by them until you went back to the Shures I knew exactly how you felt. The Ety's were my first real 'audiophile' 'phones, but I was sort of disappointed at first. I thought, "Yeah, they're good, but it's not like I'm in heaven". Then I listened to my Sony MDR-CD777's again and thought, "These blow!" Going backwards seems to always be the biggest shock. It's like getting a new computer, I think. You don't really notice the speed. But when you go back to your old one, you definitely notice the lack of speed!

 

[blackreplica]

Couldnt agree more!

I've been listening to it for quite a number of hours now. I am liking these phones more and more. the comply tips are so comfortable, easy to insert/remove, and the isolation really is amazing.

The only gripe i have so far is that the damn wires on the thing really look flimsy. I used to have a habit of yanking my monitors out of my ears by the wire but i have had to change that habit. But the phones are really light, which is an added plus.

Can't wait to try the tri-flanges. I'm getting happier and happier with these phones. the bass is just fricking amazing. I think its part becos of the phones, and part because of the amazing isolation you get on the comply tips.

I also notice that this thing picks up noise from your source/music like a magnet picks up nails. I used to think my iriver outputs are super clean when using my e2c, so imagine my surprise when i heard a light hiss when the player was on with no music playing. I think the UM2's high sensitivity might have something to do with it...even a little noise becomes clearly audible. The noise is much much worse on my laptop's headphone outputs (duh!). Most of it disappears once the music starts playing though

 

[Max Minimum]

I can live with a little bit of hissing if the sound is good when the music starts and they're comfortable, which by your and other accounts, is the case. I've heard these have small enough profiles to allow you to lay down (ear down on a pillow) and listen to them. Can you confirm this? I'm very close to buying these or maybe deciding on the E4c's if they would be good nighttime listeners.

 

[blackreplica]

Yeah, the hissing isnt an issue once the music starts. i suppose you could avoid it altogether by using a better source if you wanted.

I can pretty much confirm the um2 sits very nice and flat in your ear. no portruding bits at all. if you wanted it to sit even deeper, you could use the small comply tips. With those, the UM2s sit really deep in the ear. They are even better lying down than my e2cs, and those are pretty good for lying sideways already. Of course, the extra comfort factor from the tips helps quite a bit too

 

[RiderCoach]

Black...

If you like your UM2s so far, you might consider the Westone #56 custom insert for the UM2. It makes for a perfect fit, you can't tell you have them in your ears. I can sleep on mine, and best of all, they have little gizmos that stick out a ways so you can pull them out easily.

BTW, you will probably find that your cord will turn green shortly. Doesn't affect the sound, of course, but looks bad. (cheap) Westone says they are working on a fix. Probably black cords.

Here is the website for the custom earmolds:

http://tinyurl.com/2upaa

 

[donaldekelly]

I noticed the hissing when using an amp and I had my source down low. When I turned it up and then turned down my amp - or used a 75 ohm attenuator (spelling?) the hiss went away.

And yes - a little hiss on the UM2s straight out of the mp3 player. Shows how easy to drive it is - and is not a defect I believe.

Not anything that bothered me.

 

[benjamind]

I think the UM2s are great. A detailed review between the UM2 and the Super.Fi Pro would be even better.

If the Super.Fi Pro are indeed superior I'll be getting them as my next replacement. Hopefully my UM2s will last a few years though, they weren't cheap!

 

[blackreplica]

a um2 vs super.fi comparison would be really interesting....but having taken the plunge with my westones, i'll admit a part of me does hope that the um2 will come out the superior phone

 

[donaldekelly]

I have only heard the UE super.Fi5pro phones for a few days - and in fact they are a beta version and not the real thing that will be released - hmm - shortly?

The beta version is very good but any further review would have to wait until the UE is actually released - to respect the UE beta testing guidelines. And then there are a few people on head-fi that can give a better comparison than I can.

I am sure they will review it carefully, in detail once the UE5pro is released. And then I will put in my 12 cents, as well. And then we will start having reviews of the actual release version as well. Might be even better.