[Totally Dubbed]

So i went ahead and asked Hand held audio some questions,
and got a email back from the director: (Blue bits are his)
 
-Will you stock them? As i plan in buying a pair of earphones from you guys. But not sure which ones to go for just yet.
Yes we will.

-Is there any chance you could give me an indication to the price point of the se535’s and the NEW UM2’s?
Approximately SE535 - £400/450, new UM2 - £240/250

-If you do stock them, when will they be available for sale?
We hope end of May for both.

-Is there a chance to demo them?
Yes there should be as soon as we get our hands on them.
 
Hope that helps some people out there.
I was thinking of the se535's but seeing as they are MUCH more expensive than i had previously imagined, i think i'll pass.
 
Along with the UM2's, what do you guys think, for personal listening?
 
Westone 2 or UM2 (seeing as it HAS a detachable wire now) and is £40-60 more
 
 
Dubbed

 

[TCD1975]

Take up his offer and demo them when they get them in stock. Only you'll be able to tell which earphone you prefer.
 
I really like the idea of earphones with replaceable cables but Westone cables are pretty solid anyway and if anything happens to them within the 2 year warranty Westone would replace them.
 
After the warranty expires I think they charge a pretty small fee for repairs.
 
The point I'm making here is that if you prefer the sound of the Westone 2 don't be put off by the fact that it doesn't have a replacable cable.

Good look with your decision.

 

[timmyGCSE]

apart from UE products HHA can be quite expensive. I doubt the SE535's will be that expensive at say iheadphones.co.uk
 
edit: but just to say you can still go along and demo them at HHA with no obligation to purchase..I demo'd SE530's, tf10's, um3x and W3's there but bought 530's from iheadphones instead, but then I demo'd JH13's from there and bought them from there too

 

[Totally Dubbed]

Well, the thing is i already demoed the:
W3
W2
UM2
se530
tf10's
 
Out of all of them i preferred  the w3's, but the price was too high.
Then i preferred  the w2's, but couldn't see much of a difference between the w2's and the um2's.
 
I think i'll just purchase the w2's on monday.
 
Price wise: Yes the se530's are about £80 more than they should be at HHA, but the w2's are cheaper at HHA.
 
More so se535's, might be more expensive, and probably £100 more expensive.But not as much as £450
And there, yet again, i would prefer the w3's if i paid that much more.
 

 

[KLS]

Just for your reference:
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/479262/um2-vs-westone-2s
 

 

[TCD1975]

Quote:

apart from UE products HHA can be quite expensive. I doubt the SE535's will be that expensive at say iheadphones.co.uk

Agreed, though SE535 are still likely to start off much more expensive than their competitors.

 

[Totally Dubbed]

Quote:

Just for your reference:
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/479262/um2-vs-westone-2s
 

I remember reading that thread Silly me.
I also think the W2's are more comfortable, in terms of long period of use, that's for sure.
 
and in terms of the se535's. If they are going to be more expensive, i don't see why.
More so, why not just buy the W3's....you would be in a win win situation if you had £300+ to spare for earphones.
 
I'll just get the W2's

 

[Totally Dubbed]

Where would you say is the best place to buy the Westone 2's?

I was thinking HHA, seeing as they have been really helpful, although found a £20-30 cheaper deal at iheadphone...
 
http://www.iheadphones.co.uk/headphones/24386/Westone+2+True+Fit.htm
 
http://www.handheldaudio.co.uk/pages/search_result_quick.asp?search_bar=some+criteria&price_range=>>&category=Manufacturer..&type=Category..&search=westone+2&Submit.x=0&Submit.y=0&Submit=GO
 

 

[koonhua90]

The SE535 will be pretty expensive, at £400/450. I emailed the guy at handheldaudio too, since I am in US and I don't have to pay taxes, the price for SM3 including shipping is only £267, which is only like $370. I have not heard both, but technically, the newer SM3 should have the upper hand. 
 
So OP, you have decided to venture on new IEM again? 

 

[Totally Dubbed]

Quote:

The SE535 will be pretty expensive, at £400/450. I emailed the guy at handheldaudio too, since I am in US and I don't have to pay taxes, the price for SM3 including shipping is only £267, which is only like $370. I have not heard both, but technically, the newer SM3 should have the upper hand. 
 
So OP, you have decided to venture on new IEM again? 

Well i think i'll buy the W2's. but i am not too sure on where to get it from.
As i can get it from two places:
1. A place i visited, which is slightly more expensive, but if anything go wrong then i could go to them to replace
2. Another site that i found, looks genuine and everything, although i have no idea how i would contact them, if anything goes wrong.
 
What would you choose?
The difference in price is around £20

 

[KLS]

@Totally Dubbed, if I were you, I'd asked the No.2 site about warranty, service, return policies etc. first, then decide which to go

 

[Totally Dubbed]

Quote:

@Totally Dubbed, if I were you, I'd asked the No.2 site about warranty, service, return policies etc. first, then decide which to go

Only problem, they can only be contacted via email...

 

[KLS]

+1 for No.1. Extra £20 for customer service
 
That being said, I think nowadays it's common to contact through email.

 

[davidcotton]

FWIW I've used iheadphones.co.uk to get my westone2's and the service was fine.  Although for the £20 difference it may be worth phoning hha to see if they can come to some arrangement price wise.  Maybe a discount of some sort for cash in hand or something?  Of course there is also the advantage that you can pick up the headphones that day and not have to wait in for delivery!  It may also pay in the long run to help support local audio business particularly atm.  Don't get me wrong I like getting the best deal as much as the next person.

 

[TCD1975]

In the unlikely event that anything goes wrong with the Westone 2's after 30 days neither of the sellers are responsible for providing customer service. Westone (or Variphone, their European distributor) are.
 
I'd save money and go with the cheaper seller. I've bought earphones from iheadphones, which developed a fault within 30 days, and they refunded me no problems.