[Deftone]

maybe I'm looking for UM50 vs W50?

 

[twister6]

  I might be a lot to ask but out of the new W & UM line which is the most balanced, neutral, cleanest, detailed, spacious?
 
there too many models to try and compare reviews
 
I want to mention that I love metal and I find it sounds the best with a balanced sounding earphone not the recommended V shape. thanks

 
What you described is more in-line with ES60 tuning.  But since you narrowed it down to UM Prom 50 or W50, UM Pro 50 should be your choice.  W50 is L-shaped with a strong mid-bass hump.

 

[Deftone]

   
What you described is more in-line with ES60 tuning.  But since you narrowed it down to UM Prom 50 or W50, UM Pro 50 should be your choice.  W50 is L-shaped with a strong mid-bass hump.

 
Thank you twister i trust your opinion with you having reviewed so many iems.
 
other than the UM50, which other universal iems do you recommend that have a "balanced, neutral, clean, detailed, spacious" signature?
 
i dont want to make another expensive mistake like the IE800 again.

 

[TCD1975]

W60 is more balanced, neutral, detailed and spacious than UM Pro 50.
 
UM Pro 50 has great deep bass and sounds good with pretty much any recording.
 
There's not a huge amount in it, but the W60 takes the detail and sound stage up a notch, but only on really well produced/mastered recordings.

 

[twister6]

  W60 is more balanced, neutral, detailed and spacious than UM Pro 50.
 
UM Pro 50 has great deep bass and sounds good with pretty much any recording.
 
There's not a huge amount in it, but the W60 takes the detail and sound stage up a notch, but only on really well produced/mastered recordings.

 
Absolutely, you can add W60 to this equation 

  But I can't imagine a smooth, warm, lush W60 sound with a fast paced hard hitting metal music

  Can't imagine ES60 with this type of music either.  I mean, you can play any music with any IEMs/CIEMs, but not sure if it would be a good genre pair up in this case?

 

[davidcotton]

   
Absolutely, you can add W60 to this equation 

  But I can't imagine a smooth, warm, lush W60 sound with a fast paced hard hitting metal music

  Can't imagine ES60 with this type of music either.  I mean, you can play any music with any IEMs/CIEMs, but not sure if it would be a good genre pair up in this case?

 
If there is one thing that hard hitting metal is known for it's the sometimes awful production (sure there are exceptions, there always are!) used.  The smooth warm lush sound could be just the ticket to smoothing over the somewhat rougher edges on some albums.

 

[Deftone]

the warmer UMpro50 or Klipsch X20/ Q-Jays
 
the last 2 appear to be the faster and cleaner of the bunch but q jays can be shrill in the highs. X20...
 
too many choices, you could research forever and keep going in circles lol 

 

[Deftone]

screw it i ordered UM50 and X20 lol 
 
will be a fun battle of the beasts.

 

[korzena]

I am loooking for the right Westone model within $500 budget. I am a big fan of Westone W3 which I have been enjoying until now. Unfortunately my current pair went dead because of the cable problem. Again! (I had the same problem with my previous pair -Westone should do something to improve the durability of their cables!)
 
My budget is $500 so I am considering W30 or W40. Do these new models have the similar fun sound of W3?
 
I will also appreciate suggestions from other IEM brands within my budget.

 

[Signal2Noise]

^
What is this "cable problem" you speak of? I'm curious because I've had my W3 (and W4) for years and use them everyday not experiencing any problem with them.

As for recommendations the newer Westones are intriguing but to move from the W3 or W4 I think a major jump in model would be necessary to perceive an "upgrade difference". This means, for me, going to the W60 or perhaps moving to another brand such as Shure's SE846 (I've had SE535 and E3C in the past). Price of these keep me from making the jump and caused me to do more googling & Head-Fi searching. Which led me to discovering another brand that's getting a lot of buzz at a (relatively speaking) fraction of the cost: Forrest FLC8S. Check out the dedicated thread here on them. I've ordered out of curiosity and waiting for arrival.

Still <3 my Westones tho' so I'll see what the FLC bring to the table.

 

[doctorjazz]

I also had my cake fray on my W4. Got the W40, similar sound and for but not identical.

 

[korzena]

^
What is this "cable problem" you speak of? I'm curious because I've had my W3 (and W4) for years and use them everyday not experiencing any problem with them.

As for recommendations the newer Westones are intriguing but to move from the W3 or W4 I think a major jump in model would be necessary to perceive an "upgrade difference". This means, for me, going to the W60 or perhaps moving to another brand such as Shure's SE846 (I've had SE535 and E3C in the past). Price of these keep me from making the jump and caused me to do more googling & Head-Fi searching. Which led me to discovering another brand that's getting a lot of buzz at a (relatively speaking) fraction of the cost: Forrest FLC8S. Check out the dedicated thread here on them. I've ordered out of curiosity and waiting for arrival.

Still <3 my Westones tho' so I'll see what the FLC bring to the table.

 
The 'cable problem' with my two W3s was that cable broke inside - sometimes moving the cable helped with the connection, but the headphones were not usable this way anymore.
 
W60 would probably satisfy me, but their price doesn't.
 
Please share your impressions with the FLC, especially in comparison to W3. Thanks in advance

 

[korzena]

I also had my cake fray on my W4. Got the W40, similar sound and for but not identical.

Which one you like better?
 
Have you heard W3? If so, how does it compare to W40?

 

[doctorjazz]

Liked the W4 better than the W3, but it's a really long time since I compared them, so I can't give any details at the moment (I'm away for the weekend, can dig up the W3 when I get home). Like the W40 slightly for SQ but they're close. But I found the W4 a bit more comfortable and a better fit (but that would likely differ for different ears). Can't give more detail driving in a car...

 

[korzena]

Liked the W4 better than the W3, but it's a really long time since I compared them, so I can't give any details at the moment (I'm away for the weekend, can dig up the W3 when I get home). Like the W40 slightly for SQ but they're close. But I found the W4 a bit more comfortable and a better fit (but that would likely differ for different ears). Can't give more detail driving in a car...

Thanks for the helpful info.
Have a safe trip!