MachBot
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Mar 17, 2014
- Posts
- 271
- Likes
- 24
Got it, it's in the original packaging anyway, I prefer the old black zipper case from when I bought my w3.
New WESTONE W-SERIES
- Thread starter Macgirl
- Start date
- Joined
- Oct 6, 2013
- Posts
- 15,543
- Likes
- 49,830
This is a review of Lunashops silver plated OCC wire replacement cable with a standard MMCX connector. http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=4456
People have polarized opinion about headphone replacement cables. Some consider these as a "snake oil" and a waste of money, others are too vocal about it being a miracle in transforming headphones into something new. When I approach testing of replacement cables, I try to be more realistic and tested a variety of budget cables with my W40, UE900, and ATH-IM03 IEMs. One thing I found in common, going from a standard copper to OFC cable doesn't yield too much of an improvement, but stepping up to a silver-plated OFC cable indeed produces an audible difference. Doesn't matter if you are a skeptic or an optimist, you are dealing with a higher purity and a higher conductivity replacement which in comparison to a standard copper wire will not introduce as much loss or filtering effect to your audio signal. As a result, you are not really improving a sound from your original audio source, but rather bringing it closer to its original signature without degradation effect introduced by lower purity wires.
Is this a must have upgrade? If you are dealing with a high quality hardware audio source, like a dedicated DAP and/or external amp, and high quality IEMs in $400-$500 and up to $1000+ range, I think it's a must have investment. Once we get IEMs out of the box, the first thing we do is start with a tip rolling to find the best fitment to fine tune the sound. If you have more expensive IEMs, sometime you have an option to change filters. Going for a replacement cable with a higher purity wires is taking it one step further in sound improvement. In the past year I was very impressed with replacement cables from Lunashops, especially their silver-plated cables. Here, I would like to look at their new silver-plated 5N OCC (with OCC having an even higher purity than OFC) replacement cable with a standard MMCX connector which you can use with Westone W- or UM Pro- series, Shure SE- series, Logitech Ultimate Ears UE- series, and other IEMs that use a standard replacement cables with MMCX connector. Keep in mind, VSonic VSD3/3S series does NOT use standard mmcx connector. Here is what I found.
Arrived in a small flat tin box with a clear display, it was packed inside of a small ziploc bag and stored between foam inserts to make sure it doesn't get crashed or damaged during shipment. Out of the box, the cable looks very impressive with a quality workmanship of the assembly. You have 4 separate wires in individual clear thin shielding. Left/Right sides of the wires are twisted in pairs and separated inside of another soft clear shielding until the y-splitter where all 4 wires are twisted together and inside of a common soft clear shielding as well. Y-splitter is also clear with a chin slider (cable cinch) next to it. 3.5mm headphone connector is straight, slim, gold plated, and can be taken apart by unscrewing the cap for a quick access to fix it, if required. At the other end of the cable, you have mmcx gold plated connectors inside of a slim mold. The whole assembly looks clean and professionally done.
As I mentioned before, the cable shielding is very soft, not springy, which keeps the cable tangle free and perfect for either wired down or over the ear fitment. For additional comfort when used over the ear, sliding cable cinch up helps keep the wires together. Furthermore, with a soft nature of the cable, you can use it over your ears without a need for a memory wire or bulky wire guides. The extra clear/soft shielding over the twisted wires also helps significantly with reduction of microphonics effect when cable is brushing against your cloth. This is a very important factor because previously I was using FiiO RC-SE1 similar cable, and microphonics effect was next to unbeareable, not too mention springy effect of wires. This Lunashops cable design solves this problem down to a very minimum cable noise, still present but at a minimum level. So the big question, how does it sounds? I tested it with my W40 and UE900 and found similar results.
With W40 cable fitment was great, and I was pleased to see that beside a good snap in action and solid connection also the housing of the connector was slim enough to fit right into the side of a bean shaped shell of these IEMs. With the original FiiO RC-SE1 the connector was almost too big to fit in, though I heard they had to update their design for Westone specifically in another model. Lunashops connector housing has a comfortable grip to attach the cable and to pull it apart. Behind the ear fitment, the only way you can use cable with W-series, was comfortable and I didn't even have to use cable cinch. The sound improvement was definitely noticeable, though don't expect your W40 to sound like W60. Beside a brighter and slightly more detailed sound in upper mids and lower treble, I also noticed more improvement at the lower end where the sound had more crunch. The perception of soundstage opened up as well, though this could be attributed due to a brighter sound signature. Since I have W40 with black/red shell plates, addition of clear/silver cable adds another color to the mix and makes cable discrete with the rest of the colors. I guess a small price to pay for a sound and durability improvement.
Overall, YMMV but in my personal opinion this is one worthy upgrade to try out with your headphones to push the performance of your multi-driver IEMs even further. This will not make a sound improvement like night'n'day, but it will definitely improve your sound signature making it brighter across entire frequency range and opening up soundstange perception (I use 'perception' because you are not really changing soundstage). This cable has an excellent build quality, feels very durable, and uses high quality wires which an improvement over any stock copper or even OFC cable. This is not a pure silver, but silver-plated cable and it also has a higher purity of copper than OFC (OCC uses a different manufacturing process). For $40 shipped it's a great value which is still a fraction of the price in comparison to $500-$1000 multi-drive IEMs you can use it with. Definitely gets my recommendation!
Here are the pictures (click on pictures to expand).
People have polarized opinion about headphone replacement cables. Some consider these as a "snake oil" and a waste of money, others are too vocal about it being a miracle in transforming headphones into something new. When I approach testing of replacement cables, I try to be more realistic and tested a variety of budget cables with my W40, UE900, and ATH-IM03 IEMs. One thing I found in common, going from a standard copper to OFC cable doesn't yield too much of an improvement, but stepping up to a silver-plated OFC cable indeed produces an audible difference. Doesn't matter if you are a skeptic or an optimist, you are dealing with a higher purity and a higher conductivity replacement which in comparison to a standard copper wire will not introduce as much loss or filtering effect to your audio signal. As a result, you are not really improving a sound from your original audio source, but rather bringing it closer to its original signature without degradation effect introduced by lower purity wires.
Is this a must have upgrade? If you are dealing with a high quality hardware audio source, like a dedicated DAP and/or external amp, and high quality IEMs in $400-$500 and up to $1000+ range, I think it's a must have investment. Once we get IEMs out of the box, the first thing we do is start with a tip rolling to find the best fitment to fine tune the sound. If you have more expensive IEMs, sometime you have an option to change filters. Going for a replacement cable with a higher purity wires is taking it one step further in sound improvement. In the past year I was very impressed with replacement cables from Lunashops, especially their silver-plated cables. Here, I would like to look at their new silver-plated 5N OCC (with OCC having an even higher purity than OFC) replacement cable with a standard MMCX connector which you can use with Westone W- or UM Pro- series, Shure SE- series, Logitech Ultimate Ears UE- series, and other IEMs that use a standard replacement cables with MMCX connector. Keep in mind, VSonic VSD3/3S series does NOT use standard mmcx connector. Here is what I found.
Arrived in a small flat tin box with a clear display, it was packed inside of a small ziploc bag and stored between foam inserts to make sure it doesn't get crashed or damaged during shipment. Out of the box, the cable looks very impressive with a quality workmanship of the assembly. You have 4 separate wires in individual clear thin shielding. Left/Right sides of the wires are twisted in pairs and separated inside of another soft clear shielding until the y-splitter where all 4 wires are twisted together and inside of a common soft clear shielding as well. Y-splitter is also clear with a chin slider (cable cinch) next to it. 3.5mm headphone connector is straight, slim, gold plated, and can be taken apart by unscrewing the cap for a quick access to fix it, if required. At the other end of the cable, you have mmcx gold plated connectors inside of a slim mold. The whole assembly looks clean and professionally done.
As I mentioned before, the cable shielding is very soft, not springy, which keeps the cable tangle free and perfect for either wired down or over the ear fitment. For additional comfort when used over the ear, sliding cable cinch up helps keep the wires together. Furthermore, with a soft nature of the cable, you can use it over your ears without a need for a memory wire or bulky wire guides. The extra clear/soft shielding over the twisted wires also helps significantly with reduction of microphonics effect when cable is brushing against your cloth. This is a very important factor because previously I was using FiiO RC-SE1 similar cable, and microphonics effect was next to unbeareable, not too mention springy effect of wires. This Lunashops cable design solves this problem down to a very minimum cable noise, still present but at a minimum level. So the big question, how does it sounds? I tested it with my W40 and UE900 and found similar results.
With W40 cable fitment was great, and I was pleased to see that beside a good snap in action and solid connection also the housing of the connector was slim enough to fit right into the side of a bean shaped shell of these IEMs. With the original FiiO RC-SE1 the connector was almost too big to fit in, though I heard they had to update their design for Westone specifically in another model. Lunashops connector housing has a comfortable grip to attach the cable and to pull it apart. Behind the ear fitment, the only way you can use cable with W-series, was comfortable and I didn't even have to use cable cinch. The sound improvement was definitely noticeable, though don't expect your W40 to sound like W60. Beside a brighter and slightly more detailed sound in upper mids and lower treble, I also noticed more improvement at the lower end where the sound had more crunch. The perception of soundstage opened up as well, though this could be attributed due to a brighter sound signature. Since I have W40 with black/red shell plates, addition of clear/silver cable adds another color to the mix and makes cable discrete with the rest of the colors. I guess a small price to pay for a sound and durability improvement.
Overall, YMMV but in my personal opinion this is one worthy upgrade to try out with your headphones to push the performance of your multi-driver IEMs even further. This will not make a sound improvement like night'n'day, but it will definitely improve your sound signature making it brighter across entire frequency range and opening up soundstange perception (I use 'perception' because you are not really changing soundstage). This cable has an excellent build quality, feels very durable, and uses high quality wires which an improvement over any stock copper or even OFC cable. This is not a pure silver, but silver-plated cable and it also has a higher purity of copper than OFC (OCC uses a different manufacturing process). For $40 shipped it's a great value which is still a fraction of the price in comparison to $500-$1000 multi-drive IEMs you can use it with. Definitely gets my recommendation!
Here are the pictures (click on pictures to expand).
Nice review twister. Odd that they list many Westone W40 compatible cables but don't include this one?
- Joined
- Oct 6, 2013
- Posts
- 15,543
- Likes
- 49,830
Surprised too, but it doesn't matter since we are talking about universal mmcx connector. My only guess, they probably think Shure and UE are more popular and use those model numbers as keywords for search? Don't know if Westone is as well known in China as Shure/UE/Senns/Beyer/AT? Something that has been bothering me about W-series release and their limited marketing 'bout these great IEMs
Btw, I will stress out this point again, not every mmcx connector housing will be compatible with W- and UM Pro- series. For example, original FiiO's RC-SE1 was my previous go-to recommendation but they are inferior to this lunashops cable because of a bulkier connector housing that fits very tightly with W shell. This one has a slim housing and a much better fitment.
nimbostruck14
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Aug 14, 2012
- Posts
- 220
- Likes
- 21
i use the same color shells for my W30. The black and red match my school colors and are pretty BA.
Mainian
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jun 8, 2013
- Posts
- 26
- Likes
- 16
Does anyone else have the UMCX connector getting stuck issue? - I cannot disconnect the cable from the right monitor...
ctipping
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Oct 20, 2012
- Posts
- 6
- Likes
- 0
Hi All,
Apologies if this has come up before, but has anyone noticed a rattle in either monitor at higher volume levels? I've read through most of this thread and done a few searches but haven't seen anythings specific to the W series on this (though i found a few similar issues with Westone's older models). I recently got a pair of the W20's and after about two weeks have noticed that there is a rattle when I turn up the volume (only while on the train, so about 15 minutes at a time) in the left ear only. Anyone else have this problem? Wondering if I should (1) try to return them to amazon and order a new pair (2) go through Westone's warranty (3) forget about it.
And just to chime in, I ordered the W10's and W20's and liked though sound of the W20's a lot more. I found both to be pretty much what everyone else has described - the W10's much more mid-centric, etc. As I mostly listen to podcasts, etc. while on the go, I thought the W10's would work well for me and I could save the extra $100, but the additional lower end in the W20's made a big difference to me for music and overall sound. I refuse to even try any others for the sake of my bank account...
Oh, and Mainian, I've changed the cables a few times (between the two in the box) and haven't had any problems. Though it always feels a little too difficult to disconnect...
Apologies if this has come up before, but has anyone noticed a rattle in either monitor at higher volume levels? I've read through most of this thread and done a few searches but haven't seen anythings specific to the W series on this (though i found a few similar issues with Westone's older models). I recently got a pair of the W20's and after about two weeks have noticed that there is a rattle when I turn up the volume (only while on the train, so about 15 minutes at a time) in the left ear only. Anyone else have this problem? Wondering if I should (1) try to return them to amazon and order a new pair (2) go through Westone's warranty (3) forget about it.
And just to chime in, I ordered the W10's and W20's and liked though sound of the W20's a lot more. I found both to be pretty much what everyone else has described - the W10's much more mid-centric, etc. As I mostly listen to podcasts, etc. while on the go, I thought the W10's would work well for me and I could save the extra $100, but the additional lower end in the W20's made a big difference to me for music and overall sound. I refuse to even try any others for the sake of my bank account...
Oh, and Mainian, I've changed the cables a few times (between the two in the box) and haven't had any problems. Though it always feels a little too difficult to disconnect...
MachBot
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Mar 17, 2014
- Posts
- 271
- Likes
- 24
Rig
Retina iPad Mini 2 > W30
Packaging
Both the W3 and W30 comes packaged with the Westone STAR tops(silicon) and Truefit tips(Foam) but the W3 came packaged with a 1/8 to 1/4 adapter and a volume attenuator and a better wax removal tool. The W30 came lacking the 1/8 to 1/4 adapter and the volume attenuator.
The W30 also came with an MFI cable with volume control and a braided Epic cable.
Build
Matte finishing on the housing as compared to the shiny gloss on the old W series.
I felt the old W3 was a better built product and the W30 isn't as well built, probably due to the interchangeable faceplate.
The removable MMCX Epic cable is a welcomed change coming from the W3, and it's also slightly longer(+4 inches) than the one on the W3.
Sound signature
Bass slam is plentiful and comparing it to the UERM demo unit, the bass is just a touch less. The mid tones isn't recessed as compared to the old W3 and is pretty much in line with the trebles, which is a much welcomed improvement from the W3. The W30 is also not prone to sibilance when the star tips are used; another improvement from the W3. Instrument separation is pretty good and the perceived sound stage is spacious.
It should also be noted that the W30 uses a different acoustic filter and is slightly harder to drive as compared to the W3.
TL; DR
The W30 have a balanced sound signature that goes well with what I usually listen to; pop, rock and the occasional metal. A departure from the V shaped signature of the W3.
Songs used for testing:
Pink Floyd - Comfortably Numb
Metallica - The God That Failed
Metallica - The Four Horsemen
Taylor Swift - All Too Well
Taylor Swift - Begin Again
Retina iPad Mini 2 > W30
Packaging
Both the W3 and W30 comes packaged with the Westone STAR tops(silicon) and Truefit tips(Foam) but the W3 came packaged with a 1/8 to 1/4 adapter and a volume attenuator and a better wax removal tool. The W30 came lacking the 1/8 to 1/4 adapter and the volume attenuator.
The W30 also came with an MFI cable with volume control and a braided Epic cable.
Build
Matte finishing on the housing as compared to the shiny gloss on the old W series.
I felt the old W3 was a better built product and the W30 isn't as well built, probably due to the interchangeable faceplate.
The removable MMCX Epic cable is a welcomed change coming from the W3, and it's also slightly longer(+4 inches) than the one on the W3.
Sound signature
Bass slam is plentiful and comparing it to the UERM demo unit, the bass is just a touch less. The mid tones isn't recessed as compared to the old W3 and is pretty much in line with the trebles, which is a much welcomed improvement from the W3. The W30 is also not prone to sibilance when the star tips are used; another improvement from the W3. Instrument separation is pretty good and the perceived sound stage is spacious.
It should also be noted that the W30 uses a different acoustic filter and is slightly harder to drive as compared to the W3.
TL; DR
The W30 have a balanced sound signature that goes well with what I usually listen to; pop, rock and the occasional metal. A departure from the V shaped signature of the W3.
Songs used for testing:
Pink Floyd - Comfortably Numb
Metallica - The God That Failed
Metallica - The Four Horsemen
Taylor Swift - All Too Well
Taylor Swift - Begin Again
mrhizzo
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2008
- Posts
- 579
- Likes
- 61
Nothing about the W60?
frozst
Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jan 24, 2013
- Posts
- 61
- Likes
- 12
Does anyone have the android cable?
http://www.westone.com/store/index.php/westone-music-products/ultra-thin-replacement-cable-52-inches-3173.html
I was having a look but it seems it has only 1 button? What?! Then I will stick to the original as it works with an app
http://www.westone.com/store/index.php/westone-music-products/ultra-thin-replacement-cable-52-inches-3173.html
I was having a look but it seems it has only 1 button? What?! Then I will stick to the original as it works with an app
milford30
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Sep 28, 2006
- Posts
- 583
- Likes
- 56
BoomBoomChild
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2014
- Posts
- 20
- Likes
- 13
Update on my Westone W30 review.
My brain has burned into them totally now. They're awesome, reallyl. I listen to a lot of rock, metal of all kinds, pop, rap, Type O Negative - it just all sounds awesome though my Cowon D2+. I also use them to record guitar into my DAW at home - this way I can mic my amp and not have to hear the amp, but only the mics I'm monitoring (the gun range ear muffs I wear also help). Great isolation with the foam tips that fit best. I mean, they cost $400, but if you can afford that I would not feel guilty at all about telling you to buy these. I've only the UE Superfi Pros (pre-logitec) to compare these to and I loved those. At first I thought these W30 lacked bass. Now I can't seem to tell, because I'm burned into them. Anyway, I'm all settled into these and they're awesome. I like they way they wear, too, with the zip cable behind your neck - people can't even tell you're wearing these - their lips move when they talk to you, but they don't know why you can't hear them. I'm spoiled to be longboarding around Seattle with such good sound.
My brain has burned into them totally now. They're awesome, reallyl. I listen to a lot of rock, metal of all kinds, pop, rap, Type O Negative - it just all sounds awesome though my Cowon D2+. I also use them to record guitar into my DAW at home - this way I can mic my amp and not have to hear the amp, but only the mics I'm monitoring (the gun range ear muffs I wear also help). Great isolation with the foam tips that fit best. I mean, they cost $400, but if you can afford that I would not feel guilty at all about telling you to buy these. I've only the UE Superfi Pros (pre-logitec) to compare these to and I loved those. At first I thought these W30 lacked bass. Now I can't seem to tell, because I'm burned into them. Anyway, I'm all settled into these and they're awesome. I like they way they wear, too, with the zip cable behind your neck - people can't even tell you're wearing these - their lips move when they talk to you, but they don't know why you can't hear them. I'm spoiled to be longboarding around Seattle with such good sound.
BoomBoomChild
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2014
- Posts
- 20
- Likes
- 13
Forgot to mention that the only gripe I would have if any would be the twisted cable. It's cool and all, but it has a bit of a memory where it goes around your ears, but it's not too much of a problem really if at all - I just like a zero memory cable like the one I bought for my UE Superfi 5pro before I damaged the Superfis. I wouldn't bother replacing the cable because of this, but just saying this would be my only gripe.
BoomBoomChild
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2014
- Posts
- 20
- Likes
- 13
Does anyone know what the best foam tips are for the W30 would be? The W30 came with some Westone foam tips and they work great, but I see some other after market brand like Comply or whatever it is. Are the Complys better? I want the bestest, but as I said these Westone ones are not bad at all.
Users who are viewing this thread
