[togiff]

I'm considering purchase of a new high end IEM for use on my Zune and laptop. I mostly listen to pop, hiphop, r&b, dance, techno, and some rock/metal. My most listened to is probably dance. A few artists I'm really into are Paul Oakenfold, Lady Gaga, Flo' Rida, Lady Soverigne, Darude, The Prodigy, Linkin Park, Kat DeLuna, and a bunch of pop like Katy Perry, Avril Lavigne, No Doubt, Black Eyed Peas, Kanye West. I really like bass and highs though I also think I like to have an accurate reproduction of the full spectrum of frequencies. Previously I've owned UE Super.fi 5 Pro (liked the best so far), and Shure SE530. The Shure SE530 got stolen recently and that's what I'm looking to replace, but i was a little disappointed with the SE530's lesser bass responce in comparison to the UE. Knowing this what would you guys suggest? I'm so far looking at Weston 3, Shure SE530, UE Triple.fi, and Sennheiser IE8. Anything I'm missing and what are each of these IEM's best at?

 

[koven]

Bass and highs? Seems like the FX500 would fit nicely. But it also seems money is no object for you.. so, IMO the W3 is the best non-custom IEM.

 

[talisman42]

Thanks for sharing your taste in music. There are a several you listed that I also keep in my playlist.. and being that these are all meant to for fun listening and dancing in your boxers in front of the mirror, I can give a thumbs up to the Westone 3. I haven't owned nor heard the others. Since you have experience with IEMs, be prepared to experiment a bit with the tips. The ones I had most success with were the Shure Black Foams (Olives). Surprisingly, I had pretty good results with the medium and large silicones and eventually got a fit using the triple flange - which by the way produces the optimum output according to various feedback throughout the forum. It's just not as comfy for me in the long term.

Does the Zune have EQ? - Even if it doesn't, the wide range in tip styles and sound sigs from each tip give you some latitude on tweaking sound quality.

 

[togiff]

Zune has no EQ..

Westone 3 on the way. ^_^

 

[talisman42]

The IE8 is also known for its bass

 

[togiff]

I got another question. What's the best deal around for the W3? I got mine for $339, just making sure there's not something out there I missed.

 

[talisman42]

that's about right. enjoy!

 

[Opentoe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by togiff /img/forum/go_quote.gif I got another question. What's the best deal around for the W3? I got mine for $339, just making sure there's not something out there I missed.

Why are those things so expensive??? If they are that much do these headphones reproduce a full range of sound without distortion? What is their resistance? I would suspect it would be high and need an extenal amp to run them all the time. ????

 

[Scott_Tarlow]

No you don't need an amp, and I think the W3 are the most overrated of all the IEM's I have ever heard. If you want crystal clear highs, awesome treble, and huge sound stage, go for the TF10 Pro.

 

[talisman42]

W3 has great detail and a cozy fit to boot. I think I would have liked the Triple Fi sound, but not enough for me to swap the fit/comfort.

 

[Ronald Lee]

my bet would be going for the westone 3, good tight bass that i personally like.

 

[togiff]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scott_Tarlow /img/forum/go_quote.gif No you don't need an amp, and I think the W3 are the most overrated of all the IEM's I have ever heard. If you want crystal clear highs, awesome treble, and huge sound stage, go for the TF10 Pro.

I bet the TF10Pro's are pretty good and at $225 they're the best value on the market right now, but at this time I think I'd rather have more balanced sound with the W3's high/mid/low true 3-way drivers. I don't like that the warranty was lowered to a miselly one year by Logitech/UE either, especially when you need to replace the cable so often..

 

[Scott_Tarlow]

Out of the 4 listed, the bass on the Westone 3 is the worst. What it has over the Se530 is a more balanced sound, but I would not call its sound overall balanced, it still favors the mids more than the lows and highs. Here are some personal rankings

Low
1. IE8
2. TF10
3. W3
4. se530

Mid
1.se530
2. W3
3.IE8
4.TF10

High
1. TF10
2.IE8
3. W3
4. se530

Bass
1.IE8
2.TF10
3.se530
4.W3

Treble
1.TF10
2.IE8
3.W3
4.se530

Soundstage
1.IE8
2.TF10
3.W3
4.se530

Overall Detail
1.TF10
2.IE8
3.se530
4.W3

Comfort
1.se530
2.W3
3.IE8
4.TF10

Isolation
1.se530
2.W3
3.TF10
4.IE8

As you can see, when compared to the other IEMs, the W3 really isn't the best at anything when compared to the other IEMs. It is as if it is trying to mash a bunch of sound signatures together, then again I only gave them a week. To me, the IE8 would be your best bet if you didn't care about Isolation, but the TF10 would not be a bad choice. The W3 is more well rounded than the se530, but if you listened to a lot of rock, the se530 beat the W3's. There is a reason why the UMX3 is really popular, and that is because the W3 sucks in terms of high end IEMs. Lets not beat around the bush like everyone else here tends to do, so people don't feel guilty about their purchase.

 

[talisman42]

hmm. To be realistic, how many people carry a checklist with them when playing the songs?

I've owned the UE style phones, and I did consider the super.fi.5 for a long time, but after discovering the fit on the Shures and W3, I'm glad I didn't go that route. Did you buy the W3 then return them?

 

[Scott_Tarlow]

Bought all 4, returned all but the TF10 pro. To be fair, I couldn't return the TF10 because I got them used, but It didn't matter, they were the best to my ears.