After a week travelling I finally got home Friday late at night. My W3 were in a parcel in the kitchen. So before I went upstairs to kiss my wife good night I obviously ripped the parcel open.
For the most part I can confirm the enthusiastic views expressed by so many others before:
- touch & feel: very nicely shaped IEMs that place themselves very nicely in the concha; the cable is really light, soft and non-obstrusive - all in all very positive
- the sound is an immediate blessing. It brought up memories of when I first listened to the Manger speakers (a high performance single driver speaker) after years with the likes of Kef Reference.
For me the key characteristics are:
- overall an immersive sound experience with a natural, musical feel - brings me closer to the music, lets me forget the technology
- seems to get harmonics right, the instruments sound as they should
- wonderful soundstage, good detail and micro-information
- deep, articulate bass
- a slight over bass+ bloat that is very charming as it makes everything warmer and fuller. The downside is that male singers suddenly have more chest, female voices are a touch too full, cellos have a body that has grown beyond their real size etc. This is a tendency and does not affect the speed or resolution of bass notes, I reckon it must be a slight rise around 150-300Hz for the more technical minded.
The main issue I have though is that I cannot get the W3 to fit me well and comfortably!!!
I have used the SE530 with custom moulds in the past and before that used the medium Shure olives. Both had great fit and seal, just that the customs were a bit more comfortable. Now the Shure olives suddenly do not fit so well and are too loose!? Could it be that my earcanals got wider in the recent past?
All other bits I tried are either too small (all medium sized stuff), do not enter far enough (e.g. large Shure olives), are uncomfortably hard & non-isolating (the clear & grey bits)..... Just the tri-flange with the top ring amputated isolates well, but it is not comfortable.
Any suggestions?