velveteer
Head-Fier
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2003
- Posts
- 57
- Likes
- 10
Mind the intentionally provocative title. It isn't intended to suggest that these relatively inexpensive Sennheiser headphones have, in my view, robbed Westone of the title of holy grail portables. Rather, I only wish to call some of your attention to these overlooked, inexpensive, and exceptionally great sounding gems.
To put a long story short, this adamant Gradoite, classical pianist and singer/songwriter had his beloved Shure E500s die recently. With some cash in hand, I purchased and quickly sold a pair of relatively new Westone 3s. Although immersive, I found the Westones bloated, confused, and exaggerated in their tonal signature. The low end was beyond the IEM's own capabilities, and the top end was bordering on shrill in their extension.
Don't get me wrong: the Westone 3s sounded "great" by any measure. But my distaste for them was rooted in something more of principle: for such a steep price, I felt that they certainly should have inspired more confidence in build quality, and a lot more respect for the ears of its listeners. Those exaggerated highs and lows are a huge turn off for musicians.
So, on the advice that the UM3Xs corrected many of what I felt were the Westone 3's critical faults, I sold the latter and purchased a set of the former. And in the meantime (the UM3Xs are in the mail), I reached in my cupboard and pulled out these wacky green Sennheiser MX 75s - purchased on a whim for some $19 back at a clearance event almost a year ago. I never really gave these earphones a shot, but having auditioned them for well over 10 hours now, I tell you this: for the price they must be awful hard to beat. And without any real reservation, I frankly state that I prefer them - at least in terms of the RESPECT that they inspire - to the Westone 3s.
I don't care to get into much in the way of details, and I certainly don't care to convince anyone of anything by using the head-fi'ers idiom, but consider this a plain ol' PSA of sorts, and a simple affirmation of the old maxim: "It's in your ears, not in the price, stupid." At the end of the day, you'll like what you're looking for.
As for their sonic signature, the MX 75's are what I would consider fairly aggressive. Forward mids with nice repro of male vocals, but with a surprisingly tight low end and restrained, focused high. The sound is forward, overall, and more in the camp of the Shure E500s I had than the U-shaped EQ of the Westone 3s. They're not IEMs, and they certainly look whacky, but for $19.99 (current price on Amazon), I have no doubt they're worth the entry price.
Anyway, I look forward to auditioning the UM3Xs when they arrive. I'm sure they'll sound fantastic - but I'm starting to wonder, ladies and gentlemen: will they really justify the extra $220 of my money? Or am I just LOOKING for things to spend on?
Happy listening!
To put a long story short, this adamant Gradoite, classical pianist and singer/songwriter had his beloved Shure E500s die recently. With some cash in hand, I purchased and quickly sold a pair of relatively new Westone 3s. Although immersive, I found the Westones bloated, confused, and exaggerated in their tonal signature. The low end was beyond the IEM's own capabilities, and the top end was bordering on shrill in their extension.
Don't get me wrong: the Westone 3s sounded "great" by any measure. But my distaste for them was rooted in something more of principle: for such a steep price, I felt that they certainly should have inspired more confidence in build quality, and a lot more respect for the ears of its listeners. Those exaggerated highs and lows are a huge turn off for musicians.
So, on the advice that the UM3Xs corrected many of what I felt were the Westone 3's critical faults, I sold the latter and purchased a set of the former. And in the meantime (the UM3Xs are in the mail), I reached in my cupboard and pulled out these wacky green Sennheiser MX 75s - purchased on a whim for some $19 back at a clearance event almost a year ago. I never really gave these earphones a shot, but having auditioned them for well over 10 hours now, I tell you this: for the price they must be awful hard to beat. And without any real reservation, I frankly state that I prefer them - at least in terms of the RESPECT that they inspire - to the Westone 3s.
I don't care to get into much in the way of details, and I certainly don't care to convince anyone of anything by using the head-fi'ers idiom, but consider this a plain ol' PSA of sorts, and a simple affirmation of the old maxim: "It's in your ears, not in the price, stupid." At the end of the day, you'll like what you're looking for.
As for their sonic signature, the MX 75's are what I would consider fairly aggressive. Forward mids with nice repro of male vocals, but with a surprisingly tight low end and restrained, focused high. The sound is forward, overall, and more in the camp of the Shure E500s I had than the U-shaped EQ of the Westone 3s. They're not IEMs, and they certainly look whacky, but for $19.99 (current price on Amazon), I have no doubt they're worth the entry price.
Anyway, I look forward to auditioning the UM3Xs when they arrive. I'm sure they'll sound fantastic - but I'm starting to wonder, ladies and gentlemen: will they really justify the extra $220 of my money? Or am I just LOOKING for things to spend on?
Happy listening!
