Shure E500 vs Westone UM2 (preview)

[cibbi77]

I've just received a wonderful pair of Shure E500 (thanks Andy!). I have already started the test.

I'll issue a review soon!

 

[PeterDLai]

Cool, looking forward to it.

 

[jinx20001]

i own the shure se530 and have owned the westone um2.read that line again and you know what i chose,westone has harder bass,but harder dnt mean more accurate,the mids on the shure stand out with great clarity from highs if a bit rolled off,rolled off in my opinion isnt a bad point unless it was painfully serious and its nowhere near,the bass is clean clear and hard when its called up! maybe a bit bias but from a pure accuracy and clarity its an easy winner for the highest end shures,am i missing something because you seem to be comparing them to the um2,surely the 3's are a fairer and more obvious comparison,everyones ears and tastes are different i look forward to this comparison!

 

[cibbi77]

I'd like to compare Shure to Westone 3, but I don't have them.
I compare them to UM2 just because I have both of them available and I can evaluate the difference...

 

[tbonner1]

Thanks, these two are closely matched and each have fans. Both are also efficient and sound good without an amp, but will improve as you improve the source.

 

[jinx20001]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tbonner1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks, these two are closely matched and each have fans. Both are also efficient and sound good without an amp, but will improve as you improve the source.

couldnt agree more,its important to have a decent source and ofcourse high quality recording of files to get the most out of these two headphones and all high end headphones,only then can they really stand out,i honestly do think the shures have an easy win here tho but the um2 are fantastic in thier own right!

 

[cibbi77]

Here below my first impressions: (Sorry for my English!)

Build quality: Shure are better done than Westone, they looks stronger and the looking appeals to me. E500 box is nicer and full of extras (PTH, Volume regulator, some cables, a complete set of tips...)

Comfort: They are both comfortable, but I prefer Westone, cable is thinner and they fit better into my ears.

Sound
My source is an ipod nano 1st gen with apple lossless files + Silvercab by Qables

Reference albums:
Jagged little - Alanis Morissette
Alchemy - Dire Straits
Back to Bedlam - James Blunt
Aerial - Kate Bush
Il Mucchio - Biagio Antonacci
Tra un manifesto e lo specchio - Francesco De Gregori

Treble: Shure is more brilliant and it is less sibilant (this is the main issue of Westone, in my opinion...)

Mids: Shure deliver a more detailed sound, but it depends on source...

Bass: Westone's bass is warmer, more enjoyable. On the other hand, shure has a more detailed and precise bass. Sometimes, Westone bass melts...

Soundstaging: Shure has a wider soundstaging, channels are better separated and especially with headphonia you can distinguish every instrument...

Source influence: When you use Shure you can easily hear the difference between two amplifiers or sources. I have tested them with x1 and headphonia and I've noticed a strong difference between the two amplifiers that I hadn't appreciated before with Westone... (For instance, with headphonia,i've heard some details that i hadn't ever heard before...).
Surely Shure fits better to Headphonia than Westone!

Conclusion: Shure deliver a better sound but they miss a sort of magic that Westone have. This is only my first impression. Let me hear the new cans longer and maybe I'll change my mind...!

 

[sinsiang]

Thanks for the review.

siang

 

[pixpox007]

My opinion is that the UM2 cannot and should not be tested on an iPod for the following reasons:

1. The frequency response of UM2 is maximally flat because most of westone's customers are professional musicians. Shure or the other hand designs their IEMs with primary emphasis on iPods and sounds better without equilization because they compensate for it in design (much like how Grado bumps and dips some frequencies to get a much more involving sound).

2. Just plugging the UM2 into the Nano with no music playing is enough to get the audible hiss (noise) from the iPods internal circuitry (let alone intervals between songs or silent portions of the songs). This is obviously because of the poor electrical isolation of the audio circuitry and may be made worse by their poor choice of components. The Shure on the other hand is much more suited for the iPod because they are designed for the iPod. (The UM2 on my iRiver Clix provides a near pin drop silence without any hiss when its meant to be silent (slight hiss is only audible at really ear blasting volumes). And the music sound so drastically better to my ears than the iPOds when using the UM2)

3. iPod doesnot have equilization. UM2s are know to be flat and you need to bump up the high frequencies a bit to get it to sing sharp and nice.

I personally find the iPod's much inferior sound quality a big disappointment and would urge you to try both IEMs on you computer etc.. if you don't have any other good sounding mp3 player.

Above are my opinions and please correct me where you find me wrong.

 

[pixpox007]

Sorry.. don't mean to post multiple times.. but I just tried UM2 with and without EQ on Foobar right now again and all the things like instrument seperation, very clear and articulate highs etc.. come to existance with proper EQing.

Without EQ, I personally find the UM2 barely tolerable.. but with EQ.. it sings lovely.. really.. the difference is like radio and hi-fidility.. UM2s are simply not meant to be used without EQ if you just want to have fun listening ti music and not a musician..

Bump up the high frequencies, lower the ones around 1KHz a little and if you want bum up the bass (lower freq.) just a bit.

I am not an EQ fan and I hate any EQ on any of my Grados because the Grados are already compensated to my perfect liking.

 

[cibbi77]

I've rockboxxed my nano just to add eq feature...

 

[DavidMahler]

Neither the UM2 or the E530 have enough treble to be fully balanced.

 

[headbuddy]

great job

 

[dissembled]

Most iEms are mated with DAPs. Most (unmodded) DAPs don't have Custom EQ. The DAPs that do have custom EQs sometimes are plagued by native anti-distortion-related issues which decrease overall sound quality.

The E500 (and other Shure IEMs) will be the better overall choice for most DAP owners because of their natively 'EQed' settings. More neutral IEMs (Etymotics, etc) are better suited for either Rockboxeable DAPs or players with rather comprehensive custom equalizers.

 

[jinx20001]

nice preview cibbi i agree tottally with your assessment so far,the wesone's have bass that thumps that bit more creating a exciting listening experience but the shures offer overall more balanced,cleaner and just better sounding (imo) than the westone's,thats about the story of these two earphones,thats as far as the rabbit hole goes,on to that wesone 3 vs shure link

nice one cibbi,nice impression so far