[Jeremy1234]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Turko /img/forum/go_quote.gif I advice westone 3 custom.I think it has huge soundstage . incredible balance .warm sound that It"s best for the money. But It hasn't release yet..

A bit confuse here. Are you referring to Westone ES3 ?
I thought it's already on sale ?

Any idea about Westone ES3 & ES2 SQ ?
I read that ES2 is more musical but I would like feedback from person owning both. Which one had a better SQ ?

How do they compared to ACS T1 ?

Thanks.

 

[moseboy]

I never... ever... thought I'd look into customs. And yet here I am after just over a year and a half of joining Head-Fi. It truly is a curse.

So onto customs: I was under the impression that the Westone ES2/ES3 are designed for musicians, and not for listening to music. I really don't know a whole lot about customs, but from what I've heard, the UE-10 pro is pretty much a standard. What else is "better" (subjective of course)?

 

[chef8489]

The es2 is great for listening to music. Sound similar to the ue-5c. Many feel the ue-11 sound like the ue-10 but with a fuller sound. They have all the advantages of the ue-10 but with a deeper and fuller low end. It all comes down to what kind of sound you like to which custom you would get.

 

[moseboy]

I've heard that the UE-10 pro sounds like a much more refined Shure E500/SE530. Which I would not have a problem with because I have the SE530 and like it quite a lot, I just have a few gripes with it that, based on reviews, the UE-10 fixes. The only thing I'm kind of concerned with the UE-10 is the treble extension (only 16kHz?).

 

[catscratch]

/facepalm

OK. A few corrections:

1) There will not be a custom version of the W3 as far as I know. Westone themselves said so. There is, however, an all new custom IEM that they're working on which they haven't released any concrete info about yet aside from acknowledging that it's in the works.

2) The ES3 is not meant for listening. It's meant for performing on stage. It has exaggerated mids to allow vocalists and guitarists an easier time hearing themselves without using EQ. The Westone custom you want for listening is the ES2.

Now, based on what I've read - and I only have the ES2 so I can't validate any of this - people that have compared the ES2, UE10, UE11, and UE5c feel that the ES2 is on par with the UE10 but with a different sound signature - less detailed but fuller and more lush. The UE11 is more of an upgraded ES2 sound with greater detail and better performance at the frequency extremes.

Personally I wouldn't recommend the ES2 for classical. It's not detailed enough. Its main strenghts are midrange tone and dynamic range. It's more suited to rock and various dance music genres where it will sound natural and detailed while pummeling your head off with its impact.

I'd say go with the UE10 or UE11.

 

[moseboy]

I'm leaning more towards the UE10, but like I said, I'm just concerned about the 16kHz treble limit. Does it matter?

 

[catscratch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by moseboy /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm leaning more towards the UE10, but like I said, I'm just concerned about the 16kHz treble limit. Does it matter?

Never trust stated specs especially when they don't have +/-dB tolerances. Even when they do, they'll be often quite far from the truth. The E500 is rated to 19kHz but if it can output anything meaningful at those frequencies then I'm a rabbit.

Balanced armatures in general don't really get anything done past 16kHz. It's a universal problem, and UE are just a bit more realistic with their specs. Missing the last 4 kHz will affect overtones and harmonics, and instrument tone will not be quite as realistic as something that can go up all the way. Even past 20kHz there is still relevant information. Although most ears can't hear past 20kHz, if you overlay a high-pitched tone that you can't hear over something that you can, you will hear a difference. High-end frequency extension matters and 20kHz shouldn't be seen as the end-all for high-end gear.

Though of course standard Redbook CD playback will only go up so far (don't remember what exactly though).

 

[moseboy]

Westone says their ES2/3 goes up to 18kHz. Is that legitimate?

 

[nystalia]

Quote:

Originally Posted by moseboy /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm leaning more towards the UE10, but like I said, I'm just concerned about the 16kHz treble limit. Does it matter?

It doesn't matter, Balanced armature limits as what others had said, is 16KHz, but still, Ultimate ears sound signature is slightly more to the brighter side and UE10 pro custom high is really nice.

 

[catscratch]

It may very well go up to 18kHz but even if it does, it is - a LOT of dB at 18 kHz. In either case, treble extension is not its strong suit according to my ears. It sounds to me like it rolls off well before 18kHz, though it has noticeably better HF extension than the E500/W3/UM2 and the like. I think the ER-4S has better extension, and I would expect the UE10 to better it in the highs as well based on impressions from people with good ears that have owned both.

On the upside its highs are extremely refined and not sibilant at all, which is usually a problem with balanced armatures. It's a bloody good IEM and well worth the money, but once again not my first choice for classical. Best IEM ever for vocals, guitars, and Psytrance/Goa though unless the UE11 has something to say.

 

[moseboy]

Yeah, I'm sure it's fantastic compared to what I have right now. I'm still leaning toward the UE-10 though. I just like the idea of a nice reference quality, neutral soundstage that isn't 100 percent analytical yet accurate enough that I could effectively mix with it if I wanted to. It just seems like a nice package.

Is there anything else out there that tops the UE-10 in terms of what I just said? Is there anything else coming out in the next years that will compete with it that is known yet?

 

[moseboy]

Wow, this soon into the custom mindset and I'm already seeing individuals dissing the UE-10, which I thought was basically "it" in the IEM world....

 

[hockeyb213]

most people who diss iem's that high are people with high end big cans that no iem can touch ue-10's are absolutely lovely and will be more then good enough for what you need

 

[Bolardito]

Quote:

Originally Posted by moseboy /img/forum/go_quote.gif Wow, this soon into the custom mindset and I'm already seeing individuals dissing the UE-10, which I thought was basically "it" in the IEM world....

I think nowadays UE11 is more THE iem rather than the UE10 though based on what you are looking for the UE10 might be a better option.

 

[moseboy]

The impression I'm getting of the UE11 is that it's a refined E500/SE530 with much better and more pronounced highs.

The uncertainties I had with the UE-10 stemmed from posts like this:

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/que...8/#post2338719