[flamerz]

I thought I should post this in this thread, if any. After rolling more coins together, I now have $250 to spend on UM2's! Still, I'm hoping to wait for a price drop after UM3's come out, but I definitely have the funds on hand now.

 

[Indygreg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Entropy /img/forum/go_quote.gif Do the tips stay attached to your UM1/UM2s when you pull them out? From what I have seen of them, they dont look all that well secured tro the drivers.

I had the UM2's for a few weeks . . . but I used them a ton and they were in and out a lot. The tips are not going to come off when you pull them out. I used foam, tri flange, bi flange, and the sure firm and soft rubber tips . . . none come off the IEM very easily. In fact, you have to twist and pull fairly firmly to get them to come off when you want to change them.

No worries about them coming off in your ear.

 

[toanaldino]

I just received a new pair of UM1, for some reason it feels really dull and flat.

Does it need to be burn in first? How can i improve the sound?

 

[Indygreg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by toanaldino /img/forum/go_quote.gif I just received a new pair of UM1, for some reason it feels really dull and flat. Does it need to be burn in first? How can i improve the sound?

A few questions and some thoughts (I have never heard the UM1, but had the UM2, so take this with a grain of salt).

#1 have you used IEM's before?

When I got my UM2's I was totally dissapointed. It sounded like I was under water or had a pillow over my head. I had been using UE SF.5's for about a year, so I was comfortable with IEM insertion and seal and was comfortable wearing them - so I did not think that was it.

Many here say there is no burn in with IEMs like the UM1 or 2 (or any that use the type of drivers they have), but Earphonesolutions.com says otherwise. Personally, I think that burn-in really helped the UM2's. I ran pink noise through them all night for a few nights (8 hours a night) and probably a few hours each day. In just a day or two I noticed a difference. Maybe it is real, maybe it is not.

It could be that one's ears adapt to a sound signature. It could be that one learns to align them better in their ear. It is probably a combo of all 3 factors.

Bottom line, in a few days they in MY ears went from dull and dissapointing to really top notch. I was a big fan of their sound - plenty clear. To be honest, I always found them a bit inconsistant, where they were amazing on one song and not all that great on another. I would listen to the same stretch with my UE's and they would be much more consistant.

More thoughts: Tips and fit are everything. It is easy to get a seal with the UM's if you have various tips to try. That will take care of the bass. Alignment is another factor that is critical to the mids and highs. I would find a slight touch or tweak to the UM2's made a word of difference. I found the foamies WAY to easy to not get perfect and the pillow sound would return. I found the same on full tri-flanges. Bi-flanges and the shure rubber tips were best for me. I think this issue is partially due to the design of the UM's (and shures for that matter). The tunnel to your ear (or the opening) is just very small. It is easy to sort of shut down that path when using foamies. The UE super.fi series has a much larger opening and I think that helps. However, I think the large tip of the UE's makes them less comfy and harder to fit.

In then end I went with customs (yet to get them yet, I go get impressions today).

I think you will end up getting much better sound out of the UM1's and will like them very much. I plan on getting some for a spare set and for my wife to use from time to time.

 

[toanaldino]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Indygreg /img/forum/go_quote.gif #1 have you used IEM's before? .

No, these are my first IEM's. I didn't know what to expect of them, isolation and comfort was the things I expected. But the sound surprised me, dull and lifeless.

maybe i have the try the other eartips, but for some reasons, the tips weren't included in the box.

 

[Indygreg]

UM1 and 2 just have two sets of comply tips. I orderd the shure fit kit with my UM2 as well. IMHO, Westone should include this at $300 (UM2) and maybe for the UM1. They are going to include more tips with the UM3 I think.

Anyhow and either way, give it a few days and never assume you have them in as best possible. Additionally, you will get used to the feel and sound of an IEM and it will all get better.

I have little doubt that in a week you will be raving about them.

 

[toanaldino]

thanks for the tips Indygreg, I will report back after a week of use and if I have notice any improvements

 

[cindyk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Entropy /img/forum/go_quote.gif I am very close to purchasing a pair of Westone UM1s. It costs allot to ship to New Zealand and I wonder if I should get some spare tips or the Shure Fit Kit. How long do the comply tips last, and what do you guys buy as replacements?

Earsoft foamies, cheap and comfortable.

 

[Snaques]

I totally agree with the part on tips and their influence on SQ. You definitely have to try out few of them before judging the phones. They really make a huge difference. For me, and quite many others it seems, the biflanges modded from triflanges offer the best combination of fit, isolation and comfort. So you might want to start from there too.

Other thing that I noticed with my UM1s was that they responded pretty well to amping. Plugging them to PA2v2 really gave the sound more bass, warmth and more body. Without it they do feel a bit thin for me too. Also coming from stage monitor background, the Westones seem to shine when you crank it up a bit. I think it has quite similar effect to amping, but with an amp you don't need as high levels... which is nice

 

[Indygreg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snaques /img/forum/go_quote.gif Other thing that I noticed with my UM1s was that they responded pretty well to amping. Plugging them to PA2v2 really gave the sound more bass, warmth and more body. Without it they do feel a bit thin for me too. Also coming from stage monitor background, the Westones seem to shine when you crank it up a bit. I think it has quite similar effect to amping, but with an amp you don't need as high levels... which is nice

This is good info. One thing that I did not love about the UM2 (that I do not always mention in the many UM2 threads I post in) is that I think they need to go a bit louder than the UE SF.5 or e500 to sound in the same league. Sounds like an amp could fix that.

 

[Ymer]

Excuse a Westone noob, will the UM2s require amplification to sound its best with portables? MP3 players, PMPs, DS, PSP, etc...

Thanks

 

[Snaques]

I would say that you can make any higher grade headphone sound better with proper amping. Whether you need it or not is another issue all together. As I mentioned earlier, amping UM1 helped the cause quite a bit and I would think it's the same with UM2. That being said, there are people listening to both phones without an amp and being totally happy with them.

Again one of those messages that only raises more questions, but that's how it is. If it were me, I'd buy an amp

 

[Ymer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snaques /img/forum/go_quote.gif I would say that you can make any higher grade headphone sound better with proper amping. Whether you need it or not is another issue all together. As I mentioned earlier, amping UM1 helped the cause quite a bit and I would think it's the same with UM2. That being said, there are people listening to both phones without an amp and being totally happy with them. Again one of those messages that only raises more questions, but that's how it is. If it were me, I'd buy an amp

My home phone are all properly amplified, but I don't like the idea of carrying an extra piece on the go, so that's why I'm after an IEM that will sound great without amping.

 

[Britbonic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ymer /img/forum/go_quote.gif My home phone are all properly amplified, but I don't like the idea of carrying an extra piece on the go, so that's why I'm after an IEM that will sound great without amping.

I've used my UM2s with and without an amp with my iPod. In both cases they sound great but some of the better qualities really surface with an amp. I used a RSA Tomahawk which about as small as you can get for a portable amp. Worth the $$ and extra hassle IMHO.

 

[Wisenheimer]

I use a non-USB Porta Corda with my UM-2's and I think it sounds pretty good that way. The amp clips onto my left shirt pocket so I can adjust the volume easily with my right hand without taking the iPod out of my pocket and dinking around with the hyper-sensitive controls.

I've only had my UM-2's for 3 weeks. I have about 200 hours into them and I think breaking them in helps considerably. I think they sound a whole lot better than the Shure E-500's they replaced.

The audiologist had my UM-56's today. Except for break and lunch I had them in all day at work. 10 hours. There is no way I could wear E-500's more than a couple of hours at a time. With the UM-2's with original foams I could go about 4 hours. Once I figured out the position where the UM-2's could sit without pressing against my ear I didn't get tired or wearing them. The isolation is also much improved. I work in a noisy environment so isolation is a big deal.

Overall I am really impressed with the Westone stuff. I have a full-on home speaker system which makes the comparison quite impressive.