[ckhirnigs113]

Hi,
I am currently trying the decide whether or not to purchase the Westone UM2's for my 40gb iPod Photo. I have already owned the Er6i's and I was able to hear very evident sound distortion (especially in piano solos) when listening through the headphone-out. The problem completely disappeared when listening through the line-out.

This is a well-documented issue with the iPod Photos and headphones having an impedance lower than 32 ohms. The UM2's have an impedance of 27 ohms, so I fear they may be plagued as well. The Er6i's were only 16 ohms so the problem was very magnified!

Does anyone have any experience with this pairing so I can decide whether or not to buy the UM2's? Any info is, as always, much appreciated. -CK

 

[jeffreybowman2k]

I tried Ety ER4-P and Shure E5 with my Ipod Photo (30G) before settling on the UM2's. Not only is there no audible distortion, the UM2s blow away the other earphones that I tried. Absolutely fantastic results.

That said, I then got an external amp -- PA2V2 -- and use it and the earphones through the line out via a PocketDock, and I have found that this setup takes the fidelity to a new level. Noticeable improvement over any earphones, UM-2s included, plugged into Ipod's earphone jack.

Bottom line: you cannot go wrong with the UM2s and the Ipod Photo.

 

[ckhirnigs113]

That's great to hear!! Were you able to hear the sound defect with the Ety's and Shure's? I am not sure if I will ever go for a headphone amp due to the portability issue, but it's great to hear another satisfied UM2 owner! Thanks, CK

 

[jeffreybowman2k]

I did not experience distortion with either the ER4-P or the E5. I know that this was a problem with many Ipod Photo's, but (thankfully) it hasn't been an issue for me.

Of course, distortion caused by highly compressed sound files (<320 bit rate) is a different matter. But that is a problem for any portable, unless you use lossless transfer.

As for portability of ipod/amp, I also was skeptical. The Personal Amp 2 V2 is actually smaller (HxW) than an ipod and just a bit thicker. I stick them together with a strip of velcro and store both in a small/medium sized camera case. Because I carry my ipod in back pack, I have no portability issues at all. Certainly worth a few extra ounces of weight and an inch of thickness for the improvement in sound. IMHO.