[Labze]

Hello
 
I've had my Sennheiser IE8 for soon 4 years and they still hold up decently, however its now the third time I've broken the L-plug connecter (lose connection). I've considered moving on to something new. I listen to a very wide range of music, but a majority of it is electronic based such as trance and dubstep but also listen to rock, heavy, pop and chill stuff.
 
The two IEMs that has caught my attention the most is the Westone W40 / W4 and the Westone UM 30 Pro. Their price range is about as high as i can go too. How does these compare to IE8, any other good alternatives to consider?

 

[ryanjsoo]

The westone series iem`s are all very good, seeing as your coming from ie8`s you should maybe look into the um 30 pro`s since they seem to have more bass than the 4`s and 40`s, however I have only listened to the westone 4`s so I can only go along with other people`s words. The westone 40`s are not much better than the 4`s if better at all, I have seen the housings and they are slightly larger and seem less ergonomic and slightly blockier than the old housing on the 4`s. Seeing as you have had troubles with you ie8 cable its important to mention that the westone 4`s come with the excellent epic cable which is simply sublime and has been proven to be hardy over the years however the um 30 pro and w 40 come with a new cable with an inferior connector. The westone 40 and 4 have the exact same sound. 

 

[nehcrow]

I'd consider the W3/TF10 for your EDM needs
TBH, they do much better than the IE8 for those genres

 

[Labze]

I've been considering the W3, but the lack of replacement cable really puts me off, as mentioned I already ripped 3 Ie8 cables which are a great build quality and I'd hate it happening without the possibility to replace it. 
 
The thing about the um 30's that makes me hesitate should be the lack of soundstage, coming from the ie8 i do appreciate the quite big soundstage that they got, which from what i understand also is true for the W4. Also the um 30 sounds to be a bit harsher / aggresive? I prefer a iem that is as non fatiguing as possible as i often use them for hours.

 

[iAbdulKarim]

I listen to pretty much only EDM and I bought the Sony XBA-H3's over the IE80's, they have replacement cables and sound fantastic!  Large soundstage, full bass and when you have them in you forget they are even there - highly recommended!

 

[Labze]

To throw extra into consideration, the Stagediver SD-2 also seems to be highly praised and within budget (same as the westone 30 pro). Not many comparisons between the two though, anyone have experience with both on how they hold up? 

 

[Labze]

So I've been reading alot about the Stagedivers and they seem to be highly appraised and am considering spending some extra to get the Stagediver SD-3. Given my musical taste would this be a decent upgrade over my IE8?

 

[Eugguy]

I've used the IE8 for a while as well. I enjoyed my IE8 very much. Big soundstage, great bass presence. I listen to primarily House music, but also dabble in indie, vocal centric music. Have you ever thought of the IE80? It is an upgrade to the IE8. Has more sub-bass presence as well. I can also say that the ASG2 has also satisfied my needs. I've been on a journey for the past few years for the right IEM. I am sticking with the IE80, ASG2, and WD2. Try any of them out.

 

[Labze]

  I've used the IE8 for a while as well. I enjoyed my IE8 very much. Big soundstage, great bass presence. I listen to primarily House music, but also dabble in indie, vocal centric music. Have you ever thought of the IE80? It is an upgrade to the IE8. Has more sub-bass presence as well. I can also say that the ASG2 has also satisfied my needs. I've been on a journey for the past few years for the right IEM. I am sticking with the IE80, ASG2, and WD2. Try any of them out.

 
The thing is, i'd rather try something else than sennheiser. I've kind of had sennheiser most of my life, various headphones and in ears from them and their sound signature doesn't change much. While i enjoy their sound, I also feel like i need something new to warrant the price tag of an upgrade.

 

[Eugguy]

Try the sd2/3 or asg2. Both are nice upgrades I would say to the ie8.

 

[Labze]

Okay, so after a bit more search I've narrowed the search down to 2 iems. The SD3 and the Fischer Audio FA-4E XB. From what I see both are very capable iems, with great extension.
 
Anyone have experience with either both of them or one of them? I've looked over almost all impression posts of both these iems and all i seem to find are raving reviews about them, it's hard to make a decision about them when neither gets anything bad said about them.However, there seem to be some people suggesting that SD3 have a slight bass bleed into the mids, which maybe concerns me a bit in rock and heavy as one problem i have with ie8 is that a lot of the detail in the bass-lowmid region gets lost as the bass bloats much of it. Also, i do really like something that sounds open, something that feels like it has a lot of space and air.
 
So anyone have anything to say, that can make my life easier to chose between these 2?

 

[Labze]

bump