Earbones
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Dec 21, 2013
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So my go-to earphones are Westone UM2's with a Plussound Exo cable (cryo-treated silver-plated copper). I'm looking for a nice upgrade.
Before I go any further I should address three things:
Firstly, many people hate the UM2s, I am not one of them. While I totally get that they don't provide the most "exciting" listening experience in the world (I am looking to upgrade after all) I think they do a number of things really, really well... And several recent attempts at upgrades have proven to be either marginal (too small to justify) or side-grades.
Secondly, I like a "fun" sound rather than some absolutely flat "audiophile correct" sound. I'm not a bass-head or anything (although I do tend to like phones that hit deep), I just appreciate a headphone that's dynamic and pleasurable. I'm a little spoiled when it comes to fun sounding IEMs, because I have some Sennheiser ie800s, which for my money are the best "fun" IEMs on the planet. Nothing I've heard thus far comes close. The reason why I just don't sell the UM2s and listen to the ie800s exclusively is because I need a high-isolation earphone as well, for when I'm working or traveling.
Thirdly, I run my UM2s umamped out of my iPad Air 2, and that's what I intend to do with whatever I end up with. I have a few very nice desktop rigs, but as far as portable stuff goes, I often find myself grabbing these sporadic ten-minute chunks of time to get some work done when I'm traveling, and dealing with another piece of kit isn't in the cards.
So with that out of the way, here's the basic criteria... Excellent isolation, deep, powerful bass, forward mids, natural vocals, splashy highs.
I'll detail the two recent failed attempts as upgrading, as that should maybe give you guys some additional insight...
Etymotic ER4PT. I really liked the mids and highs of this guy, but the fit was all wrong, so the isolation and bass didn't work for me. Even right up against my eardrums (the intended deep insertion style) I couldn't get a proper seal with any of the included tips (and some random tips I had lying around)... So they had to go back.
Westone W40. I was sure these would be a solid upgrade. Maybe I got a bum pair, maybe the Plussound cable really makes a massive difference (although I've always known cables to provide tiny benefits not major), but these were firmly a side-grade. The W40 lost the powerful bass of the UM2, but added a tiny bit of detail to the mids. And that's really it. Soundstage, imaging, bass detail, vocals and treble were all too close to call between the two. This is a bit contrary to what I've read, but there you are. Back to Amazon they go.
Three I'm mulling over ordering...
Shure SE535. I'm a little gun-shy here, because I'm reading many reviews that say the bass isn't so present with these. Others reviews say it is, so who knows. I'm intrigued about the mids, because apparently these provide some of the best at the pricepoint. I'm also intrigued about the isolation. While my UM2s with large foam tips provide the best isolation I've experienced thus far, I could always go quieter, ha ha. Some report that the longer nozzles of the Shures provide better isolation than Westone. I've also heard these are great performers unamped.
Shure SE846. I won't really go into the reasons here, as most reports suggest this is just in a different league, fairer to compare to my ie800s than UM2s.. Although the price reflects that. My UM2s were around $225, and I'm hoping for an upgrade in the $400-$500 range... The 846s will set me back around a grand.
Westone Um Pro 30. I guess my main fear here is that they might not be enough of an upgrade. At $399, nearly twice the cash I spent on the UM2s, I want something that will knock my socks off when compared to the UM2... Not just be slightly better. I've read a few reviews on the UM30s that suggest this, but just as many saying it's just a bit better.
So there it is... Suggestions very appreciated. Thanks!
Before I go any further I should address three things:
Firstly, many people hate the UM2s, I am not one of them. While I totally get that they don't provide the most "exciting" listening experience in the world (I am looking to upgrade after all) I think they do a number of things really, really well... And several recent attempts at upgrades have proven to be either marginal (too small to justify) or side-grades.
Secondly, I like a "fun" sound rather than some absolutely flat "audiophile correct" sound. I'm not a bass-head or anything (although I do tend to like phones that hit deep), I just appreciate a headphone that's dynamic and pleasurable. I'm a little spoiled when it comes to fun sounding IEMs, because I have some Sennheiser ie800s, which for my money are the best "fun" IEMs on the planet. Nothing I've heard thus far comes close. The reason why I just don't sell the UM2s and listen to the ie800s exclusively is because I need a high-isolation earphone as well, for when I'm working or traveling.
Thirdly, I run my UM2s umamped out of my iPad Air 2, and that's what I intend to do with whatever I end up with. I have a few very nice desktop rigs, but as far as portable stuff goes, I often find myself grabbing these sporadic ten-minute chunks of time to get some work done when I'm traveling, and dealing with another piece of kit isn't in the cards.
So with that out of the way, here's the basic criteria... Excellent isolation, deep, powerful bass, forward mids, natural vocals, splashy highs.
I'll detail the two recent failed attempts as upgrading, as that should maybe give you guys some additional insight...
Etymotic ER4PT. I really liked the mids and highs of this guy, but the fit was all wrong, so the isolation and bass didn't work for me. Even right up against my eardrums (the intended deep insertion style) I couldn't get a proper seal with any of the included tips (and some random tips I had lying around)... So they had to go back.
Westone W40. I was sure these would be a solid upgrade. Maybe I got a bum pair, maybe the Plussound cable really makes a massive difference (although I've always known cables to provide tiny benefits not major), but these were firmly a side-grade. The W40 lost the powerful bass of the UM2, but added a tiny bit of detail to the mids. And that's really it. Soundstage, imaging, bass detail, vocals and treble were all too close to call between the two. This is a bit contrary to what I've read, but there you are. Back to Amazon they go.
Three I'm mulling over ordering...
Shure SE535. I'm a little gun-shy here, because I'm reading many reviews that say the bass isn't so present with these. Others reviews say it is, so who knows. I'm intrigued about the mids, because apparently these provide some of the best at the pricepoint. I'm also intrigued about the isolation. While my UM2s with large foam tips provide the best isolation I've experienced thus far, I could always go quieter, ha ha. Some report that the longer nozzles of the Shures provide better isolation than Westone. I've also heard these are great performers unamped.
Shure SE846. I won't really go into the reasons here, as most reports suggest this is just in a different league, fairer to compare to my ie800s than UM2s.. Although the price reflects that. My UM2s were around $225, and I'm hoping for an upgrade in the $400-$500 range... The 846s will set me back around a grand.
Westone Um Pro 30. I guess my main fear here is that they might not be enough of an upgrade. At $399, nearly twice the cash I spent on the UM2s, I want something that will knock my socks off when compared to the UM2... Not just be slightly better. I've read a few reviews on the UM30s that suggest this, but just as many saying it's just a bit better.
So there it is... Suggestions very appreciated. Thanks!
