[Gilly87]

Can't wait til I get my JH13s sold, gonna jump on these badboys immediately...

 

[Spyro]

Really,   if you don't want to break the bank you cannot go wrong with W30.  It is honestly a combination of W3, UM3X and W4/40 all in one.  There's no better way to describe it.
 
Bass:            Great control like UM3X but also abundant like W3.  No mid bass hump....very linear.
Midrange:     Closest to W4 but a hair less lush.  Vocals are great.  Not recessed like W3 and not to forward like UM3X.  
Treble:          As good or better than W3.  Perhaps it's best trait.  Exceptional clarity with zero harshness for a $350 IEM.
Soundstage: Great separation.  Fairly large stage but not as distant like what W3 does.  Just about the way you want it.
 
It can also handle high volume with ease.  Sometimes with W4 I felt like I was really pushing it....or that the W4 just didn't like high volume.  Most all Westone IEM's to high volume very well.
 
In every IEM in my sound sig, W60 and JH16 would be the only 2 IEM's I would trade straight up with.  But I would have to get a different cable for W60 as I want it brighter like W30 does it. 

 

[AllWillEnd]

Good stuff. I plan on ordering a set on Friday when I get my paycheck. Upgrading from SE315, these sound exactly like what I was looking for.

 

[AllWillEnd]

So, I finally picked my pair up from Fed Ex today, and I really like them. One thing though, I think I may be hearing some distortion. I'm using my Iphone 5s with 320kbps CBR MP3 files, so nothing major when it comes to audio quality. I might have to play around with flac to see if that's the issue.
 
Comparing these to my SE 315's, there is no comparison...
 
Bass: Much more abundant on the W30's. I listen to alot of Rock, Metal, and Hip Hop and all perform best on the W30.
Mids: While the 315's were very mid centric, I felt it congested the mix with the above genres. The W30's mids are far less as prominent, much more balanced.
Treble: Once again, W30's win here. I knew the 315's were a little rolled off up top, but without anything to compare it to I never noticed. Now I do...
Cable: I didn't particularly care for the ultra heavy Shure cable. I might be one of the few people who actually likes memory wire, as that's the only thing I'm missing with the epic cable. However the epic cable is much lighter and feels much better when being worn.
 
While this isn't the most comprehensive nor fair comparison ($200 vs 400$ IEM's), I figured I would throw it out there for anyone who was in my situation.
 
Overall I'm extremely satisfied with the quality and the sound. I'll be sticking with these for a while, provided I can figure out the source of the small amounts of distortion.

 

[proedros]

how do these fare compared to the RE-600 ?

 

[AllWillEnd]

Never tried them, but as far as know, RE-600 are more analytical then W30.
 
If you want to hear every detail and have a balanced sound than you would probably want RE-600.
 
If you want a fun sound with great bass than I would say W30.
 
However the cable set up of the RE-600 would scare me off.

 

[mgmlari]

  Really,   if you don't want to break the bank you cannot go wrong with W30.  It is honestly a combination of W3, UM3X and W4/40 all in one.  There's no better way to describe it.
 
Bass:            Great control like UM3X but also abundant like W3.  No mid bass hump....very linear.
Midrange:     Closest to W4 but a hair less lush.  Vocals are great.  Not recessed like W3 and not to forward like UM3X.  
Treble:          As good or better than W3.  Perhaps it's best trait.  Exceptional clarity with zero harshness for a $350 IEM.
Soundstage: Great separation.  Fairly large stage but not as distant like what W3 does.  Just about the way you want it.
 
It can also handle high volume with ease.  Sometimes with W4 I felt like I was really pushing it....or that the W4 just didn't like high volume.  Most all Westone IEM's to high volume very well.
 
In every IEM in my sound sig, W60 and JH16 would be the only 2 IEM's I would trade straight up with.  But I would have to get a different cable for W60 as I want it brighter like W30 does it. 
 
 

Spyro, my man, I am a newbie to Head-Fi. I was mulling over W30s for a week. I opened a thread earlier today asking an opinion between W30 and W40.
 
I read  your thread now and I already pulled the plug on W30. Bought it in eBay (listed as 'used only for few hours'), some nice guy who appears to have a lotta IEMs and Big cans (i checked his previous sales history and 100% feedback). He sold it to me on a best offer for $265.
 
Saved myself $100 or more (compared to W40). Hopefully W30 rocks with my MP3 Collection on iPod/iPhone :-D (again, i ain't no audiophile). ThankS A LOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

 

[Spyro]

You should like it.  Please report back after you receive.  I like using the medium supplied "star" tips.

 

[Jetset7]

Do you guys think these are comfortable enough to sleep in? Thanks!

 

[mgmlari]

  You should like it.  Please report back after you receive.  I like using the medium supplied "star" tips.

 
Will sure do. Expecting it to arrive this coming week. 

 

[MachBot]

Do you guys think these are comfortable enough to sleep in? Thanks!

I won't sleep with anything in my ear, it's just asking for trouble.
The iem could break, among a host of other possibilities that I couldn't come up right now.
 
 
Answering the question, those are not comfy enough for me to lie down on my side with one of my ear in the pillow.

 

[BRCMRGN]

I have always used Westones to sleep in. Try with a Estron Linum BAX cable.

 

[blackhawk11]

All- i am struggling mightily between buying w30 or w40.   I am coming from seinn CX500 (4-5 years old, purchased before getting more serious on audio).  I just purchased a fiio x5 and loading it with some good 24 bit material...
 
I am the kind of audio guy that tries to buy it right (for me) the first time and not get caught into buying many iterations of things....i try to avoid 'upgradeitis' ..... therefore I don't mind putting down a few extra dollars from original budget  to get it right.  This said, i am not in the W60, Sure 800 series, JH price range....budget is about $400-$500 or less.   
 
i listen to many different types of musics but mostly rock, alt country (Ryan Adams etc.),  a little of almost everything else.  
 
I have gravitated to more neutral sounding audio equipment , letting the artists initial interpretations shine through versus colouring the sound.....but based on reading headfi and other forums, i am concerned the w40 are too "dark" vs. w30 which seem to have a little more presence to them.   
 
I'm torn.  Very torn.  I have w30 on order (spyro sold me a few days ago via this thread).... but wondering if it is the right move.  It's not too late to flip the order to the w40.  
 
Any advice is appreciated.  

 

[fallingreason]

  All- i am struggling mightily between buying w30 or w40.   I am coming from seinn CX500 (4-5 years old, purchased before getting more serious on audio).  I just purchased a fiio x5 and loading it with some good 24 bit material...
 
I am the kind of audio guy that tries to buy it right (for me) the first time and not get caught into buying many iterations of things....i try to avoid 'upgradeitis' ..... therefore I don't mind putting down a few extra dollars from original budget  to get it right.  This said, i am not in the W60, Sure 800 series, JH price range....budget is about $400-$500 or less.   
 
i listen to many different types of musics but mostly rock, alt country (Ryan Adams etc.),  a little of almost everything else.  
 
I have gravitated to more neutral sounding audio equipment , letting the artists initial interpretations shine through versus colouring the sound.....but based on reading headfi and other forums, i am concerned the w40 are too "dark" vs. w30 which seem to have a little more presence to them.   
 
I'm torn.  Very torn.  I have w30 on order (spyro sold me a few days ago via this thread).... but wondering if it is the right move.  It's not too late to flip the order to the w40.  
 
Any advice is appreciated.  

I would stick with the W30.  

 

[Spyro]

You made the right choice with W30.  It is killing me that no one seems to be buying it (no thanks to Westone poor marketing).  W4 was really nice but bass was a little lean for me.  W40 increased the bass but shrunk the soundstage.  W40 not necessarily an improvement over W4, just more of a preference thing with added bass.  Don't get me wrong, it is still a very good IEM but after 3-4 months you may find it too dark and warm. 
 
YES, W30.....I was so pleasantly surprised that the bass was at least as strong as W40, perhaps a pinch stronger like W3....but more importantly, everything was a little more crisp sounding and detailed.  I was shocked what they did with it.  I was a HUGE W3 fan owning it 3-4 times for total period of 3 years.  I new it was not accurate but SO much fun.  W30 keeps a lot of the fun but reigns it in a little bit (mid bass) to make it a bit more accurate.  All new drivers and tuning.  At $400 range it is surely my #1 choice among anything out there.  It easily challenged the $1,000 W60 I tried for 3 weeks and I owned them back to back.    Main difference....W60 VERY refined and pro sounding where W30 is a bit rawer sounding.   You should love the W30.  Try to find the right size and use the supplied silicone "star" tips.   The IEM is already warm sounding so any foam tips will make it even more soft and warm and undesirable IMHO.  I honestly think the IEM was designed to be used with silicone tips.  Be patient and find the right size.  In all my IEM profile history, W30, W60 and IE800 reign supreme as far as universals go.