[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mark2410 /img/forum/go_quote.gif there was a dif between the RE-3 and 252? i thought it was just a rename?

No, not just a rename - the RE252 are even more balanced between bass, mids and treble, with a warmer smoother richer creamier sound than the RE3. But those are also $200 and the W1 for $139 offer a lot of sound for the price, (as I prefer the W1 over the Nuforce NE-7M, Maximo iP-HS5 and Denon C700 that I A/B with).

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chews89 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yes you're right, I haven't heard the RE0 or ER4P before as I have no access to them. My take on them is based purely on what I've read here at head-fi. Unfortunately I'm very unfamiliar when it come's to IEMs. The only ones that I've heard are the RE2s and JVC marshmallows. The JVCs are terrible with huge overbearing bass however for the price I can't complain. When I first heard the RE2s I was blown away by the clarity and soundstage as they are pretty much my only experience with better IEMs. I'm thinking, if these "entry-level" IEMs can sound so good, how much better can popular so even "famous" IEMs like the ER4P sound. Full-cans however I've heard the DT770 2005 version, ES7, AD500, MS-1, MS1000, AD700, A900, SRH440, HD650, K601 and currently own the HD600 and enjoying them immensely. Actually I'm wondering if the RE0, ER4P and W1 will be able to blow me away coming from the RE2. Sorry I'm not even sure if I answered your question properly, Larry, but hopefully this helps.

You posted around the same time as I was posting my last one, so I almost missed this because I ended up on a new page.

To me the W1 are a big step up from the RE2, and a mild to moderate step up from the RE3, depending on what I am listening to and with what music source. I switched from Phonak PFE to RE3 because they eliminated the sibilance with my 4G Nano, but I lost some of the detail and transparency and bass of the PFE while still having somewhat of a forward mids. The W1 are a little better and relatively neutral/balanced without a lot of coloration, so if you enjoy a stock HD600 with stock cable the W1 might do it for you.

 

[rawrster]

i was wondering..im thinking about getting something similar to the scl4 with a bit more bass..would these be close to the sound i want or am i in a totally wrong direction

 

[Spyro]

I am thinking not. I am seeing too many negative reviews on these (ILounge, CNET). I thought UM1's were pretty bad and even if these are a little better it surely would not be up to the level of an E4.

HeadphoneAddict writes excellent reviews and I would love to see how he compares the W1 to the HF2/5 which seems to get much better reviews.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spyro /img/forum/go_quote.gif I am thinking not. I am seeing too many negative reviews on these (ILounge, CNET). I thought UM1's were pretty bad and even if these are a little better it surely would not be up to the level of an E4. HeadphoneAddict writes excellent reviews and I would love to see how he compares the W1 to the HF2/5 which seems to get much better reviews.

The E4c that I owned in 2007 needed an amp to shine, and with an amp I think I might have liked them better than W1 - the need for an amp for my E4c is what drove me to head-fi in the first place, and head-fi got me into the SE530 which sounded much better un-amped.

But un-amped I think the W1 get a grip on the music a little better than the un-amped E4c did for me. It's been too long to adequately compare the two without having them side by side.

 

[rawrster]

such a shame theres no e4's to directly compare it to..cant decide which westone to get at this point

think ill wait a bit until more reviews show up here before i actually make a purchase.

 

[bik2101]

I can't comment on the ER4P as I have never heard them before but I did own a pair of RE0. IMO the mids and highs are better on the RE0. But to me the bass was lacking on the RE0 and the w1's are not too far off in the mids and highs. Also, the comfort and zero microphonics of the w1 swayed me to keep these and let my RE0 go.

Quote:

Originally Posted by chews89 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Can anyone help me with my dilemma? I'm contemplating buying the Westone1s from a fellow aussie and am actually leaning towards getting them. However, I am kinda worried that if I do end up buying them, I'll be curious as to what would it have been like if I went with either the ER4P or the RE0 - my other two choices because they are in the similar price range. I think that if I go with either the ER4P or RE0, it'll be pretty safe as the main things I love are detail and clarity in the mids/highs(honestly, bass isn't too important to me). However I have to admit I'm a sucker for aesthetics. To me the Westone 1 look unique due to it's around-ear style. The RE0 on the other hand looks to be fairly boring and ordinary. Lastly to me the ER4P look pretty ugly, plus when wearing them they tend to look pretty awkward, IMO neway. I know here on head-fi, for the most part everyone says "If it sounds good, that's all that matters", I agree somewhat. But I will be using these iems mainly while I'm out commuting or studying at the library so looks do play an important factor in my decision. I think getting some input on whether the Westone1s are able to match the RE0 or ER4P performance wise with help a lot. Can anyone help me with this? So yeah, I really can't decide. Head-fiers please help me out

 

[Spyro]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeadphoneAddict /img/forum/go_quote.gif The E4c that I owned in 2007 needed an amp to shine, and with an amp I think I might have liked them better than W1 - the need for an amp for my E4c is what drove me to head-fi in the first place, and head-fi got me into the SE530 which sounded much better un-amped. But un-amped I think the W1 get a grip on the music a little better than the un-amped E4c did for me. It's been too long to adequately compare the two without having them side by side.

Wow, that's a pretty darn good IEM then. So would you say W1 sort of falls between E4c and UM2? I'm considering sending back my HF5's for W1's. I have about 3 days left to decide. Tough decision as HF5 does a lot very well. Somebody convince me otherwise (dang I hate this hobby....)

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spyro /img/forum/go_quote.gif Wow, that's a pretty darn good IEM then. So would you say W1 sort of falls between E4c and UM2? I'm considering sending back my HF5's for W1's. I have about 3 days left to decide. Tough decision as HF5 does a lot very well. Somebody convince me otherwise (dang I hate this hobby....)

When it's trickier than that - let me preface this by saying I have not heard the UM2 or Ety HF-2/HF-5. Some of my following thought process is posted last year in soozieq's Denon C700 thread. Pretty early into my days of owning portable amps I recognized that small amps with internal DAC were best paired with my Macbook, and that I liked to use my iPods without one (for portability). I originally picked the C700 over the E4c because un-amped on a 5.5G iPod video or 2G Nano they were better than either my un-amped SE310 or E4c.

However, when amped I think I might have liked the both Shure IEM a little better, but I wanted an earphone that didn't need to be played loud to open up and sound dynamic - that was the C700. But the bass could be muddy at times, and sometimes the treble was not smooth. The W1 improve on the C700 in those areas (un-amped) and work well with a 4G Nano and iPhone 3GS without an amp. They improve upon my NE-7M but with a similar sound signature. Without an amp the W1 will sound warmer than the E4c, with a little more bass impact, but with less treble and detail. Amping the E4c or not is like when you use an HD600 without an amp and they are just okay, but then you pair them with a great amp and you get a wow moment.

The W1 are good and better than my RE2 and RE3, closer to the q-JAYS and SA6 that I tried for a while, but not as good as Image X10 or RE252. And while less detailed than a Phonak PFE they are warmer and less sibilant but less extended. They are more accurate than a Super.fi 5 Pro which are closer to the C700 but the Super.fi have sucked out mids that accentuate the bass and treble even more. But they are not as good as the SE530, W3 or UM3X. That's what my thoughts are. They may not be a class-killer but I think that they are worth the $139 price they command. They might not be as good as the UM2 or Ety HF2 that I haven't heard yet, and I do plan to get a pair of the Ety iPhone version to try someday.

 

[jkozlow3]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeadphoneAddict /img/forum/go_quote.gif The W1 improve on the C700 in those areas (un-amped) and work well with a 4G Nano and iPhone 3GS without an amp.

HeadphoneAddict, do you still think the iPhone 3G can hold it's own with the 3GS unamped out of the headphone jack? I remember you posting that in another thread some time ago and I believe you mentioned that you had not done a direct comparison at that time.

I only ask because the iPhone 3G is my source for now and I just wonder if I'm missing out on anything (mostly out of sheer curiosity).

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

I am very happy with both the 3G and 3GS. If they are different, it is not by much and I still think both are the best sounding iPods out there.

 

[rawrster]

heh..too curious for my own good..gonna end up buying these within the next couple days

i planned on getting a westone iem soon anyway so didnt need much convincing haha

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

I've had a few questions about why I like these more than the Super.fi 5 Pro. I find that the W1 try to be more accurate than the Super.fi which are more of a "fun" phone.

The Super.fi seem to have boosted the bass and treble over the mids, and so the midrange presence and detail was lacking. I have always called the Super.fi "sucked out" in the mids like the vintage Stax Lambda Pro or old standard Darth Beyer V3.

While the W1 treble is a little rolled off and could use a little more sparkle, the Super.fi highs seemed a little edgy or harsh to me at times. Despite the boomy bass and slight edgy highs of the Denon C700, I found their mids to beat the Super.fi and kept those while I sold the Super.fi 5 Pro both times that I owned them.\

So, the W1 aren't perfect, but they have less flaws than some of the other phones in their price range.

 

[WithBadIntent]

The Westone 1 will be arriving at my local dealer in about 2 to 3 weeks and I hope to purchase a set. One question I have is about the ruggedness of the phones, as I commute a lot (walking or public transport) and I don't want to have to replace them every month or so.

So to all the Westone 1 owners, how have they held up with you?.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by WithBadIntent /img/forum/go_quote.gif The Westone 1 will be arriving at my local dealer in about 2 to 3 weeks and I hope to purchase a set. One question I have is about the ruggedness of the phones, as I commute a lot (walking or public transport) and I don't want to have to replace them every month or so. So to all the Westone 1 owners, how have they held up with you?.

Keeping mine in a coin purse like case in my cargo pants pocket every day and no problem. Carried the W3 the same way without any damage, sometimes even in front pocket of blue jeans which is tighter than cargo pants.