[twister6]

Hey, great write up and thread (and not dauntingly long or out-of-date-old)!

I'm on the hunt for my, uh, um, *cough*endgame*cough* IEMs and the UM Pro 50 recently came onto my radar. So far from the description they look pretty much exactly like what I'm looking for.
My one concern is the durability-- it seems like the one common complaint to some of the other Westone models. Now that you've had them for a year-ish, how does the durability seem? I've seen complaints of the thin nozzles snapping off. Is that a legitimate worry? Is the plastic (acrylic?) shell confidence inspiring (or at least not discouraging)? I have one metal IEM and I'm honestly not a fan (too heavy, cold).

As to the sound, you call it more relaxed than some of the other models... I assume that the bass is still able to hit big and hard when needed, though? And that the treble is pretty well extended and present, but not too aggressive? Specifically, I'm looking for an all-arounder that's got extension and power at both ends, but not so unrelenting that I couldn't listen to dusty vinyl, for example.

Regarding the sound, that's pretty much what you are looking for.

With a build quality and the nozzle, ever since I had my first Westone, that was always a thought running through my mind because Westone and Shure nozzles have the same small diameter (and you can interchange eartips). But I came across maybe one post where something happened to Westone nozzle, while other posts usually talking about nozzle concerns, not the actual problem. Personally, I'm not the best example because I'm a reviewer rather than consumer, so I don't spend too much exclusive time with one pair of iems at a time, but I do keep tabs on many head-fi threads. As you know, people more eager to share problems than praises, and if there is a wide spread of nozzle problems we would be reading it in many threads, but it's not. And for sure, this 2nd gen is more durable.

 

[megabigeye]

Awesome! That's pretty much exactly what I wanted to hear. I'm hoping my hunt is now drawing to a close.

Complainers being more outspoken than praisers, as well as people that often just don't know what they're doing / talking about (Amazon reviewers especially), make hunting for earphones that much more difficult, especially when you don't have a convenient way to demo them.

Thank you for taking the time to reply to me!

 

[twister6]

Awesome! That's pretty much exactly what I wanted to hear. I'm hoping my hunt is now drawing to a close.

Complainers being more outspoken than praisers, as well as people that often just don't know what they're doing / talking about (Amazon reviewers especially), make hunting for earphones that much more difficult, especially when you don't have a convenient way to demo them.

Thank you for taking the time to reply to me!

I don't know where you're located, but if on East Coast, I highly recommend to attend CanJam NYC in a few months. Westone, among other manufacturers, going to be there, and it's a perfect opportunity to listen and to compare their entire line of IEMs. Plus, sometimes you can score a show discount or get some bonus stuff.

Also, Westone director of marketing/products, Blake @BKG22, is on this forum and he can answer additional questions if you have any.

 

[megabigeye]

Thanks. I am on the East Coast... but I really don't think a CanJam would be my cup of tea. Plus I doubt my ability to be able to judge an earphone in such a short period. Not to mention that these are supposed to be a birthday/X-mas gift from my wife, so I'd like to get them sooner than that.

Thanks for your responses! They've been a help.

 

[AlpacaApproach]

Regarding the sound, that's pretty much what you are looking for.

With a build quality and the nozzle, ever since I had my first Westone, that was always a thought running through my mind because Westone and Shure nozzles have the same small diameter (and you can interchange eartips). But I came across maybe one post where something happened to Westone nozzle, while other posts usually talking about nozzle concerns, not the actual problem. Personally, I'm not the best example because I'm a reviewer rather than consumer, so I don't spend too much exclusive time with one pair of iems at a time, but I do keep tabs on many head-fi threads. As you know, people more eager to share problems than praises, and if there is a wide spread of nozzle problems we would be reading it in many threads, but it's not. And for sure, this 2nd gen is more durable.

For what its worth, the nozzle has not given me any problems in some 8 years of daily use across different pairs, it is sturdy for its size. If anything, the mmcx connection/ cable would probably give way first.

 

[Kepller]

Anyone here knows if the westone um 30 pro v2 has that same aggressive and powerful mid bass slam like in the original pro 30? I know twister did mention that the quality and quantity in the bass department remains the same, but with the increased in quantity of the high mids and highs i'm just concerned if the bass might come of as lesser quantity than in the v1 which i find lovely imo.

 

[twister6]

Anyone here knows if the westone um 30 pro v2 has that same aggressive and powerful mid bass slam like in the original pro 30? I know twister did mention that the quality and quantity in the bass department remains the same, but with the increased in quantity of the high mids and highs i'm just concerned if the bass might come of as lesser quantity than in the v1 which i find lovely imo.

That is a good observation because the perception of the sound will change once other parts of the spectrum is raised. But considering the original UMPro 30 is no longer available and the discontinued W30 is not the same as new B30, I think v2 will be your best bet.

 

[davidcotton]

That is a good observation because the perception of the sound will change once other parts of the spectrum is raised. But considering the original UMPro 30 is no longer available and the discontinued W30 is not the same as new B30, I think v2 will be your best bet.

Which of the current line up is closest to the old w3 btw? Guessing the b30's?

 

[twister6]

Which of the current line up is closest to the old w3 btw? Guessing the b30's?

Sorry, I'm not too familiar with the original W3, but did cover B30 vs W30 vs UMPro30 in the comparison here.

 

[Kepller]

That is a good observation because the perception of the sound will change once other parts of the spectrum is raised. But considering the original UMPro 30 is no longer available and the discontinued W30 is not the same as new B30, I think v2 will be your best bet.

Is it safe to say that the um 30 pro v2 is more toward reference sounding than the original pro 30's dark sounding signature? There's no longer emphasis in the low end? Did you find the fast and aggressive mid bass slam lacking in quantity? As im using an Lg g6 which has the ess quad dac built in, it makes all my iems poor in low end quantity so there's no way to tell on my end till i get a new audio device.

 

[zotjen]

Sorry, I'm not too familiar with the original W3, but did cover B30 vs W30 vs UMPro30 in the comparison here.

I also have the original W3 which I'm thinking of replacing (especially since the left shell cracked and broke and there's also another piece inside which has a crack). I think the B30 is overkill for what I need since I don't use Bluetooth. I also use full size headphones most of the time which probably explains how the W3 lasted so long. It looks like the UM Pro30 might be what I want but I'm also looking at the FiiO FH5. Decisions, decisions.

 

[davidcotton]

I also have the original W3 which I'm thinking of replacing (especially since the left shell cracked and broke and there's also another piece inside which has a crack). I think the B30 is overkill for what I need since I don't use Bluetooth. I also use full size headphones most of the time which probably explains how the W3 lasted so long. It looks like the UM Pro30 might be what I want but I'm also looking at the FiiO FH5. Decisions, decisions.

If isolation is important to you stick with westone. The fh5 is a hybrid so isolation will be lower due to the vent.

 

[twister6]

Is it safe to say that the um 30 pro v2 is more toward reference sounding than the original pro 30's dark sounding signature? There's no longer emphasis in the low end? Did you find the fast and aggressive mid bass slam lacking in quantity? As im using an Lg g6 which has the ess quad dac built in, it makes all my iems poor in low end quantity so there's no way to tell on my end till i get a new audio device.

I wish I can do a real time A/B, but my pair of original UMPro30s is with my brother-in-law now. So, I kind of have to go by memory, but I would say yes, Westone latest releases are shifting more toward reference quality, probably to get more attention from audiophiles in addition to consumers.

 

[Kepller]

Has anyone tested the Chifi IEMs such as the KZ ZS10 Pro to Westones? I'm about to pull the trigger on the UM 30 Pro but am wondering if I should give the KZ ZS 10 pro a try due to the positive reviews. But I guess they won't match mid-tier iems like um 30 pro in detail retrieval?

 

[davidcotton]

Has anyone tested the Chifi IEMs such as the KZ ZS10 Pro to Westones? I'm about to pull the trigger on the UM 30 Pro but am wondering if I should give the KZ ZS 10 pro a try due to the positive reviews. But I guess they won't match mid-tier iems like um 30 pro in detail retrieval?

See my comment above about isolation if that's important to you. Hell at £40 (or whatever it is, not a big loss really).