[aimlink]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Janni /img/forum/go_quote.gif I do not claim to have a pair of golden ears, but I do prefer the sound with the Hornet over direct iPod. A/B is pretty simple in this case - if one tries as much as possible to calibrate volume, of course. And I just tried again and always have the same findings: it is a small difference, but with the Hornet the sound becomes more natural (i.e. it sounds closer to reality, voices have more body, instruments more colour), a touch deeper and wider soundstage. But I do agree that with a noise and/or distractive environment this might become irrelevant.

Listen exclusively to the Hornet for several weeks, then switch to the headphone out. That's when you really hear the difference. The A/B switching can be tricky, especially when listening for that subtle, though important difference.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Janni /img/forum/go_quote.gif One more thing on my custom tips: Looking at the size of the bit that fills the ear-canal I understand why none of the regular tips worked for me. They are either simply too small and even the largest ones are being pressed into this asymentrical shape (narrow but high) which is probably causing them to be uncomfortable.

Same here - I have photos of my custom tips in this thread and in my head-fi photo album, and my ear canal changes from flat and oval to wide and round past the second bend.

 

[jshalvorsen]

Greetings good folks!
After i decided to get the UM2's last year(but never managed to save up for them) I've finally taken the plunge into the IEM world. Ordered some W3's and this will be my first venture ever into the "quality IEM" jungle.

My earlier earphones have basically been the iPhone 3G buds!? and my trusty 10 y/o Koss PortaPro. For my lifestyle they have worked. But I've always wanted a quality set of IEM's, and from all my research it seems that the W3's have a reputation for being very comfortable + have great sound. I really hope I made a good choice going with the W3, and hopefully they will treat me well.

Just thought I'd let you guys know that you've most likely contributed to making my life with music even better

 

[aimlink]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jshalvorsen /img/forum/go_quote.gif Greetings good folks! After i decided to get the UM2's last year(but never managed to save up for them) I've finally taken the plunge into the IEM world. Ordered some W3's and this will be my first venture ever into the "quality IEM" jungle. My earlier earphones have basically been the iPhone 3G buds!? and my trusty 10 y/o Koss PortaPro. For my lifestyle they have worked. But I've always wanted a quality set of IEM's, and from all my research it seems that the W3's have a reputation for being very comfortable + have great sound. I really hope I made a good choice going with the W3, and hopefully they will treat me well. Just thought I'd let you guys know that you've most likely contributed to making my life with music even better

Congratulations on your new purchase that I'm pretty sure you'll not have no regrets having bought. The W3's were my first high end IEM and I was deeply impressed with the quality of sound possible from IEM's. Be sure to explore the different provided tips and I'm pretty convinced that too tight a seal with the W3 being pushed too far in your ears may be detrimental to the sound. They should sound great right out of the box.

Be sure to share with us your initial experiences.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jshalvorsen /img/forum/go_quote.gif Greetings good folks! After i decided to get the UM2's last year(but never managed to save up for them) I've finally taken the plunge into the IEM world. Ordered some W3's and this will be my first venture ever into the "quality IEM" jungle. My earlier earphones have basically been the iPhone 3G buds!? and my trusty 10 y/o Koss PortaPro. For my lifestyle they have worked. But I've always wanted a quality set of IEM's, and from all my research it seems that the W3's have a reputation for being very comfortable + have great sound. I really hope I made a good choice going with the W3, and hopefully they will treat me well. Just thought I'd let you guys know that you've most likely contributed to making my life with music even better

If you need help with the right tips and fit for the best sound, don't hesitate to ask for help!

 

[tstarn06]

I only posted this because Larry asked me to (this is my second go-round with these tips), but for the umpteenth time, and I hope the final, I finally found the tips that deliver the real W3 sound, and it is really fantastic. I had to use the Touch "acoustic" EQ to get there, but with the modded tri-flanges and that EQ setting, the W3s just sound powerful, is all I can say. Wow. Same with my Clip and Sony DAP. I am going to try and to do a more detailed comparison with the Senn IE8s, but for now, I am going to put the W3s back into my ears. Advice to W3 owners ... don't give up.

With the Westone 3s, the IE8s and the PFEs (amped for me), I'm a very lucky guy.

 

[epithetless]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tstarn06 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Advice to W3 owners ... don't give up.

Alllllllllll right...I'll give it another shot...Sometime...

 

[eio]

Quote:

Originally Posted by p0wderh0und23 /img/forum/go_quote.gif We do not release our freq curves. It's like a special sauce.

To be honst, I'm not quite comfortable with the idea of "secret freq curves".

The reason is, your competitors have the equipment and expertise to do any measurement as they want, given that they can get their hand on the westone 3 (obviously they can after the release), so it's not a secret to them.

That leaves the frequency response as a secret, only to average users like me...

 

[geremy]

Hmm, I am not quite comfortable with that as well. I was all set to buy the w3 over the ie8s but now I am not sure...

 

[woodsrider]

....oops...fire, aim, ready...

 

[woodsrider]

Quote:

Originally Posted by eio /img/forum/go_quote.gif To be honst, I'm not quite comfortable with the idea of "secret freq curves". The reason is, your competitors have the equipment and expertise to do any measurement as they want, given that they can get their hand on the westone 3 (obviously they can after the release), so it's not a secret to them. That leaves the frequency response as a secret, only to average users like me...

Quote:

Originally Posted by geremy /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hmm, I am not quite comfortable with that as well. I was all set to buy the w3 over the ie8s but now I am not sure...

I'm a n00b here, but it is my understanding that there can be many variables that affect the sound signature of an earpiece aside from the technical specifications of the drivers, crossover, filters, etc. The length and shape of various sound passages and the placement of the various components within the interior cavity of the earpiece can also impact the sound delivery.

Perhaps some of these other attributes, when taken in combination with the internal components, comprise the "sauce" that powderhound references. In the end, it's the sound delivery to the human ear that matters most - not the purely technical information on the charts. Just my opinion..."your mileage may vary."

 

[geremy]

I totally agree, but it seems to me that they would do so anyway since their competitors do. To not do so might make it seem like they have something to hide.

I don't put much actual stock in the data contained within the graphs themselves, however it is nice to have a reference like headroom. It won't tell you how a pair of phones sound, but it does provide insight on how 1 sounds in respect to another.

 

[moseboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by eio /img/forum/go_quote.gif To be honst, I'm not quite comfortable with the idea of "secret freq curves". The reason is, your competitors have the equipment and expertise to do any measurement as they want, given that they can get their hand on the westone 3 (obviously they can after the release), so it's not a secret to them. That leaves the frequency response as a secret, only to average users like me...

I have no idea how accurate this is, but it's the only one I've seen of the Westone 3.

Source: 淵LOG2

 

[eio]

Quote:

Originally Posted by moseboy /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have no idea how accurate this is, but it's the only one I've seen of the Westone 3. Source: 淵LOG2

woooh!

This graph looks great to me! It also explained some of my feelings on the Westone 3. Thank you!

BTW, 渊's website is full of wonders, very happy

 

[BloodSugar00]

I may well be overlooking something obvious here, but how come, across the whole frequency range, all the frequencies on the graph are being read at volumes significantly below 0db? Does this have something to do with the distance from the nozzle/physical emittance of sound these readings are being measured from (being an IEM/earphone and how, by their nature, they don't project sound that audible very far from their point of sound emittance)?