[Electric_Mofo]

Hows the clarity and resolution of the Westone 3's? Do they compete with the etymotic ER4's in this area?

 

[Del Griffith]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kite7 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Darn, my Westone 3 turned out to be defective today after receiving it two weeks ago. The left low frequency driver went dead...

Any chance any moisture got in there? With the um2 I accidentally got some sweat in there while hanging them from my neck after cutting grass. Left side was inaudible after. I let them dry a while then took a hair dryer on cool temp and dried it out...sound came right back very quickly...no more problems after. Just a thought.

 

[CMasten]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Electric_Mofo /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hows the clarity and resolution of the Westone 3's? Do they compete with the etymotic ER4's in this area?

I prefer a bit of treble boost on my 3's to get them to shine like an Ety ER4 without boost. My hearing is a bit rolled off so this may play into that as well, but with the IPODs treble boost they are very clean and I might add Un-congested... the ETYs have a descent bottom end and mids, but most of the energy is up in the fast lane.. up in the mid treble to upper treble, this makes them nice and bright, but I prefer the smooth crispness of the W3's to me it just sounds so much better and natural when listening to music with a lot of percussion. The Etys are faster but fatiguing, I have gone back and forth between the two a lot over the last week, and prefer the 3’s.

I was actually comparing my 3’s with my RS-1s, HD650s and D2000’s last night... pretty impressive how much sonic quality Westone was able to back into such a tiny package..

IMO for $399.00 or less they are the best value in Head-fi land at the moment.

 

[YtseJamer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeadphoneAddict /img/forum/go_quote.gif I just can't say if the P-51 is the right upgrade or not because I haven't heard it yet.

Larry, you will be floored by the SQ of the RSA Mustang P-51, trust me

 

[Electric_Mofo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CMasten /img/forum/go_quote.gif I prefer a bit of treble boost on my 3's to get them to shine like an Ety ER4 without boost. My hearing is a bit rolled off so this may play into that as well, but with the IPODs treble boost they are very clean and I might add Un-congested... the ETYs have a descent bottom end and mids, but most of the energy is up in the fast lane.. up in the mid treble to upper treble, this makes them nice and bright, but I prefer the smooth crispness of the W3's to me it just sounds so much better and natural when listening to music with a lot of percussion. The Etys are faster but fatiguing, I have gone back and forth between the two a lot over the last week, and prefer the 3’s. I was actually comparing my 3’s with my RS-1s, HD650s and D2000’s last night... pretty impressive how much sonic quality Westone was able to back into such a tiny package.. IMO for $399.00 or less they are the best value in Head-fi land at the moment.

Thanks! I'll probably take a gamble on the 3's

 

[PixelSquish]

still not many thorough comparisons of the triples vs the w3 - from people that liked the triples.

ive read a few of folks that didnt like the triples, but that doesnt help me as i do like the triples. i see one guy that says stick with the triples for rock, and another that says when they switch back to the triples they sound inferior, but a couple hours later they are excellent again.

 

[elnero]

Quote:

Originally Posted by idiotekniQues /img/forum/go_quote.gif ...and another that says when they switch back to the triples they sound inferior, but a couple hours later they are excellent again.

That's probably because the tri.fi's are a very good IEM in their own right so when the user readjusts to their sonic signature they "forget" the W3's signature. What happens when this person goes back to the W3's? Does the user feel the 3's sound better right off the bat or does the same thing occur where their ear needs time to readjust to the signature of them? If right off the bat they sound better then I'd take from that that they are better, at least to that person, if not then I'd suspect the person perceives them to be in about the same league.

I guess my point is that if a piece of audio gear doesn't sound so hot initially after using something that has a different sonic signature it doesn't mean the piece of gear is bad just that it has a different presentation and it takes the ear time to adjust to it. This type of thing will happen when switching from something like a Sennheiser HD650 to a Grado RS-1, they both present the music in a very different light so it take a few minutes to adjust to the signature of each.

 

[SidCityMeis]

Thanks for the feedback and advice, friends.

FeedMeTrance: yah, I think I will try the D3 first.

MarcusL: yes, I'm thinking abt the Mustang because I read about the synergy between W3 and Mustang.

HeadphoneAddict: yes, with the D3, I have to put my cell phone further away or turn it off. Other than that, not much of a problem with RFI. I'm just dipping my toes into the pool, so to speak.. I might eventually invest in some kickass home rig.

catscratch: I love both my UM2 and W3, and probably not ready to try ES2, UE10 or UE11. But I might eventually get a UM56 custom-molded tip to go with my UM2 and W3. I'm hesitant abt getting custom-molded-whatever because I read about some ppl's experience of only getting the right fit after a few molding..

 

[Hooran]

Quote:

Originally Posted by idiotekniQues /img/forum/go_quote.gif still not many thorough comparisons of the triples vs the w3 - from people that liked the triples. ive read a few of folks that didnt like the triples, but that doesnt help me as i do like the triples. i see one guy that says stick with the triples for rock, and another that says when they switch back to the triples they sound inferior, but a couple hours later they are excellent again.

I prefer my triples. I listen to a lot of orchestral and trance music, which utilize a lot of instruments in the upper registers such as harp, synth, etc. The W3s miss a lot of those extensions from the highs created by those particular instruments. Or maybe I'm just used to the triples.

Don't get me wrong, I love the W3s, and they sound amazing, but when the strings come on in Keys to Imagination by Yanni, I prefer the sound of my triples.

 

[Jim Barry]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SidCityMeis /img/forum/go_quote.gif I might eventually get a UM56 custom-molded tip to go with my UM2 and W3. I'm hesitant abt getting custom-molded-whatever because I read about some ppl's experience of only getting the right fit after a few molding..

My first set of UM56s weren't a great fit, but after a remould they fit pretty well. But they don't sound good either with the W3 or UM2, so I couldn't really recommend it

 

[catscratch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SidCityMeis /img/forum/go_quote.gif catscratch: I love both my UM2 and W3, and probably not ready to try ES2, UE10 or UE11. But I might eventually get a UM56 custom-molded tip to go with my UM2 and W3. I'm hesitant abt getting custom-molded-whatever because I read about some ppl's experience of only getting the right fit after a few molding..

Sure, that's a problem. But, Westone will allow one free refit that I know of (they have a track record for going beyond their stated warranty when it comes to repairs and the like so you may get more), and UE will allow several refits from what I've read. So, it's annoying, least of all the doctor's visit too, but in the end you get a very serious product.

I think the bigger problem is that with one of these, your money is gone, whereas a universal-fit IEM has a resale value and is more of an investment. So, customs are more expensive than they look on paper.

Still, they're worth it, IMO.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Barry /img/forum/go_quote.gif My first set of UM56s weren't a great fit, but after a remould they fit pretty well. But they don't sound good either with the W3 or UM2, so I couldn't really recommend it

That's too bad. I thought we had stumbled onto the perfect solution, since the UM-56 beat all the stock tips for my ears.

 

[CMasten]

I'll consider myself fortunate.. as the medium soft flex tips fit both of my ears to perfection.. They just slip in and out, provide ample isolation and because they are shorter, they cant be stuffed in too far.. I actually like them better than the Shure Olives I used on my E530s.

 

[Sideman7]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeadphoneAddict /img/forum/go_quote.gif That's too bad. I thought we had stumbled onto the perfect solution, since the UM-56 beat all the stock tips for my ears.

I have done some more testing with mine so I can have a better sense of what to say when I call Westone tomorrow. First of all, the right mold definitely has a problem. It fits well (by itself), but the hole is angled sharply towards the back of my head (where as the left one goes straight in). This results in a strange fit where the mold and the earpiece are fighting for fit in my ear, and after a short period of time the seal is broken and I am left with a very lopsided feel in my head and much reduced bass on the right side. I also think a good portion of the nozzle is actually being blocked by the inside of the UM56 (killing the high end).

However, regardless of the fit of the right mold, I am still getting what I can only describe as "plasticy" midrange from the left with the UM56. I make my living as a saxophonist, and saxophones just sound wrong with these tips. when I switch back to the short (included) foam tips, I get much more balanced, realistic sound. I guess I shouldn't be surprised though, if they are balanced sounding (for me) with the nozzles suspended in my outer ear (with the rest of my ear acting as a chamber), how can they be balanced if you take that nozzle and extend it way into my ear and basically leave no chamber at all? I would think the earphones would have to be completely redesigned...

 

[Hooran]

Hmmm....

I've taken about a week long break away from my Westone 3s. I'm currently listening to them again. I definitely must say that these are some good IEMs. Initially I wasn't too thrilled because they weren't necessarily "better" than my TF10s, but now I'm starting to appreciate the Westone 3's sound signature in its own right more and more. I'm happy that my W3s didn't sell, but I'm sad about my wallet...