[Sideman7]

Quote:

Originally Posted by toughnut /img/forum/go_quote.gif idiotekniQues, i know what u trying to imply. Westone 3 is perfect, nothing else is.

Good, I'm glad someone has some idea what he is talking about, because I sure don't. I don't even understand his beef with my post (both posts were pretty incoherent). I assume this is a child or the guy is really hammered...

I really like these headphones, the UM56's are not working for me. Is that worth throwing a tantrum over? You have something against saxophones? If you don't understand why I mentioned that specifically, let me spell it out (I'm not sure why though...). I want the music I listen to sound as much like what I would hear in an acoustic situation, as if I was there, and seeing as I am used to "being there" I find it particularly problematic when the instrument I have been playing for over 20 years sounds that weird to me because of a set of tips.... Fortunately somehow this is solved by simply changing them...

I'm done with this. I had no idea my opinion on something we have discussed before could enrage someone that wasn't even around when this issue was brought up the first time. Oh, and it involved headphoneaddict before, so my post quoted his because I figured he would know why I mentioned it... Somehow I doubt I offended him enough (or at all...) to warrant someone else to be hurling irrelevant, pointless insults at me on his behalf. From what I have read of headphoneaddict's posts (one of which had convinced me to buy these headphones in the first place), I think he is quite capable of making whatever point he may have clearly on his own...

 

[screwglue]

the bottom of my y splitter is upbraiding..what do i do? i try twisting it back but it just won't work.

 

[2wheels4me]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flavio T /img/forum/go_quote.gif Aside from the STANDARD and SHORT, there is also a new ComplyTips called SLIM. They are as long as the STANDARD but have a narrower diameter (overall slimmer).

Flavio: are the standards that come with the W3 (with the dark core) the P-series or T-100s? I want to order more as these provide the best (of all included tips) sound so far. The "slims" were close, but, as one might imagine, did not quite give the lower end depth due to a slightly looser seal. The standards felt a tad full in the ears at first, but as a bit of time in the ear went on, the perceived fullness dissipated. The sound was more immersive, provided after inserting and then (as others have mentioned) I nudged them very slightly out to avoid over-contact with the ear canal. Then, nearly perfect.

My testing has been thus far out of my laptop (with sound card, using lossless) and, more importantly, direct headphone output of a custom built Shanling tubed CD player, upgraded to a highest-zoot Burr-Brown DAC and silver wiring, and small-tolerance caps and resistors. What a difference compared to the laptop (of course!). With this source the upper reaches are immensely silkier than the God-knows-what DAC and analog amplification in the laptop, despite having a dedicated soundcard.

I am currently running the W3s in burn-in on repeat mode on the Shanling to Patricia Barber's "Nightclub", IMHO, the best-recorded album of all-time. Every once in awhile I go over and stick the W3s in my ears and listen to a cut or two...

Although not new to HiFi, I am newish to Head-Fi. At the LA Stereophile show several years ago, I tried the Shure 500s just as they were becoming available and I was very, very impressed. Since then I had not considered Ipods and such because I have a very good full HiFi at home, and the portable sources seemed very compromised in terms of sound. Now, with recent improvements it may may be true that Touches et al may be good enough (?) when paired with nice IEMs such as the W3s and Shures. I am planning on getting an IPOD Touch once 64GB is an option, and likely opting for a Mustang to drive the W3s. I hope that the Touch has a good-enough DAC so that the Mustang or W3s are not being fed gritty digital-y sounding analog. I bought a 32GB Touch for my college age son for Xmas, and will be trying out the combo with the W3s in a few days once he opens it.

Anyhow, getting used to IEMs took a better part of the day, playing with the tips, etc. At first I was underwhelmed, but the larger Complys properly positioned did very well when connected to an outstanding source. After time, although different from the sonic signature of my full HiFi, they were very immersive, causing head bobbing, toe tapping, singing along, etc. A good sign! More later, if anyone cares to hear it...

Thanks to everyone on this forum who has expressed opinions about the IEMs, amps, etc. I now have a new hobby! A special shout-out to Headphone Addict for taking the time to write up his detailed findings, and may he remain committed and strong through the dissenting opinions!

 

[bossnass15]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2wheels4me /img/forum/go_quote.gif Flavio: are the standards that come with the W3 (with the dark core) the P-series or T-100s? I want to order more as these provide the best (of all included tips) sound so far. The "slims" were close, but, as one might imagine, did not quite give the lower end depth due to a slightly looser seal. The standards felt a tad full in the ears at first, but as a bit of time in the ear went on, the perceived fullness dissipated. The sound was more immersive, provided after inserting and then (as others have mentioned) I nudged them very slightly out to avoid over-contact with the ear canal. Then, nearly perfect. My testing has been thus far out of my laptop (with sound card, using lossless) and, more importantly, direct headphone output of a custom built Shanling tubed CD player, upgraded to a highest-zoot Burr-Brown DAC and silver wiring, and small-tolerance caps and resistors. What a difference compared to the laptop (of course!). With this source the upper reaches are immensely silkier than the God-knows-what DAC and analog amplification in the laptop, despite having a dedicated soundcard. I am currently running the W3s in burn-in on repeat mode on the Shanling to Patricia Barber's "Nightclub", IMHO, the best-recorded album of all-time. Every once in awhile I go over and stick the W3s in my ears and listen to a cut or two... Although not new to HiFi, I am newish to Head-Fi. At the LA Stereophile show several years ago, I tried the Shure 500s just as they were becoming available and I was very, very impressed. Since then I had not considered Ipods and such because I have a very good full HiFi at home, and the portable sources seemed very compromised in terms of sound. Now, with recent improvements it may may be true that Touches et al may be good enough (?) when paired with nice IEMs such as the W3s and Shures. I am planning on getting an IPOD Touch once 64GB is an option, and likely opting for a Mustang to drive the W3s. I hope that the Touch has a good-enough DAC so that the Mustang or W3s are not being fed gritty digital-y sounding analog. I bought a 32GB Touch for my college age son for Xmas, and will be trying out the combo with the W3s in a few days once he opens it. Anyhow, getting used to IEMs took a better part of the day, playing with the tips, etc. At first I was underwhelmed, but the larger Complys properly positioned did very well when connected to an outstanding source. After time, although different from the sonic signature of my full HiFi, they were very immersive, causing head bobbing, toe tapping, singing along, etc. A good sign! More later, if anyone cares to hear it... Thanks to everyone on this forum who has expressed opinions about the IEMs, amps, etc. I now have a new hobby! A special shout-out to Headphone Addict for taking the time to write up his detailed findings, and may he remain committed and strong through the dissenting opinions!

Its a shame the comply's durability don't last..i loss isolation (foam don't as isolate as well as when it was first used) by the 2nd or 3rd day..

 

[screwglue]

yeah What...these comply foam tips suck. are these really complys? my ue ones were so much better.

 

[2wheels4me]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bossnass15 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Its a shame the comply's durability don't last..i loss isolation (foam don't as isolate as well as when it was first used) by the 2nd or 3rd day..

How about Shure olives for durability? I assume (I am newb) that the flimsy non-foam but black olive-y looking tips included with the W3s are NOT olives; plus they were horrible aurally! Would olives produce sound comparable to the large Complys? I should probably at least try them...

 

[bossnass15]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2wheels4me /img/forum/go_quote.gif How about Shure olives for durability? I assume (I am newb) that the flimsy non-foam but black olive-y looking tips included with the W3s are NOT olives; plus they were horrible aurally! Would olives produce sound comparable to the large Complys? I should probably at least try them...

the olives are longer lasting but i get alot of sibilance with them plus i don't get the same warm sound signature as i do with the large complys..i'm still searching for longer lasting complys equivalent tips..sigh. They're expensive to be replaced continually.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

I previously had a habit of posting that if the Westone 3 didn't sound good to someone that they either had (1) a bad fit, (2) the wrong tips or (3) a defective pair. My thinking was that if I could make these work for me without the defects in sound that they heard, like rolled off treble or missing mids and details that surely something could be done to make them work for others.

A few people took this as arrogant, and then I offered the "straw that broke thew camel's back" when I added a 4th possibility (joking but without the smiley) - that if not one of those 3 things that maybe I just have bat-like hearing and can hear things that others can't. That came across as doubly arrogant and I got chewed a new poop hole on another forum. I got overly defensive, and battles broke out. Apparently they thrive on stuff like that on some forums, and almost everyone jumped in to see if they could insult me or hurt my feelings. They are certainly experts at it, very well practiced in the proper techniques of insultation, although a few abstained for which I am grateful. Idiot's just dragging the mess from there over to here.

I still find it hard to mesh together how what I hear with the W3 sounds so completely different to a few people out there. One thing I will NOT agree to is that I don't know what I am hearing, and that I like mid-fi sound too much to know a good or bad sounding phone when I hear one. I know what very good sounds like, with a very nice stat rig and balanced dynamic rig and very good headphones (see sig). I also like mid-fi stuff that can offer 90-95% of the sound for 1/4 the price, but that doesn't mean I like it better.

But now I suspect the widely varying opinions may just be that certain ear canal geometries work better with some IEM than others; and that despite the attempts to change tips or insert the IEM deeper or shallower that some people will not hear what I hear and I will not hear what they hear. This has been going on for ages, for example with some people saying the SE530 has rolled off treble, and others saying they don't hear that - or others saying things about "X" (insert your favorite IEM here). Sadly, the issue of having 180 degree polar opposite reviews out there is not going to go away anytime soon, so we have to learn to deal with it.

I have tried to change (or thought about how to change) the wording in my response to others who post the W3 is the worst IEM ever made; but it seems a person just can't suggest that they didn't try all the tips or positions in the ear, or that they need to get a better seal - as that is insulting to the person who doesn't like them by telling them they don't know how to properly use IEM. We will be at the peak of political correctness here on head-fi at that point. The rule of the day will be "don't have a conflicting opinion of someone else's impressions without all parties being insulted". Then we can add earphone discussions to the banned list of no politics and no religion.

 

[ProleArtThreat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeadphoneAddict /img/forum/go_quote.gif But now I suspect the widely varying opinions may just be that certain ear canal geometries work better with some IEM than others; and that despite the attempts to change tips or insert the IEM deeper or shallower that some people will not hear what I hear and I will not hear what they hear. This has been going on for ages, for example with some people saying the SE530 has rolled off treble, and others saying they don't hear that - or others saying things about "X" (insert your favorite IEM here). Sadly, the issue of having 180 degree polar opposite reviews out there is not going to go away anytime soon, so we have to learn to deal with it.

This is what is maddening about your posts. You still can't accept that some people just simply might not like how the Westone 3 sound. It has to be ear canal shape, tips, a defective pair, the current phase of the moon... anything but simply not liking the way they sound.

For the record, I don't think the Westone 3 are terrible. But they are far from perfect, and to my ears are simply a step sideways, not necessarily up from other high end universal IEMs. If anything, I have come to appreciate my custom Sensas even more. I think I'm done looking for a universal IEM that will best it, regardless of number of drivers. It seems that more drivers doesn't always result in miraculous SQ improvements. While my Sensas are still kicking, I think it's wiser to just save up for another custom.

 

[RAQemUP]

Headphoneaddict, one could read your posts to be extremely slanted and fanboyish. But I just understand that for you, with all the different IEMS and such that you have heard, that these W3 are the best thing you have heard as an IEM. Everyone's ears are different (shape, size and even hearing) and no matter what one person's hears or feels, it's still in the end their own opinion and not fact for everyone. It may be true for some but not everyone.

I do understand your enthusiasm about what you hear and perceive though. It is very infectious really. Personally I don't take any offense nor dislike for you. I have always enjoyed your opinion on things and sometimes even follow your advice on others. In my case, it has been opamp rolling for the D2 Viper.

The important thing that everyone should take note of is that this is a headphone forum. How people can get so worked up on such things is beyond me. Everything, everyone says is subjective. In the end, most people are just trying to pass along advice and help and pointers and such.

 

[ZoNtO]

I don't see why people just can't grow up... Why does this discussion even need to happen? It's a review, people disagree on reviews all the time. YAY! We're in America and no one is forcing you to buy or listen to the Westone3. If you don't like them, return 'em or sell 'em to someone else and shut the heck up. If you do like them then enjoy them and shut the heck up.

There's no need to get personal or vindictive about a piece of electronics.

 

[BuddTX]

Hello!

While I am not new to internet forums, I am new to Head-Fi forums, and I know way better than to make my first post a "WHAT IS THE BEST . . . " post!

I wanted to upgrade my current Headphones, Maximo iM-490S iMetal Isolation Earphones. And, by the way, for 10 bucks or so on WOOT.COM, these were a great value in a better sounding IEM. I bought 6 sets for friends and relatives for Christmas. I would love to find a better value in a IEM!

So I was ready to spend 100-250 bucks on a better headset, and I started reading about these Westone 3 IEM, and figured I would try to avoid buying 1,2 or 3 other IEM's, at lower prices, but eventually, I would spend as much, if not more, than what the Westone 3's cost.

So I bit the bullitt, and bought a set of Westone 3's along with the Shure Olive Eartips, from EarphoneSolutions.com.

What's the slogan of this forum?

"Welcome to Head-Fi, sorry about your wallet."

It sounds like I just purchased the "B&W" of the IEM, cant wait to actually use them!

Actually, this is NOT the first time I have purchased a "speaker system" before hearing it.

I own a 5 channel Axiom Audio System, (M80, VP150, QS8) and I used to say that this is the best speaker system I "NEVER" heard! (Because they are a "direct to Consumer" company, you cant go to a showroom and listen to the speakers).

I think that my Axiom Audio Speaker system is as close to "reference sound" as my budget will ever get, so maybe my Westone 3 is more like a "Axiom" speaker system than a B&W speaker system.

I have a Sansa e80 with a 16 gig MicroSD chip (24 gig total), and of course, it is Rockbox'ed.

Most of my music is "Direct from CD" to MP3 using Exact Audio Copy and the latest version of LAME (3.98.2). I use the "--preset fast standard" setting, as this is what was recommended by the people at hydrogenaudio forum.

So, thank you again, for all the useful advice, and it sounds like this might be my first and last high end IEM.

It is a nice feeling being at the right place at the right time!

 

[ZoNtO]

Welcome to the forums and also welcome to a fellow member of Hydrogenaudio Forums too! It's cuz of them I got my REACT2 script set up finally to rip to ALAC and v0 mp3 simultaneously!

Post your review up when the 3s get to ya!

 

[p0wderh0und23]

Quote:

Originally Posted by catscratch /img/forum/go_quote.gif 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.

Actually there is no free remake limit in number. The only limit is within the first 90 days. If it takes 3 tries, then that's what we do.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ProleArtThreat /img/forum/go_quote.gif This is what is maddening about your posts. You still can't accept that some people just simply might not like how the Westone 3 sound. It has to be ear canal shape, tips, a defective pair, the current phase of the moon... anything but simply not liking the way they sound. For the record, I don't think the Westone 3 are terrible. But they are far from perfect, and to my ears are simply a step sideways, not necessarily up from other high end universal IEMs. If anything, I have come to appreciate my custom Sensas even more. I think I'm done looking for a universal IEM that will best it, regardless of number of drivers. It seems that more drivers doesn't always result in miraculous SQ improvements. While my Sensas are still kicking, I think it's wiser to just save up for another custom.

I appreciate your reasonable answer, so I am sorry I haven't made myself clear in my postings then. I can accept that some people don't like the Westone 3 sound. If they had said I just don't like it as much as "blah blah blah IEM", then fine, go be happy with your favorite IEM. What I was addressing is something different.

I find it difficult to sit back when a few people say the W3 suck because they have NO midrange detail or that the highs are rolled off and dull, because I CAN hear all that detail and treble myself. I'm not imagining the detail I hear. I don't want to be a psycho (in the voice of Jerry Seinfeld who didn't want to be a pirate).

Many times the statement is made as an absolute "the W3 have no treble or midrange detail" and it is implied that the W3 are simply not capable of offering proper midrange detail or treble to anyone. I am sure that what they are hearing is how it sounds to them, but because I have heard otherwise I try to come up with an explanation. Tell me, are ALL of my hypothesis about why they hear the W3 sound differently really without merit (tips, fit, positioning, ear canal shape and size)? Once those possibilities are exhausted, then I chalk it up to difference in preferences or what we were trained to like, but feeling reassured that I am not the only one who hears them as I do.

On the other hand, if someone posts a problem that I think over-exaggerates their terribleness then I will either call them on it or jump in with suggestions to make them sound better to that person - and if you want to call me on saying it is the best thing since sliced bread, you may call me on it. HOWEVER, I HAVE NOT been saying it is the best thing since sliced bread. What I have been saying is that I like the W3 more than any other IEM I have tried, and I gave a very long list of what my experience with other IEM has been to give a frame of reference. I have said this doesn't make the other IEM I gave up bad, as I still like the SE530 and the Image X10, but that I hear things that the W3 can do better. There are plenty of IEM that I haven't tried yet, and when I do try them they may be better than the W3 - I never said that wasn't so. I still look forward to a Westone or UE custom someday, since I like the fit of my current 3 pairs of customs.

And, I WAS NOT intending to compare the W3 to most of my desktop headphones when I talk about their goodness in my long winded review, I was only reporting on them in the context of what they are and their competition being other IEM. Just because I give a glowing description of the sound I hear with the W3 doesn't mean that is the best out of anything - it was the best of (1) what I have heard (2) in the subset of phones being discussed. When asked more about my thoughts about the W3 I have said they remind me of the Edition 9 in their impact and immersion in to the music, but I said they don't sound exactly like my APS V3 Edition 9 (which are still better). Also, many of my Stats are better than the W, and my ESW10JPN give the W3 a serious run for their money so I haven't picked a #1 there. My balanced APS V3 HD600 are probably better; and my balanced woodied re-cabled Denon D2000 are better in many areas, but the ESW10 and W3 have fuller more detailed mids at times vs the D2000. Those are just some examples. I did not really want to compare to desktop phones, because IEM give a different soundstage and response to positioning than any of my full size phones.

I hope this makes it clearer. If someone says they don't hear any treble, I believe them but look for a cause. If someone says the mids lack detail and clarity, I believe them but look for a reason that they are missing out on what I think the majority of us hear (51% or more). And if someone compares them to a 10 Euro earbud or transistor radio, I don't know what to do.