[Richdel]

I have a question concerning the warranty for the W3's. I purchased my pair from FC, and I have been receiving followup emails concerning extending the warranty by purchase a Square Trade warranty(?). I am not one to usually purchase extended warranty's, but I am wondering if there are advantages that I am not aware of.

Does/Did anyone else purchase an extended warranty? Is this a recommended practice when purchasing phones/iems?

As an update to my listening and evaluation with the W3's, I have since dug out my Spirit mSeed amp, and have been using it in the following setup:

W3 ----> Spirit mSeed ---->Cowon X5L Headphone jack.

I have the Cowon at 30/40 for output and have been using the volume adjustment on the Spirit MSeed. Also, I have been using a FLAC copy of Diana Krall Girl in the Other Room as source. I am very new to DK, but in the Music forum saw a bunch of folks who had been recommending this work, so I gave it a try. The W3's really shine with this setup/music. Her voice has so much detail, as does the piano and Bass. And the cymbal (I think maybe a highhat) is so distinct and sharp, I have never heard detail like this before. Great CD, great Phones, totally enjoyable experience!

 

[p0wderh0und23]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Richdel /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have a question concerning the warranty for the W3's. I purchased my pair from FC, and I have been receiving followup emails concerning extending the warranty by purchase a Square Trade warranty(?). I am not one to usually purchase extended warranty's, but I am wondering if there are advantages that I am not aware of. Does/Did anyone else purchase an extended warranty? Is this a recommended practice when purchasing phones/iems?

That is a Third Party that teams up with eBay. We do not work with them, so I would not spend your money on it.

 

[MaynardX]

Hello Everyone

At the beginning I'd like to apologize for my english, as I don't speak fluently (either write in this language

).

I'm very interested with Westone 3 earphones, as there is so many good reviews (didn't find one negative so far). I've already found JBL dissapointing me paired with my IAudio X5 player, although people like this earphones overall (main reason is high frequencies beeing exaggerated so much you can hear only gibberish instead of music).

I'd like to ask You guys if someone had opportunity to try Westone 3 with IAudio X5? And what is his/her impressions? I will be gratefull for Your help.

 

[epithetless]

Quote:

Originally Posted by p0wderh0und23 /img/forum/go_quote.gif That is a Third Party that teams up with eBay. We do not work with them, so I would not spend your money on it.

To offer a counter-opinion, I've found SquareTrade warranties to be a cheap and reliable investment when you, at the very least, want a guarantee of getting your money back should something go wrong with your item. It's likely that SquareTrade won't even attempt to repair something as complex, design-wise, as a faulty W3, but they will reimburse you the purchase price; whether that's worth the cost of the warranty is up to you, but they do offer a legit service.

 

[Richdel]

Quote:

Originally Posted by epithetless /img/forum/go_quote.gif To offer a counter-opinion, I've found SquareTrade warranties to be a cheap and reliable investment when you, at the very least, want a guarantee of getting your money back should something go wrong with your item. It's likely that SquareTrade won't even attempt to repair something as complex, design-wise, as a faulty W3, but they will reimburse you the purchase price; whether that's worth the cost of the warranty is up to you, but they do offer a legit service.

Thank you both for your feedback!

 

[Richdel]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaynardX /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hello Everyone At the beginning I'd like to apologize for my english, as I don't speak fluently (either write in this language ). I'm very interested with Westone 3 earphones, as there is so many good reviews (didn't find one negative so far). I've already found JBL dissapointing me paired with my IAudio X5 player, although people like this earphones overall (main reason is high frequencies beeing exaggerated so much you can hear only gibberish instead of music). I'd like to ask You guys if someone had opportunity to try Westone 3 with IAudio X5? And what is his/her impressions? I will be gratefull for Your help.

I use a Cowon X5L with my W3's, and have been very happy with the pairing. I did find, in my opinion, that the SQ enhancements that Cowon has are not needed when listening to the W3's. I previously used a pair of Atrios M5's, and had a custom equalizer setting with Machbass at +2, BBE at +2, and MP3 Enhanced set to "on". When I wear the W3's, I have found that they shine best when everything is turned off. The W3's will show you when your source files are lacking, so adding SQ enhancement seemed to only enhance the source recording shortcomings. I have all my music currently ripped to MP3 256, but if the 20GB HD wasn't so limiting, I would probably reload all files as FLAC. I am going to do some listening comparison (again!) with the W3's and MP3(256kb) versus FLAC. When I did this previously with the Atrios I did not find too much (if any!) difference between the source files, other then the obvious, size! SO I opted to rip to 256kb to gain space.

 

[Paddy855]

Everyone who has a Blackberry Bold should try out the W3 with the headphone jack of the Bold.

I don't really believe my ears yet, but the W3 & Bold sounds definitely cleaner, clearer, "tighter" than my iTouch --> ALO SXC Cryo LOD --> P-51 --> W3 combo right now . . .

 

[MaynardX]

Hello Richdel, thanks a lot for Your opinion.
I must say I've always been disabling all equalizers, presets etc as I think this options only distort sound. I would rather like to listen to music the way the producer was willing us to hear it. Of course essential is hardware we have, second is not to use any of equalizers and other things like this.
You know, maybe I sound layman or so, but I always rip my CDs to flac so to have this opportunity of having music on my HDD the most similar with quality to CDs, even if I do not recognize the difference between mp3s and flacs (or other lossless formats), just in case one day my ears got more "educated"

Richdel, if You would like to describe some more the way the music now sounds with IAudio X5+ W3. What kind of music do You listen to and how do You like it to sound. For example I prefer well balanced, yet dynamic sound (I listen to some progressive rock, alternative, jazz and electro- rock) and I really enjoy listening to X5 paired with Sennheiser HD 280 pro; wish to have plug-in (am I calling it correctly?) version of this earphones...

 

[funkymonkcp]

So I got my UM-56's yesterday and I thought I would post some pics. I was not expecting these to go so deep into my ear, it's really weird at first. However, they fit and sound much better with custom tips.

In the space of a week and a half I went from knowing nothing about the Westone 3's to getting them and custom tips. I will post a review at some point.

 

[Jim Barry]

I'm kind of late to the party, but having owned the W3 for about a week now, here are my impressions, appreciation, and problems:

The packaging is excellent. The box is no bigger than necessary and is mostly made from cardboard, and is therefore recyclable. Also there is little danger of hurting oneself, as there is when trying to get into those abominable "clamshell" packs that seem to be so prevalent.

In the box: a "fit kit" comprising 10 pairs of tips, an inline volume control, a 3.5 mm to 1/4 inch converter plug, a carry case, and of course the earphones themselves. The carry case is a small softcase which is perfectly fine, though I prefer the more rigid UM2 case.

The left and right earpieces are differentiated by way of small embossed "L" and "R" symbols. I have to say, the symbols are quite hard to see - the UM2's blue and red dots are much better.

On to the cable, and I'm afraid that Westone have made a bit of a mess of this. The UM2 cable was just about perfect - I really wish they would have kept it the same on the W3. First of all, the Y-split junction is bulkier than the UM2. But much worse, the tubular slider that keeps the cable in place at the back of the neck has been replaced by a sort of button-shaped slider. At first I could not understand how it was supposed to work - it would just slide back down uselessly. I think the "trick" is to give it a half twist to create a kink in the cable that the slider can grab on to. Even then, it still tends to come loose and fall down. Let's just say I much prefer the UM2's tubular slider.

The sections of cable running from the earpieces to the "Y" split have unsightly white marks every 50 mm or so. There is really no excuse for this, but apparently it is for the benefit of the manufacuturer, to make it easier for their machines to measure cable lengths. I am left wondering, then, why the cable to the left earpiece is about a centimeter longer than to the right.

The earpieces themselves are similar in size to the UM2 earpieces but for some reason the sound tubes are shorter. This means that the slim fit Comply tips that I use with the UM2 no longer go deep enough into my ear to make a good seal. If I keep them pushed right in, the sound is very good indeed, but as soon as I let go, I lose isolation and bass response. I tried changing to the full size tips but I find them uncomfortably large, and they attentuate the high frequencies too much. I have a set of UM56 custom tips but they don't sound very good - the bass is light and mids are brash. Also the isolation of the UM56 is considerably less than the Complys. I mainly use the earphones on my bike and the wind noise with the UM56 is very loud. It's particularly bad with the W3 because due to the short sound tubes, it's as though it's trying to pull the sleeves out of my ear canal.

Right now, I'm feeling pretty disapointed with the W3 and I'm considering returning it. Maybe I should wait for Shure to bring out a 3-way IEM (Shurely it's just a matter of time) - I understand that the SE530 has substantially longer sound tubes than the Westone.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Barry /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm kind of late to the party, but having owned the W3 for about a week now, here are my impressions, appreciation, and problems: The packaging is excellent. The box is no bigger than necessary and is mostly made from cardboard, and is therefore recyclable. Also there is little danger of hurting oneself, as there is when trying to get into those abominable "clamshell" packs that seem to be so prevalent. In the box: a "fit kit" comprising 10 pairs of tips, an inline volume control, a 3.5 mm to 1/4 inch converter plug, a carry case, and of course the earphones themselves. The carry case is a small softcase which is perfectly fine, though I prefer the more rigid UM2 case. The left and right earpieces are differentiated by way of small embossed "L" and "R" symbols. I have to say, the symbols are quite hard to see - the UM2's blue and red dots are much better. On to the cable, and I'm afraid that Westone have made a bit of a mess of this. The UM2 cable was just about perfect - I really wish they would have kept it the same on the W3. First of all, the Y-split junction is bulkier than the UM2. But much worse, the tubular slider that keeps the cable in place at the back of the neck has been replaced by a sort of button-shaped slider. At first I could not understand how it was supposed to work - it would just slide back down uselessly. I think the "trick" is to give it a half twist to create a kink in the cable that the slider can grab on to. Even then, it still tends to come loose and fall down. Let's just say I much prefer the UM2's tubular slider. The sections of cable running from the earpieces to the "Y" split have unsightly white marks every 50 mm or so. There is really no excuse for this, but apparently it is for the benefit of the manufacuturer, to make it easier for their machines to measure cable lengths. I am left wondering, then, why the cable to the left earpiece is about a centimeter longer than to the right. The earpieces themselves are similar in size to the UM2 earpieces but for some reason the sound tubes are shorter. This means that the slim fit Comply tips that I use with the UM2 no longer go deep enough into my ear to make a good seal. If I keep them pushed right in, the sound is very good indeed, but as soon as I let go, I lose isolation and bass response. I tried changing to the full size tips but I find them uncomfortably large, and they attentuate the high frequencies too much. I have a set of UM56 custom tips but they don't sound very good - the bass is light and mids are brash. Also the isolation of the UM56 is considerably less than the Complys. I mainly use the earphones on my bike and the wind noise with the UM56 is very loud. It's particularly bad with the W3 because due to the short sound tubes, it's as though it's trying to pull the sleeves out of my ear canal. Right now, I'm feeling pretty disapointed with the W3 and I'm considering returning it. Maybe I should wait for Shure to bring out a 3-way IEM (Shurely it's just a matter of time) - I understand that the SE530 has substantially longer sound tubes than the Westone.

It appears from your description that the UM-56 do not seal properly, and so isolation and sound quality suffers.

 

[Jim Barry]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeadphoneAddict /img/forum/go_quote.gif It appears from your description that the UM-56 do not seal properly, and so isolation and sound quality suffers.

Well, yes. I'm in Europe, so mine were made by Variphone in Belgium. I can't help wondering whether I'd have better luck with ones made by Westone in the USA, but that doesn't seem to be an option.

 

[Mecc]

I believe the slider mechanism is there to keep the wires from being tangled up when you store them. Slide it up to the ear pieces and then wrap them up to store in the case. Otherwise you just have them all the way down.

Biking or operating a vehicle with IEMs is dangerous. I've read articles about people dying in traffic accidents because they were too distracted with their ipods. Be careful not just for yourself, but for others as well.

I've found that the tips really alter the sound a lot. The medium sized grey foam tips sound pretty bad when I first insert them in. The the lower mid range was bloated. I figured out it's best to let the tips warm up in your ear till they become very malleable. Then just reinsert them, no need to finger roll them or force them in hard. The sound I get is more neutral, I feel. Double flange (triple flange mod) is bass -, treble +, the thick white tips are bass ++, the foams are the sweet spot for me.

I thought the ESW10 were superior to the Westone 3 in every way, but now that I have some more headphones experience, I see that the ESW10 are a bit lean and carry a forward sound, especially with the vocal area. This gives a clean and crisp presentation. They even sound cleaner than the RS-1 I just got because of this leanness. The ESW10 are articulate and handle music with lots of finesse and the instrumental separation is very good, but in the end they don't have the same full-bodied presentation I find in most of my full sized headphones. The Westone 3 has the muscles, but not the level of clarity, micro detail or finesse (instrumental seperation) as the ESW10. The vocals on the ESW10 are awesome. Intimate and detailed. Vocals on the Westone 3 are a bit laid back.

I won't form a real opinion until I get my pico and UM56. So far I'm pleased with the Westone 3. I think it only gets better from here. I realized that Pandora (iphone radio app) wasn't the best choice for high quality music, and that was one of the reasons why I was disappointed with the soundstage. It sounds like your in a small room and the bass kind of leaks or bleeds throughout. I switched music players and to a diet consisting of lossless audio and was more impressed. The soundstage wasn't so cramped anymore. I still feel like there's a slight veil in the lower midrange, but it's not too bad. I don't really notice it after I listen for a while. I guess I become accustomed to the sound. I think the vocals are bit hidden and some bassy instruments don't shine, kind of murky. I find that I just have to turn up the volume about 2 notches to get the most out of the Westone 3. Oh yeah, I find myself changing the volume a lot with song changes. The replay gain, or lack of it. It's a bit annoying and I don't really do this with other headphones. Overall, they are easy, fun and comfortable to listen to.

 

[Zhdude]

From all of these reviews, I seriously want to see someone compare klipsch custom 3's where the only thing I have to say badly is with cable noise, and westone 3's which have a mix report.

 

[Jogiya]

(first of all, S.F.M.E - Sorry For My English)
Here's my 1 week experience with Westone 3's :
After experimenting with the two different sources and different tips and after reading about the problems people are having with Westones 3's, i have to say that the problem HAS to reside in the following three things only..
1- Source you are using
2- Length/shape of Tips you use
3- Your ear canal's length/shape
(2-3 directly related to eachother.. 3 not being very important as there has to be a kind of tip that will suit your ear canal's length/shape)

if you want number four and five then (less likely to be the case):
4- your ears are not compatible with Westone 3's

5- it can be a defective pair?

i have yet to experiment more with the tips and see which one suites my ears. but one suggestion to the people who are having troubles is to think about the three points above..

Try these methods..
1- If you are experiencing lots of terrible detail and want to reduce it + are after more "balanced sound" (more bass and no sibilance)... try using triple flange tips or UM56's.
2- If you are experiencing lots of bass or want more high end detail.. try switching to tips with shorter length. (almost all that are included in the package, including Shure Olives)

Switching to Triple Flange tips reduced (using NWZ-A728 as source):
1- Sound stage
2- High end detail (not shrill at all anymore.. but less detail)
3- Sibilance
(edit: tip's smaller hole may be responsible for the reduction in high end detail and increase in bass - not sure about the hole size of UM56's)

using my PC, the sound stage was big but my PC's sound card isn't very good so it can't produce the mids very well.. whereas, the bass and high end are ok (with the bass a little bit dominant).. So, people using Amplifiers may find the UM56 and/or Triple flange tips are perfect for them.. (HeadphoneAddict, for example)
My "Current" Theory: The deeper the tip goes in the ear, the better. (less sibilance + balanced sound)

Triple Flange tips reduce the Sound stage and also a lot of detail, so it is not solution for me. Therefore, i think i will have to try the UM56's and NuForce Icon Mobile and see what they can do..

I have only tried this myself and i don't know if this method works for everybody (as we all have different ear canal lengths/shapes)
These are just a few suggestion from me.. i am just sharing my experience and it may help some people

for most of you out there, everything can be solved by experimenting with different type of tips.. for others, nothing may work..(maybe they lose hope before trying different tips?)

So... to conclude all of what i have experienced, Westone 3's are no normal earphones... you have to experiment with them a lot before you can settle for the kind of sound you want from them..
Personally, i will try the modded Triple Flange tips (making them bi flange) next and then NuForce Icon Mobile. (which i will get even if everything is perfect)

Yesterday i was experiencing dominant treble/high end + sibilance.. (according to my taste)
Today, dominant bass
Tomorrow.. maybe perfectly balanced sound? (according to my taste)

but i keep asking myself this question..
Westone 3's are so detailed. Maybe that detail has one drawback (the sibilance)? (i only have this one little problem which is only noticeable in a few songs)

If there are any mistakes in my post that may make it difficult to read, please let me know!