Right, so I'm 24 hours into my W3s ownership. I don't want to judge them fully yet, just posting my impressions thus far. Am comparing them to my TF10s. Thought I ought to add that this post is just my opinion and is based on how I hear these IEMs. In terms of some of the music I've been listening to, in no particular order: Weezer, Tenacious D, Leona Lewis, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, Presidents of the USA, Barenaked Ladies, AC/DC, Blink 182, Boyz II Men (yes, i know, gay haha, but lots of rich voices to test the mids!), Daft Punk. All >=256k MP3 from a 5G ipod.
I've spent many hours playing with tips and fitting, and I've settled on the medium gray silicone and the medium long complys - they are the only ones I can get to actual comfortably fit me. The effect of the two tips on the W3 is quite similar to that on my TF10s - the complys settle both the treble and the bass down nicely whereas the silicones sound a little plasticky.
So far, my main impression lies with the bass and the treble. The low end is much stronger in impact compared to the TF10s and first impression is that it sounds great - but after a few hours I've decided it sounds a little bit bloated. There's certainly more quantity but I hear the TF10 bass as being of higher quality - because there's less "boom" in the triple.fi I feel I'm hearing more texture to bass guitars and drums which is more pleasing to my ear. That's not to say the W3s low end doesn't sound good - because its very easy to rock out to and is probably my favourite SQ element of the W3s, but it lacks the precision of the TF10s.
Next up is the treble. Obviously the TF10s are quite treble happy so I know my past couple of months of listening is tuned slightly more towards that bias. The W3s treble is definitely there - I don't feel I'm missing out much on treble *presence* compared to the TF10s. But, even though it is present it doesn't sound particularly great. Treble detail sounds flat and, more importantly, if there are several sources of treble it is very easily smeared and I loose definition, something which I've never experienced with the TF10s. My biggest gripe is with hi-hats which sound flat and at times very harsh.
In addition to that there are two other things I've noticed. 1. Sibilance and 2. Difficulty with complex sound composition.
Firstly, I hear a lot of sibilance with the W3s - at least compared to the TF10s. With the TF10s I sometimes notice some sibilance with the silicone tips but the complies completely rid them of that. This is not the case with the W3s. They are surprisingly bad in this area, actually, and the issue is probably the deal-breaker for me so far. No tip or position trick as sorted it out for me, although the complies do reduce it a small amount. I've even tried EQing out the highs a little, but interestingly although I definitely hear reduced treble the sibilance remains. I do have to say that it is an issue on many, but not all, recordings - but I never get it with the TF10s. Therefore the W3s are quite fatiguing in my ears, poosticks.
The second point is something which is backed up by TheMarchingMule's post
here. A lot of the music I listen to is rock and that's where I first noticed it, but since then it has come up in several different genres. When there is a lot going on the W3s start loosing definition and the sound is smeared. Combined with the sibilance and the off-putting high hats a lot of busy sections of rock songs actually sound very poor (cringeworthy so, at times). This for me is the strongest point of the TF10s - no matter what happens they retain their clarity and instrument separation is never an issue.
One result of this is that I often get to the end of a song with the W3s and I'll notice I've just sort of listenened and bobbed my head away at the music - whereas with the TF10s I am often stopped in my tracks because the texture and clarity of the sound is distracting (in a good way!).
So far I think the mids has been the general complaint with the W3s on here but I think they are great - but then I am coming from the mid-recessed TF10s.
It is very annoying that I've got these SQ gripes because they are the most comfortable IEM i've had in my ear. I really like their construction, shape, weight and cable. The TF10s are quite simply uncomfortable.
To sum up:
Bass: Quite Good. Strong, punchy. But not as textured as the TF10s
Mids: Very good - more prominent than the TF10s.
Treble: Present (unlike when I heard a pair of SE530s) but poor. Sibilant, harsh and plastic sounding (no tip or position remedies this for me)
Sound stage: very good, slightly narrower than the TF10s I think but instrument separation, on the whole, better with the W3s.
Comfort: Awesome
On the whole my post has been negative - but I'll be listening to the W3s for the next week before I make my mind up. One thing to note is that I paid £170 for the TF10s and £300 for the W3s. The TF10s are, relatively speaking, incredibly value for money (or are the W3s just stupendously expensive?!).
EDIT: 23/12/2008
After a day of playing around with the triple-flange tips (I've not modded them yet) I've actually got a decent sound out of the W3s. Sibilance is no longer an issue for me (and that was the deal-breaker with any of the other tips), and the treble sounds much less plasticky - high hats especially now sound much better and less harsh. The sound is now much more like I expected the W3s to sound like - similar to my TF10s but with less emphasis on the treble and more on the bass.
My opinion has been swayed a little by the triple-flange tips, but I have not yet made up my mind as to which pair I keep. I need to look at modding the triple flanges as they are too uncomfortable in their stock state.
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