fallingreason
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Sep 9, 2009
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Westone 3 vs Sennheiser IE8
Source: Sony X-1051
Tips: IE8 – V-Moda single flange, medium. (packaged with Bass Freq’s, 2007) These are my favorite tip for wide-nozzle dynamic driver IEM’s. They never fail to form a perfect seal and bump up the isolation on the IE7 and IE8.
W3 – Dark grey cushion, medium. Very good seal. I’ve never been a fan of foamie’s so it was these or the clear silicone single flange.
EQ: IE8 – 0 0 +1 +1 +1, clearbass: 0; bass knob on min.
W3 – 0 0 +1 +1 +1, clearbass +1.
EQ was used so that each sounded best to my ears with my music.
Fit: W3 wins here. The IE7 and the W3 are the two most comfortable IEM’s I have owned so far. The W3 does have a more comfortable cable as it drapes around the back of my ear very nicely and does not budge. With the IE7 (and IE8) I find it necessary to use Audeo silicon ear guides to keep a secure fit, as the cable has a tendency to move around a bit. The housing design of the IE8 is not really the best, while the W3 conforms to my year perfectly. I have figured out how to adjust the IE8 so that I don’t have a corner poking into my ear, so its design doesn’t bother me as much as it did at first. The good thing about the IE8 fit is it is shallow, so after a few minutes it doesn't feel like I'm wearing them. With the W3, the insertion is deeper and I can always feel them plugged into my ears. Both sit fairly flush with the ear. They do look like bigger IEMs, but do not stick out much. The IE8 might stick out a tad more, though I probably wouldn’t fall asleep with either of them. I do prefer the deeper insertion of the W3 because it feels much more secure, though this means it is also a bigger hassle to pop one side out to talk to someone (though not that big of a deal).
Build Quality – IE8. The plastic housing the IE8 is made of seems much more durable than the W3. The W3 appears to be thinner and more fragile. The IE8 has removable cables and the W3 does not, though the strain relief appears to be high quality. The W3 braided cable is well done and I am sure if one takes care of the W3’s they will have little or no issues with it, but I’d still rather have the IE8 cable and be completely worry free. Lastly, the W3 cable length is 2-3 inches longer than the IE8, and I find that to be 2-3 inches too long for my use.
Accessories – The W3 comes with a more practical case and a volume adjustment attachment which looks rather bulky so I would never use it. Other than the case, I find them equal in this regard.
SOUND
Test Songs: all 320kbps MP3 format.
Pretty lights - Future blind
Piano soundstage (left right alternating), W3 doesn’t sound as big as IE8. Weight of beat sounds more grounded with the IE8 and less “imaged”. Various instruments and sound effects in the background sound artistic with the IE8 while the W3 sounds like its nailing all the details.
YUI - Goodbye Days
Acoustic guitar has more weight on IE8. Fading reverb effect shows that the IE8 has better soundstage depth. Mids are very smooth and flawless on the W3, yet I feel like I am missing something. When listening to the song on the IE8, I feel like there is a connection with the singer that is not there with the W3. The IE8 held my attention the whole song through, the W3 can let my mind wander.
October Fall – Hey Hey
This song made me realize how much more neutral the vocals are on the W3, and may be why they may feel a bit more distant than the IE8 in this regard. I also notice in this song that the highs appear to be more resolved with the W3, however it is hard to say. I will put it like this: With the W3 I feel like you KNOW the highs are resolved, with the IE8 I feel like maybe they could still be clearer. Whether they actually are on the W3 is hard to say, it may just be how they are presented that makes it seem so.
Background guitar seems slightly more separated with the W3, separation of other instruments is comparable.
Joe Satriani – Always With Me, Always With You. Relatively simple song to test the ability to convey instrumental emotion.
I immediately noticed that I feel closer to the guitarist when listening with the IE8. Background bass notes are also much more noticeable. When notes hang in the air, it is more enjoyable with the IE8. I keep thinking about the note after it is played. This didn’t happen with the Westone 3.
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros – Janglin’
Used this song to test the soundstage, as there are instruments coming from all over in this song, such as a wood block from the percussionist. This confirmed the IE8 has a more spacious sound while the W3 is very imaged.
Underoath – A Boy Brushed Red Living in Black and White
Had to see how these compared for metal and hard rock. The W3 has a “tighter” sound with more attack, though the IE8’s do great with this song as well. In fact, the IE8’s do much better with hard rock than I would have thought based on my experience with the IE7, which dulls the intensity and emotion. Perhaps the enhanced bass response and huge sound is responsible for this difference. I would say I prefer the W3 for intense rock, but I could be very happy listening to it with the IE8 even though that isn't where they shine.
General Sound Comparison:
Treble: Nothing is missing on the IE8, but the signature of the IEM may trick you into thinking it is possible for the highs to be more resolved and crisp. With the W3 they let you know that there is nothing more to hear in the highs, yet there is nothing striking about them either such as on the TripleFi10. Compared to the IE8, you may say they “sparkle”, but I am hesitant to describe them this way after owning the TF10. When I listen to the IE8’s for a while and fully adjust to their sound, the highs are perfect for me. If I choose to listen for the highs, all the treble is there and is flawless, with the W3, they rarely leave your attention.
Mids and Vocals: Vocals are clearly better on the IE8 for me. I know many people say the vocals do not sound natural and are colored by the bass of the IE8, yet I find the vocals on all my music to sound fantastic. They do sound a bit “heavier” than the W3, but they also sound more alive. Perhaps the weight is part of the reason for that. The W3 vocals are very detailed, but do not stand out. I think the neutrality of the vocals makes it sound too studio-esque and less like a performance. I would say I prefer the IE8 vocals more than the W3 by a fair margin.
All other mids are about equal to me, I just need my vocals =) Acoustic guitar, piano, all have great presence and sound like they are in right there in the room with you.
Bass: Clearly the IE8 has MORE bass . It is also very easy to distinguish the difference between the dynamic driver sound and BA sound when paying attention to the bass. The IE8 has a much more prominent bass impact, while the W3 has a punch that is stays very distinct from the rest of the music, nothing extreme. I did find that if you turn up the clearbass with the W3 you should have more than enough bass, though it remains distinguished, and does not color the music at all. The W3 bass is also more taught and "behaved" if you will. The IE8 bass just flows and flows and flows, it's never NOT there. It's like having a big subwoofer in a home theater. Unless you're listening to a piccolo solo, there's going to be SOME bass frequencies and you WILL hear them because you have a substantial piece of equipment that was built for bass.
Head Stage: The IE8 sound stage is more vast and extensive than the W3. I still have yet to experience an “out of head” sound with the W3, maybe I did not listen to the right pieces yet. I always feel like I'm wearing IEM's with the W3, the IE8 sounds more open and the sound is more on the scale of a portable headphone (not full size cans). The W3 has a very accurate soundstage and it is easy to pinpoint where different instruments are placed, but there is not the same enveloping feeling I get when I listen to the IE8. It's more like you have a map of the presentation and you can point to everything on it, but with the IE8 you're in a room and you can kind of figure out where things are, but mostly get near/far left/right, not exact locations. The IE8’s more laid back sound is partly responsible for this, as everything already sounds like it is “coming from somewhere”, where as the W3 sounds like everything is being imaged in your head. (but a very good and accurate image).
Final Thoughts: The Westone 3 definitely sounds like it is a more fine-tuned instrument, with better capability of accurately reproducing the signal you feed it. It feel’s like the perfect IEM that has almost no flaws. The IE8 is the one that doesn’t meet every single requirement to be perfect, but you fall in love with it regardless. To me, the W3 might be “too perfect”. I’m not quite sure how to describe it, as it does not have a clinical signature. The simplest way I can put it is the W3 lays the music out in front of me whereas the IE8’s sound envelopes and captivates me. The W3 has a much more balanced sounding presentation and the IE8 is driven from the bottom up.
Lastly, I noticed while listening at my desk, the IE8 is much more enjoyable, as it sounds great at low volumes. The W3, it seems, needs to be listened to at a decent volume level to really shine.
I would be happy with the ergonomics of either IEM, so it really is JUST about the sound. Given that I usually use IEM's at coffee shops and on a bus with engine noise, the W3's will probably better fit the bill most of the time. However, after owning the IE7 for so long and being so attached to the Sennheiser IE sound, it is quite a change and I'm not sure I can completely switch over yet =/
