[dailylover]

Hey guys,
 
I just got my pair of Westone 3's and to be honest i'm quite dissapointed.
 
Before these I have had my trusty RE0's for the past year, and well they are brilliant, even if the build quality isn't the best.
 
Anyway I love my RE0's, the clarity is just superb ! The only downside I had with them was the slightly lacking bass. After hearing all the great reviews about the Westone 3's, I thought I would try them out.
 
Well, I have been trying them out for 30 minutes and am dissapointed. Compared to the RE0's, they have a lot more bass but eveything else just doesn't have the same 'clarity' as the RE0 has.
 
I don't know if this matters but I don't use a headphone amp, I have tested the Westone 3's with my 3GS and standard headphone jack in my Dell Harman/kardon 2.0 PC speakers.
 
Does anyone else have these two earphones, and what do ye think ?

 

[hvu]

The W3 are more of a fun pair of iem with plenty of bass, I have not heard the RE0 but from all the impressions I would suggest either looking into the UM3x or CK10.
From personal experience the ck10 belows away the W3 in clarity.

 

[rawrster]

The W3 aren't exactly known for amazing clarity. They do have a lot more bass than the RE0 and they should considering they are more of a fun earphone than a neutral one. I have yet to hear anything that beats the Ck10 in clarity however

 

[dailylover]

Quote:

The W3 aren't exactly known for amazing clarity. They do have a lot more bass than the RE0 and they should considering they are more of a fun earphone than a neutral one. I have yet to hear anything that beats the Ck10 in clarity however

How do you mean fun and neutral ? Like, I want the 'perfect' earphone that has all this balanced I won't want to listen to the WE 3's just for the bass because then I know how muddy the rest sounds. How are the CK10's on bass ? 

 

[ZARIM]

If you want clarity up to the standard of RE0 with great bass extention then try these IEMs like SM3, FX700, EQ7, DBA-02, Radius DDM and MTP Copper. 

 

[dailylover]

 

I have had a lot of earphones and none really come close to the RE0's. I have the V-Moda vibes, WE 3's, Ety ER4P, Jays q-jays, CX300's. The RE0's just seem to be the perfect balance phones out of that lot.

 

[David58117]

Quote:

The W3 aren't exactly known for amazing clarity. They do have a lot more bass than the RE0 and they should considering they are more of a fun earphone than a neutral one. I have yet to hear anything that beats the Ck10 in clarity however

Not even your DBA-02s?  If someone is after clarity, would it be better to save up and go for the Ck10s instead of the DBA-02? 
 

 

[dailylover]

Quote:

Not even your DBA-02s?  If someone is after clarity, would it be better to save up and go for the Ck10s instead of the DBA-02? 
 

Isn't everyone after clarity though 

 A song just doesn't sound right all muffled and muddy, albeit bass filled.

 

[JxK]

Quote:

Isn't everyone after clarity though 

 A song just doesn't sound right all muffled and muddy, albeit bass filled.

Standard Advice ©:
Give your earphones some time. You have to adjust to a different sound signature first. The W3 should have alot of detail, it just won't be as apparent because of the bass. Try them for a week, then go back to your re0 and see what you think.
 
Also, the W3 are described as having a V shaped sound. If the bass is too much, and since ipods have the worst equalizers known to man, try lowering volume. It's healthy to begin with, and at lower volumes the bass won't be as prominent. (see equal loudness contour)
 

 

[rawrster]

Just because something doesn't have great clarity doesn't mean everything is muffled or muddy. I found something like the TF10 to have lots of detail and definitely not muddy even though their clarity was not great.
 
Quote:

Isn't everyone after clarity though 

 A song just doesn't sound right all muffled and muddy, albeit bass filled.

My ownership of the DBA02 and CK10 overlapped by a couple days. I went from the CK10 to the DBA02 and found that their clarity was not better. The DBA02 is probably the safer buy in terms of SQ. They do not contain a peak in the upper mids region while the CK10 do and unless you can handle that it is hard to say which is preferred. Lots of people can't handle that.
 
Quote:

Not even your DBA-02s?  If someone is after clarity, would it be better to save up and go for the Ck10s instead of the DBA-02?   

 

[fraggerz]

I've owned both RE0 and W3. I would say that the iphone 3gs does not pair up well with the W3. It makes the W3 sound muffled when its not, you could have been losing some clarity there. Maybe you should think of getting a better MP like Fuze or s:flo. It will greatly increase the enjoyment of your W3 and RE0.
btw. I havent heard the ck10 and DBA02 before so i cant comment on their clarity. But from what i heard, only the full-sized DT770 can beat the RE0 in terms of clarity.

 

[David58117]

Quote:

I've owned both RE0 and W3. I would say that the iphone 3gs does not pair up well with the W3. It makes the W3 sound muffled when its not, you could have been losing some clarity there. Maybe you should think of getting a better MP like Fuze or s:flo. It will greatly increase the enjoyment of your W3 and RE0.
btw. I havent heard the ck10 and DBA02 before so i cant comment on their clarity. But from what i heard, only the full-sized DT770 can beat the RE0 in terms of clarity.

My full sized K701s beat it pretty easily and really show you it's flaws.  But that's more than 3 times the RE0s price, and even so, the RE0 is still pretty amazing when you compare them side by side. 

 

[MacedonianHero]

I really like my RE0s. The bass is very light to be considered neutral, but paired with a cheap FiiO E5 with bass boost on, they are actually amazing. Throw in the fact that the combo is less than $100!
 
But next to my Westone 3s, no comparison. The Westone 3s are the better IEM. The bass is no comparison. The mids are slightly better on the RE0s and the treble goes to the W3s. Overall, the Westone 3's win for a much better presentation, clarity, and sound stage. They were my favourites until Shure improved on the SE530s with the SE535s.
 
FWIW, I've also owned: IE8s, ER-4P/S, UE10s and have heard the Monster Coppers/MD, and SM3. I would rank them:
 
Shure SE535
Westone 3
SM3
RE0
all the rest

 

[rawrster]

^
Well our experiences definitely differ then which is fine. Clarity and treble I would give to the RE0 while bass although the W3 had way too much for me I found the W3 had better bass. Stage was better on the W3 but the RE0 isn't exactly known for that anyway. I didn't consider the bass light when I paired it with my mini3 but unamped I'm not sure. I still find it one of the best values for those who want good sound but not spend as much as a W3 may cost. Of course I wasn't too impressed with the W3 although they are quite capable

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

^
Well our experiences definitely differ then which is fine. Clarity and treble I would give to the RE0 while bass although the W3 had way too much for me I found the W3 had better bass. Stage was better on the W3 but the RE0 isn't exactly known for that anyway. I didn't consider the bass light when I paired it with my mini3 but unamped I'm not sure. I still find it one of the best values for those who want good sound but not spend as much as a W3 may cost. Of course I wasn't too impressed with the W3 although they are quite capable

My issue with the RE0's treble is that it can make cymbal shot sound like a fake drum machine; while on the W3s, they sound like a real drummer hitting a cymbal.
I think the lack of any real mid-bass presence makes them sound more "clear"...AKG uses this trick

. I completely agree the best 2 IEMs for value that I've ever come across are the RE0s and Nuforce NE8s.