Westone B50 Release

[oknidius]

Wondering if anyone who has experience with the Westone B50 and the Sennheiser IE 40 Pro could compare the two.

I know they’re in different leagues and price ranges. But I’m only interested in the sound comparison.

After spending obscene amounts in the past few years (including various expensive CIEMs and overpriced boutique universals, brand name and Chi-Fi DAPs and amps, and cables), I’ve - shockingly to most people here no doubt - settled on my endgame daily combo: the Sennheiser IE 40 Pro and - brace yourselves haters - an iPod Touch.

But once in a while the treble of the IE 40 Pro gets a tad too hot. Foam tips or EQ may or may not help. Depends on the recording. I have better things to do than change ear tips for every song.

So I remember fond memories of the Westone W80 (just not fond enough to justify the price tag to keep them) and less fond memories of the Westone W40 (thin, no body, no weight).

But Westone’s multi-driver offerings are amongst the very few I found coherent. In others brands, I hear significant imbalances between frequencies as they’re bounced around the different drivers. Where strings should be unified, they’ll sound harsh and almost distorted on some IEMs. As if the drivers are improperly synchronized.

In that regard, my current Westone ES60 are satisfying. But in other aspects, they’re not. Treble is simultaneously rolled off and shrill/screechy. Overall tone is metallic, yet paradoxically natural and authentic. Their biggest issue, is that regardless of the amp, they only sound good to me at unsafe volumes.

So I’m wondering if the Westone B50 might safeguard the Westone coherency and match a single dynamic driver in that regard, yet offer satisfying bass (deep, not bloated), more weight and body than the W40, but tone down the treble of the IE 40 Pro, while offering better isolation (which the IE 40 Pro offers very little of).

Since my musical tastes on any given day could easily jump between classical, rap, country, heavy metal, soundtracks and pop, I’m interested in something versatile. And before someone says the B50 is too bassy for classical, I love timpani, celli, trombones and double basses. I want to hear them as loud as trumpets and violins. Shostakovich‘s 7th symphony (1st movement) and Dvorak’s 9th (beginning of 4th movement) for example don’t have the same impact on bass-shy earphones as they do on weightier options.

Sorry for the long rant. I guess I’m just trying to explain where I’m coming from and why this strange B50 vs IE 40 Pro comparison request.

Many thanks!

 

[435279]

Great "rant" you have obviously given your requirements some thought, I can't help unfortunately as I've never heard the IE 40 Pro or the B50, I'm only subscribed to this thread to read others impressions on the B50.

settled on my endgame daily combo: the Sennheiser IE 40 Pro and - brace yourselves haters - an iPod Touch.

What are you doing on Head-fi, move along, nothing to see here.

 

[Tiax]

offer satisfying bass (deep, not bloated), more weight and body than the W40, but tone down the treble of the IE 40 Pro, while offering better isolation

I'd say B50 have it all.
I've tried IE 40 pro only briefly, but occasional treble sharpness put me off immediately. They were also both less comfortable and less isolating.
And B50 have a very relaxed, big, fun sound, that i can just enjoy, and not worry that something is missing, or doesn't sound right.
One caveat though: i think stock (Star) tips don't do them justice. Wide bore tips sound better, so either use a nozzle adapter, or buy Spinfit CP800.

P.S. Adomara has them again for $319
https://www.adorama.com/web50.html?...t&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_source=rflaid62905
I would never pay the full price, i think it's just ridiculous and you can get much better iems for less. But $319 is a pretty good deal.

 

[wordfool]

I've not tried the IE40 Pro, but from my Westone experience I'd say the B50 sits somewhere between the W40, which is still has a pretty full "westone" house sound, and my old Westone 3,which has a mid-bass boost that can sound fairly pronounced in some music. The B50 definitely has big bass, but it's a relatively subtle boost (I was expecting more) that gives the low end more presence overall and contributes to a fun, substantial sound without losing any detail in the mids and highs. I'd not call them a "basshead" IEM, more a "bass aficionado" IEM!

I'd not describe the W40 as "thin", unless there's a problem with the seal. They sound flatter overall compared to the B50 and W3 but IMO the Westone "house" sound is always on the slightly fuller, relaxing side with slightly rolled off highs, never thin-sounding (unless perhaps you've basshead preferences). I bought the W40 and B50 on sale for over half off, which IMO makes them decent value. Kept the W40 because I was worried the B50 might not do too well with classical music, but actually they are fine so I'll likely be selling my W40s. I still have my old Westone 3s as my beater IEMs. Those things just won't die and they're the ultimate in fun and punchy sound for EDM, even if the bass can get a bit boomy at times.

 

[Bleach-Free]

Just recently picked up a pair of these and the bass is soooo good. Been trying different tips and found the dual flange from Etymotic sound the best to me.