[BloodSugar00]

With IEM highs- ES3X (18KHz) and UE11's (16.5KHz) included- only extending, in my experience, as high as 20KHz, and more often below that, are full-sized headphone highs- I've heard a standard highs extension for full-sized is 30KHz- in another league?

 

[Zanth]

rob, the highs are good, but they don't have a sparkle like the R10's, or Etys etc. They are not prominent at all. If you want highs in that vein, then the ES3X's are not for you. The highs are detailed and it is very very interesting how the detail is all there but it's just presented in such a non-intrusive way. Balanced is the best way I know how to state it.

 

[zb0430]

Which, for many, is a non issue. I know lots of people that make bodacious claims about how they can hear up to 25 Khz...

The limitations of the human ear tell me otherwise. Once we get to around 18 KHz, there aren't many folks who can tell a bit of difference, other than maybe psychologically, if they believe they can.

 

[Shinsight]

Just received my pair today. It took just over 3 weeks since ordering date for them to arrive in Toronto but are well worth the wait! These are my first IEMs and most likely my last (No upgradtitus for me haha!)

Some pics of my neon green ES3X's:

As for first impressions: really comfortable, HUGE soundstage (sounds bigger than my AD-900's), amazing instrument separation, great detail in the mids and a nice smooth natural sound overall without any fatigue. However, I can hear a very minor hiss coming out from my Sansa Fuze HP out with 0 volume while nothing is playing (which is probably the fuzes fault hehe). Other than that, need to go back to listening

 

[zb0430]

For the first time I realize how much bigger and noticeable the cables on both the UE's and the Westone's are than my Sensaphonics.

That will take some getting used to for sure. I suppose that's one thing ACS has going for them, big time. As a musician that's on IMAG a lot, huge, blatant in ears and massive cables make me cringe...

Good stuff. I'm comforted and enthused that these are getting so many good reviews from the lunatics here at head-fi.

 

[Zanth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zb0430 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Which, for many, is a non issue. I know lots of people that make bodacious claims about how they can hear up to 25 Khz... The limitations of the human ear tell me otherwise. Once we get to around 18 KHz, there aren't many folks who can tell a bit of difference, other than maybe psychologically, if they believe they can.

I'm not so much talking about 18 kHz, but more like those that enjoy a bump in the regular instrumental area of the highs where the shimmer of cymbals come into play. Not much up there around 18 kHz but the fact that the highs aren't prominent may be a turn off for some, particularly if they are used to the Etymotic presentation.

 

[davidhunternyc]

The question I have about the ES3X is supposedly there are two versions available; one with a short tip or one with a long tip. So which of the two tips are preferable and why? Thanks.

 

[robm321]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bolardito /img/forum/go_quote.gif I can tell you the UE11 highs are to die for. Very detailed without being over analytical. I never ceased to be amazed by their sparkle highs.

I'm back on the UE11 bus. I should have listened to Audiophiler...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zanth /img/forum/go_quote.gif rob, the highs are good, but they don't have a sparkle like the R10's, or Etys etc. They are not prominent at all. If you want highs in that vein, then the ES3X's are not for you. The highs are detailed and it is very very interesting how the detail is all there but it's just presented in such a non-intrusive way. Balanced is the best way I know how to state it.

Thanks Zanth! I appreciate that

 

[digihead]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bolardito /img/forum/go_quote.gif I can tell you the UE11 highs are to die for. Very detailed without being over analytical. I never ceased to be amazed by their sparkle highs.

I definitely agree with that. The UE11 highs seem to reach for the stars yet never sound harsh or sibiliant. They can shimmer and sparkle with the best of them.

 

[catscratch]

Highs shouldn't be prominent unless that is called for in the original recording. I had the chance to listen to one of the top speaker systems in the world that measured completely flat 20-20 and the highs weren't bright at all. They were, in fact, rather like what the ES3x highs are described as, or what I'm hearing out of a well-driven O2 Mk1 and to a lesser extent a well-fitting W3. Completely non-sibilant, non-fatiguing, linear, without any bumps or emphasis anywhere. These highs can sound soft, but instruments in the highs - cymbals and the like - are very balanced in the overall mix and the detail is preserved completely. They shimmer when they have to, but don't have any unnatural shimmer superimposed on them when it isn't called for. A bass-light K340 puts that sort of shimmer over everything and it's very pretty at times, but it gets old pretty quick once you hear it for the coloration that it really is. Ety highs weren't flat and uniformly bumped up and had serious peaks, which made them very metallic to my ears. But maybe I got a bad seal.

So, it does sound like the ES3x highs are what I'm looking for, but considering the kind of stellar sound I'm getting out of the W3 now that it's properly fitting, I'm not surprised. It also does sound like the ES3x is what I'd consider really, really accurate. I don't buy the whole deal that accuracy comes at the expense of musicality. Accuracy is musicality. A perfectly flat, perfectly accurate system is as fluid, rich, full, and involving as they get. An analytical sound is the result of a non-linear midrange, desaturated tone color, lacking dynamic range, all of which are colorations. Music is supposed to be involving, organic, fluid, dynamic, and full of color. So it sounds like the ES3x is simply very accurately putting out what's there.

Listening to that rig was a bit of a revelation. Not in the sense that it blew me away since it was only somewhat better than a well-driven O2 Mk1 (well OK a lot better in some respects, but it was dynamic and the O2 was still faster, and tonally the two were very similar), but in the sense that it had confirmed the sneaking suspicion that I've always had at the back of my mind - a well and truly accurate system is musical by definition, and that rig was as musical as anything I've ever heard. More, in fact, since it was so flawless that nothing subtracted from your enjoyment of the music.

Obviously, when it comes to the ES3x I'm still speculating, but not for long. I'm getting it pretty soon.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by catscratch /img/forum/go_quote.gif Highs shouldn't be prominent unless that is called for in the original recording. I had the chance to listen to one of the top speaker systems in the world that measured completely flat 20-20 and the highs weren't bright at all. They were, in fact, rather like what the ES3x highs are described as, or what I'm hearing out of a well-driven O2 Mk1 and to a lesser extent a well-fitting W3. Completely non-sibilant, non-fatiguing, linear, without any bumps or emphasis anywhere. These highs can sound soft, but instruments in the highs - cymbals and the like - are very balanced in the overall mix and the detail is preserved completely. They shimmer when they have to, but don't have any unnatural shimmer superimposed on them when it isn't called for. A bass-light K340 puts that sort of shimmer over everything and it's very pretty at times, but it gets old pretty quick once you hear it for the coloration that it really is. Ety highs weren't flat and uniformly bumped up and had serious peaks, which made them very metallic to my ears. But maybe I got a bad seal. So, it does sound like the ES3x highs are what I'm looking for, but considering the kind of stellar sound I'm getting out of the W3 now that it's properly fitting, I'm not surprised. It also does sound like the ES3x is what I'd consider really, really accurate. I don't buy the whole deal that accuracy comes at the expense of musicality. Accuracy is musicality. A perfectly flat, perfectly accurate system is as fluid, rich, full, and involving as they get. An analytical sound is the result of a non-linear midrange, desaturated tone color, lacking dynamic range, all of which are colorations. Music is supposed to be involving, organic, fluid, dynamic, and full of color. So it sounds like the ES3x is simply very accurately putting out what's there. Listening to that rig was a bit of a revelation. Not in the sense that it blew me away since it was only somewhat better than a well-driven O2 Mk1 (well OK a lot better in some respects, but it was dynamic and the O2 was still faster, and tonally the two were very similar), but in the sense that it had confirmed the sneaking suspicion that I've always had at the back of my mind - a well and truly accurate system is musical by definition, and that rig was as musical as anything I've ever heard. More, in fact, since it was so flawless that nothing subtracted from your enjoyment of the music. Obviously, when it comes to the ES3x I'm still speculating, but not for long. I'm getting it pretty soon.

Some of what you touched upon is why this weekend I replaced the O2 Mk1 that I previous sold, yet I sold off two more high-end dynamic cans this weekend as well (an $800 woodied re-cabled leather headband HF-1, and $1500 re-cabled Edition 9).

You will find the ES3X are a very well balanced phone - while the W3 can be a little bright at times or a little bassy at times, the ES3X does it right every time. The ES3X are now my favorite dynamic headphones, although I also enjoy an nice balanced K1000 or balanced HD600 every once in a while (and the modded D2000 still intrigue me, as do my re-cabled RS-1). And, I'll still grab the W3 for listening away from home because I am afraid to lose or damage my ES3X, which I listen to for several hours a day out of my Macbook and a nice DAC/amp.

 

[Ricey20]

Should get mine this week as well. As for the david's question, the normal version is the short canal tip while larry had asked westone to make it longer for him since he wanted them deeper i guess?

And I had 2 O2MK1s, selling my spare tho since the first should last quite awhile

 

[catscratch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeadphoneAddict /img/forum/go_quote.gif Some of what you touched upon is why this weekend I replaced the O2 Mk1 that I previous sold, yet I sold off two more high-end dynamic cans this weekend as well (an $800 woodied re-cabled leather headband HF-1, and $1500 re-cabled Edition 9).

The O2 Mk1 is a tricky bugger isn't it. It doesn't have any colorations so it doesn't wow you or floor you initially. But the more you listen to it, the more you realize that it's right and that nearly everything else is wrong. This doesn't mean that everyone will like this sort of sound, and there's nothing wrong with a little coloration to help music enjoyment, but for accuracy it's the undisputed king to my ears (when properly driven), and by this I mean real accuracy and not a sterile, analytical sound.

The system has to be right though, otherwise all bets are off. The O2 will require you to tune your system by ear in many cases, and it takes some patience (and possibly money) to do that.

So get a BHSE or at least a 717

 

[Ricey20]

still waiting for my BHSE

But yea, sold off all my dynamic cans after I got my O2

Still waiting for the ES3X too. Living in Hawaii automatically makes it 4-5 weeks before it gets back to audiologist

 

[music_4321]

I've been wanting to see more photos of the Westone ES3X, so hope you enjoy these.

And now...here it is... the 'infamous' Candy Blue with both black & clear cables, Serial No. ES3X0096

I ordered a spare black cable as I wanted to have a spare and also see the differences, if any -- The black cable is more tightly twisted as you may be able to see in the photos; the strands in the clear one untwist more easily, and the general feel of the clear cable is softer. The feel of the black one is more plasticky/ rubbery, whereas the clear one feels more like 'silk', ie very smooth, less stiff, as if covered in a silk type of material -- both are very nice and better quality than the W3 cable.

Now first impressions on the sound:

Listening (mostly) straight from hp out of my iPod classic 160gb as am sorry to say I don't really notice a real improvement in SQ using the P-51 Mustang amp.

So far listened to:
String Quartets by Beethoven, Bartok & Haydn
Bach's Violin Sonatas & Partitas
Arvo Part's Tabula Rasa
Les Nouvelles Polyphonies Corses
King Crimson (5 diff albums)
The Beatles (4 diff albums)
Brian Eno's Another Green World & On Land
David Sylvian's Gone to Earth
Tool's Lateralus
Kenny Wheeler (3 diff albums)
Tord Gustavsen Trio (2 diff albums)

Absolutely fantastic sound all round!! bass is not as prominent as the W3, yet very present, wonderful mids, and the highs are just perfect to me, NOT rolled off at all, yet not prominent, but just perfect to these ears.

My impressions on the highs echo those described by catscratch:
"Highs shouldn't be prominent unless that is called for in the original recording... Completely non-sibilant, non-fatiguing, linear, without any bumps or emphasis anywhere. These highs can sound soft, but instruments in the highs - cymbals and the like - are very balanced in the overall mix and the detail is preserved completely. They shimmer when they have to..."

I used to really like highs in the past until some 15 years ago when I got a harman/kardon amplifier & CD player with very good JBL speakers, no EQ needed, and was soon blown away by what became to me much more natural sounding highs, mids & bass, and a much more balanced & natural sound on the whole, something I've grown to appreciate more and more.

After nearly 3 hours listening to the ES3X there's no fatigue and they're very comfortable!! -- I (have) always get/ got fatigue from listening to my HD650, SE530, W3, UE Super-fi 5, and Sony mdrex90 no matter how comfortable they were -- not now so far. As some have pointed out, these are difficult to take off as you simply want to immerse more and more in the Music.