Westone ES3X Appreciation Thread

[Kclone]

It seems like people who love good treble extension and energy, are a little afraid of the ES3X. I fall into that category too and I am leaning towards the UE-11 at this point because I can't stand a recessed treble.

 

[Morph201]

Candy Blues are hawt!! Congrats!!

 

[EyeAmEye]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeadphoneAddict /img/forum/go_quote.gif Don't worry, his look more like "bowling ball red"... I need to add that I tried my Freq Show last night - not as good as ES3X, and the seal breaks too easily with drinking or moving my face muscles. Tried my Livewires and the are not as good either, and they are much less comfortable than the ES3X due to the heat sensitive tips of the ES3X. I am ruined and can't enjoy my other customs anymore.

That is very good news. I have the FreQ and think it is clearly inferior to the UE11, C3 and Sleek Custom, so it's good you don't think it compares to the ES3X, or else I just wasted $850...

 

[davidhunternyc]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ricey20 /img/forum/go_quote.gif 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.

I guess I will have to wait for Larry to weigh in on this subject. Maybe the longer tip provides better isolation. For those who have the normal, short canal tip; how is the isolation?

 

[klatzz]

how long is larry's sound tubes? any pictures?

btw the isolation on the normal standard is pretty darn good..

dangerous at times when travelling.. anyway it very much depends on the person doing up yr ear impressions. mine was very well done at Jaben by Gabriel..

 

[music_4321]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Morph201 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Candy Blues are hawt!! Congrats!!

Thanks. Yes, the Candy Blue colour is quite nice.

Quote:

Originally Posted by davidhunternyc /img/forum/go_quote.gif I guess I will have to wait for Larry to weigh in on this subject. Maybe the longer tip provides better isolation. For those who have the normal, short canal tip; how is the isolation?

Quote:

Originally Posted by klatzz /img/forum/go_quote.gif how long is larry's sound tubes? any pictures? btw the isolation on the normal standard is pretty darn good.. dangerous at times when travelling.. anyway it very much depends on the person doing up yr ear impressions. mine was very well done at Jaben by Gabriel..

Pictures of Larry's ES3X here: http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f103/w...ml#post5432706 Scroll down, his are green.

I didn't ask for any specific length for the tips, and I think they're similar to Larry's. I also had very good ear impressions made by a professional - open mouth, past the second bend as advised by Westone -- Isolation is excellent.

Been doing some more listening, and let me say again that highs are NOT recessed at all, oh they're there all right, they are simply right, impeccable, IMO. Anymore highs and I wouldn't be as happy as I am, very very natural, more prominent in recordings demanding it to be so, eg Steven Wilson's new album Insurgentes in the song No Twilight Within the Courts of the Sun. One thing's for sure the highs are never shrill.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ricey20 /img/forum/go_quote.gif 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

Yes, I asked to have mine deeper because my short Freq Show didn't sound as good as my deep Livewires, and when I had the Freq Show made deeper the sound got better.

And, my UM-56 for Westone 3 are deep (see photo album) so, I decided no more short canal lengths for me.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by davidhunternyc /img/forum/go_quote.gif I guess I will have to wait for Larry to weigh in on this subject. Maybe the longer tip provides better isolation. For those who have the normal, short canal tip; how is the isolation?

I don't know if longer tips provide more isolation, but in my mini-review I said the isolation is like I am in a vacuum. http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f103/w...ml#post5432706 Very good isolation, and the comfort is beyond my wildest dreams - I am so glad I didn't go through with an all-acrylic version and kept the heat sensitive tips. My other 3 pairs of customs are not this comfortable.

To the other person worried about the highs - don't worry. The highs are perfect, non-fatiguing, detailed and present. But there is no artificial boost to make up for a lack of extension and fool you, since these do not roll off before my ears do. Not one person has yet said they wanted more highs in the ES3X.

 

[davidhunternyc]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeadphoneAddict /img/forum/go_quote.gif I don't know if longer tips provide more isolation, but in my mini-review I said the isolation is like I am in a vacuum. http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f103/w...ml#post5432706 Very good isolation, and the comfort is beyond my wildest dreams - I am so glad I didn't go through with an all-acrylic version and kept the heat sensitive tips. My other 3 pairs of customs are not this comfortable.

Thanks, so it seems that you and Larry believe that the longer heat sensitive tips are the way to go. I wonder if there is a way the audiologist could measure and see what would be best for ones ears.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by davidhunternyc /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks, so it seems that you and Larry believe that the longer heat sensitive tips are the way to go. I wonder if there is a way the audiologist could measure and see what would be best for ones ears.

The audiologist can be asked to make the impressions as deep past the second bend as he can.

 

[Morph201]

LOL, maybe they can just solder them to your eardrum?

 

[jolla]

Hi everyone,

I just got the ES3X IEMs and am excited to start using them. From a first impression they sound great but I'm afraid they are lacking a little but of bass.

These are my first IEMs and dont really have any others to reference with, so I believe my impression of the bass is purely because I have been using the Ultrasone DJ1 Pro cans so far which have way too much bass

I had a question regarding using ES3X in a DJ setup, is anyone on the forum using IEM to DJ? Would you recommend using a headphone amp connected to the mixer when using IEMs? DJ mixers generally have 1/4 inch jacks so an adapter is neccessary but is an amp preferred ?

Thank you soo much to all of you for taking the time to add your input to this thread. Its been great to read!

Julian

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jolla /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hi everyone, I just got the ES3X IEMs and am excited to start using them. From a first impression they sound great but I'm afraid they are lacking a little but of bass. These are my first IEMs and dont really have any others to reference with, so I believe my impression of the bass is purely because I have been using the Ultrasone DJ1 Pro cans so far which have way too much bass I had a question regarding using ES3X in a DJ setup, is anyone on the forum using IEM to DJ? Would you recommend using a headphone amp connected to the mixer when using IEMs? DJ mixers generally have 1/4 inch jacks so an adapter is neccessary but is an amp preferred ? Thank you soo much to all of you for taking the time to add your input to this thread. Its been great to read! Julian

Welcome to head-fi, and sorry about your wallet.

I would see if the mixer works for you with a 1/4 adapter, but you may also need a Shure Volume Attenuator if the mixer 1/4" out has some hiss with the ES3X. You can roll the attenuator volume knob about 2 - 3 mm to quiet the hiss and slightly reduce the sensitivity of the ES3X.

What source or amp do you use now, where you hear less bass than the DJ1 Pro? It is possible you will appreciate the bass better with a dedicated headphone amp - anything like the Pico, RSA Predator or Mustang, iBasso D10, Practical Devices XM5 would work to help the sound. Whatever you do, stop listening to the DJ1 so your brain isn't having to adjust to drastic changes between low-end headphones and world-class earphones.

 

[music_4321]

Quote:

Originally Posted by davidhunternyc /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks, so it seems that you and Larry believe that the longer heat sensitive tips are the way to go. I wonder if there is a way the audiologist could measure and see what would be best for ones ears.

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeadphoneAddict /img/forum/go_quote.gif The audiologist can be asked to make the impressions as deep past the second bend as he can.

Yes, in my case I simply said 'open mouth, past the second bend (of the ear)' and that was it. The impressions come out with longer tips than the final ES3X tips, but these go in quite deep and I can't tell you just how comfortable they are.

BTW, the heat-sensitive tips is the standard Westone are using these days for all their custom molds, so you don't need to specify that, unless you want something different, but as far as I know these are currently the best.

Also, let me just say that Westone's CS is first rate. I'd had a problem with my W3 (cable issues) recently and their response was better than I ever expected.

 

[jolla]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeadphoneAddict /img/forum/go_quote.gif Welcome to head-fi, and sorry about your wallet. I would see if the mixer works for you with a 1/4 adapter, but you may also need a Shure Volume Attenuator if the mixer 1/4" out has some hiss with the ES3X. You can roll the attenuator volume knob about 2 - 3 mm to quiet the hiss and slightly reduce the sensitivity of the ES3X. What source or amp do you use now, where you hear less bass than the DJ1 Pro? It is possible you will appreciate the bass better with a dedicated headphone amp - anything like the Pico, RSA Predator or Mustang, iBasso D10, Practical Devices XM5 would work to help the sound. Whatever you do, stop listening to the DJ1 so your brain isn't having to adjust to drastic changes between low-end headphones and world-class earphones.

Thank you for the response!
I am using a Pioneer DJM 800 mixer for DJing. There is a 1/4 phones plug in the front of mixer with its own level adjustment. Specs say the following:
1 x (Jack 6.3mm) +8.5 dBu / 32 Ohm

I just got the ES3X today and have plugged them in directly to the mixer, the level knob on mixer is barely up and already super loud, thats why i'm asking if a headphone amp might be the way to go so i can protect this babies

What do you think is a good choice as far as an amp? Im gonna be using it in a club environment.
You are right about the hiss, there is a slight hiss if i just use a 1/4 adapter.

In the past I was mixing with the DJ1pro and westone er15 earplugs but decided to upgrade to IEMs. Save my ears!