[gilency]

Mine are not back from Westone yet. The right phone needed some readjustment and I miss them a lot. Fortunately I have the Stax to keep me company,

 

[zb0430]

Quote:

Originally Posted by klatzz /img/forum/go_quote.gif Sigh..i am disappointed I got the ES3X back, and the right side is still muffled. I guess I will need to send it back to westone again. bought it for 4months now and for a good 2months its been travelling across the globe twice. and here comes the third time...... zZZzzzzZZZzzz

I'm assuming this muffled sound is only on these phones? Do you use other IEM's?

If not, and even if so, when is the last time you had your ears checked for build up, wax or fluid? I had a fluid build up behind an eardrum that was inaudible and not affecting anything (but my balance and nausea) to do with my hearing, till i put in IEM's for some reason. Some decongestants later, and I was dandy.

 

[klatzz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zb0430 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm assuming this muffled sound is only on these phones? Do you use other IEM's? If not, and even if so, when is the last time you had your ears checked for build up, wax or fluid? I had a fluid build up behind an eardrum that was inaudible and not affecting anything (but my balance and nausea) to do with my hearing, till i put in IEM's for some reason. Some decongestants later, and I was dandy.

I do use other universal IEMS, i have no problems with them and sounded balance.

The check for the ears? i do clean them regularly and I din have any problems with my ES3X before i send them for the initial repair (Ringing sound when touched for the right side). Maybe i shouldn't have sent them in initially.

I hope all these can be resolved as soon as possible..i am getting a tad impatient and whinny here..sorry guys..

 

[music_4321]

Quote:

Originally Posted by klatzz /img/forum/go_quote.gif I do use other universal IEMS, i have no problems with them and sounded balance. The check for the ears? i do clean them regularly and I din have any problems with my ES3X before i send them for the initial repair (Ringing sound when touched for the right side). Maybe i shouldn't have sent them in initially. I hope all these can be resolved as soon as possible..i am getting a tad impatient and whinny here..sorry guys..

Sorry to hear about your issues, Klatzz. I can fully sympathise with you as I had to send back my set 3 times and only my 4th set was practically flawless.

 

[pila405]

I just got my ES3X back yesterday, now in clear [also the cable]. But unfortuanly I am not at home and will fly back home only on Friday....Missing them.

At least I went to some concerts in the Concertgebouw at this time

.

 

[klatzz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by music_4321 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Sorry to hear about your issues, Klatzz. I can fully sympathise with you as I had to send back my set 3 times and only my 4th set was practically flawless.

how did the whole issue got resolved totally? my original set was doing very well, i juz wanna get back to that initial quality.

 

[music_4321]

Well, basically the issues were finally resolved until my ES3X's were finally done/ built properly.

 

[gilency]

I can not get enough Bach with my ES3X. I got them back today and the level of distinction between instruments and voices is stunning. BWV 5 never sounded so beautiful. The trumpets, the organ/continuo, the strings and the bass voice sound just the way the are supposed to sound. I am amazed on how all the frequencies blend with each other without overwhelming one another. The only possible better way to hear this is if I were at St Thomas in Leipzig. And that is in my bucket list.

 

[roy_jones]

Can I ask how much better you believe the ES3X is compared to the UM3X?

 

[gilency]

Both in comfort and sound they are at a different level. If I had to choose one universal it would be the UM3X. Everything it does however is done better by the ES3X. I listen mostly to classical. The instrument separation and clarity is much better. The bass is deep and resonates, probably because of the shell leaning up against the ear. Listening to Brahm's Serenade #1, it allows me to follow each instrument, which if I am not able to do, I am not happy. i like to follow every line, every melody, the way instruments talk and answer each other. That's why i like them.
As a percent basis, I don't know if I can give you a number, but I think even my wallet agrees with me on this one. I think they will hold their magic on me for a long time.

 

[roy_jones]

Thanks...

I'm a little torn right now. If I were going to spring for a high-end custom, it would be the JH13. It's out of my range, though. Really sucks, as it seems that it's a special IEM.

As far as I've been able to gather, the UM3X is the universal equivalent of the ES3X. I think it shares the exact same technology (drivers and cross-over). I'm contemplating the idea of having UM do a re-shell of a UM3X. I've been anxiously awaiting a pair of HF-2's, but I have a love/hate relationship with Grado's.

 

[gilency]

Sorry, but I don't think the UM3X and ES3X sound the same. it may be the crossover or the drivers. I don't know. I think its a different animal. As far as the JH13, I heard the universal demo at CanJam, and although is hard to compare with my customs, I did not think they were much better. But that's my opinion, and I am quite happy with my customs. I could buy the JH13 too; I just don't see the point, unless you want to keep up with the Jones's. My ears are not in a hurry.

 

[tigon_ridge]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gilency /img/forum/go_quote.gif Sorry, but I don't think the UM3X and ES3X sound the same. it may be the crossover or the drivers. I don't know. I think its a different animal. As far as the JH13, I heard the universal demo at CanJam, and although is hard to compare with my customs, I did not think they were much better. But that's my opinion, and I am quite happy with my customs. I could buy the JH13 too; I just don't see the point, unless you want to keep up with the Jones's. My ears are not in a hurry.

I don't think we should really just assume that the drivers and in the ES3X are transferred over to the um3x. I'm no conspiracy theorist, but I'm an open-minded skeptic. Think about this... Instead of releasing both the ES3X and UM3X at the same time, the ES3X gets released before and gets great positive reviews. 6 months later, what better way to market the UM3X than to say that it's the universal version of its custom twin? I'm not assuming that Westone is dishonest, but I'm thinking along the same line as gilency: it may not be the best way to guess the ES3X's performance by listening to the UM3X.

 

[music_4321]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tigon_ridge /img/forum/go_quote.gif I don't think we should really just assume that the drivers and in the ES3X are transferred over to the um3x. I'm no conspiracy theorist, but I'm an open-minded skeptic. Think about this... Instead of releasing both the ES3X and UM3X at the same time, the ES3X gets released before and gets great positive reviews. 6 months later, what better way to market the UM3X than to say that it's the universal version of its custom twin? I'm not assuming that Westone is dishonest, but I'm thinking along the same line as gilency: it may not be the best way to guess the ES3X's performance by listening to the UM3X.

Just for the record it wasn't 6 months but 3.5 months. The first ES3X review on head-fi was posted on 15th February (one month after the official release date - the first UM3X 'review' was posted on 30 April (2.5 months later)

And I do think the sound is very similar, though obviously better on the ES3X. I use the medium soft grey silicone tips which are not included with the UM3X but do come stock with the W3 (and SE530). Most people don't use these tips with their UM3X's, and using these particular tips I get incredible SQ and tremendous comfort out of my UM3X's. The UM3X stock (Comply) tips and the other W3 stock tips I found VERY uncomfortable and quite wrong sounding.

I personally find the UM3X offers about 85% --hard to put figures into this kind of discussion/ comparison-- of the SQ I get from my ES3X and 99.9% of the comfort! The tips I use on my UM3X are crucial here. If I were using other tips I'd find the ES3X much MUCH better by a very significant margin.

That's why I've stated several times that the UM3X is a better investment (or better value) for the general public who are serious about SQ, and even more so when these days you can get the UM3X for $335 -- The UM3X also currently has the best resale value of all high-end universal IEM's.

 

[tigon_ridge]

Quote:

Originally Posted by music_4321 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Just for the record it wasn't 6 months but 3.5 months. The first ES3X review on head-fi was posted on 15th February (one month after the official release date - the first UM3X 'review' was posted on 30 April (2.5 months later) And I do think the sound is very similar, though obviously better on the ES3X. I use the medium soft grey silicone tips which are not included with the UM3X but do come stock with the W3 (and SE530). Most people don't use these tips with their UM3X's, and using these particular tips I get incredible SQ and tremendous comfort out of my UM3X's. The UM3X stock (Comply) tips and the other W3 stock tips I found VERY uncomfortable and quite wrong sounding. I personally find the UM3X offers about 85% --hard to put figures into this kind of discussion/ comparison-- of the SQ I get from my ES3X and 99.9% of the comfort! The tips I use on my UM3X are crucial here. If I were using other tips I'd find the ES3X much MUCH better by a very significant margin. That's why I've stated several times that the UM3X is a better investment (or better value) for the general public who are serious about SQ, and even more so when these days you can get the UM3X for $335 -- The UM3X also currently has the best resale value of all high-end universal IEM's.

Well said. I find it interesting that you and some others find them to be about within %15 sub (subjective? lol) of each other, while others find them very different. It's probably that they hadn't found the right tips for their um3x to match their ears. In any case, can't wait to get my fingers one a pair in a near future.