[rawrster]

Just out of curiosity how durable are the silicone part of the customs? Also has anyone done or seen any frequency graphs for these? I have a general idea of how this may sound but would be nice if anyone had one.

 

[letloverule]

I don't think they do but i'm wondering if they have a recasing service that I can pay for. Clear is cool but it has a yellow tint which just makes it look dull IMO. The clear cable is also more or less grey rather than clear. So altogether, i'd rather go for a black/smoke color combo.

 

[Kunlun]

Quote:

I don't think they do but i'm wondering if they have a recasing service that I can pay for. Clear is cool but it has a yellow tint which just makes it look dull IMO. The clear cable is also more or less grey rather than clear. So altogether, i'd rather go for a black/smoke color combo.

Can you show up what your es5s look like now?
 

 

[letloverule]

 

[cooperpwc]

letloverule, they look good to me...
 
..except that seeing how your drivers fill the ES5s, it just reinforces that my ears are frickin huge!

 

[Blackshirts]

So i have had my ES5 for about two months now and I have to say they are amazing.  These are my first customs and they are worth every penny.
The only issue I have now is whether or not to upgrade my cables or get an amp.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

So i have had my ES5 for about two months now and I have to say they are amazing.  These are my first customs and they are worth every penny.
The only issue I have now is whether or not to upgrade my cables or get an amp.

There is a small improvement with the Whiplash Audio TWag cable, but bypassing the iPod's built-in amp with a nicer external amp is a bigger upgrade in sound.  What are you using to listen to the ES5 with right now?
 

 

[Blackshirts]

I am currently listening out of my IPOD nano 3rd generation.  Want to upgrade to IPHONE but dont want to go with ATT. 
 
Live music sounds unbelievable out of these...

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

I am currently listening out of my IPOD nano 3rd generation.  Want to upgrade to IPHONE but dont want to go with ATT. 
 
Live music sounds unbelievable out of these...

 
I've always felt the 3rd gen Nano sounded better than 2nd, 4th and 5th gen Nano, 1st or 2nd gen Touch, or 5th Gen video (Haven't heard a 3rd gen Touch or higher).  It's pretty close to the iPhone 3GS and one of my favorite iPods for headphone out use.  
 
Nevertheless, right now my 3G Nano is paired with the Pico Slim and TWag LOD, and that does sound better with the ES5 than when right out of the headphone jack.  The 5th Gen Nano line out is better than it's headphone out, and it pairs well with the Pico Slim as well (I don't have the 4th gen Nano or 5th Gen Video anymore, nor a Touch).  My iPhone 4 sounds good with ES5 via headphone jack, but again, it's a bit better when paired with the Pico Slim, sounding fuller and weightier with better ambience and space.
 
More sneak peak from my review - looking at amp synergy with ES5 and one of the two iPhones or Nanos above:  As my next choice portable amp for ES5 I am also enjoying the iBasso D10 with topkit more than my iBasso D4 with topkit, although I normally prefer the D4 or Protector over the D10 with my other IEM.  The RSA Protector sounds a little smoother single ended with ES5 and stock cable, and a little more aggressive and bright when balanced with TWag, but either way it's enjoyable enough and pretty close to the D4 (which sounds just like a P-51 when I have the topkit installed).  With the Protector and ES5, I do prefer the stock single ended cable more than the Balanced TWag cable which sounds brighter.  While the TWag balanced cable sounds better with JH13Pro, the more I listen to it with the ES5 I find that I don't like it as much as the ES5's stock cable.  I have a single ended adapter for the balanced TWag cable, and my feelings are the same whether it's used balanced or single ended.  The TWag is more detailed, but it's also brighter sounding.
 
I'd still be happy with any of those amps above with ES5, but my Practical Devices XM5 with AD8065 opamps and BUF634 is not as good as these other amps when paired with the ES5, and sounds a little brighter and coarser than I'd like, as well as more forward.  I don't think I'll be using that one much with these.  Among my other portables I still have to try the iBasso T3 and T4, Nuforce Icon, Vivid V1, Micro Amp, Headsix and 3MOVE with the ES5.  I usually don't use those amps as much because of either larger size or lesser sound quality than the ones I've tried above.
 
With the computer as source - in the small DAC/amp category the uDAC-2 is my favorite with ES5, followed very closely by the DACport.  These two are usually slightly better than my best battery powered portable amps.  One surprise is that my Nuforce HDP with ES5 seems to have the treble tipped up a little, and I don't like it as much with the ES5 as I do with my other IEM (but still better than XM5).  Lastly, I like the ES5 on the ALO Amphora with my Macbook a little more than any of the DAC/amp combos above (fed by any of my small computer DAC's like uDAC, DACport, HDP or Pico DAC-only).  I still have to try my WA6 and ZDT which both sound great with all my other IEM.

 

[GreenLeo]

Thanks Larry.  Does the ES5 hisses with the Amphora?

 

[themagician]

Hi HeadphoneAddict,
 
i just got my ES5 yesterday, first impression was more detailed, better mid and high compare to my previous custom ES2. It has similar characteristic forward sound and transparent. however ES2 is warmer.
 
may i know how long have you been using ES5 ? any changes on sound after weeks/months useage (burn in) ?
 
my Twag balanced cable and Whiplod are on the way. However after reading your comment about the synergy between ES5 - balanced Twag - Protector being bright, kinda worry me.  as for now, i really enjoy my ES5 single ended with on protector especially listening to Radiohead songs.  it really opens up.
for the bass, its difficult to explain not deep, not bloated, it has good responds on low frequency.
 
hows your thought about my description on ES5. by the way my protector may not be fully burn in yet (about 200 - 250 hrs now)
i'm normally listen Edition 9 with Apache that's why i feel the biggest different is the bass impact.
 
Thanks
 
 
 
 
 

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Thanks Larry.  Does the ES5 hisses with the Amphora?

The ES5 is much quieter than ES3X.  It hisses no more than the JH13Pro which is only a little bit and not much at all.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Hi HeadphoneAddict,
 
(1) i just got my ES5 yesterday, first impression was more detailed, better mid and high compare to my previous custom ES2. It has similar characteristic forward sound and transparent. however ES2 is warmer.
 
(2) may i know how long have you been using ES5 ? any changes on sound after weeks/months useage (burn in) ?
 
(3) my Twag balanced cable and Whiplod are on the way. However after reading your comment about the synergy between ES5 - balanced Twag - Protector being bright, kinda worry me.  as for now, i really enjoy my ES5 single ended with on protector especially listening to Radiohead songs.  it really opens up.
for the bass, its difficult to explain not deep, not bloated, it has good responds on low frequency.
 
(4) hows your thought about my description on ES5. by the way my protector may not be fully burn in yet (about 200 - 250 hrs now)
i'm normally listen Edition 9 with Apache that's why i feel the biggest different is the bass impact.
 
Thanks

(1) I have been using the ES5 since the first week of August.
 
(2) The were slightly bright at first, but with just a few hours they settled down.  I noticed they were even better at 24 hours.  Since then the rest of the burn-in has been in my brain.
 
(3) You might like the TWag balanced just fine.  For me, I am very happy with the Protector single ended with stock cable, and it beats the iPhone headphone out.
 
(4) I haven't heard the ES2 but I have the Livewires T1 which I am told use the same drivers.  I find the ES5 sounds warmer and is smoother and less harsh in the upper mids than my Livewires.

 

[cooperpwc]

Third time lucky!
 
I got my ES5s back after having new impressions done. This time they fit tight. Isolation is insane - far greater than my Triple-Fi's with silicon tips or Comply's. It doesn't matter how I move my mouth: isolation and bass are unchanged. The moral of the story is: anyone complaining (as they often do in the JH16 thread) that custom IEMs don't isolate well, or that 25db isolation is just advertising, do not have a proper fit.
 
I just listened for about three straight hours with no soreness so it seems that I am golden. I will post more thoughts later but here are some pics. The colour is lighter than the first two times which makes the drivers more visible. I like!
 
Yes they are huge but they fit my elephant ears. Man, am I glad to have these back.
 

 

[goodvibes]

Quote:

Quote:

Absolutely. I won't argue against multiple bass divers but I don't see it as technically essential. My Triple-Fi's do a pretty nice job on bass and I expect that these well better them. In the end, Westone created what they believe is a balanced and enjoyable IEM. It sounds like they got the sparkling treble in the soundstage just right. That is my passion.
 
I wish I could have attended at CanJam to hear these! 7,500 miles was too far...
 

You have to admit it seems odd that the driver that needs to move the most air is the single but as in all things, a listen is what maters. I noticed at the start of this thread that many were comparing to the designed to be bass heavy JH16 as flagship vs flagship when it would have been much better to do so against the more neutral and price equivalent jh13. Of course some have also done this but honestly, I could live with a JH 5 more easily than a JH 16 which has a more specific audience. I also find that review rather worthless. Anybody that rates the bass better on a 18 vs a 16 is biased towards bass. The 13 is much more correct in quantity and character. You can prefer a 18 but not review it as better or rate it higher. I also thought it poor form to use one rather cheap usb DAC to evaluate cream of the crop customs. Cheap DACs will sound just like what they are through something that good and that he got sibilance from the top models here is not surprising. The setup may have lean in general character which would favor an 18 over a 13 or ES5x. It could also be good enough but for this type of review, multiple sources should have been incorperated. I'm not even sure that he's not using compressed files as he doesn't mention it or what program he used as player. Asio, Wasapi? Apple/ Pure Music etc. For all we know, it was XP with Itunes.
 
Those look great by the way. I'm happy to hear a great product is doing it's thing.