Okay guys!
Gonna post my full impressions of the ES5s right now
Please bear in mind I'm not one of the more experienced members of this community and I apologize for any lack of technical terms!
First things first!
I have to really comment on the production of these earphones and truly how helpful Westone has really been.
For starters, a little background info about myself. I'm a guitarist thats been playing guitar since I was 6, i'm 16 right now. Since I play electric guitar mostly there was a phase in my life where I listened to a lot of metal music and rock, and due to the fact that I wasn't aware of high end audio earphones/headphones during that time, I used mainly my apple ear buds, and to compensate for the quality loss I turned the volume up.... That combined with the fact that I would practice electric guitar A LOT, during my early middle school days contributed to me having slight hearing loss in my right ear.
Its to a level where with a pair or normal headphones or earphones with good isolation and SQ, when I listen to music the "center" of sound would be slightly panned to the left since my right ear isn't as good for hearing as it should be.
Which is really the main reason why I opted to buy Custom IEMs, as they're custom their open to tweaking and modifications, which Westone welcomes very enthusiastically. Before I sent in my order to Westones through Thinking Group in Hong Kong, I did what everyone else had to do; get a pair of ear impressions. But I also got my hearing checked and sent that along with my ear impressions and order form to Westone. There they modified my Westone ES5s so that the volume levels of the earphones would be slightly different so it would be balanced for me, something which I find is extremely good and justifiable for the cost of the ES5s.
Bear in mind that my ES5s took nearly 2 months to return to me, but I would say that in the end its definitely worth the wait
So in terms of Westone Customer service and production I would rate it 9.5/10
Now to the meat of this review, the quality and sound of the ES5s.
Some of you may be aware that I'm not really experienced with headphones at all. I've really only been a In-ear head-fier. With my progress going from Apple Earbuds - Shures - Ultimate Ears and finally settling upon Westone.
Throughout this review I'll be mainly comparing the Westone ES5s to the Westone Um3x.
First off the straight out of the box impressions of the Westone ES5s;
I don't know if it was just my ES5s or if everyones is like this, but when I first listened to them I honestly wasn't that impressed. Before my ES5s I've mainly listened to the Westone Um3x. If I were to compare the state of my burned in Um3xs with the new and fresh ES5s I would say that there isn't that much of a difference, its really a much better seal and sound isolation due to the fact they're customs. And really the highs of the IEM are slightly more clear and detailed. The Mids are just about the same as the Um3Xs and the bass is slightly richer.
I listened to John Mayer's 'Slow Dancing In A Burning Room' as a test track for my ES5s and It shines quite well like the Um3xs for the piece, the mids are rich and fully bring out the voice of Mayer, the bass is somewhat atmospheric in which you feel like you're surrounded by music if not in the center of the stage. The Highs are detailed and the guitars are presented really well. Soundstage wise Its a fairly larger than the Um3x but it isn't something that would make you go "Dayum...."
Overall my first impressions of the ES5 weren't that good. In my honest opinion when I first tried them just straight through my iPod Classic I was somewhat frustrated as I felt that it wasn't justifiable for the price.... Then I changed my mind when I got home and played it through my full rig;
iPod Classic - CLAS -> RX Mk2.
Once I listened to the fresh ES5s through that setup I was somewhat amazed by the improvements in quality.
The ES5 is a significant to the Westone Um3xs in a subtle manner, everything is simply more detailed, with the main difference between the bass response of this IEM, for most live tracks its to a level where you can feel the vibrations of the guitar strings when you listen to the pieces, something the Um3x has never been able to do.
In terms of a pair of Fresh ES5s amped I would say the bass is a lot warmer and more 'atmospheric' like. The mids are slightly richer and the highs are just about the same. Instrument separation however is enhanced by a significant amount and the soundstage is quite a bit bigger.
Overall after using my full rig with a pair of fresh ES5s I felt that the price of these IEMS are definitely justifiable to me.
Now that its been a week since I got my ES5s I feel like they've burned in
First things first, straight out of my iPod Classic my Es5s now sound similar to what they sounded like when they were fresh and amped, something that means a lot to someone like me cause my rig is fairly large and I don't particularly like lugging it around with me everywhere.
Now with my burned in ES5s amped its quite a large difference.
The Bass is improved significantly, with a more powerful and deep impact and a fast response, It gives the feeling like your right in front of the band if not part of the band. Yet with its very dynamic impact the subtleness of the atmospheric bass is still present, the crowd cheering in the Live Tracks of John Mayer's 'Where The Light Is' album sounds really accurate and clear. The clapping is something that seems like it can be felt.
I would rate the Bass of the ES5 to be 9/10
The Mids, well what can I say? It's really the trademark Westone Mids, rich, deep, clear and simply beautiful. John Mayers voice really shines through the Es5s and Its simply beautiful. In comparison with the Um3x the Es5s have slightly richer mids, but then again I felt that the Um3x mids were perfect.
Mids 10/10
The Highs of the ES5 are really the main improvement.
I've always felt that the highs of the Um3x was somewhat lacking, the cymbals simply didn't sound like they were sparkling and crystal clear. With a amped Es5 it definitely sounds great
The clarity is amazing. With 'Slow Dancing In A Burning Room', the clarity of the vocals is somewhat eerie due to the lyrical content and the presentation of the IEMS.
The Highs definitely deserve a 10/10
Soundstage
The Soundstage of the ES5s are truly amazing for an IEM, I never thought that a IEM could have had such a large soundstage. The way the sounds fade away is very very smooth and clear it feels like you're in a actual studio/stage/practice room when you hear the cymbals fade away slowly.
Soundstage 9/10
Comfort and Fit
I know this factor is really determined by the ear impressions you send in. I got mine done by Widex in Hong Kong, and its really a perfect fit. For the first hour or two after I first tried my ES5s it was somewhat uncomfortable, by the next day it felt perfect. The fitting of these IEMs are really good and comfortable. The weight of the Westone ES cable is also extremely light so the portability of this product is excellent.
Comfort and Fitting
10/10
Overall my ratings are
Customer Service of Westone 9.5/10
Bass 9/10
Mids 9/10
Highs 9/10
Soundstage 9/10
Comfort and Fit 10/10
Total 55.5/60
Now personally I would recommend these IEMs to anyone that really doesn't want to spend money buying different pairs of IEMS depending on their musical preferences.
The ES5s have been fine for me for a variety of different genres, such as Blues/Rock Fusion- John Mayer type. Kpop, Rock, Rap, Metal, Orchestral.
Now in terms of other gear that go along with the ES5s.
What I would really say is that you need to be aware that if your using the ES5s as it is with an iPod, don't expect a huge improvement over your existing earphones unless theres a huge difference in class level. Apple earbuds and the ES5s unamped, with no cable change is a world of difference but the Um3x with the Es5s isn't that much a difference, which may lead some people into thinking that the ES5s aren't really worth the money.
I personally think that the Es5 really shines when its used with an amp. A Cable change helps a bit but I wouldn't wouldn't say its something crucial into making the ES5 sound great. Personally I use the ALO IEM copper cable with my ES5s and its definitely better than the Westone Stock cable, but even the stock cable sounds extremely nice.
Overall I find the ES5 a great product and something I'd definitely recommend to people that listen to music with a fair bit of vocals or A LOT of guitar - Jason Becker sounds ethereal through the ES5s
