[eargasam]

Hey folks for those who do not want their w50s anymore let me know maybe we can do some kind of trade. I am looking for a bass monster in an item

 

[Malevolent]

  Thats true about the XB500. lol. Good old days ; )

 
Yes. So much bass.. 

 

westone is comfort first, while the xb500 maybe better for bass head but I dont think the comfort exceed the W50, westone IEM comfort is second to none.

 
It was actually a joke, mate. You can't really compare them after all - one's an IEM, and the other's a can. One's purportedly a high-end earphone, and the other is nothing but an unabashed bass cannon. But to be frank, the XB500 is very, very comfortable for a headphone.

 

[Law87]

   
Yes. So much bass.. 

 
 
It was actually a joke, mate. You can't really compare them after all - one's an IEM, and the other's a can. One's purportedly a high-end earphone, and the other is nothing but an unabashed bass cannon. But to be frank, the XB500 is very, very comfortable for a headphone.

ah my bad I'm thinking of sony iem

 

[Paulus XII]

XB500 still rocks!! lol. Better than W50

 

[Malevolent]

  XB500 still rocks!! lol. Better than W50

 
Price to performance wise, I can't say I disagree. 

 

[twister6]

If anybody is interested, I just posted my review of W50: http://www.head-fi.org/products/westone-w50-five-driver-universal-fit-noise-isolating-earphones-78505/reviews/13490 including detailed comparison to W60, UM Pro 50, and SE846.
 
W50 can shine, but you absolutely need a quality low impedance source and a set of silver or silver-plated cables to get there.  In all seriousness, driving them from my Galaxy Note 4 with Epic cable and then from QA360 with Whiplash Pure Silver cable was Night'n'Day.
 
Btw, W50 is on sale for $599 right now on Earphonesolutions and HeadphonesCanada.  It's still pricey, but at that price more reasonable for 5-driver IEM.

 

[gcsgc]

  Unless you are a musician needing a stage monitor, get the W50.  It is for listening pleasure with a much more open sound.

Spyro,
I just got a good deal on Westone W50 from an Authorized dealer for $385 and pulled the plug on it. I have read your impressions / posts on W30/40.
 
I am not an audiophile and mostly listen to songs from my iPod / iPhone MP3s (no Hi Res player, no DAC/AMP yet).
 
Originally I was looking at IEMs like W40, Shure SE535, Grado GR10e, IE800 (and as a remote possibility of Shure SE846). Also, I sold my W30 in eBay after a few weeks of use since It didn't give me enough Bass.
 
I read almost everywhere that W50 is dark-toned. Will the treble be so light that I will miss the tingle? (or) this should do OK for my iPod MP3s and desktop listening. I am not a Basshead, but I certainly love some punch in my music.
 
I have previously owned a UE Triple Fi 10 and like I said W30 briefly before selling in eBay.
 
Is W50 a overkill for my needs? But at the same time, the price was incredibly good not to pass up!! 
 
Thanks for your time.

 

[Spyro]

  Spyro,
I just got a good deal on Westone W50 from an Authorized dealer for $385 and pulled the plug on it. I have read your impressions / posts on W30/40.
 
I am not an audiophile and mostly listen to songs from my iPod / iPhone MP3s (no Hi Res player, no DAC/AMP yet).
 
Originally I was looking at IEMs like W40, Shure SE535, Grado GR10e, IE800 (and as a remote possibility of Shure SE846). Also, I sold my W30 in eBay after a few weeks of use since It didn't give me enough Bass.
 
I read almost everywhere that W50 is dark-toned. Will the treble be so light that I will miss the tingle? (or) this should do OK for my iPod MP3s and desktop listening. I am not a Basshead, but I certainly love some punch in my music.
 
I have previously owned a UE Triple Fi 10 and like I said W30 briefly before selling in eBay.
 
Is W50 a overkill for my needs? But at the same time, the price was incredibly good not to pass up!! 
 
Thanks for your time.

 
I am thinking I miss-posted and meant to speak of Pro50.  W50 has overblown hideous bass.  Perhaps you may still enjoy it?  Worst case you can trade in for a Pro50 + a few dollars more.  Whether Pro50 or W50 they both have dark toned sound.
Sorry, I screwed up talking about the wrong model #.

 

[gcsgc]

   
I am thinking I miss-posted and meant to speak of Pro50.  W50 has overblown hideous bass.  Perhaps you may still enjoy it?  Worst case you can trade in for a Pro50 + a few dollars more.  Whether Pro50 or W50 they both have dark toned sound.
Sorry, I screwed up talking about the wrong model #.

Ahh man, i don't know if W50 is not selling well (as much as Westone's rest of the line up like W30, 40, 60) and that's why I got a great deal??!!!
 
I hope the Bass is not boomy in W50. Bass being prominent is probably ok by me , but not boomy!!!
 
Anyways, i will get it by this Monday and will try if I like it. Otherwise i will return it and look for another IEM (My next choices are Grado GR10e, Shure SE535, IE800)
 
Thanks

 

[Spyro]

Sort of depends on your player and/or amp too.
I think Twister thought the W50 wasn't too bad with his set up.

 

[gcsgc]

Ok. If I am only going to listen in iPhone and MP3 songs, would it be ok?

 

[twister6]

Ok. If I am only going to listen in iPhone and MP3 songs, would it be ok?

 
You don't need a lot of power to drive them, so smartphone is OK, but particular to W50 (not the other Westones), they scale up better with lower output impedance source (less then 1 ohm) while iPhone is higher than that.  But nevertheless, try to use an EQ and cut about 3dB around 125Hz to reduce mid-bass bloat.  You will be surprised how much cleaner it will sound.  So really, you need a combination of low impedance source and EQ cut.

 

[gcsgc]

   
You don't need a lot of power to drive them, so smartphone is OK, but particular to W50 (not the other Westones), they scale up better with lower output impedance source (less then 1 ohm) while iPhone is higher than that.  But nevertheless, try to use an EQ and cut about 3dB around 125Hz to reduce mid-bass bloat.  You will be surprised how much cleaner it will sound.  So really, you need a combination of low impedance source and EQ cut.

I am sorry for this stupid question. How do I cut 3 dB around 125Hz freq? Is there like an App to do that? ( I purchased WestoneAudio app for iPhone which has a lot of EQ setups).

 

[twister6]

 

   
You don't need a lot of power to drive them, so smartphone is OK, but particular to W50 (not the other Westones), they scale up better with lower output impedance source (less then 1 ohm) while iPhone is higher than that.  But nevertheless, try to use an EQ and cut about 3dB around 125Hz to reduce mid-bass bloat.  You will be surprised how much cleaner it will sound.  So really, you need a combination of low impedance source and EQ cut.

I am sorry for this stupid question. How do I cut 3 dB around 125Hz freq? Is there like an App to do that? ( I purchased WestoneAudio app for iPhone which has a lot of EQ setups).

 
Sorry, I don't have iPhone and in general don't use EQ with my smartphone, so not sure which app to recommend.  Typically DAPs with eq have 125Hz band available. We are not talking about EQ preset, but rather where you can customize it and tweak the bands, so just adjust the slider at 125Hz 3 units down.

 

[gcsgc]

Sort of depends on your player and/or amp too.
I think Twister thought the W50 wasn't too bad with his set up.

Sorry, I don't have iPhone and in general don't use EQ with my smartphone, so not sure which app to recommend.  Typically DAPs with eq have 125Hz band available. We are not talking about EQ preset, but rather where you can customize it and tweak the bands, so just adjust the slider at 125Hz 3 units down.

I got it now. I am looking at the Fiio X3 2nd gen Music player. If I buy this, would it improve the quality of my MP3 songs? (I know it won't change drastically, but is it even worth buying a Hi res player to pair up with my W50 and listen to MP3?).

Also, i assume that I can do dB adjustment if I have the Fiio X3? Thanks for your time