[realgundam]

I owned the W40 and try 50 and 60. frankly speaking the 2 did not convince me to upgrade. I personally found 40 more clear, and same as you, found 50 quite muddy.
I use Cowon players so increasing the bass with some boom is quite easy for me with the 40. So I get clear highs and somewhat strong lows.
 
The only higher end IEM that convince me is a clear upgrade is the Westone ES5, not even the newer ones. I think they make the right decision to make the bass monitor 1 big one to increase air volume. That effect is better than very very clear low (whats the point?)
Sometimes more monitors isn't always the right choice. again, IMO only.

 

[h2oglasses]

Thank you for your response, twister6 and realgundam!
It looks I need to depart from W50 and take another venture. How do you thing of UM Pro 50, in addition to W60 and W80?

 

[Lakers1]

Thanks

 

[twister6]

  Thank you for your response, twister6 and realgundam!
It looks I need to depart from W50 and take another venture. How do you thing of UM Pro 50, in addition to W60 and W80?

 
Do you mean that now you are choosing between Pro50, W60, and W80?  There is an obvious price gap, but W80 hits the sweet spot for my personal taste.  Not just because it's their flagship, I just prefer its tuning over other Westone models.  I reviewed W80 here, which also includes a lot of comparison to other iems, including W60 and UM Pro 50. Wish you can get a chance to listen to these iems; reviews express personal opinion and based on a personal preference (and bias) of the "reviewer".  This might or might not match your own personal preference.

 

[realgundam]

Thank you for your response, twister6 and realgundam!


It looks I need to depart from W50 and take another venture. How do you thing of UM Pro 50, in addition to W60 and W80?

 

I cannot say about the 80 and UM lines as 1) UM line's signatures are not my taste, 2) 80 is a bit expensive for the upgrade (for my wallet), 60 falls on this as well.

Honestly, if you were willing to pay as much as the W60 and W80, you might as well go with CIEM like ES5. yes you cannot resell them, but it sounds so much better than the W60 in my memory. Do you have any place accessible that can sample CIEM models (they fit it with universal buds for testing, but the internal air output are still seperated)?

 

[realgundam]

Thank you for your response, twister6 and realgundam!


It looks I need to depart from W50 and take another venture. How do you thing of UM Pro 50, in addition to W60 and W80?

 

By the way, what mp3 player are you using? and have you upgraded your W40 with cable?
If there were some time before you decide on upgrading the IEM, you might want to spend a little on these first. Might gives you more benefits.

For example, I would try some silver coated cable (I went with Silver Dragon 2 when that was the newest thing), it makes the highs more pop out without loosing the bass. Whereas high density copper wires makes bass stronger (but over powered the highs IMO, not my taste)

Player wise, check your current one's signal to noise and other relevant data, specially if you had a bunch of FLAC to play.
An entry high end player is the Cowon Plenue D (lower end Cowon M2). It has great output and 50-100hr play time battery. Cowon is also known for their great EQ(JetEffect) and BBE+ and honestly these are the reason why other brand has not taken from my wallet.

Watch this on youtube for another opinion on players: watch?v=swey6TvNuK4

 

[twister6]

 

  Thank you for your response, twister6 and realgundam!
  It looks I need to depart from W50 and take another venture. How do you thing of UM Pro 50, in addition to W60 and W80?

 

I cannot say about the 80 and UM lines as 1) UM line's signatures are not my taste, 2) 80 is a bit expensive for the upgrade (for my wallet), 60 falls on this as well.

Honestly, if you were willing to pay as much as the W60 and W80, you might as well go with CIEM like ES5. yes you cannot resell them, but it sounds so much better than the W60 in my memory. Do you have any place accessible that can sample CIEM models (they fit it with universal buds for testing, but the internal air output are still seperated)?

 
I have been told that W50 and ES5 share the same bass slam, so I'm afraid he might have the same issue with ES5 as he has now with W50.
 
But, 100% agree on Cowon and JetEffects.  These dsp effects transform sound to a high level.  I got Plenue M2 and it's a lifesaver for some IEMs

 

[realgundam]

   
I have been told that W50 and ES5 share the same bass slam, so I'm afraid he might have the same issue with ES5 as he has now with W50.
 
But, 100% agree on Cowon and JetEffects.  These dsp effects transform sound to a high level.  I got Plenue M2 and it's a lifesaver for some IEMs

It's not, trust me. I tried both. Just simply look at the spec, they are completely different. W50 is much more Muddy.
ES5's parts are much more high spec, and has a lot more room for response frequency. You can't hear them, no human can. But it also mean the IEM don't have a frequency wall limit to work against.
 
Also I wish they make a J3 update. That's my first time in love with an mp3 player and has been with cowon ever since. WHY NO MAKE BETTER GURRRR

 

[h2oglasses]

To all replies, highly appreciated!!!
Currently I have just Mojo and Dragonfly Red,
M for MacPro&MBAir, DFR for iPhone7+.
What I am thinking now is to stay with Momentum2 until my fund reaches W80 range.
Maybe I will try W60 within a couple of months, but probably I won't be able to make myself settled until I hear W80,
reading the reviews of Twister6. (Many thanks!)
 
I understand from my experience in main system that cables/balanced make  quite difference,
but for the portable, I refrain from that part for a while.
With my limited experience with Westone though, I am feeling her sound is warm and relaxed, which I like to be enjoyed music.

 

[shdh]

Really interesting how silver cables tame the bass on the W50's. Admittedly I've been very skeptical regarding the effect silver cables would have on the sound signature.
 
I'm going to have to rethink my preconceptions regarding cables.

 

[twister6]

  Really interesting how silver cables tame the bass on the W50's. Admittedly I've been very skeptical regarding the effect silver cables would have on the sound signature.
 
I'm going to have to rethink my preconceptions regarding cables.

 
Do you mean, you tried W50 with a silver cable?  I thought it makes upper mids/treble sound brighter, while didn't affect quantity of bass.  Perhaps, with a perception of upper frequencies being brighter and more upfront, it balances out the low end impact.

 

[shdh]

   
Do you mean, you tried W50 with a silver cable?  I thought it makes upper mids/treble sound brighter, while didn't affect quantity of bass.  Perhaps, with a perception of upper frequencies being brighter and more upfront, it balances out the low end impact.

It did indeed did make the upper mids and treble a bit brighter. I could be that change changed my perception of the bass.
 
The entire IEM does feel more balanced now, but has no issues hitting those deep bass notes.

 

[h2oglasses]

Hi there.
I have posted on W50 a month ago, saying that I was a little frustrated by muddy or too resonant sonority, and I would consider W80, according to your valuable advices.
However, I have had walked around, buying UM Pro 50, and W60, hoping there might be an easier way.
 
Pro50, in fact, surprised me by attractively muscular low with finer resolution, and clearness. I can distinguish more instruments in a symphony, choral, or chamber music than I want. Yet mid-high holds enough energy with sweetness.
Yes, I do like that.
Only the cons to me is a little forwarded sound in mid-range, that makes a music too aggressive occasionally.
 
Now, W60, although it balances better than W50 and UM Pro 50, it didn’t sound alive to me. It becomes better as burning in accumulates, a little more opened up all the way in frequency axis, and getting sweet in mid-high range.
But I still don’t hear higher quality than that of UM. 
I understand that the signature between them is different, but in terms of the audio quality, such as speed, resolution, bandwidth, UM is the winner to my ear.
Here is my question.
Would you let me know that there is a cheap/fake version of W60?
I have noticed is that W60 has the face plate reads W60, not W.
Indeed, I may have picked up the best UM-Pro 50, and the worst W60, if there is production quality fluctuation…
I simply want to keep one of those, and use the refund for something else.
I use albums of Bill Evans, S. Monk, Orchestral from Hi-def to mono to reach above results.
All are downloaded, or ripped at 44.1khz, 16bits to higher. DAC-Amp is Mojo and Dragonfly-red. (I mainly use DF for portability with iPhones 7+).
 
Thank you much in advance.

 

[twister6]

 
Hi there.
I have posted on W50 a month ago, saying that I was a little frustrated by muddy or too resonant sonority, and I would consider W80, according to your valuable advices.
However, I have had walked around, buying UM Pro 50, and W60, hoping there might be an easier way.
 
Pro50, in fact, surprised me by attractively muscular low with finer resolution, and clearness. I can distinguish more instruments in a symphony, choral, or chamber music than I want. Yet mid-high holds enough energy with sweetness.
Yes, I do like that.
Only the cons to me is a little forwarded sound in mid-range, that makes a music too aggressive occasionally.
 
Now, W60, although it balances better than W50 and UM Pro 50, it didn’t sound alive to me. It becomes better as burning in accumulates, a little more opened up all the way in frequency axis, and getting sweet in mid-high range.
But I still don’t hear higher quality than that of UM. 
I understand that the signature between them is different, but in terms of the audio quality, such as speed, resolution, bandwidth, UM is the winner to my ear.
Here is my question.
Would you let me know that there is a cheap/fake version of W60?
I have noticed is that W60 has the face plate reads W60, not W.
Indeed, I may have picked up the best UM-Pro 50, and the worst W60, if there is production quality fluctuation…
I simply want to keep one of those, and use the refund for something else.
I use albums of Bill Evans, S. Monk, Orchestral from Hi-def to mono to reach above results.
All are downloaded, or ripped at 44.1khz, 16bits to higher. DAC-Amp is Mojo and Dragonfly-red. (I mainly use DF for portability with iPhones 7+).
 
Thank you much in advance.

 
You purchased both, UM Pro 50 and W60?  That's more than a price of W80

  Based on your impressions of Pro50 and W60 and what you like and dislike about them, I still think W80 would have been a good choice for you.  But again, you really need to listen by yourself, to reach the conclusion based on your own preference.  So, if you get a chance to audition W80, definitely try it.
 
With W60, the faceplate was officially changed from W to W60, so you got the latest one.  I'm not aware of any fake W60.

 

[xaddictionx]

Hi there.
I have posted on W50 a month ago, saying that I was a little frustrated by muddy or too resonant sonority, and I would consider W80, according to your valuable advices.
However, I have had walked around, buying UM Pro 50, and W60, hoping there might be an easier way.

Pro50, in fact, surprised me by attractively muscular low with finer resolution, and clearness. I can distinguish more instruments in a symphony, choral, or chamber music than I want. Yet mid-high holds enough energy with sweetness.
Yes, I do like that.
Only the cons to me is a little forwarded sound in mid-range, that makes a music too aggressive occasionally.

Now, W60, although it balances better than W50 and UM Pro 50, it didn’t sound alive to me. It becomes better as burning in accumulates, a little more opened up all the way in frequency axis, and getting sweet in mid-high range.
But I still don’t hear higher quality than that of UM. 
I understand that the signature between them is different, but in terms of the audio quality, such as speed, resolution, bandwidth, UM is the winner to my ear.
Here is my question.
Would you let me know that there is a cheap/fake version of W60?
I have noticed is that W60 has the face plate reads W60, not W.
Indeed, I may have picked up the best UM-Pro 50, and the worst W60, if there is production quality fluctuation…
I simply want to keep one of those, and use the refund for something else.
I use albums of Bill Evans, S. Monk, Orchestral from Hi-def to mono to reach above results.
All are downloaded, or ripped at 44.1khz, 16bits to higher. DAC-Amp is Mojo and Dragonfly-red. (I mainly use DF for portability with iPhones 7+).

Thank you much in advance.

I own both UM Pro 50 and W60 as well. Just like you, i found the UM Pro 50 to sound more engaging and lively. Perhaps it's suited more for live performances.

Both have a very different sound signature with W60 leaning towards the balanced side slightly north of neutral. I do find W60 having a more refined and polished sound. W60 actually touches more sub bass than UM Pro 50.

One suggestion that you can try is swap out the stock cable on your W60 with a silver cable. For me the sound changes for the better. More engaging sound, better clarity and slightly wider soundstage.

End of the day i still grab the UM Pro 50 on the go for some serious punch in the lows and sweet vocals. ◡̈