[Costas]

I have just received delivery of a pair of Westone UM-2 IEMs. All I can say is that these are simply awesome

. The best IEMs that I have heard and I came to this conclusion after the first minute I had them on.

Anyway, I have noticed that there is a significant difference in the sound depending on the eartips used. With the small ones that come with the UM-2s, there is a marked loss in bass. It is still pretty good but not as rich or substantial as with the large eartips. However, the large eartips are uncomfortable in my ears and make the UM-2s stick out.

I tried the UM-2s with the Futuresonics eartips and the combination is excellent. It gives me the sound of the larger eartips for the UM-2s with the comfort of the smaller ones.

I would like to know from other UM-2 owners out there what eartips they use with these IEMs and why. Perhaps there is an even better alternative out there that I can try with my new phones.

I've only had these for a few hours now and the experiments have already started...

 

[TheSeru]

what other iems have you used, and how do they compare?

 

[bookdoctor]

Tips that work for me (more or less in order of preference):

1. The long complys, but I save these for flights.

2. Shure medium-size clear flex. I'm wearing these right now. Good sound and fit. I can wear them for hours.

3. Etymotic triflanges cut to biflanges. Also sound good, but (probably because of ear canal shape) I have a harder time fitting them; one side always sounds a bit muffled, as if the biflange got bent or blocked.

4. Shure medium-size soft flex. The most comfortable ones, I really forget I'm wearing them. But I don't like the sound out of them as much.

I also tried using Etymotic triflanges, but they didn't fit comfortably the way the UM2s are positioned (as opposed to my ER4Ps, which are very comfortable with the triflanges).

 

[Costas]

I tried triflanges too but found them uncomfortable. I haven't tried the Shure tips so that could be interesting...

So far, the best choice seems to be the Futuresonics foam tips. A good combination of comfort and sound quality.

 

[spinali]

A lot depends on the size of your ear canal. I'm a strong believer in customs, but the Comply tips work well (though the cost and inconvenience of having replacements on hand adds up).

Read my UM2 Blog for a good outline on what's available. Since so much depends on your ear, I'd just buy a bunch of different tips and see which ones work best.

 

[dvallere]

My absolute preference is the short Complys, but I hate to keep buying them, so I go with my second-best, the modded Shure triflange. It's still damn good, just not as comfortable (and I seem to "feel them" inside my ears more than with the Complys). The long Complys are intolerable to me.

 

[aaronl]

It must depend on your ear canal size. For me, I can barely get the short complys to form a good seal, and find the longer complys to be very comfortable and the best isolators.

 

[-Paolo-]

I like the tri-flanges from shure, cut to bi-flange.

I'm not certain about using Ety flanges on my UM1's since they have a different style of stem compared to the shures. I came to this assumption with Weston's UM56 Comparison guide. Um1's are standard while the ER-4's are style No. 34.

I like the short foamies, but dislike the idea of replacing them.

BTW, Aaron, since you live in Vancouver, where do you find foamies locally? or do you just buy them over the internet?

 

[StevieDvd]

Shure tri-flange cut down to bi-flange and with the stem shortened. Tried out a sampler pack of different tips, the short & long complys but it was the modded tri-flanges for me.

Have just bought some Ety tri-flanges but have not tried those yet.

Steve

 

[Todd S]

Recently picked up a pair of these myself. Had my first really good listen on a recent flight. They sound excellent as can be expected straight out of an iPod. Really full, warm, & detailed. Perfect for travel. They completely blow away my previously owned Ety-ER6 IEM by a ridicules margin!

I could live with these as my main cans if I had too. Though the highs may be rolled off just a bit. I also don't find them improving as much as I hoped through my Aria dac/amp though. I am wondering if adding some resistance like say the Etymotic ER-4P to ER-4S Adapter would make a difference? Ah I should use the search engine, but has anyone tried this?

To answer your question I briefly tried just about every tip known, & I also prefer the tri-flange cut down to bi-flange. I own a pair of custom musicians earplugs that are awesome! I wish these could have done double duty with the UM2, but I am considering customs for the UM2 as well.