[TCD1975]

I personally don't think the UM Pro 50 and W60 sound all that different. UM Pro 50 have more bass, W60 have more detailed mids and slightly larger sound stage (but the Um Pro 50 isn't shabby either). Both are warm, smooth and non fatiguing.
 
On  the other hand, the SE846 is far too closed-in and narrow for my liking. The mids are too forward, the low pass filter creates loads of sub bass, but the mid bass is underwhelming, and the overall sound is not cohesive.
 
I couldn't listen to the SE846 for more than 45 minutes without getting a headache.
 
Beyond build quality, there wasn't much I liked about the SE846.

 

[Spyro]

  I might as well describe my comparisons for the new users here:
 
Back when I owned both the W60 and UM50, I enjoyed the sound of the UM50. Thinking back I wish I kept the UM50 but it was for the better. The W60s feel very much like a headphone-type sound with their larger soundstage and overall openness. Meanwhile, the UM50 felt intimate and much closer. However, it made it up with its crazy realistic instruments and separation. I remember comparing them like this:
The W60s feel like you are sitting alone in a large concert hall, closing your eyes, letting the music surround you and the room around you. The sounds fill the room and let you fall into its tone.
Meanwhile, the UM50s place you at the center with the instruments and musicians. This time, the music forces you into its groove and here you feel the power of the instruments. No longer are they distant, you can hear their special characteristics.
 
But that's my experience anyways. Feel the UM50 was a much better IEM as the instruments felt so realistic. There was a special texture that I couldn't get with the W60. With a silver litz cable, the sound is absolutely fantastic. So I hope my Campfire Audio Jupiter IEMs will give me the same effect. The UM50 created a strange attachment that I have yet to hear from any other IEM or headphone. While soundstage might be small, the "musical thrust" that it provides is brilliant.

That's excellent!
 
If anything,  SE846 and Pro50 are closer to one another with W60 being quite a bit different.

 

[Voyageur]

  I personally don't think the UM Pro 50 and W60 sound all that different. UM Pro 50 have more bass, W60 have more detailed mids and slightly larger sound stage (but the Um Pro 50 isn't shabby either). Both are warm, smooth and non fatiguing.
 
On  the other hand, the SE846 is far too closed-in and narrow for my liking. The mids are too forward, the low pass filter creates loads of sub bass, but the mid bass is underwhelming, and the overall sound is not cohesive.
 
I couldn't listen to the SE846 for more than 45 minutes without getting a headache.
 
Beyond build quality, there wasn't much I liked about the SE846.

 
I completely agree with your impressions. I've owned the SE425, SE530 (which I both sold/sent back within only a few weeks of ownership), and also got to listen the SE846. Overall I'd say that the 'house signature' of Shure IEM just doesn't sound natural at all: cold, mechanical, congested, with weak treble and average resolution. The UM Pro line reproduces the timber of most instruments' in a more organic way imho.  

 

[coolcat]

-

 

[justrest]

I owned SE846 and I can easily say worst earphone I ever used 1k line. Small soundstage, overall seperation, unexcited sound. I really love my UM3X more than SE846. I sold after one month later.

 

[elfary]

Obviously, if you lock 3 headfiers into a room they'll come out with 4 opinions. LOL.
 
I owned the Pro 50 for two months, and have owned the SE846 for 4 months and in my view the latter is more tonally accurate  than the former by a country mile. And it sounds more natural to me. Isolation is better and build quality puts to shame the whole Westone line up.
 
I liked a lot the Pro 50, don't get me wrong. But the whole of the music feels more natural to me with the SE846s.
 
Westone goes further with the crossovers so that you always get better separation than in Shure but sometimes it hurts to the wholeness of the sound. I think as well that Westone engineers their iems to be listened at higher SPLs than Shure earphones. So if you listen on the wild side Westone might fit you better.
 
Sound is something very personal but build quality is not  and Westone should step up in that area big time. Westone customer service is nice but it would be nicer not having to reach for them.

 

[Voyageur]

  Sound is something very personal but build quality is not  and Westone should step up in that area big time. The customer services is nice but it would be nicer not having to reach for them.

 
Agree about build quality. Westone's average at best in that department. My SE425 used to feel really rugged and sturdy and I kind of miss them for that. My UM Pro 30 is more comfortable but feels more flimsy in direct comparison.

 

[TCD1975]

Westone could well improve the build quality of both the UM Pro and W ranges, and I hope they do improve with future generations, but I'd still take either over the SE846.
 
The SE846 does have an impressively solid build (though the cable was too thick an unwieldy for my taste) but that didn't make up for it's lack of sound stage, and rather fatiguing sound signature.

 

[Spyro]

I prefer Westones's build quality by far. Way more practical.   I wish I had the stats at hand but I would be confident that the rejection/return rate/failure rate are very similar.  But the main difference is Westones are 6-9X more comfortable (key factor).
 
It's an IEM...not a piece of luggage.  You place it in your ears and it (hopefully) stays there.  I mean, is there a rugged-ness factor with earrings?  I'm super careful with IEM's as they are delicate instruments.  If you jump rope or walk the dog with your Shure cable then I could totally understand but the build is over the top uncomfortable.  All that matters is good strain reliefs.

 

[elfary]

  I prefer Westones's build quality by far. Way more practical.   I wish I had the stats at hand but I would be confident that the rejection/return rate/failure rate are very similar.  But the main difference is Westones are 6-9X more comfortable (key factor).
 
It's an IEM...not a piece of luggage.  You place it in your ears and it (hopefully) stays there.  I mean, is there a rugged-ness factor with earrings?  I'm super careful with IEM's as they are delicate instruments.  If you jump rope or walk the dog with your Shure cable then I could totally understand but the build is over the top uncomfortable.  All that matters is good strain reliefs.

 
Build quality is one thing and ergonomics is another. I like Westone ergonomics but i trust my Shure items more in terms of lifespan.
 
Last week I got an email from Variphone telling me that since the introduction of new series issues were 'constant' and that Westone was working around the clock to improve reliability of the mmcx connection in particular. Shure had its set of issues with that connection but it was fixed long ago. The SE535s and the SE846s that i have used lately are as reliable as my mother.
 
My decade of experience with Shure and Westone leaves me with no doubt that Westone stuff is more prone to issues. And i am beyond careful with all my gadgets and all of them seem to last forever except for my Westone iems.
 
We don't have official stats but if you count the number of issues reported on the 900+ pages thread of SE846 and the number issues reported over the 30+ pages of the Westone UM Pro 50 you can get the picture.
 
As i said sound is very personal but Westone must step up the engineering of their mmcx connectors and the sturdiness of the shells.
 
Don't get me wrong. I am a long time Westone customer and i will continue to be so. i enjoy my W30s a lot but when i have them in one hand and the SE846 in the other...in the Shure set i have trust whereas in the W30s i have just faith.
 
e.g. On my brand new W30s the Epic cable connection to the iem looks as flimsy as hell while the with the MFi cable connection is as tight as on the SE846s. Why is that on a brand new W30 which pertains to the rev3 of the product? You just put the finger on the Epic male connector and the back and forth movement is disturbing. Last week i met a couple of fellow fans and one of them got a Pro 30s dead on arrival, the other purchased a set of Pro 50s and in 3 months one wire inside got loose and he had to ship them back for replacement.
 
In my view the Westone W60 deserves a SE846 build quality. It's a 1k item.

 

[Gurashieruro]

 

Which is something I always hate to mark on Westone for. Their build quality is "ok". Its not bad or terrible by any means but their high-end IEMs should be much better than the price they request. Especially the W series and their associated plates. I always found that to be nerve racking. Of course, I had problems only once with a bad revision, but I can find many problems with the way the plates slip on. Had they been machined out of something like metal or a much stiffer and durable material, it would have been fine. However, it seems that the plates don't particularly like any kind of torque from any direction and will crack from strange occurrences.
Either way, I just want to point out that for the sound quality alone, Westone's line up sounds absolutely fantastic. Once they fix the problems that their customers have been complaining about consistently, they will be a noteworthy "all-rounder". In the end, it comes down to this: While I am VERY careful with my stuff, as I am quite OCD with conditions of my stuff, I don't want to worry so much about them as I did. Its kind of like using protection on your phone. While you might need it, there's bound to be risk and damage will occur. Protection helps prevent mishaps. Same case is with build quality. While you aren't rough with them, knowing that it will stand up to different abuse is very reassuring. Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

 

[elfary]

  Which is something I always hate to mark on Westone for. Their build quality is "ok". Its not bad or terrible by any means but their high-end IEMs should be much better than the price they request. Especially the W series and their associated plates. I always found that to be nerve racking. Of course, I had problems only once with a bad revision, but I can find many problems with the way the plates slip on. Had they been machined out of something like metal or a much stiffer and durable material, it would have been fine. However, it seems that the plates don't particularly like any kind of torque from any direction and will crack from strange occurrences.
Either way, I just want to point out that for the sound quality alone, Westone's line up sounds absolutely fantastic. Once they fix the problems that their customers have been complaining about consistently, they will be a noteworthy "all-rounder". In the end, it comes down to this: While I am VERY careful with my stuff, as I am quite OCD with conditions of my stuff, I don't want to worry so much about them as I did. Its kind of like using protection on your phone. While you might need it, there's bound to be risk and damage will occur. Protection helps prevent mishaps. Same case is with build quality. While you aren't rough with them, knowing that it will stand up to different abuse is very reassuring. Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

 
I think it took a week for the right faceplate of my W30s to crack. Since i knew beforehand that it was a fragile part i took utmost care while inserting and taking out the earphone. These plates are doomed no matter what you do.

 

[TCD1975]

The right faceplate on my W60 cracked the day I received them, and I have returned my UM Pro 50 for replacement three times within a few months due to various cable connector issues ... I agree the build quality isn't good enough for the premium price.
 
But the Westone sound is so great I'd rather put up with the build quality, and get them replaced under warranty as and when necessary, rather than try another IEM. I tried the SE846 out of frustration with Westone's build quality, but the Shure sound signature just didn't work out for me.

 

[elfary]

My W30s or Pro 50s in a SE535/SE846 body would be a dream.

I have had to ask for support 4 times in 18 months. Way too much being as careful as i am. How badly do i miss the good old 2-pin connection!

 

[Gosod]

  The right faceplate on my W60 cracked the day I received them, and I have returned my UM Pro 50 for replacement three times within a few months due to various cable connector issues ... I agree the build quality isn't good enough for the premium price.
 
But the Westone sound is so great I'd rather put up with the build quality, and get them replaced under warranty as and when necessary, rather than try another IEM. I tried the SE846 out of frustration with Westone's build quality, but the Shure sound signature just didn't work out for me.

you say that se846 worse than um pro50?