[HiFiRobot]

  @HiFiRobot, do you primarily use Spotify? I ask only because of your signature. I just signed up for the premium subscription service to a/b test it with my Google Music All Access subscription for audio quality, specifically for these UM Pro 30s. You have a preference strictly from an audio quality perspective? I also realize this topic has likely been discussed a million times over, but maybe not with regards to these IEMs.
 
Thanks!
-def

 
I primarily use J River with WASAPI playback. But Spotify more and more but mostly when on the go. Just hoping for Spotify to catch up with WASAPI support. I haven't tried the Google Music streaming service. But I think What Hi-Fi has compared the SQ of different streaming services.
http://www.whathifi.com/spotify/review
http://www.whathifi.com/google/play-music-all-access/review

 

[Hellkitchen]

After two months of listening I can say these are the best hearphones I've ever had! And I've had TF10, Se 535, MTPC, UE 900.. UM Pro 30 are definitely better of all them for rock and metal. The bass are really amazing without overwhelming the other frequencies. The signature is dark especially compared to UE900 but I really like it.

 

[Achill3s]

Hello all. New member on these forums. I've been through various IEM's over the years. My first model was the Shure E2C. After a few years, I wanted an upgrade so I went to the Shure SE530. Really liked those and have been my favorite ever since. However, after years of use (mostly working out and extended trips), they suffered the all too common cable fraying over the ear area and one side finally shorted. Moved up to the Shure 535 two months ago. This model has been so uncomfortable for me that I'm going to probably sell them (and wasn't too impressed with the sound of them. All the instruments sounded the same, if that makes sense). The 530 could be in my ears for hours with no real discomfort. The 535 (with trying various tips) start being really uncomfortable after 20mins or so. After contacting Shure about the 846, the form factor seems to be the same as the 535 which means It'll probably be as uncomfortable.
 
This brings me today. In looking for a replacement for my Shure line, most reviews have pointed me to the Westone product line. I'm no audiophile by any means. My style of music varies (Spanish rock, some R&B, Mariachi music, soundtracks, some rock, a little older heavy metal, etc) but booming bass isn't a requirement.
 
Reviews of the UM30 have caught my attention. Would these be a good choice as my go to replacement considering I come from three Shure models? What about the UM50? Would those be too much of a different sound for me given my history with Shure?
 
Thanks in advance.

 

[Ivabign]

While you are researching Westone products - if your 530's are still working (other than a bad cable) - you might consider re-shelling them. Then fit isn't a concern - although there are other considerations - impressions, new cable, etc....

 

[Smurfs2010]

  Hello all. New member on these forums. I've been through various IEM's over the years. My first model was the Shure E2C. After a few years, I wanted an upgrade so I went to the Shure SE530. Really liked those and have been my favorite ever since. However, after years of use (mostly working out and extended trips), they suffered the all too common cable fraying over the ear area and one side finally shorted. Moved up to the Shure 535 two months ago. This model has been so uncomfortable for me that I'm going to probably sell them (and wasn't too impressed with the sound of them. All the instruments sounded the same, if that makes sense). The 530 could be in my ears for hours with no real discomfort. The 535 (with trying various tips) start being really uncomfortable after 20mins or so. After contacting Shure about the 846, the form factor seems to be the same as the 535 which means It'll probably be as uncomfortable.
 
This brings me today. In looking for a replacement for my Shure line, most reviews have pointed me to the Westone product line. I'm no audiophile by any means. My style of music varies (Spanish rock, some R&B, Mariachi music, soundtracks, some rock, a little older heavy metal, etc) but booming bass isn't a requirement.
 
Reviews of the UM30 have caught my attention. Would these be a good choice as my go to replacement considering I come from three Shure models? What about the UM50? Would those be too much of a different sound for me given my history with Shure?
 
Thanks in advance.

 
Hey, I am no audiophile but I have the SE425s and hated the stock cable.  I replaced the cable and the unit is very comfortable.  I HATE the stock cable.  I also have the UM PRO30.  They are both very different and I enjoy them both, however, the UM Pro30 wins.  It's a bit muddy and dark but very good.  I never believed in "burn-in" but I have to say the UM Pro30 has opened up a lot and is not that muddy anymore.  Or my ears have adjusted.  Either way, I am really enjoying the UM30s.  Westone are also more comfortable than the Shure after the Shure cable change.  My $0.02.

 

[DatGuy]

Hi all,

I've been doing a decent amount of comparison between the UM pro 50 and W60s, my preferred retailer is very kind and I've had probably 5 or 6 hours to a/b these along with a few other items. My previous IEM catalog from oldest to newest: Klipsch S4 > UE 400 > Westone 4 > UE 900 (/w Labkable Silver Shadow - 8 braid Pure Silver OCC, not sure of the gauge) Also I have a pair of ASG Rockets that haven't arrived.
 
My testing setup - Aiff 44.1 / 320kbps > iPhone 5s > Venturecraft Soundroid Typhoon (SDT) /w Muse 8920 (called "Red Shoulder" edition by Venturecraft because of black chassis with red torx screws)
 
Bass
I find that the UM Pro 50 has a warm of neutral bass presentation. The bass is smooth, extends deep and well controlled. But in comparison to the W60, I find that the W60 was even more smooth, tighter and better control and most noticeably a larger impact. This is only really apparent when you can a/b them together with a good source. The difference is less noticeable playing 320kbps straight out of my iPhone 5s, but there is still an audible tightness and extension that the W60 provides. Throw in a decent amp/dac + your lossless files and the difference only becomes more clear.
 
Mids
This is the hardest comparison for me. Both mids are presented intimately, vocals are lush and smooth. Both sound amazing in this regard and I would be very happy to own either. Where I find the difference is that depending on the track you listen to, the larger sound stage offered by the W60 will change the presentation of the vocals. An analogy would be that the UM pro 50 always places the vocalist in the same spot, whilst the W60 gives them a stage to move around on. I find the W60 is more dynamic in this regard, however we should consider that by design the UM pros are meant to be more monitor like in presentation and thus flatter.
 
Treble
I am not much of a treble person. SE846's sharp presentation will fatigue me very soon. Thus I prefer that the treble on the both Westones are more laid back in comparison to the Shures. 

When comparing the Westones, again I find that the UM pro 50, by design and testing, have a flatter treble presentation. Because of this the overall flat mids and trebles added to a slightly warm mid bass leads to an overall warm presentation. The trebles itself are excellent in clarity, extension and detail. Not shrill or fatiguing which is great for my tastes. The W60s again in this regard is more dynamic in presentation, relatively more forward presentation.
 
Overall
I find that the slight mid bass hump along with the flatter mids and trebles on the UM pro 50  leads people to feel that the UM pro 50 may be bloated. If you ask me, I believe its just how we all perceive this in our heads. Yes the overall presentation is warmer, but if you can isolate the mids and highs on the UM pro 50 when you try them, you will realize they are articulate, smooth, and very well presented. They just appear to take a back seat compared to the bass which is more up front this time around.

In comparison to the W60, the W60 presentation is more balanced across the range, not in the sense of a flatter sound signature, but because they are all presented to you together equally, more organically. I can understand where some comments pointing to UM pro 50 being too warm in presentation is coming from. 

My take on these 2 iems are. If I had to a/b them, I would much prefer the W60 sound myself. The extra bass extension, impact, and overall presentation is my reasoning. However, we should take into account that the W60s are almost twice the price (at least where I come from).

Are you willing to pay that extra ~425 usd for the sound signature, extra cable with mic, and interchangeable faceplates (bleh)?

If you ask me the UM pro 50 is an excellent iem for that price point, and I would say if you don't a/b both constantly you would be very satisfied with the purchase. It can handle anything you throw at it. With the money you save it goes a long way towards that portable dac/amp you've always wanted , or perhaps custom cables that would make them sound even better

 

 

[Achill3s]

  While you are researching Westone products - if your 530's are still working (other than a bad cable) - you might consider re-shelling them. Then fit isn't a concern - although there are other considerations - impressions, new cable, etc....

Re-shelling?
 

   
Hey, I am no audiophile but I have the SE425s and hated the stock cable.  I replaced the cable and the unit is very comfortable.  I HATE the stock cable.  I also have the UM PRO30.  They are both very different and I enjoy them both, however, the UM Pro30 wins.  It's a bit muddy and dark but very good.  I never believed in "burn-in" but I have to say the UM Pro30 has opened up a lot and is not that muddy anymore.  Or my ears have adjusted.  Either way, I am really enjoying the UM30s.  Westone are also more comfortable than the Shure after the Shure cable change.  My $0.02.

Thank for the comparisons. Coming from the Shure line and reading reviews of the UM50, it comes across to me that the UM50 would be too warm for my tastes. I've read some reviews that say the UM30 isn't as warm and that the upgrade isn't really needed at this time. I'm guessing you haven't tried the UM50 have you?

 

[Smurfs2010]

  Re-shelling?
 
Thank for the comparisons. Coming from the Shure line and reading reviews of the UM50, it comes across to me that the UM50 would be too warm for my tastes. I've read some reviews that say the UM30 isn't as warm and that the upgrade isn't really needed at this time. I'm guessing you haven't tried the UM50 have you?

 
Before reshelling, I suggest you try a cable change.  The shell of my SE425 irritated my ear but after I changed the wire, no issues.  I can use them for hours and no irritation. 
 
I have not tried the UM Pro 50s.  The Westone signature is warmer than Shure for sure but the Pro 30 is a really good IEM.  It also has a very closed sound stage - just an FYI.

 

[davidcotton]

  Re-shelling?

Third party company turns a universal iem into a custom iem for you after you send the molds in. 

 

[Silver]

Could be a off topic here but this seems to be a ideal place for Westone UM users to gather. I have used my UM2 for almost 2 years and I have been so happy with them that I think it could be the IEM that I can live with for the rest of my life. Unfortunately my UM2 just broke I am trying my luck with some local retailers who offer repair service to IEM. I do think that UM2 to me are like Ety ER4 to some that they just need to stay the way they are without any improvement at all I reckon.

 

[davidcotton]

  Could be a off topic here but this seems to be a ideal place for Westone UM users to gather. I have used my UM2 for almost 2 years and I have been so happy with them that I think it could be the IEM that I can live with for the rest of my life. Unfortunately my UM2 just broke I am trying my luck with some local retailers who offer repair service to IEM. I do think that UM2 to me are like Ety ER4 to some that they just need to stay the way they are without any improvement at all I reckon.

If you don't have much luck with repairs you could always ask the likes of Unique Melody to reshell them for you.

 

[Silver]

 
If you don't have much luck with repairs you could always ask the likes of Unique Melody to reshell them for you.

 
I got my UM2 resurrected for USD60. It was just that one of the shells broke and this local shop managed to glue it. I might have fixed it on my own but worry that i am too clumsy for such delicate "operation" 

 
I think it was a bargain to find a second hand UM2 for $120. I will keep myself convinced that any of those SE846, w60 will not bring significantly more pleasure than my humble Westone 2-BA IEM...

 

[kank]

Hi,
 
I just want to share my opinion on the Westone UM Pro 50 earphones.
 
I've got these earphones for nearly 4 months now are quite impressed with them, so just want to share some of my thoughts with others on this forum.
 
 
Packaging:
The package arrived and I was not wowed by the packaging and contents that is in there. As one pay so much for an earphone you would expect the packaging to have a bit more "flares" to it to please the user. Although I guess, it is a good thing after all as that mean they spend less money on the packaging and more money on the actual product itself.
 
The travel container that came with the package is damn ugly and very bulky. Very unlikely that it'll get used at all other than storing the extra ear plugs at home.
 
Build:
The build quality is not bad, but I would expect it to look a bit nicer with more polished plastic given the price. The Shure SE535 looks a lot nicer in comparison. I do like the "epic" cables they have though, seems to not get tangled very easily, which is a big thing for me as a lot of the time I find my Shure cables get tangle rather easily when I pack/unpack it from its container.
Although I got to say I did have an issue with the first pair UM Pro 50 I received, one of the earphone (right side) died after 1 week of usage. Which is a pity because I was quite enjoying it too. Luckily they sent me a new one after 3 weeks of waiting. This one have been used for a few months now. So far so good! *touchwood*
 
Comfort:
For IEM I would put comfort very high on the list as you tend to listen to it while travelling/home for an extensive length of time. I usually listen to my earphone while sleeping, travelling on train/plane. I got to say, this is the MOST comfortable earphone I've ever worn. It was my first Westone earphone and after reading so many other reviews on the head-fi regarding the brand's being comfortable. It is definitely true, previously I thought the Shure was pretty decent in terms of comfort, but this one trumps it easily. I can wear it all day without the feeling of the ear being 'clogged' up,
 
Once you put the UM Pro 50, it fits securely on the ear and there wont be any chance it falls out by accident. It ain't going anywhere unless you pull it out. Some how it fits in nicely without having to fiddle with other ear plugs and the plug is very comfortable by letting the ear "breathe" a bit since it doesn't feel as tight as the Ultimate Ear or Shure earphones.
 
The UE earphone is definitely the worst in comfort, I had a very hard time getting the thing to fit properly without it dropping out of the ear. Forget about listening to it while lying down.
 
Sound:
This is a winner!
All I can say is that it is truly an amazing earphone. Everything you throw at it, it'll deliver the good. Good recordings will sound great with it and even mediocre recordings will sound pretty decent and very enjoyable.
The sonic characteristic of the UM Pro 50 is quite warm / dark, however it is no way "boring" which many can associate with dark/warm sounding earphone.
There are great separation of the instruments, decent depth and width with the soundstaging. Especially comparing with other IEM only, it is quite impressive.
 
But man, this thing has got BASS! This really stands out from any other IEM I've owned, the bass is great. Somehow, it has got deep/tight bass that doesn't sound too artificial as the midbass blends very nicely with the deep bass. 
Drum and bass guitar sounds very natural, good veberance can be felt in every beat.
Vocal are on the warm side, since the highs are rolled off slightly but it still retains a good timbre and lots of detail in female vocals. For me I find it vocal slightly forward comparing to others giving the impression the singer is quite close.
The overall sound is very musical, not analytical at all. Yet it still has the ability to dish out great details in good recording. The listener can definitely tap his feet while listening to this IEM. The sound is non fatiguing at all, I can lay back and listen to this all day and wont grow tired of the music it produced.
 
The earphones can be driven quite easily. It can still produce very good sound whether it is being driven by the phone, Colorfly C3 player or Lehmann audio headphone amp. Of course the headphone amp will sound the best, but at least 70-80% of its 
potential can be retained even when driven by a portable device.
 
The noise isolation is similar to all the other IEM that I have owned. Does a decent job of isolating noise from the outside, so no complaints there.
 
I can't really fault its sound at all, others may find it not "wow" from the get go. However, these are the sound characteristics that will get better as you listen to it more and know that you've made a good choice.
 
Overall:
I highly recommend it for people looking for IEM in this bracket. It is definitely a long time keeper, I dont see myself upgrading any time soon.
 
 
Note:
Other IEM that I've owned are: Shure 325, Sennheiser IE7, Ultimate Ears Triple Fi 10, Shure SE535

 

[slackerpo]

  After two months of listening I can say these are the best hearphones I've ever had! And I've had TF10, Se 535, MTPC, UE 900.. UM Pro 30 are definitely better of all them for rock and metal. The bass are really amazing without overwhelming the other frequencies. The signature is dark especially compared to UE900 but I really like it.

i totally agree, ive had the se535 for over 3 years now, and havent really found anything to my liking in the under 500 range...i tested the um3x before, but it didnt really wowed me to the level of not wanting to hear the se535 ever again. yesterday i had the chance to test westone's um50 pro, um30 pro and w40, source was dx90... and the um30 pro totally stand out. it really wowed me to the level of not wating to hear my se535 ever again...
 
the um50 pro rocked, they are just really well balanced and their superior imaging just made me feel them loosy with faster paced music, believe me if your into acoustics, classical, folk or any mid to low tempo stuff, the um50 pro might be it, but for faster paced genres the um30 pro are amazing...
 
considering the w60 might be just out of my reach...i think i have a clear choice in front of me.

 

[tyojpn]

Totally agree that UM Pro50s have a bass that can shake our head a little.

Drums also sound realistic and together they reproduce nicely the groove that is essential for music I think.
Not many universal IEM with BA driver design can offer the same, so for certain people these can be the real deal.

To the contrary, many IEMs more often produce sound that is some what more gentle and neat.

Some may claim pro50s are too bass heavy and bloated, but I think that he or she has just gotten used to the gentle sound too much