[Fungus]

 
What are you running ?
 
Try the umpro with a propper cable the epic is crap they become a lot more coherent
agree with you on the build quality also it is confusing they have the best form factor but still they fall apart all the time

Nah I quite like the umpro cable, its light, thin with great memory wire that fits around my ears well. 
I'm not a believer if cables plus wouldn't wanna risk putting any stress on the connectors being how fragile they already are. 

 

[damobananna]

note to self - dont try to head fi from mobile again

 

[damobananna]

  Nah I quite like the umpro cable, its light, thin with great memory wire that fits around my ears well. 
I'm not a believer if cables plus wouldn't wanna risk putting any stress on the connectors being how fragile they already are

Me to I like how it looks and feels but I don't believe in much either, it either is or it isn't and based on what I have heard an upgrade cable is worth the money and alleged risk

 

[TCD1975]

  um50pro mids are too recessed and the bass is too loose and doesn't go very deep.

 
I couldn't disagree more on this point. Bass goes plenty deep on the UM Pro.

 

[damobananna]

   
I couldn't disagree more on this point. Bass goes plenty deep on the UM Pro.

+1 just not AS deep a 846

 

[TCD1975]

+1 just not AS deep a 846

True. SE846 does go very deep. Too deep in my opinion. It's all sub bass, with a great big hole where the mid and upper bass should be. UM Pro 50 has more enjoyable bass presentation for me. Plus SE846 mids are too foward and aggressive, and they have very narrow soundstage.

UM Pro 50 aren't perfect but I would personally pick them, rather than SE846, any day of the week.

 

[majedelamine]

I spent some time on the phone with westone today chatting about history and products and the future direction of Westone. Will not divulge names but the person has been with westone for well over 10 years and thinks the transition to china for the w series and um series is seriously tarnishing the name of Westone. They hope to bring production back to Colorado, but its a long process that has not been approved yet nor sure if it will. They hope if they can it will fix the problems with the quality comtrol and when issues do arrise, a quicker fix can be implemented. I also learned about some new products in the works. If all does go well, westone universals will be great again. I still remember my first pair of Westone um1 and um2 about 11 or 12 years ago. Those and Shure were what opened the world of high end audio up for me. You never forget the first time you hear things you never have before in your music.

Yes my um3x is built in Colorado like a tank but also my w4R is built in china like a tank. Now my umpro 50 is built in colorado like a cheap plastic toy. I would blame quality control and vision, not manpower

 

[Voyageur]

Yes my um3x is built in Colorado like a tank but also my w4R is built in china like a tank. Now my umpro 50 is built in colorado like a cheap plastic toy. I would blame quality control and vision, not manpower

 
Agreed, country of origin doesn't tell as much as it used to in the past, IMO. Chinese made products have greatly improved in terms of QC lately. 

 

[TCD1975]

Yes my um3x is built in Colorado like a tank but also my w4R is built in china like a tank. Now my umpro 50 is built in colorado like a cheap plastic toy. I would blame quality control and vision, not manpower

 
Passing the buck on to Chinese manufacturing is out of order in my opinion.
 
My W60 (made in China) had to be replaced due to sound cutting out in left ear. In my opinion this was a result of the loose cable connectors that Westone were using up until recently ... a design flaw rather than a manufacturing flaw I would say.
 
My UM Pro 50 (which Westone claim are made in Colorado) had to be replaced 3 TIMES within the first 8 months of owning them. Twice this was due to cable issues and once because the brand new replacement they sent me had a rattling sound inside it as soon as I received it.
 
In my opinion nearly all of these problems have been down to Westone's poor implementation of the MMCX connectors ... a design and material issue rather than manufacturing.
 
My UM Pro 50 and W60 now have much tighter MMCX cable connectors, which seems to have fixed the issues, but it appears to my eyes that Westone  have taken a step backwards with the implementation of MMCX connectors on the new W80. They may include ALO cables but what's going on with that great big gap and exposed connection between the male and female MMCX connectors? I won't be at all surprised if people are having issues with the W80 within a few months of their release.
 
Despite having purchased all previous Westone top tier IEMs in the past, I'm not in the least bit excited by the new W80 and unsure if I will ever buy Westone again. They make the most comfortable universals I've come across, and they usually sound amazing, but they need to rebuild their reputation for build quality (and premium finish) and there's quite a way to go before they convince me of trying another of their products.

 

[majedelamine]

Passing the buck on to Chinese manufacturing is out of order in my opinion.

My W60 (made in China) had to be replaced due to sound cutting out in left ear. In my opinion this was a result of the loose cable connectors that Westone were using up until recently ... a design flaw rather than a manufacturing flaw I would say.

My UM Pro 50 (which Westone claim are made in Colorado) had to be replaced 3 TIMES within the first 8 months of owning them. Twice this was due to cable issues and once because the brand new replacement they sent me had a rattling sound inside it as soon as I received it.

In my opinion nearly all of these problems have been down to Westone's poor implementation of the MMCX connectors ... a design and material issue rather than manufacturing.

My UM Pro 50 and W60 now have much tighter MMCX cable connectors, which seems to have fixed the issues, but it appears to my eyes that Westone  have taken a step backwards with the implementation of MMCX connectors on the new W80. They may include ALO cables but what's going on with that great big gap and exposed connection between the male and female MMCX connectors? I won't be at all surprised if people are having issues with the W80 within a few months of their release.

Despite having purchased all previous Westone top tier IEMs in the past, I'm not in the least bit excited by the new W80 and unsure if I will ever buy Westone again. They make the most comfortable universals I've come across, and they usually sound amazing, but they need to rebuild their reputation for build quality (and premium finish) and there's quite a way to go before they convince me of trying another of their products.

Agree word by word. I mostly use the w4R with a 2 pin epic mic cable as my office/commute go to although I have 30 other IEMs including the umpro50 and other westones.

 

[damobananna]

   
Passing the buck on to Chinese manufacturing is out of order in my opinion.
 
My W60 (made in China) had to be replaced due to sound cutting out in left ear. In my opinion this was a result of the loose cable connectors that Westone were using up until recently ... a design flaw rather than a manufacturing flaw I would say.
 
My UM Pro 50 (which Westone claim are made in Colorado) had to be replaced 3 TIMES within the first 8 months of owning them. Twice this was due to cable issues and once because the brand new replacement they sent me had a rattling sound inside it as soon as I received it.
 
In my opinion nearly all of these problems have been down to Westone's poor implementation of the MMCX connectors ... a design and material issue rather than manufacturing.
 
My UM Pro 50 and W60 now have much tighter MMCX cable connectors, which seems to have fixed the issues, but it appears to my eyes that Westone  have taken a step backwards with the implementation of MMCX connectors on the new W80. They may include ALO cables but what's going on with that great big gap and exposed connection between the male and female MMCX connectors? I won't be at all surprised if people are having issues with the W80 within a few months of their release.
 
Despite having purchased all previous Westone top tier IEMs in the past, I'm not in the least bit excited by the new W80 and unsure if I will ever buy Westone again. They make the most comfortable universals I've come across, and they usually sound amazing, but they need to rebuild their reputation for build quality (and premium finish) and there's quite a way to go before they convince me of trying another of their products.

It can't be that hard I mean the first series were damn near perfect, what are they playing at I wonder? personally *i don't care where it was made* aslong as westone keep their ergonmics and make the next lot at least half as durable as the old series w3 w4 etc
 
*(other than the fact of fair trade issues/workers  getting ripped off etc  China is just as capable if not more so at engineering quality and greatness as any country including zee germans, Its only when they employ cheap labour and cut costs in materials that gives them a bad wrap .

 

[damobananna]

  Nah I quite like the umpro cable, its light, thin with great memory wire that fits around my ears well. 
I'm not a believer if cables plus wouldn't wanna risk putting any stress on the connectors being how fragile they already are. 

what about cable burn in?  if you dont think cable material makes no difference in output , therefore cable burn in would also be a myth 

 

[damobananna]

Just found out my left mmcx connection is loose and wobbly inside its housing .........ten points Westone smh

 

[Fungus]

shouldn't there be an AM PRO appreciation thread? 

 

[Voyageur]

  shouldn't there be an AM PRO appreciation thread? 

 
Don't they have a very similar/identical sound to the UM Pro series?