[twister6]

Looks like I was wrong about the Pro 50. I've kinda assumed that since the UM3x got along well with foamies and the Pro 50 seems to have a similar overall shape it would play fair with foamies too, but it doesn't. Most foamies make it sound muffled and dull, or at least the older Comply ones I used with it did. But I've found some mystery tips (grey silicone Phonak tips, I believe) that definitely help open the Pro 50 up and make it sound more linear. It's still quite warm, rather HD650-like, but no longer muffled, just very smooth, clear, detailed, not overly compressed and in-your-head sounding, just well-rounded and very nice. I just wish I had a better ID on these tips, knew where to find more, or find something else that sounds like them. They're also not totally comfortable, but sadly nothing but foamies for me ever is.

I've been sitting on a really great pair of IEMs without even realizing it. Oh well, better late than never I suppose. They're getting some use now.

 
I find foam tips to have the best isolation, but also they suck the energy out of highs.  Foam gives you better isolation which usually improves low end response, and maybe there is a difference between sound absorption/reflection of foam vs silicone which affects high frequencies.  Either way, I usually stick with silicones, and actually use Shure olive silicone tips with all Westone iems.  Sweetwater sells them in packs of 5-pairs for under $15, here is a medium set, and they also have small and large sizes.  For me, foam vs silicone tips makes a big difference not only with umpro50 but also w60 and w80.

 

[Spyro]

I find the "star" tips with the compression striations built in the silicone to be a great invention in audio.  IMHO they achieve same bass response as foam but keep the treble frequencies intact.  Trust me..I have experimented plenty but also know that fit is an individual thing.  Just find the right one that fits you perfect.

 

[zidius]

i love star tips on my pro 50 , feel that the foam ones muffle the sound a bit .

 

[twister6]

  i love star tips on my pro 50 , feel that the foam ones muffle the sound a bit .

 
It will be different for everybody.  The great thing, both silicone and foam tips are included (in many different sizes) with every Westone pair.  Happy tip-rolling!

 

[twister6]

  I'm using the Westone App on my iPhone, reads the iTunes library and you can 'tailor' your sound. No true EQ per se but it's pretty good.
think it was marketed as BBE, and maybe Onkyo app but not too sure about that. One nice thing is you can set it for your Westone IEMs,
they have different sounds for different models. or you can set up your own sound preferences and save that.
Think it was $1.99 to install it from the App store

 
Searched it in Google play store, no such thing.  I guess it was only released on iTunes for iPhones/iPods   I love BBE dsp effects that come with Cowon Plenue daps.

 

[lotech]

 
Searched it in Google play store, no such thing.  I guess it was only released on iTunes for iPhones/iPods   I love BBE dsp effects that come with Cowon Plenue daps.

 


I can't see where Westone released this for Android, pretty limiting to only build iOS app.
This is the link for the BBE app http://www.bbesonicmax.com/

 

[smaragd]

Me too prefer the star tips for sound quality but the isolation isn't adequate enough on the bus commute to work.
I followed twister6's advise to go with the Shure olives... I got both the Shure silicone olives and Shure foam tips... is it me or do the silicone olives slip off the UMpros very easily? I have better grip on canal tubes with the Shure foam ones...

 

[nyop]

Hybrid tip mods are nothing new but since we're on the topic of star tips vs olives, I thought I'd share what I've been using. I too was oscillating between star tips and olives for awhile. I absolutely love the olives for comfort and isolation but their medium size is a tad small for my ears, while their large size is too big.

So what I did was remove the core of the olives and fit them in the star tips. It works out really well because the front of the olives is just slightly wider than the front of the star tips, and doesn't fit all the way in, so the front of the star tips remains "hollow" and allows for more compression so you can insert them further into your ear canal without discomfort (I've had such issues with other mods). The olives fill up the rest of the star tips and basically give the density that the stock star tips were missing for better isolation. End product as below. You can see that the base of the olives fits nicely in line with the base of the star tips.
 

Theoretically this is just a simple hybrid tip mod that can be done with any combination of tips, but the striations on the star tips and the shape of the olives make for a very effective pairing, IMHO.

Treble response may not be as good as stock star tips, but noticeably better than foams. More importantly, much better isolation! YMMV depending on the size of your ears because the star tips will become slightly bulkier and may be uncomfortable if they were originally a good fit. Perfect for me because they were a little small to begin with. If you have both on hand, wouldn't hurt to give it a shot (at the expense of your olives of course). 

 

 

[twister6]

Me too prefer the star tips for sound quality but the isolation isn't adequate enough on the bus commute to work.
I followed twister6's advise to go with the Shure olives... I got both the Shure silicone olives and Shure foam tips... is it me or do the silicone olives slip off the UMpros very easily? I have better grip on canal tubes with the Shure foam ones...

 
for me it's the other way around, silicone olives have a tighter grip than star tips, perhaps star tips got stretched out.  Make sure you wipe the nozzle so there is no oil/wax residue, and wash/dry silicone olive tips.  Could be some oil, etc.

 

[Gosod]

how to learn epic cable "L" and"R"?

 

[twister6]

  how to learn epic cable "L" and"R"?

 
One dot - R side, Two dots - L side.

 

[Spyro]

Me too prefer the star tips for sound quality but the isolation isn't adequate enough on the bus commute to work.
I followed twister6's advise to go with the Shure olives... I got both the Shure silicone olives and Shure foam tips... is it me or do the silicone olives slip off the UMpros very easily? I have better grip on canal tubes with the Shure foam ones...

Yea, there's a tendency for them to come off.  Just try to un-sert them carefully...untwist..or whatever to minimize sticking.  But yes, they should conside a very mild barb of some sort to secure them just a little bit more.
 
Foam muffles high frequencies, period.
 
Star trips are epic....outstanding invention by the great folks at Westone!

 

[Jodiuh]

So I made a little headway with an adjustment to the fit:





I've been wearing them "wrong" for the 9 months I've had them. (1st image)

I've since tilted them down (2nd image) to match the model (3rd image). This lets me use the star tips, but only while seated. If I'm going to be working out, foam still needs to be in play. I still find the need to change the eq in Apple Music to treble booster tho.

On a whim, I decided to order the 880's from Beyer. No need to use treble booster and I'm overall much happier with them over the UM Pro 50's. Obviously, apples to oranges, but at least I have more options.

 

[twister6]

So I made a little headway with an adjustment to the fit:

  

I've been wearing them "wrong" for the 9 months I've had them. (1st image)

I've since tilted them down (2nd image) to match the model (3rd image). This lets me use the star tips, but only while seated. If I'm going to be working out, foam still needs to be in play. I still find the need to change the eq in Apple Music to treble booster tho.

On a whim, I decided to order the 880's from Beyer. No need to use treble booster and I'm overall much happier with them over the UM Pro 50's. Obviously, apples to oranges, but at least I have more options.

 
So what is a difference, advantage of one vs the other?  Change in sound or comfort?

 

[Jodiuh]

The biggest change is in the seal, in that I can achieve one with the star tips. The tips stay put, and of course a better seal gives me better sound. That said, I'm having an issue with one of them coming off the stem and staying in my ear...while the UM Pro 50 pops out. It's more comfortable as well.

But overall I'm not sure what to do with here because my only use for them is working out. That means foams and wires. I guess at this point it's probably time to send them off to someone who ca appreciate them.