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Westone UM PRO Series Thread
Sep 6, 2013 at 1:27 AM Post #47 of 3,037
Sorry for the slow reply. I haven't gotten a chance for a good review or anything yet due to my lovely phonetics and semantic homework assignments, but I think I will get to it tomorrow.
 
Initial impressions from limited listening: Good separation/imaging. Treble is a little dull/recessed and maybe a bit grainy - vocals/mids seem more prominent. For overall tone they seem to be somewhere between the BA200 and ER4P in terms of warmth. I'd guess that's pretty standard to be honest. I think they're probably a little more edgy than the BA200 but not as sharp as the ER4P. In terms of bass - more than ER4P. That's all I'll say about that for now. I want to play with tips/genres and things first/
 
Being a single driver the UM Pro 10's are really small and the stem is not long either. It's a little difficult to get a good fit because the UM Pro 10's are so small. I'm used to the W4/W3 and other bigger IEMS with more drivers.  Build quality is standard from Westone - great. Comes with a detachable EPIC cable using the MMCX/whatever connector like Shure. The tips/packaging is good, but the case is the standard Westone vault with an orange color. I'm not a huge fan of it personally.
 
I was expecting them to be pretty bad when I got them. I don't think they're really bad - so that's a start.
 
Initial thoughts - if you like forward mids, a non fatiguing sound, solid build/great warranty, replaceable cable, and comfort then you'll probably like the UM Pro 10's. I know I haven't said much about the bass yet. I'll get to it when I feel like I have a better grasp on it :)
 

 
Sep 6, 2013 at 9:08 PM Post #50 of 3,037
I was pretty busy all day today so I haven't gotten much time with them today, but I've just started putting some more time on them and fiddling with tips a little.
 
I went to my go to tips for getting a good seal - modded bi flanges. I've managed to get decent bass from them now. Not greatly impactful but pretty solid. Listened to a song from Opeth's Damnation album and the bass line sounded pretty impressive. I still feel like the main strength of these is the vocals and stand by my initial impressions thus far. Mids seem to be in the forefront with the treble and bass taking a bit of a back seat - but with the right fit the (mid) bass becomes relatively strong.
 
The cable is much of the same, although the jack seems like a step backwards. I know this is not the same jack as the replacement cables but I think it may have been the same one on the Westone 3 Gold. It seems more fragile to me, but I'm no expert. I'll include some pics of the connector and you can judge for yourself.
 

 

 

 
Sep 6, 2013 at 9:44 PM Post #51 of 3,037
The jack does appear to be lacking a strain relief but the cord looks good.
 
So far I'm not getting the idea that the UM10 is the best way to spend $150.  Now that I have some experience with the $99 Re-400 I think the bar has been raised.  Do you feel it's a good value?
 
Sep 6, 2013 at 10:52 PM Post #52 of 3,037
Well, the RE400's are definitely above their pay grade so it will be hard to find another value like that. If you are expecting to find bargains like that chances are you'll be disappointed with almost everything, but if sound isn't your only qualifier then you can find some good deals I think. For me personally, I think Hifiman products are great in terms of sound/$ but not so great in terms of durability. Hifiman does have great customer service, but it's better if the products are more reliable from the start.
 
For the UM 10 Pros their strengths imo are the mids, durability (although the jack is a little worrisome) great customer service, replaceable cable, comfort, isolation, etc. In terms of value on sound alone then the answer is no, but when you combine the other factors it could change for you. I also already have the BA200's which definitely punch about their current price as well. I would say the UM 10 Pros are a solid product but nothing earth shattering. It is just a single BA though, so I would not be surprised if the UM Pro 20 or 30 are really impressive.
 
Sep 6, 2013 at 11:20 PM Post #53 of 3,037
Good thinking.  I have smaller ears (and narrow canals) so I'm liking the ergonomic form factor.  I also lack higher end universals so I'll keep my ear to the ground for the UM30 when it's released.
 
Sep 7, 2013 at 12:38 AM Post #54 of 3,037
deviltooth said:
Good thinking.  I have smaller ears (and narrow canals) so I'm liking the ergonomic form factor.  I also lack higher end universals so I'll keep my ear to the ground for the UM30 when it's released.
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Same here. Waiting patiently for the UM30! Hope the treble would not be as laid back as the UM3X and maybe with a larger soundstage would be nice! :)
 
Sep 25, 2013 at 5:53 AM Post #57 of 3,037
Yep. It seems like there was a very good chance to win because I guess only about 40 people entered and 10 people won. Maybe some other head fiers won too. I have higher expectations for these, not that the UM10 was bad, but I'm a little spoiled since I've heard so many top tier iems and a single BA is generally a limiting factor these days.
 
Sep 25, 2013 at 6:08 AM Post #58 of 3,037
zalithian said:
Yep. It seems like there was a very good chance to win because I guess only about 40 people entered and 10 people won. Maybe some other head fiers won too. I have higher expectations for these, not that the UM10 was bad, but I'm a little spoiled since I've heard so many top tier iems and a single BA is generally a limiting factor these days.
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I saw the giveaway but thought that I'd never win. Now I'm kicking myself haha.
 
 
Really looking forward to the impressions and review!
 
Sep 25, 2013 at 8:42 AM Post #59 of 3,037
Congrats, sweet win. I was so hoping to win a pair and yeah, it seemed like there were very good odds at winning but alas I didn't. :frowning2: I thought they picked a few weak responses but hey, it's WESTONE's contest and I'm bias to ME. LOL I would've gone random but they like pouring over these things....they've had several FB caption the photo contests that of course I never won.
 
Anxious to hear impressions on the 30's.....
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