[Cartman2000]

Hey guys. I got a UM1 just yesterday and have been listening to it since. I find the sound to be extremely clogged up, and clarity is poor. How should I put this.. okay when listening to AAR's Dance Inside, I used to be able to hear the distortion guitar's strumming in the 2nd chorus quite clearly. Now, it gets muffled out by the main electric guitar. Are UM1s supposed to be that unclear in terms of sound? Or could it be due to the fact that they havent burnt in? I am using with Shure Olives and a cowon d2 btw.

I realise that the UM1s don't suit me, and am looking at the superfi3 studios. Will this pair provide clearer sound? Coming from Audiotechnica CKM50s I am expecting a distinct upgrade in SQ for SGD$80 more, but sadly to say I am disappointed with the UM1's performance. Even the CKM50s provide clearer sound..

Any help is appreciated..

 

[Spyro]

There is nothing to burn in but your ears. I'd give them several days to see if you adjust.

I think UM1 popularity as mainly because of the great fit. I did not care for UM1 sound since the whole presentation sounded somewhat cloudy and veiled to me. Also, little bass, little treble and mostly midrange. I do think Super Fi 3 would give you a little more clarity. Under $100, ER6i has best clarity by a wide margin but the bass is on the light side.

 

[Imslimjim]

I have the UM1's and I also agree with Spyro. Most users turn to them for their great fit and comfortable feel. Their sound isnt crystal clear and the low end is lacking depending on the source material.

 

[feNcheL]

This is exactly the reason why I decided on a whim to buy SF3's instead of the UM1 I had planned. I auditioned both (so no burn-in issues) and found the SF3 to be much more detailed. But the mids still sound pretty good on the UM1. UM1 is just popular due to the good fit, the aesthetically pleasing design and the relatively small size (makes UE look like kids playing with playdough for the first time when they designed their earphones).

 

[scompton]

I'm one of those people who still use my UM1 because of comfort and form factor. I own other IEMs that sound better, but no others that I can use for an 8 hour plane ride. Also the UM1 is the only one I own that I can wear under a hat in cold weather. In both of those cases my choice would be the UM1 or no music.

I also have problems during allergy season. I recently got an X5 and hope it works for me when pollen picks up in the spring.

 

[feNcheL]

^What about the UM2 or the new Westone 3 then?

 

[scompton]

They're in a different price bracket and more than I'm willing to spend on a headphone I only use in noisy environments.

 

[forsberg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by scompton /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm one of those people who still use my UM1 because of comfort and form factor. I own other IEMs that sound better, but no others that I can use for an 8 hour plane ride. Also the UM1 is the only one I own that I can wear under a hat in cold weather. In both of those cases my choice would be the UM1 or no music.

Totally agree. UM1 is mainly for comfort. I had the super.fi 5 pro's before and while it sounds awesome, I hated the memory wire. It was way too stiff and full of microphonics, and the memory wire "feature" meant that I also had to undo all the curves when taking them out from my pocket or whatever. I'd assume it'd be the same thing with the super.fi 3s.

 

[Pianist]

I also agree that Westone UM1 doesn't have the best SQ in it's price bracket. I auditioned it a while ago along with UE Super.fi 3s and found the UEs to be more enjoyable. UM1s has decent bass and good mids, but the highs are severely rolled off and completely lack detail. Damn... I just checked ebay and it seems that the Westones still cost around $100! This is way too expensive, considering that you can get Super.fi 3s for 50 bucks. At the $100 mark, I would rather get M-Audio Q40s for portable use - yes, they are much bigger, less comfortable, and isolate less than IEMs, but they sound WAY better than UM1s. In fact, I even prefer my M-Audios to Westone UM2 and UE Super.fi 5 Pro. If you don't mind wearing big cans in public, and isolation is not your top priority, get the Q40s. If you need more comfort, save up for ATH-M50 - either of these will destroy any low to mid level IEM in SQ IMO.

 

[scompton]

The Super.fi 3 would be overpriced at $1 for me. They hurt my ears so bad I couldn't use them.

If I could only have one portable headphone in the sub $120 price range, it would be the UM1. There are times that I can't use other IEMs, either because it's cold and I want to wear a hat, or because my ears are sensitive because of allergies. And because I use them on my daily commute, I need the isolation of an IEM. Full sized cans and canal phones don't isolate well enough for a subway. The UM1 barely isolates enough. I've not found an IEM in that price range that beats them. Without them, my choice would be no music on my commute at least 6 months a year, if not more.

BTW, the average background noise on a train in the DC Metro is 95-105dB. That's why I need isolation.

 

[Cartman2000]

T.T heh I guess I'll stick with these for a while. The UEs are extremely uncomfortable for me. The next phones I'll get will probably be a IE7, a UM2 or whatever they have in about two years' time. By then, I'll stretch the budget to SGD$400

Cheers.

 

[Cartman2000]

Oh yeah one quick question before I go. I like listening to my UM1s with slight bass(not too overwhelming). Mids are sufficient as they are on 0. Trebles should be at least somewhat there for female vocals. Any ideas how to set the EQ? I'm using a Cowon D2 btw.