[vranswer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJGeorgeT define better................................

Was just playin'. My brief opinion is noted above. I thought you were going for the UE-10s anyway, putting you above the fray.

 

[DJGeorgeT]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vranswer Was just playin'. My brief opinion is noted above. I thought you were going for the UE-10s anyway, putting you above the fray.

I would go with the UE-10 except that my weight changes a lot. I want to play it safe.

 

[tayano]

go for um2 and support the new head-fi sponsor!

 

[Qrius]

i was looking around and i noticed that there is a black and clear housing that covers the connectors. i got the version with the clear housing, seems to me that they changed it to see if any of the soldering gets loose cause you can see where all the connections meet. just my thoughts any other speculations to this? this could be just another design change cause it looks sweet! i think that the um2's are starting to pass as some cool looking headphones instead of looking like some crazy hearing aid.

 

[DJGeorgeT]

My UM2 has clear housing, silver cable and black plug. I was hoping they would use a clear plug because it kind of looks silly now. When I ordered them back in June 2004, Westone did not have parts to make them and there was a 4 week lead time :S The UM2s weren't that popular back then as they are now.

 

[CaptainChet]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJGeorgeT I love my UM2 more than any other headphone including the etys. I also have the E5, but they get no play time.

I love mine too!!

And until you have the custom molds made ($100.00) you really have no idea how great these things really are!!! An amazing difference!!

 

[DJ Jester]

I would love to get the custom molds for my UM2's. However, I think the Westone custom molds are butt ass ugly. I like UE's custom molds( especially the different colors), but those half-assed little pointy molds that Westone uses---with the little antenna lookin thing sticking out of them----well, they look totally dumb.

By the way, I really love my triple flange ( well, now they're short-stalk, double-flange ) tips that I bought with my e3's. Does anyone know if the Shure tips fit the UM2's. I really dislike the Comply tips and Yellow foamies, as well. If you walk around a college campus with those, eveyone will think you've been shopping for audio equipment at Goodwill again.

Not that image has anything to do with audio quality, but damn, when I tell someone to look at my badass $500 earphones, I don't want them to cringe because they're reminded of the wax covered squishy yellow things their grandma puts in her ears to drown out the noise from them younguns playin their hippity hop devil music.

Too bad there's not a more aesthetically pleasing option that gives such good sound, since they do really sound the best. Nevertheless, I'll still never be caught dead wearing them in public.

 

[dk123]

2 questions:

Does the Um-2 exhibit the hiss issues that I have read about regarding the e5c?

How's the Um-2 compare to the E4 for classical/accoustic music?

 

[Imyourzero]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJ Jester By the way, I really love my triple flange ( well, now they're short-stalk, double-flange ) tips that I bought with my e3's. Does anyone know if the Shure tips fit the UM2's. I really dislike the Comply tips and Yellow foamies, as well. If you walk around a college campus with those, eveyone will think you've been shopping for audio equipment at Goodwill again.

The Shure tips do fit the UM2. I've been using my UM2s with some of the Shure gray flex tips in in fact. The triflange tips fit also, and so do the black Ety foamies (an alternative to the comply and yellow foamies).

 

[Jasper994]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Old Dave I would love to hear a comparison among the UE Super Fi Pros, the Shure E5s and the Westone UM2s. Anyone able to do that?

Keep in mind that I've only briefly auditioned the UM2, I own the other two, as well as the E4.

I find that the SF5P lacks a bit of edge that is often very welcome in rock recordings. It also can be overly bass heavy if your source already has strong bass. In their defense, they can be very musical with the right material and source. I particularly like them with blues recordings as well as jazz. They are also very good for watching TV/movies and gaming.

The E5 has a bit of treble roll off, but I find that they sound good with everything I've thrown at them. It is only when comparing them directly to the E4 where I find the E5 to be lacking. Of course this will vary with source and material. On things like Marylin Manson, the E5 sounds a good deal better than the E4.

In my brief audition of the UM2, I felt like something was missing from the music the entire time I had them in. I did try them with several styles of music and just couldn't get into them. They sounded rather lifeless, and from what I recall, had sucked out mids.

The E4 IMO has the best balance of all of the IEMs I've tried. Where it seems to fall short is if you listen dominately to rap/hip hop. They are also a little picky when it comes to what they're plugged in to. Many people find them to sound very thin with an iPod. I found them to be rather thin when used with a Meridian 508. On the other hand, when I tried them with Headrooms Desktop DAC/Amp with the power supply, I found them to be very full with heavy bass (reminded me of the SF5P). The downside with that combo was that the highs seemed quite rolled off.

With my home rig (see sig), and with my portable (Creative Zen Xtra) they sound VERY good.

 

[CaptainChet]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJ Jester I would love to get the custom molds for my UM2's. However, I think the Westone custom molds are butt ass ugly. .

I have the 'ugly' custom molds and when you are wearing them, you really don't see them at all!! I do not find them ugly by any stretch! It's actually hard to see the molds once they are inserted as they are really small.

Besides that, the improvement in sound is well worth the little plastic removal piece stick out!

I'm liking my UM2 so much I'm actually considering the ES2 over the Sensa or UE10's.

 

[MrYman]

do all of you who aren't satisfied with um2 sound use it unamped and without EQ? prob if amped EQ is not needed, but if not amped try EQ, it really helps to um2... well, also depends on source of course... i use PocketPC and EQ works like a charm!

without EQ um2 sounded to me even worse than cheaper hd280pro and sr80 but once EQed both lose by notable margin (no mater of their EQ setting)... those who use EQ wanna share their settings? i have slight rise in low frequencies, bit lower middles, and highest high frequencies... if anyone interested i can try taking screenshot... anyone else wanna share their screenshot of EQ settings for um2?

 

[DJ Jester]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaptainChet I have the 'ugly' custom molds and when you are wearing them, you really don't see them at all!! I do not find them ugly by any stretch! It's actually hard to see the molds once they are inserted as they are really small. Besides that, the improvement in sound is well worth the little plastic removal piece stick out! I'm liking my UM2 so much I'm actually considering the ES2 over the Sensa or UE10's.

No offense as far as the way they look. I think they're ugly out of ear, but as I said, looks have absolutely zero to do with audio quality. Besides, I have never seen them in ear, so I really do not know.

Also, if you are gonna go for ES2 instead of UE10, then why not get ES3? Does anyone on here have, or have listened to, the ES3's? How much better do you think the dual ports make the ES2 over the UM2?

I, also, would be very interested to see how everyone prefers to EQ their UM2's.........ESPECIALLY if they are using an iAudio X5, which I have in transit right now.

Jester

 

[CaptainChet]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJ Jester Besides, I have never seen them in ear, so I really do not know. Also, if you are gonna go for ES2 instead of UE10, then why not get ES3? Does anyone on here have, or have listened to, the ES3's? How much better do you think the dual ports make the ES2 over the UM2? Jester

If you read the Westone site about the ES3, they have a disclamier that the ES3's are not the best choice for music due to the freq. curve.

I doubt you ever will 'see' them in the ear are there is really very little to see except the little clear removal piece, and you had better be VERY close to the person wearing them to even see that.

 

[gowrygabriev]

I, too, would like to know how people are eqing/amping there headphones.

I recently bought a pair of E5s and have been a little disappointed. They're much better than my Ety 4p/s's in that the low end is there..but both fall far short of my HD600/XCansV2 combo. I think maybe I just set the expectations bar a bit too high. I wish they at least had the same treble as the Ety's. However, when I EQ them they can sound much, much better, and I'm no longer so disappointed. I want portable HD600's that don't require an amp though!!! I've considered an amp, but that's just adding to the expense of what I've already bought and takes away from the portability of my rig.

I primarily use them on the go, listening on the train to and from work with a Creative Jukebox Zen USB and a PSP.

Gowry