[Jim Barry]

Hi folks, this is my first post so be gentle

Let me start by saying I'm a big fan of the Beyerdynamic DT 770 (80 ohm). It approaches sonic perfection for me. I love the slamming bass and crisp treble. I like them so much I bought a second pair to use at work. I guess you could say I'm a basshead

but I need treble extension as well.

Anyway, I could do with something a little more portable for travelling. I will mainly be using the Creative Zen Micro or MuVo TX. I bought the Shure E2c a while back and was very disappointed. To say they are forward in the midrange would be quite an understatement, and they are severely rolled off in the highs. The bass is not exactly abundant either. That whole business with the wax-guards is really irritating, too.

From what I have read, the Westone UM2 is one of the best IEMs around, especially for folks that like bass. But is it good, deep, tight bass, or big flabby bass? And I've read that it's still a bit rolled off at the top end, is that true?

Basically, am I going to like the UM2 or will it be a waste of $300? I know it won't be as good as proper cans, but will it be nearly as good? Also, what about the sensitivity? 119 dB/mW seems awfully sensitive. The DT 770 is 96 dB SPL, which is great because any noise from the player falls below the threshold of hearing. But with the UM2 it seems likely that I'm going to start hearing hiss and noise from the hard disk electronics. I don't really want to have to carry an attenuator around with me.

Thanks!

 

[jagorev]

Super.fi 5EB seems to be the official basshead IEM.

 

[Vector]

The UM2s are great, but they are more akin, IMO, to Sennheiser cans. They do tend to be a wee bit heavy on the bass side. The mids are wonderful and smooth but the high end resolution will not be something that I think you will be used to considering you have, and enjoy, the Beyers. It did take me a while to get used to them and now I love them. The highs are rolled off a bit but that can be remedied with the way you prep your canal tips. It took me about two weeks to recognize this and developed a hybrid tip with the exterior being the Ety triflange. Remember, they are much more laid back than they are resolving...but damn, the headstage is so good!

 

[spinali]

The UM2 can sound superb with the right amplification, but no IEM in my experience can equal the sound of a pair of good $300 circumaural open headphones. Obviously, I prefer the DT880s; they make everything I listen to sound just the way I want. I've not heard an IEMs that can rival that kind of definition.

Reserve your IEMs for portable listening. Use full-sized headphones for everything else.

The upcoming Shure E500s do the best job of resolving deep bass that I've heard so far. Reggae and dub sounds as good as with regular headphones.

 

[Cerebral_Mamba]

The UM2 is an excellent portable can... and only as a portable can. Its pretty far from rubbing sholders with a full sized can, then again it depends what full sized can you are comparing it with. Compared with an RS1, I would say its almost 40% (being generous) while comparing it with an HD580, its about 70% as good. I have never heard a Byer, but assuming the DT770 is somewhere between a Grado and a Senn. you may expect to find it around 55% the performance (+-10%

), which I think is pretty good for an IEM around $300. I would suggest you buy from a place that offers a 30day refund etc. IMO

 

[countach]

UM2 are capable of make you grind of hapiness, but they are not easy to manage:

First, the source:
In my external Soundblaster Extigy they sound full, rich, smoth, detailed, bright.. perfect.
In other sources, you can hear all microprocessor transactions, all disk drive byte flow and everything but silence. In this poor sources, music sounds duller and less defined, having to raise a little the high section.
Some say that the UM2 are highs recesed: I don't think so: They are capable of deliver very liquid and bright highs, but there have to be a proper source to bring them on.

Second, the volume:
In the very firsts couple of months of my UM2 owning experience, I used to listed them so loud, and I had to EQ a lot, lowering all mid-bass sections. If not, they sounded dull, crap and with no definition at all. EQ'ing very VERY hard that way fixed that pretty well and, believe me: The sound was outrageous, powerfull, crisp, punchy, round... fantastic. So was, that I used to be around here in Head-Fi talking about that agressive EQ needed in the Westones and ecouraging people to try it...

Well, the fact is that this is only true when listening in that very loud way. (Very agressive to the ear and tinnitus generator)

In normal levels, there is no need of EQing. Period. Maybe a tiny high raise, but no more.
I've also discovered that my brain and ears adapted perfectly to this new volume level, in fact, the overall pleausure now is nicer than old one, and the detail is FAR BETTER.

I can say I've re-discovered the UM2 when I started to listen them in this normal volume levels.

I'm still curious about the detail level of the ER4P, I love detail and I want detail, but now with UM2 I'm getting so much of it that rejects me to bet that bunch of money in the suppoused better detail of the Etys. But if someday I have the opportunity of listen them and find them far better, for sure I'll get them.

Third, the tips:
Orange Comply Foams literally destroys the UM2 bright. They make them creamy and dull.
Without any doubt, the best ones are the modified Ety Tri-Biflanges or the Shure's gray flex tips.
The IEMs are pretty confortable, it's easy to get the required isolation and that isolation is huge. So is that I get microphonics when walking.



Edit: A lot, a huge amount of engrish and grammar correction and some ideas added

 

[Jim Barry]

Thanks for the replies so far - keep 'em coming!

I did look at the Super.Fi Pro and decided against it because of the way they stick out. I want something low profile that I can fall asleep in. The EB looks better for that, but I can't imagine it having much sizzle if it is only rated up to 16 kHz. Plus I read somewhere that it is stupidly bassy, more so than the Sony EX71.

The E500 looks interesting but the E5 is already too expensive for me.

Spinali, I checked out your UM2 guide - thanks for that. From your iTunes EQ settings I infer that the UM2 has a bit of a hump around the 250 Hz mark. I'd guess that would make for somewhat "thumpy" sounding bass, rather than "slamming"? I'm reluctant to spend $$$ on phones that need EQ from the outset, as EQ on portable devices tends to be crude (e.g. 5-band) as well as having a detrimental effect on sound quality.

However, your post is very interesting, countach. I generally listen at low to moderate volume and I think the response curve of the DT 770 is well suited to that (Fletcher-Munsen and all that). So when people say the DT 770 has too much bass, maybe they're just listening with the volume turned up too high! If the UM2 is the same then that suits me just fine. Also the thing about the tips is very interesting. I find foam tips a bit of a pain, so I was going to try the Shure ultra soft sleeves anyway. It's encouraging to know that these might actually sound better than the Complys.

I'm increasingly tempted to go for it. The UM2 might not be on a par with "real" cans but it sounds like they would suffice for portable use. And there don't seem to be any serious alternatives at this price/performance point.

 

[countach]

Jim, please read again my post, as I was fixing some grammar and syntax mistakes and finished adding some new ideas.

 

[sidewinder]

countach: in terms of detail (especially in mid and highfreq) and neutrality, Ety ER4 wins hands down. When it comes to bass quantity, I'd vote for UM2. I gave mine away after 2 months, because of the lack of detail. But some actually prefer the more musical setting, which it definately deserves (as an aspect, that is)..

 

[grawk]

As a fan of the 770, I think you'll be happy with the UM2s. Grab an assortment of tips to find the ones that work best for you, but otherwise, they're a good option.

 

[Jim Barry]

countach, that bit you added at the end: "so is that I get microphonics when walking". I pretty quickly found that the E2c was totally unusable for walking with because of the Godzilla-style THUD THUD THUD in my head as my feet hit the floor. I take you are saying it is the same with the UM2? I always assumed it would be the same with any IEM. It's a real shame as it makes them a lot less useful that they would otherwise be.

 

[countach]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Barry countach, that bit you added at the end: "so is that I get microphonics when walking". I pretty quickly found that the E2c was totally unusable for walking with because of the Godzilla-style THUD THUD THUD in my head as my feet hit the floor. I take you are saying it is the same with the UM2? (...)

I do. There is the THUD THUD in UM2. Exactly like the old Shure E3 did.

 

[grawk]

loop the cable over your ear and the microphonics are almost completely eliminated.

 

[countach]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grawk loop the cable over your ear and the microphonics are almost completely eliminated.

Yep, I think this is the only way to wear the Westones. BTW, there are not very loud microphonics when touching the cable and so, but the steps are heard.

 

[juzmister]

you could get some second hand shure e5c for 280 bucks?