[BBY03evo]

I bought a pair too hold me over, untill I get time to order the UE11's.

The highs are way rolled off, bass is very boomy. Also the sound is very grainy and not engaging. I knew they would be a bit warm, but man they suck all around IMO.

Anyone else feel like this?

 

[navmau]

Have not personally tried the UM2 however, users say that the comply tips have this effect so you may want to try a silicon tip, e.g. shure triple flanges or something.

 

[monolith]

The UM2s definitely sound better with Shure olives than with Comply tips.

 

[gilency]

I have the UM2 and love them.

 

[Walie]

I was never satisfied with them no matter what tip I tried with them, and I tried them all, except for the um56

 

[ADD]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BBY03evo /img/forum/go_quote.gif The highs are way rolled off, bass is very boomy. Also the sound is very grainy and not engaging. I knew they would be a bit warm, but man they suck all around IMO.

Yes

As soon as I had bought mine I realised I had just lost $300 AUD.

 

[sidewinder]

I also didn't like the UM2, but I don't agree on the rolled off highs. I thought they had some sparkle and they were quite extended imo. But the mids, oh my god, these are recessed and that's a big understatement. Bass is boomy, thick and it just blurs everything else. They did sound like the E5 which is no surprise, and I'll definately stay away from the E530. I can describe the UM2 as warm, laidback and blurry. My super.fi is the total opposite, it's cold, upfront and crystal clear.

The comfort is a big letdown also, the shellcase is too big, it touches my ear and because of the basic plastic it starts to hurt after a while. I hate the cable, it's too thin, too flexible (way inferior to the Shure E1) and you can easily cut it. It hurts my outer ear also. It's weird, cause almost everyone finds these comfortable, but I think they are on the bottom of the list of comfortabilty. Super.fi 5 Pro is waaaaaay better and sits on the number one spot of all the IEMs I've owned. No matter what tip I used, the sound never changed, neither did the comfort. I would be weird to hear a (major) change anyway just by using a different tip, must be magic I guess.

 

[monolith]

My experience with them is radically different. When I first was using them the upper bass was really boomy and overpowering, but over time my perception of that changed (and I'm pretty sure it isn't just "metal burn in", as I still don't have that impression even after coming back to them after long periods with the ER-4Ps, which are essentially the opposite of this).

As for comfort, they're by far the most comfortable IEM I've ever tried, and the cable is amazing. It is the flexibility that makes it so amazing. I don't know how you could fault a cable for being too flexible or too thin. It's still sturdy.

I went from Super.fi 5Pros to the UM2s, and after I'd used the UM2s for a while, the SF5Ps were a mess. I couldn't listen to them anymore.

 

[oicdn]

What's your amplification? I know they synergized REALLY well with the Hornet and Move. Didn't like them so much with the TH, but the other two worked out AWESOME.

UYM2s are odd in that they can sound weak with different equipment. Like a 1st gen shuffle I didn't like, but when amped it was great. So in my experience, they only respond to GOOD amplification...otherwise, they're just meh.

BUT, they are BY FAR the most comfy iem I've worn. You can fall asleep in them and they have a GREAT cable. Try some different tips....and give them a fair shot...

 

[cantsleep]

sounds like you had them on with silicon tips. try again with foam tips. if you still dont like the sound, no cure.

 

[rtimmel]

For what ever reason, they are very sensitive to to the tips used. I found that any of the foam tips are problematic -- they muffle the treble and accentuate the bass. No what you need given the UM2's sound signature. On the other hand, I like them very much with silicon tips -- I personally use the shure triflanges modded down to biflanges and with most of the tubing cut off. It brings the treble forward and minimizes the bass boom.

 

[fredman22]

Quote:

Originally Posted by monolith /img/forum/go_quote.gif My experience with them is radically different. When I first was using them the upper bass was really boomy and overpowering, but over time my perception of that changed (and I'm pretty sure it isn't just "metal burn in", as I still don't have that impression even after coming back to them after long periods with the ER-4Ps, which are essentially the opposite of this). As for comfort, they're by far the most comfortable IEM I've ever tried, and the cable is amazing. It is the flexibility that makes it so amazing. I don't know how you could fault a cable for being too flexible or too thin. It's still sturdy. I went from Super.fi 5Pros to the UM2s, and after I'd used the UM2s for a while, the SF5Ps were a mess. I couldn't listen to them anymore.

This parallels my experiences also. I came off of approx 6 months of ER-4P previous ownership and the shock in sound was discouraging at first, but after about 3 or 4 days of listening to them, the boominess diminished, and great clarity and definition returned. Their warm, bass-reinforced sound was pretty much what I wanted after listening to the etys for awhile. The key is that the boominess complaint is common for Westones and a lot of the time (not always) living with them for awhile can cure this (they are also notoriously susceptable to different tip types). As for comfort, I knew right away that these were superior to anything I had tried previously; if you don't find these to be the most comfortable, then look elsewhere right away. BTW, I prefer mine with Shure large grey softips, been using 'em for a little over 2 years, and I still have and enjoy my Etys! Good luck.

 

[western120]

Does the tips make any difference to the UM1s also ?? I find it lacking in bass.

 

[catscratch]

I never found any actual burn-in with the UM2. I think it's just mental adaptation to the sound signature.

But, what you're describing is pretty close to the sound I got using the stock Comply tips. They are really terrible. I got the best results using Shure yellow foamies and clear flex tips. A lot of people recommend Ety triflanges, sometimes modded to biflanges, but I found them to be too bright and piercing in the highs. In any case, the bass boominess never really goes away but the overall bass quantities can be brought into check with different eartips. The highs I find have to be EQ'd out to be flat(ter), I never found a tip that gives the treble its extension back.

The UM2 is not bad, but it needs some work on your part to get it to sound good. It was never designed as a consumer IEM, it was an on-stage monitor first and foremost, and even though it became popular with consumers and got a whole bunch of nice accessories to go with it, it's still sonically the same. It's meant to be EQ'd and has serious power handling to allow you to custom-tailor the sound to whatever you want.

 

[egokun]

A very peculiar assortment of opinions, it seems

I find nothing grainy, nothing boomy, nothing blurry in the sound the UM2 make. Tri-flange is my fav tip because it tames the high as much as needed to get rid of the tremendous sibilance you get with Shure's shorter tips, such as the clear sleeves or the black "olives", which on the other hand bring the bass a little backwards. I haven't tried many IEMs, but I've had the UM2 for more than 2 years and I still don't have a reason to look for better, yet much more expensive solutions