[Nin9]

Hi All,
I have recently purchased the limited edition UM2RC earphones and here are my observations:

Instruments are separated very well
Good amount of bass
Vocals seem muddy (seems like alot of echo)


Now i am by no means an expert of any sort but i am slightly unsatisfied with the sound that these earphones produce. I did quite a lot of research on the UM2 before purchasing them and found that the feedback was very positive hence why i am slightly confused with the sound of the vocals. I am not using any kind of equalizer and have made sure that the earphones are insert properly with a good seal before testing (foam tips).
I am just wondering if anyone has had this issue and whether there are any recommendations for other models if i were to replace these earphones (se425, um3). When i am not traveling i tend to listen to music on my PC using a ASUS STX sound card paired with the AKG Q701 and i love the way they sound, the vocals are very crisp and the music sounds very clean. I tend to listen to Ballads, soft rock and RNB and in terms of priority i want clear highs and mids rather than heavy bass.
Budget wise i could probably stretch up to about £350, any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[Mooses9]

well sticking with the westone line if you like those, with your budget you could go for the um3x rc or the w4r.
 
ive owned both, and the um3x are really good, BUT small soundstage which is kind of a turn off.
 
the w4r are Excellent all the way around with more of a refined sound giving it more of a reference sound to them. but depending on your amp/dac/cable and interconnects i really feel the w4/r can do just about anything, it really comes down to the pairing equipment as to how giving the w4r are.
 
you could also look at the se535, they are mid forward and they have sparkly highs, however the highs do tend to have a roll off, some like it some dont, the se535-ltd-j takes care of the roll off and the highs are clear and extended.
 
just a few options

 

[Nin9]

Thanks for your reply Mooses9, the Westones 4R and Shure se535 seem slightly out of budget. Do you think i should give the UM3's a go? Are they noticeably better than the UM2's?
 
Thanks