Westone UM2 / UM56 feedback

[Jamos]

Hi all,

long time reader on here, but I believe this is my first post.

Anyway, I'm an Audio Engineer mostly for live sound & recording, and have experimented with many different phones & IEM's over the years.

My progression for in-ears went: ER-4P > E5C > E2C > E3C > UM2

I got some molds done and bought a pair of UM56's to use with my E3C's...and that lasted about a week.

The E3C's sounded decent to me with the yellow foamies, but with the UM56, they were pretty bright and generally not so pleasant.

I picked up a pair of UM2's, and I have to say, they are almost to the point of me calling them "stunning". They are much warmer than the 3C's, but maintain a really high level of detail. I think they are a great balance for what I do...for monitoring live music/recording, they are natural sounding...but for pleasure listening, they sound awesome all around.

Overall, I was a little skeptical about pony'ing up the extra $$$ for the UM2, but after hearing them, I am sold...no question.

Just wanted to share.

 

[joelongwood]

Welcome to head-Fi, Jamos. Glad you found what you were looking for. I have all the IEMs you mention, and I would have to agree with you..............the UM2s do just about everything right. Their ease of insertion, comfort level, and non-microphonic, non-tangling cord only add to the satisfaction.

 

[gilency]

Knowing you are an audio-engineer, I was interested in your progression of IEM's from the ER-4P > E5C > E2C > E3C > UM2. I own the UM2's also and like them a lot. There are a lot of Ety fans however who would disagree with you however.:> Did you listen to the ER4P with an amp? Have you listened to the 530's? oh......and welcome!

 

[Jamos]

Yeah I know my progression of different models was kind of weird...
The E5C's were a friend's and I was borrowing them for like a year.
I actually really enjoy listening with the E2C's, and still keep them around. While not as accurate as some of the other models, they are still pleasing, although maybe a little "round" sounding.

The Ety's were definitely the other phones I would choose out of the batch, and sound "crisp and clear", but I found they were a bit too analytical and revealing sounding to really enjoy any prolonged listening.

The UM2's really seem to bridge the gap, and take all the positive qualities of other IEM's, and roll them into one.

Anyone know what the negatives of the UM2's are?

 

[GUNS]

I don't really think there are many points about them that could equate to being a negative. I have both the ER4S and the UM2. I prefer the ER4S sound at the moment, so i use those for home and portable listening, whilst the UM2's are used for exercise when i don't need to listen to the music as much but want a bit more of a fun sound! Plus the microphonics are nil and they are extremely comfortable! I would defiantly say everyone should try them at least once.

 

[ClieOS]

Westone probably has some of the best product lineup among all IEM manufacturers as I seldom see complaint about UM1/UM2. If there is any downside, I'll say it is the not-user-replaceable filter. However, this shouldn't be a problem if you take a bit more care on cleaning.

I am planning on getting an UM2 myself in a month or so

 

[Brewmaster]

The UM2's are great, but I prefer the TF10's as the highs are significantly better. The TF's can be a bit of work to find comfort with.

 

[audiomagnate]

OP mentions UM56 in the thread title, but not in the post. What's up with that?

 

[Jamos]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jamos /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hi all, I got some molds done and bought a pair of UM56's to use with my E3C's...and that lasted about a week.

As far the UM56's, I am loving them...
although the first pair I got from Westone were completely the wrong color, so we sent them back...

the next pair they sent was a better color but the "otoblast" material we were trying was incredibly uncomfortable. It also was harder and one of the tips did not stay seated on the IEM very well. Finally got them to stay pretty well, but the sound was horrible. None of us (myself, my audiologist, or Westone) were really sure why beyond it being the otoblast.

So they were sent back again, and now they made me the traditional vinyl, which I instantly loved. They are very comfy and are a bit flexible, which the otoblast ones were not.

I'll get some pics and post them here soon.

Just an FYI for anyone who's looking for a UM2 set, Earphone Solutions matched an Ebay store seller's price for me, which saved me about $50.

 

[chris_ah1]

I made a quick progression from sony crap EX71s to the UM2s from a seller on here - I then demoed other buds since (most notably the SE530 or whatever it's called from shure) and while the shure was technically better (albeit marginally) for accurate sound, for a portable setup it just wasn't fun.

The UM2s are just a fun set to listen with. Comfy yes, microphonic yes etc etc, but fun. On th emove with a portable player you can't hear the fine details so well, merely the impression of the music or the emotion of it, and the UM2s make the music come alive in that respect. Of course, they're not perfect but seeing as I got them about half price at the time I'll live with it.

I think that as good as the klipsch custom3s, or the shure 530, or the SA6 or the Westone3 are, I can't help but think they miss the point of portable listening on the go.

 

[audiomagnate]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chris_ah1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif The UM2s are just a fun set to listen with. Comfy yes, microphonic yes etc etc, but fun.

Mine sure aren't microphonic.

 

[Jamos]

Quote:

Originally Posted by audiomagnate /img/forum/go_quote.gif Mine sure aren't microphonic.

Agreed. That was one thing I didn't like, but got used to with the Ety's and Shures...the stethoscope effect.

The UM2's don't exhibit this at all

 

[erikzen]

Another UM2 fan here. I demoed a bunch of IEMs at one of the meets and I was struck by how much more comfortable the Westones were than any other headphone. Whether or not the sound is better almost become irrelevant. I don't care how much better another headphone might sound. If it feels like you're sticking bamboo shoots in your cochlea, how long can you listen for?

I do want to be clear, however, that I think the sound is very, very good.

If I have to find one negative it's that the Westones can sound a bit rolled off on the high end, although not when paired with the right equipment and source material, but all and all I think they are the best universal fit IEMs. Makes me want to try the UM3.