[Possede]

Hey, this is my first post here. I have been browsing your forums for a wee while now and I decided to buy the Westone UM2's after much deliberation between them and the Shure E5c's. I ordered them directly from Westone for $330 and I'm wondering, since I live in the UK, what postal service they use. I have sent them numerous emails and still no reply after 3 days. What are peoples experiences when dealing with Westone? I can't wait 'till these babies come.

Hee hee.

Thanks,
Possédé

 

[macman88]

i am just wondering, what made you choose the um2 over the e5c? also, could you post pics and a review?

 

[Possede]

Hey. I'll be delighted to post some pictures and a *short review*. I'm not much of an audiophile, but I am picky when it comes to sound quality.

Just wondering... Does the Shure E5c/E3c clear flex sleeves fit onto the UM2's?
As to choosing the UM2's over the E5c's, simple. From looking at comparisons between the E5c's and the UM2's it is clear that most people enjoy the UM2's over the E5c's. It looks like the E5c's "Memory wire" is a pain, the UM2 has a better insertion angle, the UM2's bass isn't as "bloated" as the E5c's and the UM2's have more detailed treble (which I like in my music). Ahh... The wait.

 

[catscratch]

I ordered directly from Westone too. They're not much on communication, and will leave you hanging. However, they did ship pretty fast - I got mine within a week or so. Everything was well packaged and taken care of.

When you get your Westones, be sure to try different tips with them. I've found that using Ety tips (triflanges, foamies, although you have to cut both down to size, they're too long) really changes their sound. The Ety triflanges, with the top flange lopped off, bring out the treble and lower the boomy midbass.

Looking foward to your impressions.

 

[Oink1]

The wait will give you time to save money for the Uber customs bill thats gonna come with them dude

It sucks the big one but expect to pay 20% on that $330 + a £4 Post Office handling fee - At todays exchange rates that works out at £38.90 before the robbing bast's will let you go and collect them

Sorry to pi*s on your chips like this but it's the perils of importing i'm afraid

Enjoy them anyway!

*edit* - Welcome to Head-Fi - Sorry about your wallet!

 

[bLue_oNioN]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oink1 The wait will give you time to save money for the Uber customs bill thats gonna come with them dude It sucks the big one but expect to pay 20% on that $330 + a £4 Post Office handling fee - At todays exchange rates that works out at £38.90 before the robbing bast's will let you go and collect them Sorry to pi*s on your chips like this but it's the perils of importing i'm afraid Enjoy them anyway! *edit* - Welcome to Head-Fi - Sorry about your wallet!

Why didn't you have them declare a lower value on the package?

 

[guyverl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oink1 The wait will give you time to save money for the Uber customs bill thats gonna come with them dude It sucks the big one but expect to pay 20% on that $330 + a £4 Post Office handling fee - At todays exchange rates that works out at £38.90 before the robbing bast's will let you go and collect them Sorry to pi*s on your chips like this but it's the perils of importing i'm afraid Enjoy them anyway! *edit* - Welcome to Head-Fi - Sorry about your wallet!

Actually, import dues work out to 26.88% now... If they ship by Fedex or Parcelfarce they might charge you a brokerage fee on top of that too. So expect a bill of ~ £50 ($80). The term "Rip off Britain" wasn't coined for nothing. If you get away with it, thank your lucky stars!

 

[Possede]

Argh, I thought this would be the case. I don't think a week is "pretty fast" shipping to be honest. And then comes the import charges. Damn.

It's not my wallet, it's my dads. So I'm fine. I got charged around £15 for my Vaja iPod case to be imported and my dad went nuts.

Wait 'till he finds out it's around £40. Oh God.

Thanks guys.

 

[Oink1]

Customs will slow the delivery too - Just to add insult to injury! - My MS1's took about 3 weeks

Quote:

Originally Posted by guyverl Parcelfarce

Thats funny!

 

[Possede]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oink1 Customs will slow the delivery too - Just to add insult to injury! - My MS1's took about 3 weeks

Oh God.

When I imported my case from Argentina it took 2 days via FedEx! That's outrageous.

 

[bLue_oNioN]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oink1 Customs will slow the delivery too - Just to add insult to injury! - My MS1's took about 3 weeks

Was this using normal Postal Service offerings? Or was this with UPS/FedEx?

EDIT: In future postings, it would probably be very useful for readers if you specified exactly which service you are using, so that we can form an opinion on what option may be best.

 

[Oink1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bLue_oNioN Was this using normal Postal Service offerings? Or was this with UPS/FedEx? EDIT: In future postings, it would probably be very useful for readers if you specified exactly which service you are using, so that we can form an opinion on what option may be best.

This was via USPS Global priority i think - Whatever Alessandro use for their 'free' shipping

 

[bLue_oNioN]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oink1 This was via USPS Global priority i think - Whatever Alessandro use for their 'free' shipping

Ouch, I don't know what to use now. Someone said in another thread that USPS Global Priority undergoes less scrutiny when compared to services like UPS. Given this experience, it doesn't seem so..?

 

[pank2002]

A pair of USD 170 Ray Ban glasses got through to me without duties using USPS. Just mark it as gift on customer's deceleration. Put the value to be less than *something*. In Denmark it's €45. In the UK i think it was £38.

Check the last couple of posts in P the D's group buy thread.

 

[Possede]

You guys are really quick to respond.

Unlike when I post something on iPodLounge (On the earphones section) and it takes hours, sometimes days to get a reply.

So what service does Westone use to ship they're products internationally and do you get a tracking number?