[shigzeo]

there are a very many impressions threads on headfi by people who have never heard a product before. it is unfair to review based rather than experience, on hype and others' impressions.

even others' impressions on first buy are tainted by placebo: expensive output must mean good. no review should be taken at face value until it can stand the test of time. especially fotm: especially from cheap nobody manufacturers that get massive praise as the best for under 300$, beating everything excpet the gods.

this mentality is very annoying and out of place in a forum that could be informative

 

[forsberg]

Saying W3 is better than se530 or triple.fi is kinda like saying my BMW M3 is better than your Benz C63 or Lexus ISF. Pretty pointless.

People have preferences and each company will have their customers. At this price for IEMs I assume you guys won't buy without trying, so just give them all a listen and decide for yourself. After all, you wouldn't buy your M3 without test driving it right?

Personally, I got W3 because:

-I came from UE super.fi 5 pro's, so I wanted to try another company. So no triple.fi

-I don't like the short se530 cable and the extension cord. It's uncomfortable.

 

[radiohead7]

have been reading various posts about several different IEMs. I was wondering if anyone could tell me what would be the best IEM for the Mustang amp. I heard the triple fi 10 is great but the stick out to far and are uncomfortable. The shure 530's does not have equilized soundstage proformance that the triple fi 10 has but are more comfortable. The new westone 3 are not living up to the expectations, several posts state problems with them. I have not heard much about the ie8 steinheiser. There are other brands of iem's out there but which would compliment the mustang the best for the money.

 

[Spad]

Quote:

Originally Posted by radiohead7 /img/forum/go_quote.gif The new westone 3 are not living up to the expectations . . . .

Well, they're sure living up to mine.

 

[DavidMahler]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jinx20001 /img/forum/go_quote.gif this is a very interesting comment, many people on head fi who are a little hardcore would say the se530 is a little boomy and loud bass presentation, if this is what you found with the westone's and its reasonably true i would imagine some purists here on head fi are really not going to dig the westone 3's. i do agree that midrange is the most important aspect of music when you are evaluating detail, some people mistake detail as being super clear and tingly treble but fail to realise that detail is most portrayed in the human voice which is found in the mid to low ranges. this is one of the reasons i wasnt fond of the triple fi 10 as the vocals seemed to be behind the powerful instrumental work of say rock for instance. im not going to comment on the westone 3's qualities or non-qualities because i have not listened to them but its crazy how people outright say they trounce everything else when everybody should have realised by now its not whats best but whats best to you. these competition threads are becoming old and stale very fast and are all a little silly in resolving what is the best, because everybody is going to vote for what they own and what thier ears are used to. the only true comparisons that can be taken seriously are by those that actually own more than one set. but then theres the situation that 80% are going to prefer thier new cans, it was the same when the sleeks came out and now you hardly hear a word spoke about them, hype is a strange thing but once we are over the hype we see these new earphones as just another set of quality IEM's to choose from. thats what i think anyway...

I will comment here.....I own the 3 IEMs being discussed in the thread........The bass on the W3s is a bit too much for all music, but the overall presentation of the headphone is better than the Triple Fis and the Shures............The Shures are in second place for me.


I will be writing a more detailed comparison in the near future.

 

[DavidMahler]

Also, Jinx....its nice to get in touch with you again......I would highly recommend that you purchase the Westone 3s because..........its bass I would imagine would be very pleasing to you. It contains a bass extension that the shures simply don't have....it doesn't possess as magical a midrange as the Shures, but if I could put my experience of the Westone 3s into a very simple explanation that you could relate to I would say this....

The Westone 3s sound like the UE10s except the highs are slightly SLIGHTLY more rolled off above 14K (not nearly as rolled off as the Shures) Then take the UE10s and add a subwoofer whose impact can be either taken as tremendously enjoyable or a bit overwhelming, I am still undecided....I Would imagine the UE11 too has its pros and cons when it comes to the added bass impact, but I would imagine that for the 1150 that you pay for the UE11 you get a bass impact and extension that is slightly more controlled than the Westone3......

I am venturing to say that I think there is a very good chance that you will prefer the Westone 3s to the SE530s. I see them both as first class IEMs, but the Westone 3s are a bit more exciting and visceral with added detail in the highs.....

Nothing touches the Shures mid range, and I have heard very few full size headphones which outclass the shures midrange, had the shures been extended in the upper range which would have provided greater amount of air, then they would certainly be the greatest IEMs ever made, but at this point I think its safe to say that the Westone 3s are great GREAT competition not only for the Shures and Triple Fis but also for the UE10s and I'd imagine the UE11s........the UE11s probably sound a bit better yes but for the price I doubt they sound better, I think the Westone3s sound about as good as my UE10s.

 

[qusp]

Quote:

Originally Posted by forsberg /img/forum/go_quote.gif Saying W3 is better than se530 or triple.fi is kinda like saying my BMW M3 is better than your Benz C63 or Lexus ISF. Pretty pointless. People have preferences and each company will have their customers. At this price for IEMs I assume you guys won't buy without trying, so just give them all a listen and decide for yourself. After all, you wouldn't buy your M3 without test driving it right? Personally, I got W3 because: -I came from UE super.fi 5 pro's, so I wanted to try another company. So no triple.fi -I don't like the short se530 cable and the extension cord. It's uncomfortable.

all I am saying is that the W3 is better for most of the music I listen to. IMO of course there is no definatiove 'best' IEM in this price range. or any price range for that matter. just a matter of which I prefer. there is no IEM that has the bass of the W3/triple-fi/SE530 the mids of the SE530 and the highs of the ER4S although to me IMO the W3 comes the closest to this in universal IEM's

 

[qusp]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DavidMahler /img/forum/go_quote.gif Also, Jinx....its nice to get in touch with you again......I would highly recommend that you purchase the Westone 3s because..........its bass I would imagine would be very pleasing to you. It contains a bass extension that the shures simply don't have....it doesn't possess as magical a midrange as the Shures, but if I could put my experience of the Westone 3s into a very simple explanation that you could relate to I would say this.... The Westone 3s sound like the UE10s except the highs are slightly SLIGHTLY more rolled off above 14K (not nearly as rolled off as the Shures) Then take the UE10s and add a subwoofer whose impact can be either taken as tremendously enjoyable or a bit overwhelming, I am still undecided....I Would imagine the UE11 too has its pros and cons when it comes to the added bass impact, but I would imagine that for the 1150 that you pay for the UE11 you get a bass impact and extension that is slightly more controlled than the Westone3...... I am venturing to say that I think there is a very good chance that you will prefer the Westone 3s to the SE530s. I see them both as first class IEMs, but the Westone 3s are a bit more exciting and visceral with added detail in the highs..... Nothing touches the Shures mid range, and I have heard very few full size headphones which outclass the shures midrange, had the shures been extended in the upper range which would have provided greater amount of air, then they would certainly be the greatest IEMs ever made, but at this point I think its safe to say that the Westone 3s are great GREAT competition not only for the Shures and Triple Fis but also for the UE10s and I'd imagine the UE11s........the UE11s probably sound a bit better yes but for the price I doubt they sound better, I think the Westone3s sound about as good as my UE10s.

I dont have the UE10 but as I have said I currently own 2 out of the 3 and have owned and discarded the triple-fi. and it sounds like we are on the same page here. wow as enjoyable as the UE10 huh?? impressive. that cements it that i'm waiting for UE11 before getting full customs. I totally agree that the SE530 mids are unequalled IMO. but the overall package is better... yes better IMO with the W3. yes they are touchy, but most high performance animals are. if you have the gear to feed them properly they shine brightly indeed.

 

[Jajo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by forsberg /img/forum/go_quote.gif Saying W3 is better than se530 or triple.fi is kinda like saying my BMW M3 is better than your Benz C63 or Lexus ISF.

Wait, it's not better?

Sorry, I love my M's. (I've got an E39 M)

 

[Spyro]

Have owned all three for extensive periods. Jinx...I'd be shocked if you did not prefer W3 over SE530. Like you I much prefer SE530 over TFPro and for similar reasons. I also fully agree with how you describe SE530 with it's faults and merits. I loved SE530 and thought it did so much so well that I could easily look past the rolled off highs of SE530. Having said that....enter W3.

It is DRAMATICALLY more detailed in the treble department (almost like an Ety has been backed off a pinch to make it less razor sharp and more natural sounding. No problem with siblance but using complys).

It has a larger soundstage (20-25% more IMHO)

Bass sounds bigger than SE530 but I believe this is mainly because it extends deeper. EQ needs to be backed off a bit. Never had to do this with SE530 but easily fixable with EQ.

After almost four weeks with these there is nothing I do not like about this IEM.

 

[Randious]

For the original poster:
If you're fitting well with SF5 pro, and seeking more clarity. You should have no problem going with TF10 pro, which is indeed more clear than the 5.

 

[Huxley]

Hmm maybe but i also want the fit of customs and i feel it's the right time.

Anyway im now tied between livewires, hy c3 or more likely sleek customs from what ive read they're amazing despite being a single driver.

Anyone have experience with the sleeks?

 

[FYDave]

I want to try Westone 3's soooooo muuuuuuch. :O