BrianMendoza
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Sep 28, 2010
- Posts
- 299
- Likes
- 15
I just received my Westone UM3x's this week and all I can say is, "Wow". I also own the Shure se530's and Ultimate Ear triple.fi 10's and I really enjoyed both but I couldn't help but note the flaws in both IEM's. It's no news to anyone who's been on this fourm, "se530's do great in the mids, but have recessed ends" or "triple.fi's have great hi's and decent mids and lows" etc. Simply put, Each of the two IEM's excelled in one particular area, but had often noted flaws in another area. With the UM3X's, there really is no weak point in it's presentation. This doesn't mean that it can't improve, but there really is no weak point in it's sound. I think the best way to understand this is through numbers, so here's my evaluation:
SE530:
High - 7.5
Mid - 9.5
Low - 8.5
Triple.Fi
High - 9.5
Mid - 8
Low - 8
UM3X
High - 9
Mid - 9
Low - 9
I know that it's solid performance has to do with it's "flat" EQ, which some may initially get turned off by, because when some people think, "flat" EQ, they think boring. But let me tell you, I REALLY, REALLY enjoyed these, and could not help but get into in my music, bobbing my head, air drumming, etc, haha. To me, after hearing these, rather than saying "flat EQ", I would rather explain it as, "Synchronized/Balanced" EQ. All levels perform so well, that not one section of sound overpowers the other.
As far as soundstage, comparing these three IEMs, I say, with confidence, that the UM3x has this one locked down. Again this has to do with its' "flat" EQ. My best way of describing this is by pointing out the flaws I noticed in the two other monitors:
WIth the SE530, because the mids are so emphasized, it makes you feel as though the singer is performing right in front of you, with the rest of the band 4 rows back. Highs and lows both roll off (not dramatically), but definitely feel less present than the mids.
With the Triple.fi, it was nearly the opposite, in this configuration: the high hat/ride/crash/etc cymbal of the drummer right in front of you, the bass drum/toms and the bassist 2 rows behind that, and then the singer 4 rows back.
Don't get me wrong, though. Vocals on the 530 were great, it just felt like the rest lacked, and with the triple.fi, the highs were great, the bass slightly less great, but with the mids lacking a bit. With the UM3x, the soundstage was very equal, not one section overpowered the other, and had excellent instrument separation. I haven't heard soundstage and instrument separation done this well in an IEM yet. And even though I'm comparing the 530/triple.fi/umx3, I've heard a pretty good deal of other monitors including: W3, e5c, e4c, ie8, UE700, etc and like I said earlier, I can say, with confidence, that the UM3x easily takes this one. And again, with the UM3x, some might argue, "the highs/mids/lows could be better, but every headphone, whether IEMs or Full Sized, could be better. I can't say it enough, I really enjoyed the UM3x's sound signature. I really didn't feel like I was missing out on anything like I did with my 530's and triple.fi's. Shortly put, it's just pretty darn hard to legitimately complain about the UM3x.
As far as fit goes, and this will be different for different people as different people have different ear shapes, but again, to me, the UM3x takes this one by a landslide. The fit of the actual monitor, cable, weight, etc. are on a different level here for me. The fit is SO flush to my ear. I know if i managed to fall asleep with these in my ears, there's no way in hell that I would be bothered by them in my ears. The se530 fit pretty well also, but wasn't nearly as flush, and the weight of the cable always bothered me. No matter what, I knew they were in. With the UM3x, their presence in my ear would slowly vanish. And if you've ever seen the triple.fi 10, I don't even need to tell you how much those stick out of the ear. The fit wasn't an issue for me, but as far as being flush, you're not hiding anything with those. But I still think they did a good job on the comfort level on them.
With build quality, I think all of them were made pretty darn well. I don't have an obvious winner in this department, just appreciation for each IEM's build. You would expect that at their price points, that this shouldn't be too drastic of an issue. I know a lot of members mentioned SE530 cable problems, but I never had any issues with this. It may be due to my overly cautious behavior with my IEMs... Well, these are all $400-$500 dollar monitors! C'mon now!
I've also seen a lot of threads comparing the W3 to the UM3x. I think both sets are great! I just have more appreciation for the UM3x's soundstage and SOLID sound performance. I can appreciate that some listeners enjoy the W3 over the UM3x, but I'm a fairly critical listener, and even though I enjoyed the W3's, I just felt the lows were a bit too bloated at times and the high's were slightly too sparkly (definitely not something I could listen to for a long period of time). It just had a more "artificial" or "emphasized" sound to them, which I could appreciate, but it wasn't for me. I know the UM3x's have been regarded as "boring" but, I really can't relate to that description at all. I hate to say that these reviewers are making an elementary mistake, by not getting that proper seal, but I can't imagine, that with a proper seal, that the sound of these UM3x's won't engage you. I really can't come to agree with them on their description of "boring".
Lastly, I'd have to say that these are DEFINITELY my go to monitors. And trust me, I have no connection to Westone in any way. I would even look for reasons to be an Ultimate Ears fan boy, but I can't avoid Westone's direction with IEMs. You can't miss with these. If they're not great for a certain type of music, they're definitely at least a considerable choice, rather than being almost entirely unsuited, which some IEMs are. I hope this review/comparison helped a lot cuz I know I did a ton of research before buying my UM3's and could never really get a usable example of what writer's were talking about when it came to certain flaws or strengths. GO GET THEM NOW!
P.S. I got the removable cable version and I am really happy that I did! The replaceable cable has a forming/moldable portion, for comfortably looping around your ear, like the triple.fi and newer se530 (the se535). I don't think the version with the built in cable does... but either way, it's definitely worth the extra dough for the ability to replace the cable if any accidents were to occur.
SE530:
High - 7.5
Mid - 9.5
Low - 8.5
Triple.Fi
High - 9.5
Mid - 8
Low - 8
UM3X
High - 9
Mid - 9
Low - 9
I know that it's solid performance has to do with it's "flat" EQ, which some may initially get turned off by, because when some people think, "flat" EQ, they think boring. But let me tell you, I REALLY, REALLY enjoyed these, and could not help but get into in my music, bobbing my head, air drumming, etc, haha. To me, after hearing these, rather than saying "flat EQ", I would rather explain it as, "Synchronized/Balanced" EQ. All levels perform so well, that not one section of sound overpowers the other.
As far as soundstage, comparing these three IEMs, I say, with confidence, that the UM3x has this one locked down. Again this has to do with its' "flat" EQ. My best way of describing this is by pointing out the flaws I noticed in the two other monitors:
WIth the SE530, because the mids are so emphasized, it makes you feel as though the singer is performing right in front of you, with the rest of the band 4 rows back. Highs and lows both roll off (not dramatically), but definitely feel less present than the mids.
With the Triple.fi, it was nearly the opposite, in this configuration: the high hat/ride/crash/etc cymbal of the drummer right in front of you, the bass drum/toms and the bassist 2 rows behind that, and then the singer 4 rows back.
Don't get me wrong, though. Vocals on the 530 were great, it just felt like the rest lacked, and with the triple.fi, the highs were great, the bass slightly less great, but with the mids lacking a bit. With the UM3x, the soundstage was very equal, not one section overpowered the other, and had excellent instrument separation. I haven't heard soundstage and instrument separation done this well in an IEM yet. And even though I'm comparing the 530/triple.fi/umx3, I've heard a pretty good deal of other monitors including: W3, e5c, e4c, ie8, UE700, etc and like I said earlier, I can say, with confidence, that the UM3x easily takes this one. And again, with the UM3x, some might argue, "the highs/mids/lows could be better, but every headphone, whether IEMs or Full Sized, could be better. I can't say it enough, I really enjoyed the UM3x's sound signature. I really didn't feel like I was missing out on anything like I did with my 530's and triple.fi's. Shortly put, it's just pretty darn hard to legitimately complain about the UM3x.
As far as fit goes, and this will be different for different people as different people have different ear shapes, but again, to me, the UM3x takes this one by a landslide. The fit of the actual monitor, cable, weight, etc. are on a different level here for me. The fit is SO flush to my ear. I know if i managed to fall asleep with these in my ears, there's no way in hell that I would be bothered by them in my ears. The se530 fit pretty well also, but wasn't nearly as flush, and the weight of the cable always bothered me. No matter what, I knew they were in. With the UM3x, their presence in my ear would slowly vanish. And if you've ever seen the triple.fi 10, I don't even need to tell you how much those stick out of the ear. The fit wasn't an issue for me, but as far as being flush, you're not hiding anything with those. But I still think they did a good job on the comfort level on them.
With build quality, I think all of them were made pretty darn well. I don't have an obvious winner in this department, just appreciation for each IEM's build. You would expect that at their price points, that this shouldn't be too drastic of an issue. I know a lot of members mentioned SE530 cable problems, but I never had any issues with this. It may be due to my overly cautious behavior with my IEMs... Well, these are all $400-$500 dollar monitors! C'mon now!
I've also seen a lot of threads comparing the W3 to the UM3x. I think both sets are great! I just have more appreciation for the UM3x's soundstage and SOLID sound performance. I can appreciate that some listeners enjoy the W3 over the UM3x, but I'm a fairly critical listener, and even though I enjoyed the W3's, I just felt the lows were a bit too bloated at times and the high's were slightly too sparkly (definitely not something I could listen to for a long period of time). It just had a more "artificial" or "emphasized" sound to them, which I could appreciate, but it wasn't for me. I know the UM3x's have been regarded as "boring" but, I really can't relate to that description at all. I hate to say that these reviewers are making an elementary mistake, by not getting that proper seal, but I can't imagine, that with a proper seal, that the sound of these UM3x's won't engage you. I really can't come to agree with them on their description of "boring".
Lastly, I'd have to say that these are DEFINITELY my go to monitors. And trust me, I have no connection to Westone in any way. I would even look for reasons to be an Ultimate Ears fan boy, but I can't avoid Westone's direction with IEMs. You can't miss with these. If they're not great for a certain type of music, they're definitely at least a considerable choice, rather than being almost entirely unsuited, which some IEMs are. I hope this review/comparison helped a lot cuz I know I did a ton of research before buying my UM3's and could never really get a usable example of what writer's were talking about when it came to certain flaws or strengths. GO GET THEM NOW!
P.S. I got the removable cable version and I am really happy that I did! The replaceable cable has a forming/moldable portion, for comfortably looping around your ear, like the triple.fi and newer se530 (the se535). I don't think the version with the built in cable does... but either way, it's definitely worth the extra dough for the ability to replace the cable if any accidents were to occur.
