Me: Hello, my name it Tony and I'm a Head-Fi addict...
*Applause*
You: Welcome, Tony- is there something you'd like to share with the group today?
Me: Yeah, I suppose I could share a little
First let me start by saying that it's truly amazing how different ears interpret different things. I've spent WAY too much time reading through this thread (as well as many others) and it's just plain interesting to see how many different sets of ears hear the same product with so many varying opinions. I mean, all in all many of the opinions on the UM3X remain consistent but what we all interpret can be intriguing to compare.
About what I like- neutrality. I really only want to hear what the musician intended for me to hear. I never want a headphone, source or anything else to flavor the music. If I want to change what I'm hearing I can always use an equalizer if I so choose. I just want the most accurate representation of what was recorded so I normally go for neutrality. Having said that, I have had my share of colorful phones. The UE super.Fi Pros come to mind. I liked them actually. They were what most people refer to as "fun" but in the end not what I wanted. Too much THUMP and unnatural presentation for my ears. You can see in my signature which different headphones I have tried and what I currently own, if you wish.
After trying a number of universal IEMs I did wind up taking the custom route and purchased the UE10 pros some time back. Honestly, I couldn't be happier with them. I'm sure they've probably been bested by now (probably by the JH-13s) but I can't say I have any complaints. When I bought them I was told by Jeannette from UE that they were sometimes described as "cold" because of their neutrality. My response to her was "Perfect! Where do I send the money". As many of you have stated in earlier posts, though, I don't ALWAYS want to use them and risk breaking or losing them. Since then I've been in search of my ideal "backup" pair of universals. I was pretty happy with my UE Triple Fi's for some time but I had this little bug called upgraditis that kept stinging me as I slept. I'd wake up wanting to try MORE. Plus, the fit of the UE Trips, while I did get a good seal, were just somewhat annoying due to their size. The seal was there but I did find myself fidgeting with them here and there (unlike the UM3Xers which I will get to sooon- I promise). The sound from the Trips was excellent but not my ideal, I suppose. I wasn't 100% happy.
So... from the Trips I decided to give the Sennheiser IE8s a whirl. I'm not going to say anything here that anyone else hasn't said. I REALLY did like them. The soundstage was amazing. I felt like I was listening to my HD600s some of the time. I really WANTED these to be the ones. Burn in helped immensely. After trying MANY tips and combinations of sandwiching tips together I finally got what I was looking for in terms of seal and isolation. Isolation being one of the IE8s weaker points, of course. Still, something was missing. Or SHOULD I say that something was just a little too prominent. I bet you can all guess what that "something" was, right? Yes, friends... BASS. I hate to throw out Head-Fi terms in excess but I am FAR from being a "BASSHEAD". I think back to my Shure E4s and just how the treble SANG to me. Loved that- too bad they didn't have any bass. The IE8s, though, holy CRAP! Talk about a bass driven phone. The bottom end on these things really dominated everything I listened to. Sometimes it really was quite enjoyable but most of the time it was just too much. And yeah, I had the bass notch on the lowest setting. Like I said, there were things I really did enjoy about the IE8s. I loved that airy feeling of them instead of the music feeling like it was being crammed into my ears. It was a pleasant, laid back, refreshing and really cool listening experience. The highs of my favorite electric guitar parts or soaring violins just left me a little underwhelmed. Something felt amiss and I was pretty sure it was the crystal clear highs. I was really trying to embrace these things, especially since they were new. I wanted to love them but when I was honest with myself I just didn't love them. I liked them. A lot. It was a crush, not a long lasting marriage. So, I went back to the drawing board (a.k.a. the Head-Fi forums).
Well, this led me to the Westone UM3X's. First off let me say this- some of you don't give much compliment to their "WOW factor". These ears of mine disagree HEAVILY. The minute I put them in I said, "Um... WOW". Seriously! I was floored. Talk about accuracy AND punch. These things have both. Nothing is bloated. Everything is separated nicely. Everything is represented beautifully- highs, mids and lows. Just a VERY balanced and neutral/natural sounding IEM. Oh, and just so you do know exactly what I am listening to- I have an iPod Classic, RSA P-51 Mustang, ALO Super Cotton Dock.
I will say this... I've only had these since Friday (which, with the new math is only 3 days). Obviously a LOT more listening needs to be done. Amped/unamped, different kinds of music, different bit rates, different sleeves, etc. The thing is, I can't stop listening. I haven't been THIS addicted since I first got my UE10s. I wake up and want to listen to them. I go to sleep with them on because I don't want to take them out.
What have I been listening to? You name it. From Led Zeppelin to Pat Metheny. From Vivaldi to Mos Def. From Yes to Kraftwerk. From... oh you get the idea. Variety. And the thing is, I have loved everything. There hasn't been any genre where I said to my self, "Self, THIS music is probably not the best idea for these phones". It all sounds fantastic. Why? Because I am hearing what I'm SUPPOSED to be hearing. What the artist intended the listener to hear. It's all I ever wanted.
I guess the only thing I'm yet to completely resolve is which sleeves to use "ideally". I started with the long Complys. I must have long ear canals because they fit fine. Very comfortable. Now I'm onto the Shure soft flex silicone thingamabobs which were leftovers from when I had the Shure E4cs some years back. Next I'll be giving the olives a try. Everyone's a critic with the sleeves, eh, or so I've read. Maybe I have universal ear canals because they all sound pretty darned good to me. The Comply's definitely accentuate the bass- that's for sure. I just can't tell yet if they do indeed take away from the highs. Need more testing. The Shure silicones that I have in right now seem to have a, well, lighter sound to them. Not as stuffy as the Complys. We'll see how the Olives do next. I'm also going to get some Klipsch tips from a friend who has spares. The "GELS", ya know? Crossing my fingers.
In summary.... these things are the BEES KNEES! I love them. I'm listening to them as I write this right now. It's kind of cool to read this thread or contribute to it with them IN. Ha. Currently playing: Steve Hackett- Genesis Revisited- Dance On a Volcano. Pretty cool.
I think I've found them. I can't see myself selling these (anytime SOON- haha). Hell, I may wind up listening to these more than the UE10s for a while. No clue. All I know is that they really woke me up in a great way. And for those of you, although the list is short, who said that they "just didn't make me smile"- well, that sucks. I believe you but it still sucks because I've practically been smiling for three solid days now.
Thanks to everyone who contributed to this thread. It all helped me a great deal. Thanks to the brave readers who actually read through this looooong War & Peace-like post. I hope you enjoyed it. And thanks to Head-Fi for making this addiction come to fruition. My wallet, well, it's in intensive care at the moment. It'll pull through, though.
-T
