[Jensen]

Yea, I was an early adopter of the W3 as well, and bought into it because of the early reviews. For some reason it seems that the type of people that are ok with buying a just released IEM before seeing any reviews, meaning the type of people that love the hobby/collecting/'pursuit of better sound' side as much or more than the music itself don't seem to have many bad things to say about their new purchase.

Then you've got the one guy that DIDN'T purchase, but tried, the UM3X going "eh, it's ok but I wasn't blown away".

I guess my point here is that I agree with you ProleArtThread, early adopters being overly positive about a brand new IEM never seem to notice any of the flaws that inevitably later surface. I can't recall many people (possibly anyone?) mentioning sibilance as a problem with the W3 BEFORE I purchased it and I quickly started to notice it after a few hours. Someone then ran a poll on the forums much later and something like 40% of the respondents said they had sibilance issues with them.

Still, it sounds like this earphone fixes the problems the W3 had for me. Namely, the odd sounding/recessed mids and overly done bass. I'd like to try it but won't bother until both the price comes way down (or there is a special) and there are many more reviews.

 

[Spyro]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harun /img/forum/go_quote.gif I don't know about the UM3X's but they were saying the exact same thing about the SE530's. Some said it was better than the UE-10's. Having owned both of these phones, i can tell you right away that the SE530's are not even close to the UE-10's.

Not really. From Day 1, many people always pointed to the rolled off highs of SE530.

Take this with a grain of salt but in recent communications with people that have heard UE10 and ES3X, this is what I am hearing.

ES3X is MUCH better than UE10.

UM3X is about 75-80% of what ES3X is. (I thought it would be even closer but I guess not)

UM3X is getting very close to what UE10 is (90% plus).

This would lead me to believe that the 2 Westones are outstanding IEM's in their respective pricepoint categories.

I have no idea where UE11 fits in.

 

[Bolardito]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spyro /img/forum/go_quote.gif Not really. From Day 1, many people always pointed to the rolled off highs of SE530. Take this with a grain of salt but in recent communications with people that have heard UE10 and ES3X, this is what I am hearing. ES3X is MUCH better than UE10. UM3X is about 75-80% of what ES3X is. (I thought it would be even closer but I guess not) UM3X is getting very close to what UE10 is (90% plus). This would lead me to believe that the 2 Westones are outstanding IEM's in their respective pricepoint categories. I have no idea where UE11 fits in.

For me UE11 is like 50-70% better than any of the universals I have heard (IE8/SE530/W3/ER4P/S). I'll have the UM33X by the end of the week so I would be able to tell how they fare vs. the UE11.

Also a more fair comparison with be using the UM3X with UM56. By the way do I have to go to an audiologist to get the UM56 or can I deal directly with Westone? I think I'll be getting them soon. Also is there any other reputable maker of custom tips?

 

[Spyro]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bína /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have few questions on owners. With UM3X you get 4 comply tips, they are all in different size, right? Which other tips you can use on UM3X? (I read about Shure tips, but somebody say, they go off, while pulling UM3X from ear.) How big is isolation compared to UE Triple Fi and PFE? Thank you

Not sure this link will come through but on page 3 of the Westone accessory page, you are supplied 2 sets each of the standard and short complys (not 4 sizes).
Westone

All Shure tips should also fit Westone products. I just find them a tad looser so they can come off a little easier. I had a problem keeping a Shure olive tip on but it was a used one and maybe had some residue on the inner sleeve that made it slicker. Not sure. I'll probably be sticking with the standard complys. I love the bigger, thicker sound.

With the regular size complys the isolation is superb. Better than Triple Fi since you can insert deeper. Not sure about PFE.

 

[Spyro]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jensen /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yea, I was an early adopter of the W3 as well, and bought into it because of the early reviews. For some reason it seems that the type of people that are ok with buying a just released IEM before seeing any reviews, meaning the type of people that love the hobby/collecting/'pursuit of better sound' side as much or more than the music itself don't seem to have many bad things to say about their new purchase. Then you've got the one guy that DIDN'T purchase, but tried, the UM3X going "eh, it's ok but I wasn't blown away". I guess my point here is that I agree with you ProleArtThread, early adopters being overly positive about a brand new IEM never seem to notice any of the flaws that inevitably later surface. I can't recall many people (possibly anyone?) mentioning sibilance as a problem with the W3 BEFORE I purchased it and I quickly started to notice it after a few hours. Someone then ran a poll on the forums much later and something like 40% of the respondents said they had sibilance issues with them. Still, it sounds like this earphone fixes the problems the W3 had for me. Namely, the odd sounding/recessed mids and overly done bass. I'd like to try it but won't bother until both the price comes way down (or there is a special) and there are many more reviews.

I think it goes both ways. I was just looking for my initial view of Triple Fi Pro when I first bought it in March of 07 but the posts history doesn't go back that far. Anyway, I hated it! Thought it was defective I hated it so much. It took a few weeks to warm up to. Other IEM's I liked right away and, like you say, the flaws started to wear on me over time.

 

[Harun]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spyro /img/forum/go_quote.gif Not really. From Day 1, many people always pointed to the rolled off highs of SE530. Take this with a grain of salt but in recent communications with people that have heard UE10 and ES3X, this is what I am hearing. ES3X is MUCH better than UE10. UM3X is about 75-80% of what ES3X is. (I thought it would be even closer but I guess not) UM3X is getting very close to what UE10 is (90% plus). This would lead me to believe that the 2 Westones are outstanding IEM's in their respective pricepoint categories. I have no idea where UE11 fits in.

Back when the se530's came out there were people (LFF for example) choosing it over the UE-10's. You can look it up if you want to.

BTW, how can you write down all these percentages when you haven't heard the UE-10's?

I've never read owners of both the UE-10 and ES3X stating that the latter is MUCH better. All they said was that they're both great in what they do.

 

[gilency]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jensen /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yea, I was an early adopter of the W3 as well, and bought into it because of the early reviews. For some reason it seems that the type of people that are ok with buying a just released IEM before seeing any reviews, meaning the type of people that love the hobby/collecting/'pursuit of better sound' side as much or more than the music itself don't seem to have many bad things to say about their new purchase. Then you've got the one guy that DIDN'T purchase, but tried, the UM3X going "eh, it's ok but I wasn't blown away". I guess my point here is that I agree with you ProleArtThread, early adopters being overly positive about a brand new IEM never seem to notice any of the flaws that inevitably later surface. I can't recall many people (possibly anyone?) mentioning sibilance as a problem with the W3 BEFORE I purchased it and I quickly started to notice it after a few hours. Someone then ran a poll on the forums much later and something like 40% of the respondents said they had sibilance issues with them. Still, it sounds like this earphone fixes the problems the W3 had for me. Namely, the odd sounding/recessed mids and overly done bass. I'd like to try it but won't bother until both the price comes way down (or there is a special) and there are many more reviews.

It may be true that the early adoptees perhaps are a little more positive. at least initially. I can tell you from my standpoint, I am very happy with the UM3X. You may not. I think is better than the W3 and UM2's and that is good enough for me.
People who dont buy right away may self select themselves also. Perhaps they are a little more prone to complain, may be they are a little finicky and tend to find problems where others not. Certainly they may be less prone to take a risk and that personality trait may have more issues to complain about. ( Please dont take this personally, it is not intended to offend you). Since noboby but yourself can tell you whats best x you, you have to decide whether or not is worth buying or not.
I was aware of the reported sibilance in the W3 and went ahead and tried them. I liked them a lot, no sibilance for me but the slighthly bloated bass was not what I was looking for. I had to take the plunge and decide by myself. At the end though, I think for the most part the comments made by most people agree with my perception.
Is the UM3X the best universal ever? heck, I dont know, but I am happy with them.
Are they as good as full size cans? of course not! but they are soo convenient. My IEM's are my sleeping pill and end up using them more than full size cans.

 

[MaloS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spyro /img/forum/go_quote.gif No, but if you see my profile I have owned quite a few IEM's and know what accurate sound is (whereas good sound is subjective). Until now (with UM3X), as much as I liked every top tier IEM I have had, I found at least one significant flaw in SQ with every one of them. But paired with a $200 MP3 player, I thought the overall sound package was still good enough where I simply couldn't justify spending another $600 for a set of customs whose value will be $0 2-3 years later when I either tired of them, outgrew them or an improved technology comes out. Unless you have stupid money to spend, that just doesn't seem like a logical spend to me so I somewhat disagree on the "just go customs and be done with it mentality." Yes, I am a huge fan of this IEM, but if you back track and read my posts, I specifically said some will love it while some will prefer a bolder, brasher but less accurate sound. Nothing wrong with that. But if you want smooth and accurate yet still fun and engaging I see no other universal that measures up. I was looking for a specific type of sound and I found it. So while I have been quite enthusiastic about UM3X I think I have also qualified my statements about what sound characteristics do and don't appeal to me and this should be taken into context on a person's potential buying decision.

I don't disagree with your statements about your experience or understanding objective/subjective parts of sound preference - but the % you assigned was too arbitrary. UM3X may be the best universal IEM, but that does not mean it beats UE10 - it may potentially be close to ES2, but ES2 is dual-driver contraption and has some technological disadvantages.

Also UM3X is not past the hype stage yet...Westone 3 reviews were much more glaring then they are now.

 

[gameboy115]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaloS /img/forum/go_quote.gif I don't disagree with your statements about your experience or understanding objective/subjective parts of sound preference - but the % you assigned was too arbitrary. UM3X may be the best universal IEM, but that does not mean it beats UE10 - it may potentially be close to ES2, but ES2 is dual-driver contraption and has some technological disadvantages. Also UM3X is not past the hype stage yet...Westone 3 reviews were much more glaring then they are now.

Yea, westone 3 once was the best IEM ever, but seems not now as it is described as muddy,bloated bass, inaccurate IEM.........

 

[Spyro]

I believe Flavio at Earphole Solutions stated he prefers UM3X to his ES2. That's pretty significant considering he wasn't going crazy over UM3X...just that he liked it.

Harum - I think I read ONE review on I-Lounge (that Jinx would always point out to us) that preferred SE530 over UE10. Depending on how forward you might like your midrange, I'd call the midrange a draw but bass and treble are superior on UM3X over SE530.

The numbers % info I posted above about UE10, ES3X, UM3X are based off some PM's I traded with Powderhound. He has a buddy that has UE10 and has heard both ES3X and UM3X against it. Powerhound has obviously heard the later two. But there are not enough opinions out there and that's why I said take it with a grain of salt.

Pretty silly to compare the initial hype of W3 versus UM3X when one was hyped and designed for 2 years when the other was quietly announced 3 weeks before its release.

 

[tstarn06]

gtameboy115, your statement is a generalization with little meaning. Or are you just saying what you think the majority of HFers are saying. Pretty confusing. In fact, I believe MaloS is a W3 fan, so I doubt he would call the W3 muddy, inaccurate or delivering bloated bass. Can't speak for him, but I have seen his posts on the W3, and he has made some positive statements of late, now that he has settled on the modded bi-flange.

The W3 may not be the greatest universal ever, but plenty of W3 owners do enjoy the sound it delivers. I know I do. I see you are a Senn IE8 owner. To me, the IE8 bass (even with the 250-hour burn in) bled into the mids/highs, so I sold it. Every time I A/B tested the W3 with the IE8, the Westone won. I've noticed a few more IE8 owners taking that path of late, but, of course, there are still many who love it.

 

[gameboy115]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tstarn06 /img/forum/go_quote.gif gtameboy115, your statement is a generalization with little meaning. Or are you just saying what you think the majority of HFers are saying. Pretty confusing. In fact, I believe MaloS is a W3 fan, so I doubt he would call the W3 muddy, inaccurate or delivering bloated bass. Can't speak for him, but I have seen his posts on the W3, and he has made some positive statements of late, now that he has settled on the modded bi-flange. The W3 may not be the greatest universal ever, but plenty of W3 owners do enjoy the sound it delivers. I know I do. I see you are a Senn IE8 owner. To me, the IE8 bass (even with the 250-hour burn in) bled into the mids/highs, so I sold it. Every time I A/B tested the W3 with the IE8, the Westone won. I've noticed a few more IE8 owners taking that path of late, but, of course, there are still many who love it.

Sorry about confusion I made. First, I don't hate W3 or doubt what it could perform. I was talking about it has a cycle in this froum. Every IEM is going through the stage of being loved, hyped, doubted, hated,forgot. Somehow the cycle may start all over again after a while.

All the good things people ever praised on might suddenly become bad thing when the new IEM comes

I am sure IE8 will fall down sooner or later......

In fact I plan to get WM3X soon

 

[pdupiano]

Since the past few posts have kept on saying the same thing:
"What works for me works for me, your milage may vary"
"But I'm going to keep on talking about my (Insert IEM here)"
"But once you question about (Instert same IEM here as above)"
" I will quickly point back to YMMV"
"But On the other hand (Insert same IEM here) is better than (Insert other IEM here) with regard to (Insert highly subjective matter here)"
"But at the end of the day YMMV"

Ok, so ... if you are going to put a billion of YMMV quotes around posts of your impressions/reviews etc.. then I think it is blatantly misleading for anyone poster to make these statements. Understand that anyone who posts their impressions and makes claims about the UM3x or any other iem is influencing another headfier and the COUNTLESS lurkers around here (I was one.... ). While people can argue that you need to do research on what you're going to buy, please realize that this thread is research. Hell if you read all 20+ pages of this thread its research. I've read shorter dissertations when helping out my friends.

Its very nice that headfiers are excited about their new toy, but unless you've actually heard another iem you're comparing your new toys to, then I think all of your posts should be highlighted red and have messages saying "WARNING: THESE ARE BASED OFF OF INFORMATION I GOT FROM ANOTHER HEADFIER WHO GOT THEIR INFO FROM ABI, WHO GOT THEIR INFO FROM AMAZON REVIEWS, WHO GOT THEIR INFO FROM EBAY."

Then there are people who staunchly defend their IEMS without having heard what they are defending them from... so once again huge warning label.

Furthermore, people take random samples of the headfi community based on what they want to use. For example, Tstarn06 is using a group of headfiers who were happy with their W3s, while other headfiers are refering to the 60% or so who had sibilance issues with their W3's. Using head-fi members as a basis is very problematic when you can twist/pick numbers/percentages/groups at will to justify your point. I mean my argument about people not liking the W3's would be that there were 3 up for sale in one day around 300, and are still up for sale now indicating that people aren't inlove with the W3's anymore.

All I'm saying is its pretty pointless to continue talking about certain topics where people have to keep posting YMMV signs and warnings. If you really feel that the UM3x or the W3's are the best iem's you've heard, or you feel like you really want to get your impressions across then do the following:
1) compare it to another iem for reference
2) Do not make absolute statements since all of them must be relative
3) dont say YMMV, don't hide behind that wall. Hell if you think the um3x is the best damn thing in the world well then it just might be. Dont make us rethink your credibility by hiding behind the YMMV wall.

Well there goes my 2 cents. Unfortunately the store I normally buy my iem's from don't carry the um3x series just yet. Maybe in a few months which should be when the FOTMness dies down a bit.

 

[Spyro]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdupiano /img/forum/go_quote.gif Since the past few posts have kept on saying the same thing: "What works for me works for me, your milage may vary" "But I'm going to keep on talking about my (Insert IEM here)" "But once you question about (Instert same IEM here as above)" " I will quickly point back to YMMV" "But On the other hand (Insert same IEM here) is better than (Insert other IEM here) with regard to (Insert highly subjective matter here)" "But at the end of the day YMMV" Ok, so ... if you are going to put a billion of YMMV quotes around posts of your impressions/reviews etc.. then I think it is blatantly misleading for anyone poster to make these statements. Understand that anyone who posts their impressions and makes claims about the UM3x or any other iem is influencing another headfier and the COUNTLESS lurkers around here (I was one.... ). While people can argue that you need to do research on what you're going to buy, please realize that this thread is research. Hell if you read all 20+ pages of this thread its research. I've read shorter dissertations when helping out my friends. Its very nice that headfiers are excited about their new toy, but unless you've actually heard another iem you're comparing your new toys to, then I think all of your posts should be highlighted red and have messages saying "WARNING: THESE ARE BASED OFF OF INFORMATION I GOT FROM ANOTHER HEADFIER WHO GOT THEIR INFO FROM ABI, WHO GOT THEIR INFO FROM AMAZON REVIEWS, WHO GOT THEIR INFO FROM EBAY." Then there are people who staunchly defend their IEMS without having heard what they are defending them from... so once again huge warning label. Furthermore, people take random samples of the headfi community based on what they want to use. For example, Tstarn06 is using a group of headfiers who were happy with their W3s, while other headfiers are refering to the 60% or so who had sibilance issues with their W3's. Using head-fi members as a basis is very problematic when you can twist/pick numbers/percentages/groups at will to justify your point. I mean my argument about people not liking the W3's would be that there were 3 up for sale in one day around 300, and are still up for sale now indicating that people aren't inlove with the W3's anymore. All I'm saying is its pretty pointless to continue talking about certain topics where people have to keep posting YMMV signs and warnings. If you really feel that the UM3x or the W3's are the best iem's you've heard, or you feel like you really want to get your impressions across then do the following: 1) compare it to another iem for reference 2) Do not make absolute statements since all of them must be relative 3) dont say YMMV, don't hide behind that wall. Hell if you think the um3x is the best damn thing in the world well then it just might be. Dont make us rethink your credibility by hiding behind the YMMV wall. Well there goes my 2 cents. Unfortunately the store I normally buy my iem's from don't carry the um3x series just yet. Maybe in a few months which should be when the FOTMness dies down a bit.

HUH! What the hell are you talking about? Have you bothered reading the thread? So you DON"T think there is any merit to qualifying a statement (or I guess you want to say hiding behind it) when giving an opinion? Are you crazy? That's the whole purpose of providing a perspective! It's a reference point! You may have not noticed but this is a thread about reviews and impressions of UM3X. In addition, people are asking questions and people want to know other people's opinions about it. Did you not see my specific comparisons to W3, SE530 and Triple Fi Pro and comments about the type of sound that I like so that people can gauge my comments to whether they like a similar type of sound so they can make a better buying decision? NO, you cherry picked one of my 40 posts that was a single comment about UE10 that I EVEN SAID, don't read too much into it because it was one opinion and you took it and ran with it. Dude, I have helped a lot of people on this board over the past 6 years and for you to think otherwise is assinine.

What is YMMV?

 

[Zalithian]

your mileage may very, I believe.