[Spyro]

Moose is it fair to say UM3X is Westone's BEST universal bass IEM?  
 
(excluding W50, W60)
 
I was listening to an old Weather Report recording this morning and bass seemed lean.  But then I switched to something recent and it was thick and booming.  Talk about honest and accurate.
 
I threw this around with W4R but as good as the recent recording bass sounded....if you turned it up it sounded like the W4R was straining a bit....not relaxed at all.  But keep in mind this is me because I listen loud.  If you don't W4R is really fantastic.
 
Having said that....ANY IEM that leans toward bassy will always sound better at lesser volumes because of the underlying fullness that a lighter IEM can't portray.
 
 I know you still got the "new toy" thing going but do you prefer it over SE535?  I will also be curious what you think after 30 days.  Many (I have too) get bored with UM3X.  But the longer I am in this hobby, that is not the IEM rather it is my sick addiction to this hobby.  How else could one explain multiple repeat buys??

 

[Mooses9]

  Moose is it fair to say UM3X is Westone's BEST universal bass IEM?  
 
(excluding W50, W60)
 
I was listening to an old Weather Report recording this morning and bass seemed lean.  But then I switched to something recent and it was thick and booming.  Talk about honest and accurate.
 
I threw this around with W4R but as good as the recent recording bass sounded....if you turned it up it sounded like the W4R was straining a bit....not relaxed at all.  But keep in mind this is me because I listen loud.  If you don't W4R is really fantastic.
 
Having said that....ANY IEM that leans toward bassy will always sound better at lesser volumes because of the underlying fullness that a lighter IEM can't portray.
 
 I know you still got the "new toy" thing going but do you prefer it over SE535?  I will also be curious what you think after 30 days.  Many (I have too) get bored with UM3X.  But the longer I am in this hobby, that is not the IEM rather it is my sick addiction to this hobby.  How else could one explain multiple repeat buys??

LOL, well i just bought the FitEar ToGo F111 and a pair of the JH16 Pro's if this hobby is addicting....i need to go to rehab LOL.
 
what you said about the bass sounding lean then sounding full and robust is very true i find with the um3x. on some tracks it seems like where did the bass go? then on other tracks the bass is slamming and lively. its really a double edge sword accuracy that is, becuase a iem that is true to form, isnt going to produce frequencies that arent there. and in one sense thats good. but then in another sense it actually seems to mess with your senses, becuase it goes from lean to robust depending on the track, so it makes for a kinda seemingly weird expierence. good, but weird.
 
becuase accuracy with good headphones comes at the cost of inconsistent. your perception of frequency isnt always the same, i find myself sometimes with the um3x longing for more emphasis in the bass area with one song then, actually getting it with another. so again imo double edge sword. 
 
IMO from my short expierence with the um3x its better than the W4R. there are more positives imo with it than there are with the w4r. mids are better, highs are better, lows are definitly better. mids have a more forward sound, and even though the soundstage isnt super wide....why are we longing for a super wide soundstage anyway. the majority of the time when songs are recorded arent in a stadium lol.....so  i think the soundstage of the um3x seems more realistic vs the w4r, it was really wide. but some songs IMO sound better intimate than way spaced out. 
 
as far as the se535, i find alot of the se535 in the um3x, but i feel like the um3x does it better. they both have that mid forwardness, the se535 might be slightly more forward. but to my ears the mids seem equally as good. i find the um3x to have good low end mids for instance with the se535 the bass isnt as present, so the low end of the mids almost seem to bleed into the bottom end. the se535 have bass but its not prominent, its definitly not like the um3x bass. as far as the highs. i would say they are on par with eachother to my ears. i think with the um3x the highs might be slightly better even if they dont extend to the moon, becuase to me it seems like there is more separation of the frequencies, like i was talking about the um3x having the sub bass, then mid bass...then lower mids middle mids and upper mids... i think with the mids being so forward with the se535, it bleeds into the top end, so its bleeding from the mids to the lows and the mids to the highs....where as the um3x you can disern the lows mids and highs.
 
the um3x is like the se535 but done right IMO

 

[Spyro]

  LOL, well i just bought the FitEar ToGo F111 and a pair of the JH16 Pro's if this hobby is addicting....i need to go to rehab LOL.
 
ts really a double edge sword accuracy that is, becuase a iem that is true to form, isnt going to produce frequencies that arent there. and in one sense thats good. but then in another sense it actually seems to mess with your senses, becuase it goes from lean to robust depending on the track, so it makes for a kinda seemingly weird expierence. good, but weird.
 
becuase accuracy with good headphones comes at the cost of inconsistent. your perception of frequency isnt always the same, i find myself sometimes with the um3x longing for more emphasis in the bass area with one song then, actually getting it with another. so again imo double edge sword. 
 

 
Well....I suspect you will sell everything off after you stick JH16 in your ears.  You are in for a treat!  I just hope they get your fit right.
 
Yea, I know what you are talking about on the accuracy thing but it is what it is.  Almost hard to blame it on an accurate IEM.

 

[Gandasaputra]

How's everyone opinion with UM3x fitted with shure olives? I use the small ones and I find these to tame the bloating bass and forward mid and brings out the treble more; as the result, the sound becomes more natural-ish. 

 

[calipilot227]

The long Complys and Westone's new long foam tips sounded the same to me as the Shure olives when inserted properly. I had a more difficult time getting a seal with the Shures though.

 

[noobynico]

I use shure olives with mine as well
but its almost purely for comfort reasons over comply, the olives just feel better

 

[elfary]

Shure Olives when top isolation is required and long Star tips otherwise.
 
In a few days i'll be receiving W3s that i purchased just for workouts. Wonder if these tips would work as good as on the UM3x.

 

[midget]

UM3x finally have a problem after years of use. The wire at the point where it meets the headphone jack is loose and sound cuts in and out. Contacted Westone to see if they'd repair the earphones for me and what the associated cost might be only to get the response that Westone no longer repairs earphones but rather just takes the IEMs in and...
 
"We have recently updated our procedure in that we are no longer repairing units. Instead, once we receive your product we are able to extend to you a one time out of warranty replacement offer. This is an opportunity for you to purchase a brand new, unpackaged universal fit product at a discounted price. The replacement will come with a full two year warranty."
 
Very disappointed with this response as I have no interest in a "upgrade" which I imagine would be a UM pro 30 at this point (which are just my UM3x reshelled). They also want me to send in the earphones first and then will provide me with the replacement offer without knowing the probable pricing of the replacements ahead of time. So i need to incur shipping costs just to see the price I will need to pay to see the upgrade price? Then if I decide to take the UM3X back to see if someone will reterminate for me elsewhere or send to BTG Audio to mod for removable cables, I'll probably need to pay for the return shipping as well? No thanks Westone.
 
Chances are at this point I'll skip sending the UM3X to Westone. I'll try to find a way to keep these little guys running for a while longer but I've definitely lost confidence in Westone's CS.
 
(feel free to let me know if I'm being unrealistic here)

 

[KamijoIsMyHero]

If it has been "years" (3+ years) then there isn't much to expect as it is out of warranty period. At least you were considered for an offer as it is pretty good IMO although there should be other recabling services around for cheap.
 
Have you tried a similar cable and check to see if it is the cable's connector? A new cable is a cheaper option.

 

[midget]

  If it has been "years" (3+ years) then there isn't much to expect as it is out of warranty period. At least you were considered for an offer as it is pretty good IMO although there should be other recabling services around for cheap.
 
Have you tried a similar cable and check to see if it is the cable's connector? A new cable is a cheaper option.

 
I have the original um3x without the removable cable otherwise i'd just do that. I just expected Westone to be able to simply refinish the headphone jack (yes for a fee, i understand that I'm well out of warranty) without asking me to just abandon what are a otherwise perfectly functioning set of earphones to purchase anew.
 
On that note, Anyone reterminate their UM3X before?

 

[Mitchell4500]

I have re-terminated headphones before and honestly I think it would be easier to reanimate the um3x simple because each wire is in its own insulation - although the wire is quite unique and feels interesting. Im not entirely sure what kind of wire is inside but I think in your case it would be worth a try. 
 
In the case that fails you could just replace the cable completely. I've had my UM3X apart at the shell (its not difficult, they just break apart) and it wouldn't be too difficult to solder on a new wire if you are proficient enough with a soldering iron. 

 

[noobynico]

One of my um3x drivers in the right ear just died on me!
was listening to some rock and I could hear the full range in the left ear, but only heard vocals and guitars in the right! no cymbals or drums!
 

 

[Spyro]

  One of my um3x drivers in the right ear just died on me!
was listening to some rock and I could hear the full range in the left ear, but only heard vocals and guitars in the right! no cymbals or drums!
 

I assume you have owned less than 2 years?  Get a replacement via warranty.  Or better yet, ask what they would charge for a W40 replacement.  Its the bomb!

 

[Mitchell4500]

Just would like to note how easy these things are to work with. I bought my um3x second hand and have no warranty or anything. 
 
Ive broken them 3 times now. Particularity the shells and the nozzle. Just they fall apart is all. The shells are easy to put back in place but the nozzle is another story one it separates from the drivers.
 
So to start off with the drivers are held together with glue - no surprise. The 2 mid/high drivers separated from the bass driver - a touch of superglue fixed that. Next brings the nozzle driver connection.
 
The nozzle has 2 holes in it that have small little rubber rings that keep the nozzle snug - after time these dry out and separate and your nozzle can fall away from the drivers. This was the case for my right side headphone. I found it lacking in bass and overall sounding quieter. I took the headphone apart to find the nozzle loose and unsealed. 
 
I used wire insulation to recreate the little rings that hold the driver into nozzle. Some glue also. The size was perfect and lined up to well. Initially the new piping was too long and cause the right to sound tight but further away so I shortened the new wirepipes and sealed it all up. Now im enjoying my UM3x better than ever. 
 
The drivers and small PCB that is the filter is very durable. All the parts fit well and can be reused - i just find that they fall apart sometimes once my glue dries out. I might try finding a new adhesive. 
 
The superglue dries and gets crusty all over them. Lightly sanding and picking this away works well - even on the driver. I like the sound quality of these IEMs and plan to keep them for awhile - even if I have to re-shell them. They are easy to work with. 

 

[Spyro]

You are a unique user and perhaps the only Head-Fier that owned a pair of UM3X that "just fall apart."  Not once but three times.
 
Do you think there is something you are doing to contribute to them falling apart so easily?