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Originally Posted by Bilavideo /img/forum/go_quote.gif
1. I appreciate your honesty about the similarities between the universal UM3X and the custom ES3X. Over on one of the other threads, there's a running debate about whether it's better to buy the Triple Fi 10 (UE's top universal) or the UE 4 (which is basically a custom version of the Super Fi 5). It's a debate that turns on whether it's better to spend $400 on better drivers or a custom fit. I'm more inclined to go for the better drivers - since I've already found tips for my Triple Fi 10 that work like a charm. Pride of ownership typically runs the other way, as owning a custom fit is something of a status symbol. The argument I've made there is that the custom fit will always trump the best universal fit but that the difference between a custom fit and a great universal fit isn't dispositive. All things being equal, I'd take the custom fit. But I'd be hesitant to sacrifice better drivers for a custom fit.
2. My UM3X fits so snug in my ears that I'm not presently motivated to go for a custom fit. In fact, I find the UM3X to be the most ergonomic IEM I've ever experienced. However, I may - in the intermediate future - go for the M56 tips, which seem to provide the best of both worlds: A custom fit for universal IEMs. I think Westone is to be lauded for making these available since $120 is a lot cheaper than paying double for the same IEM - which all of Westone's major rivals are doing.
3. When people say that the vocals on the UM3X are "in your face," I don't have a problem with that. I think it's a valid reaction, particularly when they're coming from colder, more analytical presentations that put the listener in the back row - if not up in nosebleed. Listening to the UM3X, I feel like I'm on stage or at least in front row. I'm right there, which means the vocals are "right here." In my face? Sure. But this is the most tasteful oral I'm likely to ever get.
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Hello Bilavideo,
I don't necessarily think that a reaction to "in your face" vocals presupposes a preference for "colder, more analytical presentations". It could simply be an aversion to a soundstage that is already perceived by some as small or "closed in", with vocals prominently placed within it. For example, the SE530 has been described by some here as having vocals that "shout at you". This implies that the vocalist is pretty close to the listener. Maybe close enough to light your cigarette, or to whisper an invitation in your ear to come visit her dressing room after the show - but I digress. This is presumably due to the forward, so called lush midrange for which this IEM is known. Yet, you have described the sound signature of this IEM as cold, flat and distant. Is it possible to have both qualities coexisting in a phone? I don't know but it sounds contradictory to me.
I've not heard the SE530 as yet but it is on its way to me and I'm looking forward to giving it a try. One of the reasons I chose it over the UM3X (which, I have not heard either) is because it reportedly does have a larger soundstage. I know that you are a Grado afficianado and I have a pair myself. Like you, I really enjoy their lively, upfront presentation and detail retrieval but only in small doses, as I find them a fatiguing phone to listen to for extended periods of time.
Your double entendre not withstanding, I appreciate that the UM3X appeals to you because it is the IEM that to your ears shares the most similarities with your beloved Grados. From what I've read in this thread, the UM3X is an IEM that does everything really well, perhaps with the exception of soundstage. This doesn't surprise me as it was designed primarily for use as a stage monitor (have I just provoked a chorus of vehement disagreement? Let me just quickly qualify this statement by adding that being a stage monitor isn't a bad thing).
You like the on-stage/front row presentation of the UM3X. From my perspective and being a guy who hangs around musicians (read drummer), I think that being on stage is a great place to be - for a musician, and me when I'm playing a gig. But if I'm in the audience listening to a band, I like to be a few rows back. I enjoy the sense of perspective that placing some distance between the band and myself gives me. The same applies to listening to a recording.
Having IEMs jammed into my ears isn't my favourite way to listen to music but it is a necessity for me at work. The prospect of having IEMs with a "closed in" soundstage in my ears, no matter how non-fatiguing the musical presentation might be, seems a little claustrophobic for my tastes. Hence, the main reason for the choice of the SE530 (and a price point that is over a hundred dollars less than the UM3X; distasteful I know but true).
I really hope that the SE530 won't be as cold and analytical as you describe and that it doesn't bring on a nose bleed. I rarely suffer from them, so it would be a shame to start now. As I've said in earlier posts, I've no doubt that I would be impressed with either of these phones, and it really was a difficult decision to choose one over the other without being able to audition them. I'm hoping that I have chosen wisely and that I won't be disappointed with its performance. Maybe one day I might have the opportunity to listen to the UM3X and compare for myself. And ten minutes afterwards someone will bump their head on the soles of my shoes as they enter the gents.
This has been an unexpectedly long post. So to summarise, the point that I was attempting to make can be found in the first paragraph. The rest of the content is extraneous to it and entirely self-indulgent.
