[Gilly87]

If your drivers are still ok, you can always reshell to custom!

www.inearz.com

Cheaper, and better isolation

i decided to buy another pair of UM3x. help. cant stop spending money on headphones

 

[drewhaj]

Tried removing mine and the pins ended up staying in there but the rest came off.  Corrosion.

 

[Fungus]

Really? Was this the first time you tried swapping out the cables? I always though that the Westone connectors were way superior to the ultimate ears fi series.  I guess my um3x will only last as long as the cables which fortunately is top notch quality. Westone should implement the um pro 30 style connectors but without the swivelling mechanism. That would be perfect. 

 

[drewhaj]

  Really? Was this the first time you tried swapping out the cables? I always though that the Westone connectors were way superior to the ultimate ears fi series.  I guess my um3x will only last as long as the cables which fortunately is top notch quality. Westone should implement the um pro 30 style connectors but without the swivelling mechanism. That would be perfect. 

It was.  I had them for several years.  I used them at the gym, beach, etc.  Salt air and sweat got the best of them.  They still sounded great though.  I sent them in for a repair (which they apparently no longer do) but got the UM 30 PRO's for only $200 from them.  That new swiveling thingy annoys the crap out of me...

 

[Fungus]

Lol I baby mine. I've made a promise to myself not to spend any money on another pair of headphone/iem until my um3x dies. 

 

[Mitchell4500]

Still haven't got my new UM3x yet but my current um3x cable right where the it meets the right driver was cracking and wound quality suffered and would cut in and out. I desoldered the cable from the drivers inside the shell and moved the cable down the black wiggly piece and cut the broken part off and resoldered. No new cable - good as new. Just a little shorter on one side. These old UM3x are deff Frankensteined after all i did but still sound good lol

 

[Spyro]

Shouldda got the W30.  Buy that one too!
 
Better crisp detail and better soundstage.

 

[Fungus]

  Shouldda got the W30.  Buy that one too!
 
Better crisp detail and better soundstage.

I'm confused. What's the difference between the W30 and the um30pros? Are guessing the W30 is based on the 3 and um30pro on the um3x? 

 

[drewhaj]

Yes.

 

[northernrider]

I use to have the UM3x RC But accidentally broke the left monitor. When I called West tone about replacements they offered me the W30 or the W40 as a replacement so I went with the W40. I have to be honest ,although they sound very clear and instrument separation is Great I find I am missing the UM3x. I guess the best way to describe what I hear is the w40 is a little more refined ,the bass has more detail but the UM3x is just a little brighter in the vocals and a little more punch. Almost like a young rambunctious adolescent boy not quite grown up to the smoother refined W40.
Sometimes though a little rambunctious is ok.
So if anyone out there has a left side UM3xRC. Let me know if u are interested in selling

 

[Mitchell4500]

Hi guys long time no post,
 
through some weird twists of fate I ended up buying the shure SE846 which I do love. Unfortunately I cannot afford to own both that and my other headphones at the same time! So Im going to be unloading my UM3x or my EarSonics SM3, I figured id write a short little post here because I figured some of you might be interested. 
 
First off I have a pair of old long loved UM3x non-rc that ive had, one of the nozzles broke off but I was able to fully repair it with a nice amount of nice plastic glue. They are solid as can be and sound quality is still the original superb sound, bass and all. Id likely sell these at a reduced price. 
 
Secondly I have a pair of Earsonics SM3s v1 which I bought because I read so many things about how better they are than the UM3x. After lots of listening to both I did favor the Earsonics more but only ever so slightly. I felt like the bass was more detailed and the sound-stage was ever so slightly bigger but thats about it. 
 
If you are interested in either of these shoot me a PM. 
 
-- Bonus
 
In comparison of the UM3x to the Shure SE846... the Shures win but it might be unfair as the price range is totally different. But you may be able to appreciate my impressions as a long time (and still do) UM3x lover. The shures subwoofer bass is really noticeable. You get the deep kicks and the bass extends further and really doesn't need any EQ, even for a bass head. Im 18 years old so I find myself using the black tips to tone down the treble. Essentially what I noticed other than bass is that the Shures have better separation across the entire spectrum. Highs are more distinct and clear and you can really feel the different instruments. The shures do have much better build quality and I find myself prefering the shure cable to the westone epic cable. Although I really HATE the memory wire on the shures. So I cut it off to be more similar to the flexy wire of the westones. 
 
Price and Value - are the shures worth $1000 - no. Maybe for a little less they are worth it. Which is what happened to me. 
Are the westones worth the price? YES. The price point that most UM3x go for now I would consider worth it. You are getting excellent sound and incredible performance for the price. The um3x is a solid headphone and I really do love it especially for the price. While its still a lot of money you are getting superb performance and lots of enjoyment! 

 

[elfary]

  Hi guys long time no post,
 
through some weird twists of fate I ended up buying the shure SE846 which I do love. Unfortunately I cannot afford to own both that and my other headphones at the same time! So Im going to be unloading my UM3x or my EarSonics SM3, I figured id write a short little post here because I figured some of you might be interested. 
 
First off I have a pair of old long loved UM3x non-rc that ive had, one of the nozzles broke off but I was able to fully repair it with a nice amount of nice plastic glue. They are solid as can be and sound quality is still the original superb sound, bass and all. Id likely sell these at a reduced price. 
 
Secondly I have a pair of Earsonics SM3s v1 which I bought because I read so many things about how better they are than the UM3x. After lots of listening to both I did favor the Earsonics more but only ever so slightly. I felt like the bass was more detailed and the sound-stage was ever so slightly bigger but thats about it. 
 
If you are interested in either of these shoot me a PM. 
 
-- Bonus
 
In comparison of the UM3x to the Shure SE846... the Shures win but it might be unfair as the price range is totally different. But you may be able to appreciate my impressions as a long time (and still do) UM3x lover. The shures subwoofer bass is really noticeable. You get the deep kicks and the bass extends further and really doesn't need any EQ, even for a bass head. Im 18 years old so I find myself using the black tips to tone down the treble. Essentially what I noticed other than bass is that the Shures have better separation across the entire spectrum. Highs are more distinct and clear and you can really feel the different instruments. The shures do have much better build quality and I find myself prefering the shure cable to the westone epic cable. Although I really HATE the memory wire on the shures. So I cut it off to be more similar to the flexy wire of the westones. 
 
Price and Value - are the shures worth $1000 - no. Maybe for a little less they are worth it. Which is what happened to me. 
Are the westones worth the price? YES. The price point that most UM3x go for now I would consider worth it. You are getting excellent sound and incredible performance for the price. The um3x is a solid headphone and I really do love it especially for the price. While its still a lot of money you are getting superb performance and lots of enjoyment! 

 
After 3+ years using the Westone UM3x a few weeks back i almost bought the SE846. But on a momentary lapse of reason i remembered that the UM3x gets me 100% emotionally involved with my music thus forking out 1000$  to remain on the same emotinal realm led me to hold back.
 
I'm sure someday i'll end up with a SE846 and it will be audibly much better than UM3x but i doubt that emotional journeys UM3x provide me with can be improved. After all i put gear at the service of my music and not there other way around. I listen to the music not to the sound. And UM3x is good enough to get more than lost in music. An UM3x and an iPhone is all i need (thankfully for my marriage and wallet.
 
Anyway i found your post very interesting. Thanks for you impressions 

 

[Fungus]

I tried the SE846 and it's definitely not worth 10 times the price when it's only a 2 percent audio improvement IMHO. Spending on any IEM more expensive then the UM3X is more of a side grade than a proper upgrade. That's how good the UM3X. I've never needed to convince myself to purchased anther pair of iem for the last 4 years and still won't until they break which would be highly unlucky given the way I take care of it.  

 

[Spyro]

  I tried the SE846 and it's definitely not worth 10 times the price when it's only a 2 percent audio improvement IMHO. Spending on any IEM more expensive then the UM3X is more of a side grade than a proper upgrade. That's how good the UM3X. I've never needed to convince myself to purchased anther pair of iem for the last 4 years and still won't until they break which would be highly unlucky given the way I take care of it.  

Of course its not 10 times better when it's only twice the price or three times.  That's not how it works.  Versus triple and quad $300-400 IEM's I would say the SE846 and W60 are maybe up to 25% improvement which is very significant at that level.  How good do you think an IEM can sound?  You are still limited by the quality of the source material and the player.
 
But you are very lucky!  If you only hear a 2% improvement (odd increment?)  then it would be stupid for you spend that kind of money on such a pricey IEM.
 
While when it came out it was fantastic, UM3X lacks treble and crispness and the bass/beat is overly dominant.  It's like the drums are front and center and all the other instruments are off to the sides.  But then it IS a stage monitor for drummers and vocalists.

 

[elfary]

My only gripe about UM3x is not the closed in soundstage (which i may even like in many instances) but some lack of energy in the presence region. But it's not something that spoils my listening since is outweighted by its many virtues.
 
To me the cost efficient point lies on 3 drivers balanced armature iems (300$ - 400$). From there on whether it's UM3x, Westone 3, Shure SE535 i'm really lost in the music.
 
Another factor that made me step back from SE846 was that from an electrical point of view they are very hard to drive with an open, clear and linear signal due to its very low impedance and its distribution.
 
One thing that i try to stay away from is electrically challenged iems that leave you with very few source choices or condemned to use an amp. In that regard i deem Westone UM3x, Westone 3 and Westone 4 as real winners since they sound very good (and in case of Westone 3 and UM3x very loud as well) off almost any source (Even from Sony Xperia cellphones which are my benchmark for awful portable sources). 
 
Anyway i'm sure that at some point i'll come across to some SE846 at a discounted price tag and i'd push the trigger but i'm sure that my brain ain't gonna pump more endorphine than when i listen to music with my Westone UM3x or Westone 3 (even TDK BA200). Human brain is very complex and once you are used to the SE846 and novelty wears off you might get even bored and start all over again with some 2000$ iems