[matto]

Just wondering, but how much have you guys heard the cheapest the UM3x's go for? from an authorized dealer that is oh and detachable cables. Thanks.

 

[Zephyron]

Auditioned the UM3X before. Not sure if the Shure Olive would be ideal to listen to the UM3x with, but I like what I heard.

Love how engaging the sound can be, easy to get  lost within the sound =)

 

[Rmccullo]

I have modded Shure biflanges on my um3x and feel that is the only way to go; if cost is an option. The bass sounds so smooth and responsive. Listening to metallica is a real treat with them You can feel everything Lars is hitting. I don't know how most feel, but I think the um3x is an awesome iem for rock music. With the um3x, I really enjoy listening to Joshua tree (u2), Siamese dream (smashing pumkins), ok computer (radiohead), Wolfgang amadeus (phoenix), immersion and hold your colour (pendulum), and the wall (pink Floyd). I've always liked the Joshua Tree album, but I never got the full feeling from the album. It always sounded cheaply recorded. With the um3x, there was a whole lot of sound released; and it showcases the work put into the album. I'm getting really curious about the custom sleeves now. But im not sure if the um56 will offer much more than the biflanges.

 

[Cosmic Fool]

Quote:

 I've always liked the Joshua Tree album, but I never got the full feeling from the album. It always sounded cheaply recorded. With the um3x, there was a whole lot of sound released; and it showcases the work put into the album.

Excellent album! I enjoy listening to it with my um3x too. 

 

[Gastronomic]

Quote:

Auditioned the UM3X before. Not sure if the Shure Olive would be ideal to listen to the UM3x with, but I like what I heard.

Love how engaging the sound can be, easy to get  lost within the sound =)

IMO shure olive is the best.

 

[Young Spade]

Thanks for all the replies, guys! I ended up pulling the trigger on some Shure SE535's, since it seemed like their sound signature suited my tastes a bit more. 


 


I agree with you guys though, I definitely prefer to buy from an authorized dealer when buying headphones.

 


That's great man, hope you love them as much as I did.

 

[Cosmic Fool]

Today I received my repaired pair of UM3X. The new cable feels great, it's definitely more sturdy than the old one. As for the sound quality my ears seem to need some time to readjust with the soundsignature. They sound darker than I remembered them to be. Is that similar to what others have experienced after a reparation of these IEM"s? 

 

[music_4321]

^^ Does your new set come with a black ("dark") cable or a clear one?  

 

[Cosmic Fool]

Quote:

^^ Does your new set come with a black ("dark") cable or a clear one?  

As black as ash. 

 I am beginning to think they sent me a brand new set as the treble doesn't quite sound as open as they did before. I remember my old pair sounded that way when they were new.
 
Or is my mind playing tricks with me? 

 

[music_4321]

^^ Well, ash ain't exactly black, more like (dark) grey, I'd say.  

Anyway, I think there could be a couple of reasons for the difference in sound you're noticing. Your UM3Xs should reach their overall proper sound within an hour of burn-in.

Also, you may have been listening to (a) different phone(s) while waiting for your UM3Xs to get back, and as you said you may need a little time to adjust to the new sound once again.

Another option - and I'm serious about this one - is that we don't always hear things the same way. Sometimes we're more 'music hungry' than others. I'm almost sure that if you listen to them again this evening/ tonight, you may find they will sound a little different, better more likely, specially if you haven't had sound/ music/ noise 'overload' during the day.

 

[Cosmic Fool]

Actually I didn't listen to any IEM in the past weeks to prevent my ears to alienate from the UM3X sound. 

 
I agree with your last comment: our ears seem to perceive music differently on certain moments of the day. Different meteorological circumstances also have an impact on how good we hear things.
 
Very curious how it will sound on the train when I head back home in two hours. 

 

[edz81]

So, I've had my UM3X's for a few months now and whilst they are great, the quality I get from my iPhone has not blown me away.  I just connected them to my MacBook Pro and damn they sound incredible - finally what the quality I suspected these monitors to be capable of and what people are raving about!  What is it with the iPhone and what can I do, if anything, to improve it?
 
The sound quality I'm getting straight out of my laptop is what I've been seeking for many months now - truly amazing.

 

[aLm0sT]

Quote:

So, I've had my UM3X's for a few months now and whilst they are great, the quality I get from my iPhone has not blown me away.  I just connected them to my MacBook Pro and damn they sound incredible - finally what the quality I suspected these monitors to be capable of and what people are raving about!  What is it with the iPhone and what can I do, if anything, to improve it?
 
The sound quality I'm getting straight out of my laptop is what I've been seeking for many months now - truly amazing.

Buy a CD, rip it to FLAC and you'll be even more impressed.
iPhone is not exactly the best DAP. You might wanna look at something like the Sansa Clip+ and a cheap amp.
 

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

So, I've had my UM3X's for a few months now and whilst they are great, the quality I get from my iPhone has not blown me away.  I just connected them to my MacBook Pro and damn they sound incredible - finally what the quality I suspected these monitors to be capable of and what people are raving about!  What is it with the iPhone and what can I do, if anything, to improve it?
 
The sound quality I'm getting straight out of my laptop is what I've been seeking for many months now - truly amazing.

I thought the UM3X sounded much better with a 6G nano than my 4G or 5G nano, if that helps - the bass was fuller and the mids were more vibrant, without the grain in the highs I get from the older nano.  So, changing gear can definitely change the sound.
 

 

[music_4321]

^^ HeadphoneAddict, I believe you've found your different generation iPhones to be pretty good mp3 players and, if I remember correctly, better than your Nanos. Or perhaps that was only when compared with your 4G & 5G Nanos?
 
edz81, I owned two 160GB iPod Classics (6G & 7G) and sold them and got the (now discontinued) 32GB Sony NWZ-X1061 and recently the 64GB Sony NWZ-A847. Even though I did sacrifice storage capacity & lack of gap-less playback (I have a lot of live recordings), both Sony DAP's SQ and excellent 5-band EQ with 2 custom presets were well worth it. I have to say I hardly ever use EQ but when I do, the Sony's EQ is excellent, no distortion whatsoever.
 
I will say, however, that the SQ difference between the iPod Classics & the 2 Sony DAPs was not as big ("night and day"/ "the Sony blows the Classic out of the water") as some Sony enthusiasts have claimed, but the SQ on the Sonys - with all sound enhancements off - was still good enough for me to sacrifice the features I mentioned above. Also note that you do get noticeable hiss with the (now discontinued) Sony X models, but significantly less so with the A847. I also still own 2 Nanos (4G & 5G) and found very similar SQ differences between them and my 2 Sony DAPs.
 
Also, I don't think an amp is necessary with the UM3X, which are very easy to drive - I did own the very expensive RSA P-51 Mustang amp & the less expensive Nuforce Icon Mobile amp and noticed absolutely no SQ improvement with them and iPod Classic via line-out.
 
I get great sound using 192kbps AAC files, BTW, no real difference in SQ between 192 AAC, WAV or FLAC. Same when using my $850 ES3X customs or new $450 W4s. I suggest you do your research and read up quite a bit. You will find that people will often exaggerate the qualities of a particular piece of gear, so from reading some overly-hyped descriptions you may end up with pretty high unrealistic expectations.