Westone w40 . Recommended source

[rivezico]

hello there ! i'm writing from Moscow , so sorry for my English )

yesterday I purchased w40 , it sounds great but I still got a question about the source thats better for obtaining the full experience. at the moment i'm using iphone 4 + google play full access subscription, for me its a really good quality audio (320 mp3) but i thought maybe its a good idea to upgrade the source )) additionally to the iphone ive got both cowon c2 & z2 , but the problem is that i have not really found the big difference between the sources. moreover, ive been using several different headphones (a&h xd 53, fidelio x1, klipsch s4, Sennheiser HD 380 Pro, V-moda Crossfade M-80, Audio-Technica ATH-M50, akg k551) and the overall result mainly have not changed .

so, maybe now i've got first headphones where a higher class source is really needed ? ))

as an example , what do you think about iBasso DX50 ? a friend recommended it recently )

and of course im waiting for another suggestions from head-fi professionals !

 

[H20Fidelity]

I think DX50 will be worth your time, or for only $100 you could consider Colorfly C3, though DX50 offers a lot more features. Both players mentioned are better than Cowon, having owned C2, DX50 and C3 in the past. The Cowons are ok but there's much better to be had these days. Also I highly recommend moving up to FLAC from MP3 if you want to extract the most from your gear.

 

[rivezico]

I think DX50 will be worth your time, or for only $100 you could consider Colorfly C3, though DX50 offers a lot more features. Both players mentioned are better than Cowon, having owned C2, DX50 and C3 in the past. The Cowons are ok but there's much better to be had these days. Also I highly recommend moving up to FLAC from MP3 if you want to extract the most from your gear.

thanks a lot for the response ! i'm going to seriously consider your recommendations

additionally , i've got one more question. is it ok for the w40 headphones that I feel a kind of lack in terms of the low-range and the beats? maybe its ok for that class of headphones?

on the other hand, maybe the situation will change as the source is replaced on more higher class one?

moreover, quite often I stumble upon the web on mentions that such kind of headphones deliver really the "true sound" and we only feel the lack of colored or, say, unrealistic sonic characteristics . maybe thats the real reason of my thoughts?

p.s . what about the headphones that have the additional part inside the body for the goal to "colour" the low-range? for instance, sony xba series? and why westone haven't added here such feature if that is REALLY (?) a good type of the construction ? or such type of headphones really suck? ))

 

[H20Fidelity]

 

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

 

thanks a lot for the response ! i'm going to seriously consider your recommendations

additionally , i've got one more question. is it ok for the w40 headphones that I feel a kind of lack in terms of the low-range and the beats? maybe its ok for that class of headphones?

on the other hand, maybe the situation will change as the source is replaced on more higher class one?

moreover, quite often I stumble upon the web on mentions that such kind of headphones deliver really the "true sound" and we only feel the lack of colored or, say, unrealistic sonic characteristics . maybe thats the real reason of my thoughts?

p.s . what about the headphones that have the additional part inside the body for the goal to "colour" the low-range? for instance, sony xba series? and why westone haven't added here such feature if that is REALLY (?) a good type of the construction ? or such type of headphones really suck? ))

If W40 shares any similar resemblance to Westone 4's sound signature then the bass being neutral is normal. Audiophiles (in theory) tend to search for a flat sound signature with no boost to any area of the frequency spectrum. What Westone have done is try to create that in their Westone 4, and I assume W40. If you find the bass lacking a touch look at some of the EQ apps for your iPhone such as 'Eqaulizer' "PowerAmp" and try to boost the low range frequency's a touch. Westone 3 is more bass orientated and desgiend for punch and impact, it sounds completely different to Westone 4.

There's other things to consider if bass is lacking such as audio players themselves not measuring flat from the headphone out creating low end roll-off which is especially noticeable using low impedance IEM's, however things become a little more complicated when we start venturing down such paths. Knowing Apple checking this RMAA your iPhone 4 virtually measures flat so the lack of bass comes from what we spoke about in the first paragrah, the W40 signature. 

http://www.markuskraus.com/RMAA/iPhone4/data.htm




 
 

Another way of lifting bass is by adding a little portable amp which has a bass boost feature such as this little C&C BH amplifier for $100. However, we tend to focus on buying a headphone/iem to suit our preferences as each one has a different signature for different needs applications and individual preferences.  

http://www.head-fi.org/t/644363/c-c-bh-portable-headphone-amp-80-hours-from-a-single-charge-buyer-review

 

[rivezico]

thank you sooo much for your attention! really glad to see such persons on the head-fi, brilliant resource!

im gonna dig the question deeper. even contacted to westone for their recommendations on a preferable source for the w40.
also i asked about the "main philosophy" on how to correctly listen the gears

 

[northernrider]

I just use iPhone 5 , I'm sure like most people . It sound pretty good to me

 

[rivezico]

I just use iPhone 5 , I'm sure like most people . It sound pretty good to me

agreed. moreover, for me both iphone 4 & 4s sound even better than iphone 5, i dont know whu, maybe apple changed the sound chip on the phone..