Wilderbeast
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Nov 14, 2013
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First of all, I take my hat off to those on here that post in-depth reviews and impressions. It’s not as easy as I had thought. My views on a pair of earphones can swing from ‘sluggish, dull, boomy’ one day to ‘light, crisp, airy’ the next.
Much depends on mood, of course - I am more likely to think audio equipment excellent when I’m in the mood to listen to music. A measure of how receptive to music I am is the number of times I skip to the next track. Sometimes there is nothing that hits the spot and I am skip-happy, other times any random song causes aural pleasure. I’m surprised this is not mentioned more in these parts, actually. What’s going on in one’s life or in one’s mind can have an enormous impact on how we perceive sound, or how we perceive anything, for that matter.
I digress. Here are my views on how the W60 and W40 compare, which will probably have changed completely by the end of the day.
Similarities
The packaging, the tips, cables and case are the same, aside from minor differences in the cover designs. The earpieces look and feel the same. There may be slight differences in weight or shape but I cannot tell. To repeat what I’ve said previously, I much preferred the look and feel of the W4/W4R. They had a classy aesthetic quality that is sadly lacking from the newer models. I don’t care much for interchangeable faceplates.
Soundwise, both have a distinctive ‘Westone sound’ that I find difficult to describe. The sound is warm, coloured and smooth. If the Westones were a photograph they would have a slight sepia tone; not presenting an exact picture but pleasing on the eye (or the ear) nonetheless. Because of the rounded, non-clinical sound, lossy files don't sound too bad on either earphone.
Differences
When I sat down to compare the two I was expecting to hear obvious differences. Alternating between the W40 and W60, I was surprised how similar they are. It was only after a couple of weeks' listening I was able to come to the following conclusions:
The W60 is 'flatter' than the W40, which is a good thing in my opinion. The W40 has too much in the lower mids, making them a little muffled and a little bloated. The W60 has more in the upper mids. This seems to open up the music and makes them sound clearer, cleaner and crisper than the younger sibling. Interestingly, the highs are quieter in the W60 than the W40, but they are better, more realistic. There is a satisfying 'ting' to the W60's treble. I find the highs of the W40 slightly irritating - they just sound off to me.
Returning to the W40 after spending a couple of weeks with the W60 was like putting on an old pair of glasses with a weaker lens and finding everything a little blurry. Music is sharper with the W60, but still retains the smooth Westone sound.
The bass of the W60 goes deeper than I had expected. Very deep notes (you know, the ones you probably won't be able to hear in a couple of years) are incredibly satisfying.
In short, the W60s aren't obviously much better than the W40s, but they are much better, if that makes any sense. They are clearer, more realistic and more interesting. The W40s sound rather dull and boring in comparison. Does anyone own the Westone ES60 custom? I would be very interested to hear how it compares to the W60.
Much depends on mood, of course - I am more likely to think audio equipment excellent when I’m in the mood to listen to music. A measure of how receptive to music I am is the number of times I skip to the next track. Sometimes there is nothing that hits the spot and I am skip-happy, other times any random song causes aural pleasure. I’m surprised this is not mentioned more in these parts, actually. What’s going on in one’s life or in one’s mind can have an enormous impact on how we perceive sound, or how we perceive anything, for that matter.
I digress. Here are my views on how the W60 and W40 compare, which will probably have changed completely by the end of the day.
Similarities
The packaging, the tips, cables and case are the same, aside from minor differences in the cover designs. The earpieces look and feel the same. There may be slight differences in weight or shape but I cannot tell. To repeat what I’ve said previously, I much preferred the look and feel of the W4/W4R. They had a classy aesthetic quality that is sadly lacking from the newer models. I don’t care much for interchangeable faceplates.
Soundwise, both have a distinctive ‘Westone sound’ that I find difficult to describe. The sound is warm, coloured and smooth. If the Westones were a photograph they would have a slight sepia tone; not presenting an exact picture but pleasing on the eye (or the ear) nonetheless. Because of the rounded, non-clinical sound, lossy files don't sound too bad on either earphone.
Differences
When I sat down to compare the two I was expecting to hear obvious differences. Alternating between the W40 and W60, I was surprised how similar they are. It was only after a couple of weeks' listening I was able to come to the following conclusions:
The W60 is 'flatter' than the W40, which is a good thing in my opinion. The W40 has too much in the lower mids, making them a little muffled and a little bloated. The W60 has more in the upper mids. This seems to open up the music and makes them sound clearer, cleaner and crisper than the younger sibling. Interestingly, the highs are quieter in the W60 than the W40, but they are better, more realistic. There is a satisfying 'ting' to the W60's treble. I find the highs of the W40 slightly irritating - they just sound off to me.
Returning to the W40 after spending a couple of weeks with the W60 was like putting on an old pair of glasses with a weaker lens and finding everything a little blurry. Music is sharper with the W60, but still retains the smooth Westone sound.
The bass of the W60 goes deeper than I had expected. Very deep notes (you know, the ones you probably won't be able to hear in a couple of years) are incredibly satisfying.
In short, the W60s aren't obviously much better than the W40s, but they are much better, if that makes any sense. They are clearer, more realistic and more interesting. The W40s sound rather dull and boring in comparison. Does anyone own the Westone ES60 custom? I would be very interested to hear how it compares to the W60.
