[T.R.A.N.C.E.]

Well Im definitely hearing it differently. My W3 has had hundreds of hours of use though and the sound has become alot smoother than it once was, I think maybe the W60 just needs more burn in time to even out.

 

[M Coupe]

Hi TRANCE-
 
Let me be perfectly honest.  I hated my W60 the first week I owned them.  Hate may be too strong a word but I felt disappointed and frustrated with my cash outlay.  Week 2, I understood the W60 better but still wanted to send it back.  You have to remember, I went from the 4R to the 535-LTD japan to 846.  I had burned the Shure house sound as my frame of reference.
 
Guess what, something happened around week 3.  I completely understood the W60s aim and appreciated it. I have to believe it was 3 parts brain burn-in and 1 part IEM burn in.  I am sure much of that was transitioning to something much different than I was used to.  The 846s were those old pair of Jeans that were accessible and comfortable.  The W60 handled the music differently.  As I said in my review, I feel that it is more reference neutral.  It is not as exciting as the 846 and many others but it does handle the sound very well.
 
Fast forward a couple months.  I am mostly listening to my W60s.  There is nothing wrong with my 846s and I do love them but for the music I listen too (important point), the W60s deliver the goods.
 
What do I suggest-
 
1.  If you are used to an exciting headphone/iem like me, give yourself a chance to get to know these IEMs as I did.  It is going to take a couple weeks.  Set your old IEMs aside during this time period.
 
2.  Then go back and listen to your old IEMs.  When you do, you might be surprised by what you hear and what is missing.  For me, I felt that the 846's were missing upper midrange and treble. I listen to a lot of female singers and strings so the difference really stood out.  If I was into only males vocals, rock or electronic music then they would have gone back...the 846 is better to my ears here.  That is why I have both.  I have not yet found 1 iem that handles everything perfectly yet.
 
3. If you come the same conclusion I did, then you will be glad you recalibrated.  If you don't ship them back.  No headphone or IEM is good for everyone and WE ARE ALL CORRECT.  Our own ears are the best judge.
 
4.  Shallow insertion is key.  Use the short star tips as a starting point.
 
5.  Copper Litz adds magic to these IEMs.  Balanced copper litz adds a lot of magic.  Sweeter midrange, friendlier treble and a touch more weight to the bass...not too much.
 
I wish you luck in your discovery and please post back!
 
Cheers!

 

[Kunlun]

Good advice, Coupe.

 

[T.R.A.N.C.E.]

That is good advice. I actually ordered the Copper Litz cable a couple days ago

 Friendlier treble and sweeter mids is exactly what I'm looking for, though the bass is already borderline too much for me, but that can be easily reduced by slightly more shallow insertion. I'm beginning to enjoy the W60 sound more and more though, I think your 3 parts brain burn in to 1 part iem burn in is quite true in this case. 
 
Also from my experience with the W3, which seemed to become more tame in the bass and treble after a lot of use, so that should be nice making the W60 mids clearer in the long run if it follows similar burn in, which I have a feeling it will.

 

[Spyro]

Hmmm.  Interesting...
 
Here are my very blunt thoughts after having owned the entire Westone line (except pro/w 50) for extended periods.
 
I am growing annoyed that the Westone sound is becoming more and more veiled, warm and smooth..  I guarantee anyone that owns W40, no matter how much they like it today....eventually they will be done with it due to lack of upper midrange clarity they will miss.
 
SE846 did little for me.  Enjoyed the bass but the forward midrange (not sure you could describe it any other way) was way to fatiguing.  I'm shocked no one else has this complaint which makes me think I am sensitive to forward midrange tones.
 
W30 was a shocker to me.  It's not bright like Ety standards but probably the brightest Westone IEM.  Bright like W2 was.
 
If you are gonna use an amp anyway, the W30 kills the W60 period unless you are doing reference listening where W60 probably wins.
 
$400 versus $1000.   Straight up I would take the $400 IEM and I have had it now for almost 4 weeks.  About the same amount of time I had the W60.   It's crazy it sounds better but it is what it is!!

 

[uelover]

   
If you are gonna use an amp anyway, the W30 kills the W60 period unless you are doing reference listening where W60 probably wins.
 

 
You should qualify that if you are using either the Ibasso T3 or Topping NX1 with an iPod Classic.
 
The W60 sounds insane from my Benchmark DAC1. Even directly out from my Macbook Pro Retina headphone jack, it is nothing short of superb. There is simply no need to add an amp if the source is good.
 
When used with my iPod Classic 7th Gen, the W60 sounded terrible, or, to put it bluntly, unlistenable. When paired with an iTouch 5th Gen, the sound is much better.
 
Synergy and pairing is important for any audio setup. 
 
High price doesn't necessary mean 'better' sound, vice versa for low price.

 

[Spyro]

   
You should qualify that if you are using either the Ibasso T3 or Topping NX1 with an iPod Classic.
 
The W60 sounds insane from my Benchmark DAC1. Even directly out from my Macbook Pro Retina headphone jack, it is nothing short of superb. There is simply no need to add an amp if the source is good.
 
When used with my iPod Classic 7th Gen, the W60 sounded terrible, or, to put it bluntly, unlistenable. When paired with an iTouch 5th Gen, the sound is much better.
 
Synergy and pairing is important for any audio setup. 
 
High price doesn't necessary mean 'better' sound, vice versa for low price.

Yes, I think I said that a few posts back.  I am talking about using it with the NX1 amp?

 

[M Coupe]

Moving on...
 
I have had a chance to play with different sources and cables lately.  Here are a couple observations-
 
1. The RSA intruder is lovely coming out of the AK240 but a bit unnecessary for the W60. I feel either the RWAK upgrade or an amp like the RSA is necessary for the 846 to reach it's best sound.
2. The balaned output does improve the stock W60 a bit. It is not huge like the SE846 but  the W60 single ended sounded good to being with.
3. copper litz is still my favorite for this IEM.  I have tried silver Litz, Silver, Copper Litz and silver/copper Litz combo.
 
These are my humble and novice opinions so demo if you can before listening to me.
 
Happy Friday!

 

[uelover]

  Moving on...
 
I have had a chance to play with different sources and cables lately.  Here are a couple observations-
 
1. The RSA intruder is lovely coming out of the AK240 but a bit unnecessary for the W60. I feel either the RWAK upgrade or an amp like the RSA is necessary for the 846 to reach it's best sound.
2. The balaned output does improve the stock W60 a bit. It is not huge like the SE846 but  the W60 single ended sounded good to being with.
3. copper litz is still my favorite for this IEM.  I have tried silver Litz, Silver, Copper Litz and silver/copper Litz combo.
 
These are my humble and novice opinions so demo if you can before listening to me.
 
Happy Friday!

 
How do you find the pairing of the AK240 with the W60?

 

[Currawong]

 

[M Coupe]

Spyro, please define Kills? That is such an absolute word that I am eager to read your intent. Thank you.

 

[M Coupe]

Here is a picture of the portable gear.  The copper litz feeds the w60s and the silver litz feeds the SE846s.  Thanks to Ted Allen for the cables and adaptors in the pictures.
 

 

[Spyro]

  Spyro, please define Kills? That is such an absolute word that I am eager to read your intent. Thank you.

Bad word.   It offers more clarity in the upper midrange while retaining all the other great features of W60 to a large degree.

 

[M Coupe]

I hear the w30 differently.  Agree to disagree and lets get back to the W60 impressions.

 

[Jim Barry]

   
The W60 sounds insane from my Benchmark DAC1. Even directly out from my Macbook Pro Retina headphone jack, it is nothing short of superb. 

It's good quality, but the Macbook's output gain is far too high, don't you think? With my 2012 rMBP, the noise floor is clearly audible and the sound becomes deafening by the time the volume level reaches about 1/4. An attenuator is definitely required.
 
Currently doing a bit of critical listening with the UM56 tips. I think the overall sound balance is pretty spot-on with the W60. The W4R sounds "shouty" in comparison. 
 
I watched Captain Phillips with the W60 fed directly from my Yamaha RX-A710 and it sounded absolutely amazing.
 
Unfortunately my W60 seems to have a manufacturing defect. With the braided cable, the connection on the left earpiece is loose and the audio tends to drop out as the cable moves around. The vendor is sending me a replacement cable but I think the problem is with the socket on the left earpiece.