[twister6]

 
I tried the W50 prior to getting the W60 and I am not too impressed with the sound of the W50.  I only compared the sound to W40 which I owned.  I would say listen to audition the W50 and give us your opinion.

 
Oh, without even listening to W50 I already know what to expect - this is a basshead tuned IEM.  I just curious to hear to what level and if tip rolling (with shure olives or UM56 or smaller Westone tips to loosen up a seal) and different cables (silver plated, pure silver, pure copper, etc.) can make any difference to smooth out the FR.  Since I have a review opportunity, want to take advantage of it

 

[levir]

Hopefully your pre-conceived  ideas about the W50 does not distract you from making a good review.  
 
Today, I listened to Shure SE846 and loved its clean powerful bass.  It is like listening to a good pair of cans!  I wish I had more time with it.

 

[Gasdoc]

Interesting posts.  I have both the Shure 846 and the W60.  They are both amazing but I prefer the Shure 846 which to me sounds just right.  The Westone has a midbass bloat I'm having a tough time wrapping my head around.  Can't seem to bring myself to sell it though...Super smooth and easy to listen to.

 

[M Coupe]

Gasdoc- that is why auditioning gear is so important! We all hear differently. I would say the midrange of the SE846, forward and very nice. I do enjoy it. I find the W60 midrange to be closer to neutral and less congested. The observation about the SE846 having congested midrange is even more pronounced when compared to the K10. I would also say the W60 extends better. All that means is people will prefer one or the other and both be right. Audition and decide for yourself. I owned both for over a year and had them both connected to some top shelf gear to arrive at my conclusion. Cheers to differences of opinion!

 

[Spyro]

I don't think SE846 mid is congested.....just too forward.  I suppose perspective and description is at play here.
 
Someone a while back described the difference as SE846 sounding (obviously) like an IEM (sort of wired to the brain) where W60 was like listening to phenomenal floor standing speakers.
 
I couldn't agree MORE.  W60 presentation is much more spacious which may come across as more laid back but so what......just turn it up!
 
As I type this and think about sound presentations, perhaps the Pro50 is an IEM that sounds right in between the W60 and SE846.  Twister....are you out there?  Is that a fair comparison?? 

 

[M Coupe]

Cheers Spyro...hope you are having a great summer!

What you said...probably. Also, I would venture to guess frame of reference. What are we comparing the sE846 to? Compared to the K10, I can assure you the SE846 is congested in the midrange. It sounds forward, thick and ambiguous. Before, I heard the K10, I thought the SE846 sounded as perfect as I could want a midrange for male vocals and rock. That does not mean I don't like the sE846, because I do. However, I hear the SE846 differently now. I imagine if I owned the Orpheus setup for a while, my K10 and Audeze would sound imprecise, imperfect and congested too.

I really think the SE846 wins in bass. I think the midrange between the two is up to personal preference. I also think the W60 treble is better than the 3003 I owned and even my K10. It seems there is no perfect IEM, it is all about trade-offs. That is why I come back to my original point, audition and decide for yourself. All the rhetoric and impression threads in the world won't take the place of our own ears and preferences which have a wider range than the gear we scrutinize.

 

[twister6]

  I don't think SE846 mid is congested.....just too forward.  I suppose perspective and description is at play here.
 
Someone a while back described the difference as SE846 sounding (obviously) like an IEM (sort of wired to the brain) where W60 was like listening to phenomenal floor standing speakers.
 
I couldn't agree MORE.  W60 presentation is much more spacious which may come across as more laid back but so what......just turn it up!
 
As I type this and think about sound presentations, perhaps the Pro50 is an IEM that sounds right in between the W60 and SE846.  Twister....are you out there?  Is that a fair comparison?? 

 
Actually, that is a good comparison (floor standing speaker, that is).  I'm not in to speakers, but have auditioned a few in sound rooms of various places in the past.  One thing that always impressed me with speakers was their natural warm tonality, lower end extension, lower mids body, and clarity.  I never experience mid-forward or bright or analytical sound until I started to get more into IEMs.  I was excited at first because it opened my eyes to a new sound dimension, something I haven't experience in the past, something that allowed me to hear new details in sound.  But soon I came to a conclusion that it sounds artificial.  That's not how I hear sounds around me during the day, not how I hear sounds at the concert with live instruments, just not natural to my ears.  What I absolutely enjoy about Westone is how natural they sound, talking about Pro 5 and W60.  Even with a limited W50 listening, with a right tips (large shure olives for me) and silver cable (whiplash TWag v3) and selective audio source - you can get their sound under control, and bass is predominant in there.  When it comes to SE846 (have to return it back next week to my friend), their mids are not just upfront, they sound artificial in comparison.  I have reviewed a lot of IEMs and easily 60-70% of them fall into the same "artificial" category, but a lot of them also cost a fraction, and probably the reason I'm more critical of SE846.  But it's my own personal opinion, and I don't people to be upset if they think otherwise.
 
In theory, yes, you can actually say that Pro 50 falls somewhere in between W60 and SE846, taking W60 sub-bas extension and 846 aggressive mid-bass punch, and having lower mids somewhere in between (not too thick like W60 or too thin like 846), and upper mids natural like W60 but brighter toward 846, with treble also being somewhere in between.

 

[Spyro]

Good input!
 
And from my experience I still prefer either W60 or Pro50 to SE846.

 

[Paulus XII]

And there's people whom prefer FX850 to SE846.

 

[Spyro]

No surprise.  From my perspective, SE846 is no more than a $200 upgrade from SE535 yet a downgrade in fit/comfort.
Just shows how marketing is so powerful.

 

[twister6]

  And there's people whom prefer FX850 to SE846.

 
Those who prefer warmer more organic signature will definitely get behind Woodies

 

[Gu Sensei]

I have been on the hunt for a high end, highly portable, comfortable IEM. I have moved from the IE800s (man, that cable) to the SE846s (mids a touch rough, treble clarity/sparkle a little lacking for my tastes). The W60's have consistently provided the best comfort and sound signature among the high end universal IEMs I have tried in store, but twice a tip was left in my ear canal during removal. I found the tips would slide off pretty easily with just a gentle tug. The Shure SE846s, in comparison, require a lot of effort to work them off.
 
It happened to me a few times with the Shure 530s years ago when they were my main portable, but with others that I have used Klipsch X10s, JVC FX500s, IE800s, SE846s it has not ever been an issue. Perhaps my ear canals are build like Chinese finger traps, but considering the ease with which I could slide off the tips in the store demo models, I was expecting quite a bit of discussion on this topic in this thread. I did find one other complaint about it much earlier in the thread but am wondering if more people have had this happen to them. Perhaps the tips in the store were just old and stretched out.
 
Still, a few questions...
 
1. Any regular users have this experience, even just once or twice?
 
2. Has anyone come up with a foolproof work-around (I am thinking that wrapping a little medical tape around the nozzle)?
 
3. Are there tips that fit well with the W60s that are notoriously tight-fitting?
 
 
If the store demo is representative of what I would get, it is a deal-breaker for me, no question, but with the lack of success of with the others high end IEMs I have tried, I am willing to look a little closer to see if this is a really a problem.
 
Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[twister6]

I have used W40, W50, W60 and UM Pro 30 and Pro 50 - never had an issue of tips sliding out, but I do have to note that I use the largest orange marked star tips that stick out a bit outside of my earcanal.  There is a possibility if you are using medium/smaller size tips that go all the way into your canal, and if your ears get sweaty - the grip of the inner stem of the tip can loosen up.
 
One solution, switch to Shure olive silicone tips, those silicone tips that come with your SE846.  Those are the only tips I'm using with my Westone's now (you can get them at Sweetwater for about $10 shipped for 5 pairs of any size).

 

[M Coupe]

Never had tip issue.  I used Klipsch double flange tips for my very small ear canals too.  The other tips I started with were the westone star tips.  
 
I would not be surprised if the store demo that has fresh tips put on for every new listener is not well worn.  That may be the culprit. Consider buying from a store with a great return policy incase you have that issue with a new set.

 

[Paulus XII]

 
One solution, switch to Shure olive silicone tips, those silicone tips that come with your SE846.  Those are the only tips I'm using with my Westone's now (you can get them at Sweetwater for about $10 shipped for 5 pairs of any size).

 
Twister, would you be so kind to post a link, please?