[proedros]

   
Every week this question comes up in the forum, I guess nobody read reviews

 
http://www.head-fi.org/products/westone-w50-five-driver-universal-fit-noise-isolating-earphones-78505/reviews/13490 - review of W50 with a comparison to W60, UM Pro 50 and SE846.  I should probably put this link in my signature

 
Bottom line and in my humble opinion, neither W50 or W60 worth extra money over UM Pro 50

 
i read your great review and this comment makes me move away from the UMPRO50 

Overall, I found UM Pro 50 sound signature to be smooth and warm with slightly recessed mids and enhanced bass

guess i should better save up for savant/w60 / angie
 

 

[twister6]

 

   
Every week this question comes up in the forum, I guess nobody read reviews

 
http://www.head-fi.org/products/westone-w50-five-driver-universal-fit-noise-isolating-earphones-78505/reviews/13490 - review of W50 with a comparison to W60, UM Pro 50 and SE846.  I should probably put this link in my signature

 
Bottom line and in my humble opinion, neither W50 or W60 worth extra money over UM Pro 50

 
i read your great review and this comment makes me move away from the UMPRO50 

Overall, I found UM Pro 50 sound signature to be smooth and warm with slightly recessed mids and enhanced bass

guess i should better save up for savant/w60 / angie
 

 
If smooth and warm is not your cup of tea and you prefer a more neutral or bright and analytical sound (based on K3003 and RE272 and CK10 in our sig), then you should definitely cross W60 off your list.  Why don't you save yourself some money and buy DUNU DN-2000J?  That 3-way hybrid is exactly what you might want, and a read an impression where it comes close (but not exactly) to K3003.

 

[proedros]

   
If smooth and warm is not your cup of tea and you prefer a more neutral or bright and analytical sound (based on K3003 and RE272 and CK10 in our sig), then you should definitely cross W60 off your list.  Why don't you save yourself some money and buy DUNU DN-2000J?  That 3-way hybrid is exactly what you might want, and a read an impression where it comes close (but not exactly) to K3003.

 
its potential sibilance issues keep me away - i would rather save up for a TOTL like savant/angie

besides , i don't have any upgraditis for now , which is a nice thing 

 

[twister6]

 

   
If smooth and warm is not your cup of tea and you prefer a more neutral or bright and analytical sound (based on K3003 and RE272 and CK10 in our sig), then you should definitely cross W60 off your list.  Why don't you save yourself some money and buy DUNU DN-2000J?  That 3-way hybrid is exactly what you might want, and a read an impression where it comes close (but not exactly) to K3003.

 
its potential sibilance issues keep me away - i would rather save up for a TOTL like savant/angie

besides , i don't have any upgraditis for now , which is a nice thing 

 
Are you referring to DN2kJ?  I'm testing it now, got review sample from DUNU.  Had it on burn in for over 150hrs, still going until I hit 200   Don't know how it is now, but out of the box it was more on a bright/vivid side.  I've done some spot checking and noticed bass came up nicely and top end got smoother, but still a tad too bright.  Luckily, that IEM comes with an insane amount of customization options with different rings, hooks, tips, etc.  Might have to do a massive tip/ring rolling to see if I can shape a sound to my smoother liking

 

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

Well lookie what we have here, a W50, 1x dual BA Treble, 1x dual BA Mids, 1x single BA Bass. So same configuration as the Pro 50, but using different drivers and tuning.

 
But looks like the W60 just replaces the single BA bass driver with a 1x dual BA Bass driver, which adds more control to the bass allowing the mids and treble to be easier heard. I just wish companies wouldn't charge $300 extra for a $50 improvement. But everyone does it, so no hard feelings towards westone, just would be nice if we could see some better value products in the 'high end' market.

 

[proedros]

how much 'better' is the W60 compared to the UMPRO50 ?

 

[twister6]

  how much 'better' is the W60 compared to the UMPRO50 ?

 
It's all a relative comparison, what's "better" for one person is not for the other.  They have different sound sig and different tuning targeted at different audience.  Regarding the price, it's all part of the marketing game with diminishing returns.  Is W60 w/6 drivers worth $1k?  Or JH Layla w/12 drivers worth $2.5k?  Or maybe 1964 Adel A12 w/12 drivers is a better value for $1.6k (or whatever their street price going to be)?  With TOTL IEMs the game is that often you have to pay $300-$500 extra to get $50 worth of sound improvement.  And then you have to invest into $3.5k DAP and $2.5k portable amp lol!!!

 

[vladzakhar]

Yes, the earphones priced around $1000 and over are all sound great with slight difference in sound signature. All I know for sure from my trial and error that $300 iems most definitely will never be better when totl's. You just need to find what suits you the best, including the sound, the fit and isolation. W60 works for me in this regard.

 

[Spyro]

To the average person out there, they may not hear much difference between a really good $100-200 IEM and a $1,000 IEM.
 
But hopefully to many of us we hear threshold differences at certain pricepoints.  For example, I have been the biggest advocate here about W30 in that $300-400 range but I still hear a more refined higher quality sound with Pro50 that makes me understand the premium in price, sound characteristics aside.   I have no clue what goes into IEM design and engineering but it seems higher quality drivers are used on more expensive products.
 
Can anyone, in the know, elaborate on what makes a normal driver versus a premium driver? 

 

[M Coupe]

John Multon (spelling?) on noble page could probably answer that better than anyone.  However, tuning via crossover and other factors play a really large roll, I am not surprised to see folks that figure out how to make a great sound charge more.  Heck, the number of companies that use off the shelf Revelator type drivers for premium speakers is mind blowing. It is the sum of parts and integration that matters.  Just my humble opinion.
 
I would love to hear the angie but that is beyond my reach as my wife continues to remodel our house.  At least the K10s don't leave me wanting more.  The w60s are a great IEM though.  Maybe I can hear the Pro50 at some point.

 

[Gurashieruro]

I just picked up my Westone W60 from my work place (I work at a shipping company). My first impressions are quite excellent. I definately like the sound that I am hearing. I can't wait to get my Silver Litz cable from Ted Allen and pair that with my UM56 eartips.
Its definitely a difference coming from my loved Westone UM Pro 50.

 

[Pingupenguins]

Where do you guys grab your W60's? I've seen them on amazon, headroom and a couple of other sites, but I was wondering if anyone had better stores.

 

[vladzakhar]

Call Sonicelectronix and ask for the bottom price. I got mine from them for $720 including tax and shipping.

 

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

  For example, I have been the biggest advocate here about W30 in that $300-400 range but I still hear a more refined higher quality sound with Pro50 that makes me understand the premium in price, sound characteristics aside.   I have no clue what goes into IEM design and engineering but it seems higher quality drivers are used on more expensive products.
 
Can anyone, in the know, elaborate on what makes a normal driver versus a premium driver? 

 
There really isn't a lot in the engineering side, the crossovers used in iems are extremely simplistic, usually just some trial and error tuning is done, mostly the quality difference between the W30 and W60 is simply due to switching from 3x single ba to 3x dual ba, meaning there are two ba drivers in one unit working together to output one frequency range, like mids, the dual ba unit has lower distortion, more headroom, and just silkier sound in general. That's about it.

 

[twister6]

Call Sonicelectronix and ask for the bottom price. I got mine from them for $720 including tax and shipping.

 
That is INSANE price for W60, for a brand new one with a full manufacturing warranty?
 
Btw, noticed you have W60/W40/FX850 and DN2000J.  From warm, laid back, bassy to... piercing bright?  I'm testing these Dunu's now and was hopping that after 150hrs of burn in upper mids/treble will settle down, but it's still borderline vivid/sibilant (no surprise, that's a nature of BA drivers, while bass from dynamic driver is sick!!!).  Maybe I need to try different tips, perhaps complys...  Was just wondering since I can't imagine anybody who prefers a warm/laidback sound of Westones or rich sound of Woodies to also enjoy super revealing bright sound of Dunu hybrids