New W60 owner. I appreciate all of the impressions and notes on the thread! I was looking for a very light, comfortable IEM for my office use and also to take with me for my walks using my iPhone 6s. At $1K, I didn't think it would be worth it so I waited until a holiday promotion from one of the sponsors on Headfi offered a great deal at 25% off.
It's been about a month since I got these and I think these are highly underrated IEMs. My impressions are:
Source - ALO CDM, Mojo, WA7, iPhone
Bass - I find the bass from about 100 Hz on down to be just north of neutral - maybe 2-3 dB above. Bass is tight and controlled and does extend to sub bass on some recording, but not always present like SE846. For me, this is my preferred bass signature, but bassheads or semi bassheads will be disappointed and I don't think EQ will get to basshead levels without distortion.
Mids - Depending on the source, that mid bass bump around 128 Hz is tuned too much for my tastes. I do like a little warmth, but not obvious warmth. Depending on the source, I EQ anywhere from -1 to -2 dB right at 128 Hz to get back to what I prefer. I probably have a personal sensitivity in that frequency range because just tweaking 1-2 dB makes a noticeable difference to me. Others may not notice at all. Beside this little bump, the mids are fabulous. Vocals and acoustic instruments have so much body and texture!
Highs - This is where I think most folks will have differing opinions based on personal tastes. My opinion of the W60 treble is laid back, but has very good details and extension. It does not sound rolled off to me, but rather tuned down. If you prefer a more intimate, sparkly presentation, I don't think you will like the W60. However, treble responds very well to just a touch of EQ and scales very well if you want more. I personally have a mixed preference for highs depending on the music genre. For acoustic, I prefer intimate. For vocals, I prefer laid back. I ended up adding 1.5 dB from 8K on up to get me just a little more than laid back for general listening.
Soundstage - I have to say, this is the most surprising and impressive aspect of the W60. The soundstage is not too far off from my Laylas. W60 is not the widest or deepest soundstage, but it is very nicely balanced and give a realistic 3D perception to the sound. It's easy to forget you have IEMs in your ears. I think the treble being tuned down a bit really contributes to soundstage.
Comfort - I am using the green silicon star tips and comfort is great. These fit flush in my ears and rivals my custom JH16 in comfort. However, I do find that the way I've fit the W60 in my ears, it does not isolate external noise as well as most IEMs I've had. Maybe about 6 dB less. I can have a normal conversation with the W60 in my ears which is great for my office.
Comparisons at similar price points
SE846 - I had these at a time when I didn't really know what my personal preferences were. I figured the tuning options would eventually hit my sweet spot. As time went on, I found the bass too intimate and the treble too rolled off (even with white filters) for my personal tastes. W60 has more neutral bass and better treble extension. SE846 has more lush mids and if you are a fan of the Shure house sound, you will feel W60 are a bit lacking in the mids.
JH16 FP - I purchased these blind and is pretty much why I am selling them now. These are more similar to SE846 than W60. JH16 FP is basically a SE846 with blue filters, but a larger sound stage and the advantage of custom fit.
Pairing
iPhone - listening to streaming and AAC files with iTunes player, I find setting EQ with Treble Boost is a really nice sound for my tastes. I find the iPhone out of box sound to be warm with some treble roll off.
WA7 - this is a great combo and shows that the W60 scales very well. I use a Chord Mojo as the DAC right into the WA7. I swapped tubes to Siemens silver shields and it's fantastic combo. W60 really shine on hi res audio sources. The only EQ tweak I added was 1.5 dB from 8K on up, but not really sure I need that.
CDM - unfortunately I don't have an MMCX balanced cable so gave a brief listening session just with SE output. CDM adds better treble extension and clarity, but also adds that mid bass bump on top of what W60 already has. I did select tubes with mid bass to compliment my Laylas so more neutral tubes and possibly balanced cable would work better. I can't really conclude anything here except that better, more powerful amps seem to give better treble extension on the W60s.
Summary
As I stated at the beginning, I think the W60 are underrated IEMs. Sure, they are not for everyone, but I do think they will appeal to the high end crowd, especially those who lightly EQ to their preferred taste. I add EQ for all my headphones and IEM. My philosophy is that no manufacturer will ever make a headphone that suites my very specific tastes and sensitivities. For those who don't want to fuss with EQ, then W60 is mellow, organic sounding IEM that excels in the mids and give enough depth in the bass and width in the treble to give an overall solid realistic sound that should work with most music genres. One more note, depending on what you were listening to before W60, you really need to give the W60s a solid week of listening to have your ears adjust. This isn't burn in, but I think you will find a remarkable change after a week. Are the W60s worth $1K? Again it's a personal decision but there are not many IEMs in this price range. The irony is there are more choices above $1K, then around $1K. If you think that TOTL IEMs have shifted into the $1.5K range, then W60s are a good value. If you are a midfi fan, there certainly are excellent IEMs in the $500 range so the W60s would seem over priced. Personally, I think $799 is the right price point for W60s. I paid slightly less LOL.
