[Spyro]

Received my W60's today.
 
I will surely say the jump in SQ from from W40 to W60 is as large as from SE535 to SE846.  
 
W60 is absolute perfection!  It truly is.  When I put them in my ears there was no huge “wow” factor or  anything that knocked me off my feet.  Just basically the best sound I have heard out of an IEM perhaps ever,  in a very relaxed and laid back kind of way.   This is simply the best treble I have heard with any IEM at any price.  Not as insanely detailed as JH13 but presents it much better, so much more naturally.   JH16 treble is also natural sounding and similar to W60 but JH16 overall has a VERY heavy presentation to it.  It’s like the 1,200 calorie cheeseburger.  W60 strikes a really nice balance between JH13 and JH16.
I can honestly sit here and say I may have finally reached my END GAME.  I am listening for flaws, any single flaw or thing I would change and there is absolutely NOTHING.   No matter what I throw at it, it all sounds sensational.  While it is very balanced I find the listening experience VERY emotionally engaging.  I attribute this mainly to the airiness and transparency.  It's much more out of head versus SE846.
 
Compared to W40:  Remember, W40 adds perhaps 15% more bass over W4.    I estimate W60 adds another 15% from W40 but it sounds a little more dynamic in nature.  Very elastic.  The lower midrange veil of W4/40  is completely gone which makes the overall transparency and resolution to die for!  SE846 has great clarity but it cannot match the W60 in terms of resolution and transparency.
 
W60 bass is just as good as SE846 in terms of amount and extension, it just doesn’t hit quite as hard.  Not sure that is necessarily a fault.  W60 treble and transparency are better, no question. The W60 sound stage is larger than W40 and SE846 and there is an added “airiness” which is very euphoric.  This surely is a result of getting rid of the lower mid veil.   Then throw in a butter smooth slightly warm presentation and you have an amazing audiophile device. 
 
Like SE846, the W60 is very efficient.  Amp is really not adding much to the sound.
 
 
Is W60 worth it?  There is something sick about this hobby.   I have been listening to some very very good IEM’s these past several years.  Better than perhaps 99.5% of people out there (as you have too!).  But even at that level we find “flaws” or things we wish the IEM did better.  Granted these things can be subtle but in correcting them you end up virtually erasing any and every flaw you perceive which ultimately leads to audio bliss and total listening perfection.   W60 did this for me.  Price aside, isn't this what it's all about?   In essence, the search is over.   So no, it is not a huge difference over W40 but it's as if the engineers had the exact intentions of what little more I was wanting from W40 and completely nailed it.  So ergonomically comfortable, so smooth and refined sounding yet so detailed....its absolute perfection to my ears. 

 

[spook76]

Spyro,

I am truly glad you love your W60. I knew it was the IEM for you.

If you want to hear the sound close to the 846 try "acoustic" EQ setting with the W60.

Enjoy years of sonic bliss.

P.S. Now you understand why MCoupe and I are so frustrated and disappointed with the marketing. It is a great IEM completely ignored by the Head-Fi community.

 

[imackler]

If you were to describe the bass quantity of the W60 to a non-Westone iem, what would it be comparble to? I tend toward non bass-heavy iems so I'm a little nervous... oh, and besides the SE846, which I haven't heard. 

 

[Spyro]

Nothing to worry about. The bass is NOT overdone in any way, not bloated in any way either. I would not even consider it a bass head's IEM and W3 an UM3X probably have a little more overall qty.
Non Westone comparisons? Hmmmm... perhaps GR10 with more weight and extension. It does sound a little more dynamic than typical BA.

Overall, I instantly preferred it over SE846 for the airiness, transparency and better treble.

 

[ubercaffeinated]

Spyro - I can't wait for you to relisten to all of your music. There will be moments that you will literally jump out of your seat or have your spine tingle because you did not expect the placement of the sounds to be so real. This thing takes soundstage and imaging to a level that the W4 couldn't and it is freaky as hell when IEMs can make you imagine you are hearing something behind you. 

 

[daviemcc]

Received my W60's today.

I will surely say the jump in SQ from from W40 to W60 is as large as from SE535 to SE846.  

W60 is absolute perfection!  It truly is.  When I put them in my ears there was no huge “wow” factor or  anything that knocked me off my feet.  Just basically the best sound I have heard out of an IEM perhaps ever,  in a very relaxed and laid back kind of way.   This is simply the best treble I have heard with any IEM at any price.  Not as insanely detailed as JH13 but presents it much better, so much more naturally.   JH16 treble is also natural sounding and similar to W60 but JH16 overall has a VERY heavy presentation to it.  It’s like the 1,200 calorie cheeseburger.  W60 strikes a really nice balance between JH13 and JH16.
I can honestly sit here and say I may have finally reached my END GAME.  I am listening for flaws, any single flaw or thing I would change and there is absolutely NOTHING.   No matter what I throw at it, it all sounds sensational.  While it is very balanced I find the listening experience VERY emotionally engaging.  I attribute this mainly to the airiness and transparency.  It's much more out of head versus SE846.

Compared to W40:  Remember, W40 adds perhaps 15% more bass over W4.    I estimate W60 adds another 15% from W40 but it sounds a little more dynamic in nature.  Very elastic.  The lower midrange veil of W4/40  is completely gone which makes the overall transparency and resolution to die for!  SE846 has great clarity but it cannot match the W60 in terms of resolution and transparency.

W60 bass is just as good as SE846 in terms of amount and extension, it just doesn’t hit quite as hard.  Not sure that is necessarily a fault.  W60 treble and transparency are better, no question. The W60 sound stage is larger than W40 and SE846 and there is an added “airiness” which is very euphoric.  This surely is a result of getting rid of the lower mid veil.   Then throw in a butter smooth slightly warm presentation and you have an amazing audiophile device. 

Like SE846, the W60 is very efficient.  Amp is really not adding much to the sound.


Is W60 worth it?  There is something sick about this hobby.   I have been listening to some very very good IEM’s these past several years.  Better than perhaps 99.5% of people out there (as you have too!).  But even at that level we find “flaws” or things we wish the IEM did better.  Granted these things can be subtle but in correcting them you end up virtually erasing any and every flaw you perceive which ultimately leads to audio bliss and total listening perfection.   W60 did this for me.  Price aside, isn't this what it's all about?   In essence, the search is over.   So no, it is not a huge difference over W40 but it's as if the engineers had the exact intentions of what little more I was wanting from W40 and completely nailed it.  So ergonomically comfortable, so smooth and refined sounding yet so detailed....its absolute perfection to my ears. 

They sound very good. Maybe your review will start a buying frenzy.
I suppose it really is just the se535 vs w4 debate again with better quality.
I had the se530 which I loved and now the w4r which I also think are great. The only thing I don't like about the 4r is that vocals can be quite distant as if the singer is too far away.
I will now get the w60 as you make it sound spot on.
If money was no object would you consider the se846 as an adjunct to the w60? They seem to offer something different in the more forward vocals and deeper bass or would you just never wear them?

 

[Spyro]

If money was no object would you consider the se846 as an adjunct to the w60? They seem to offer something different in the more forward vocals and deeper bass or would you just never wear them?

 
In your case it is tough to say.  Forward vocals is forward midrange.  SE846 is certainly more forward sounding than W60 but I don't hear anything distant about W60 vocals.  It's "right there" in front of you and plenty intimate.
 
I don't see any reason to own both of these together.  If you really like the forward midrange or what sounds like a bell shaped curve then SE846 is probably the better choice.  But to my ears the W60 sounds more refined, smoother and has overall better detail retrieval.  And like I say, other than SE846 hitting a little harder, the extension, depth, amount and texture is equal.
 
I'm using the supplied "star" tips.  The exact ones that they arrived in.  (No yuckey foam tips!!).  The overall comfort and fit is insanely better than the Shure.

 

[spook76]

In your case it is tough to say.  Forward vocals is forward midrange.  SE846 is certainly more forward sounding than W60 but I don't hear anything distant about W60 vocals.  It's "right there" in front of you and plenty intimate.

I don't see any reason to own both of these together.  If you really like the forward midrange or what sounds like a bell shaped curve then SE846 is probably the better choice.  But to my ears the W60 sounds more refined, smoother and has overall better detail retrieval.  And like I say, other than SE846 hitting a little harder, the extension, depth, amount and texture is equal.

I'm using the supplied "star" tips.  The exact ones that they arrived in.  (No yuckey foam tips!!).  The overall comfort and fit is insanely better than the Shure.

Nothing like an unbiased opinion.

I will not argue the sonic signature as that is person taste. However, I stand by my earlier review that the fit is very finicky because of the nozzle angle and without the proper fit you lose the bass and the soundstage.

Also, I know you have always preferred Westone to Shure but it might be helpful to a reader to state your bias upfront as I and MCoupe did in our reviews.

And I am being nice not to mention the "build" quality of the W60 or the lack of a flange on the nozzle to help hold the tip in place. Why the flange was omitted is a complete mystery to me.

 

[imackler]

Nothing like an unbiased opinion.

I will not argue the sonic signature as that is person taste. However, I stand by my earlier review that the fit is very finicky because of the nozzle angle and without the proper fit you lose the bass and the soundstage.

Also, I know you have always preferred Westone to Shure but it might be helpful to a reader to state your bias upfront as I and MCoupe did in our reviews.

And I am being nice not to mention the "build" quality of the W60 or the lack of a flange on the nozzle to help hold the tip in place. Why the flange was omitted is a complete mystery to me.

 
I appreciate your opinions spook76 but there is never a reason on headfi to attack the man for being biased, especially when in his comment, he says that "If you really like the forward midrange or what sounds like a bell shaped curve then SE846 is probably the better choice." That doesn't really sound biased. Neither did he complain about the weight of the SE846 or the cable, other potentially negative things he could have said. 
 
Personally, I've followed Spyro for about 5x's as long as you've been on headfi. Spyro has a ton of love for Shure over that time! It's true that Westone has offered more products for us iem-indecisive users to buy-sell-rebuy than shure has during that time, but the SE535 has been in Spyro's rotation. I've had a very similar journey. 
 
Spyro was personally asked a question from the headfier, though not by pm, "If money was no object would you consider the se846 as an adjunct to the w60? They seem to offer something different in the more forward vocals and deeper bass or would you just never wear them?" which he answered with his opinion. 
 
IMO, it would be awesome if you gave your opinion and left Spyro's character out of it. 

 

[Spyro]

Nothing like an unbiased opinion.

I will not argue the sonic signature as that is person taste. However, I stand by my earlier review that the fit is very finicky because of the nozzle angle and without the proper fit you lose the bass and the soundstage.

Also, I know you have always preferred Westone to Shure but it might be helpful to a reader to state your bias upfront as I and MCoupe did in our reviews.

And I am being nice not to mention the "build" quality of the W60 or the lack of a flange on the nozzle to help hold the tip in place. Why the flange was omitted is a complete mystery to me.

Truly unbelievable!  IMHO the stupid "barb" on the Shure nozzle continues to be a design flaw they never bothered to fix.  Do you know how many tips I have ruined trying to pull and twist them off?  To have to put Shure IEM's in a freezer for 20 minutes to remove them is a complete joke!
 
Spook, I sense I hit a nerve with you because you know I am right that it is pretty undisputable the W60 is technically superior.  The treble detail, transparency and airiness are NOT opinions, they are better features.
 
How many times do I have to state that I do not like a forward midrange????  It is quite obvious each and every review I do is my opinion based on what I like in an IEM.  People know this and take it it taken into context along with my opinions.
 
It's great that you prefer SE846.  I'm happy for you!

 

[Spyro]

Build quality? Should we start with the swivel connector and which company had more "shorting out" issues?
Oh, I know, it wasn't really a quality issue. Just needed to take it apart and clean it. Reminds me of the "freezer" issue.

 

[spook76]

Truly unbelievable!  IMHO the stupid "barb" on the Shure nozzle continues to be a design flaw they never bothered to fix.  Do you know how many tips I have ruined trying to pull and twist them off?  To have to put Shure IEM's in a freezer for 20 minutes to remove them is a complete joke!

Spook, I sense I hit a nerve with you because you know I am right that it is pretty undisputable the W60 is technically superior.  The treble detail, transparency and airiness are NOT opinions, they are better features.

How many times do I have to state that I do not like a forward midrange????  It is quite obvious each and every review I do is my opinion based on what I like in an IEM.  People know this and take it it taken into context along with my opinions.

It's great that you prefer SE846.  I'm happy for you!

No you did not "hit a nerve". I posted an honest review of the two IEMs and I stand by what I said with my bias clearly stated.

I FELL the SE846 technically superior so please do not state your opinions as facts as they are not. The treble sizzle is fatiguing on the W60, the midrange is dryer and to say the that bass on W60 reaches as deep or as detailed as the SE846 is laughable.

These are my opinions but I do not state them as indisputable facts so please do me and other readers the courtesy and do the same.

 

[ubercaffeinated]

And I am being nice not to mention the "build" quality of the W60 or the lack of a flange on the nozzle to help hold the tip in place. Why the flange was omitted is a complete mystery to me.

 
Westone IEMs have never had a flared flange tip on the nozzle stem to help hold the tip in place - it's never needed something like that as tips do not randomly slide off. And having had owned 4 Westone IEMs to date, I can safely say, none of them had an issue with tips coming off too easily due to lack of a flare on the nozzle end. I think the majority of people who own any Westone IEMs can attest to the same, barring any inter-user differences accounting for hygiene or extra oily skin.
 
And you keep bringing up build quality like it's an issue with the W60 - but it's not. Let's remind everyone that you are comparing the build quality to the 846. These are TOTL IEMs. Neither the 846 nor the W60 are going to survive being in a fire, being run over by a car, being eaten by a dog, going through the washer and dryer, etc etc. Both the 846 and the W60 are going to survive the same conditions they are going to be used in - responsible, adult owned usage. These things should be going from case to ear canals, and then back to case - every time. I am not going to swing the W60 around like some medieval flail, and neither should you with the SE846.
 
I can't tell you what the 846 feels like in my hands yet, but the W60 isn't some fragile porcelain doll. Never have I ever felt that the W60 would snap or break in between my fingers. The shells don't creak, and the nozzle doesn't bend with the application of pressure to change tips. The MMCX connections are solid. As I've mentioned previously, the W60 feels more solid than the W4 did to me - the build quality of the shell is closer to the UM series, and the shells on those bad boys are hand finished in the US. The cable doesn't have that annoying memory wire on it, and has zero microphonics to mention.
 
But really, why are we STILL talking about build quality. It's a nonissue. It's established that should anything go wrong and break, Westone will gladly replace or fix the IEMs. Westone customer service is legendary for that and it's part of the reason I and many others go back to them.
 
Let's go back to what they sound like, shall we?

 

[ubercaffeinated]

.

 

[spook76]

Uber,

Unfortunately, not having a flange on the W60 is an omission in my opinion. When I removed the W60 a couple of times (to be honest, it was an unusual occurrence) the Star Tip remained in my ear. While I sympathize with Spyro and a flange damaging a tip that is in my opinion far better than having to take tweezers and extracting a tip from my ear canal.

I do agree that sound is far more important so I do not want to derail this thread.

Please keep in mind while I prefer the 846, I truly enjoyed the W60 and think it is a well tuned, polished sounding IEM.