[ubercaffeinated]

  I am astounded by the lack of interest in the "best in class" flagship Westone universal.  I understand the price point makes it a much smaller market but having owned both SE846 and W60 back to back within a week, I emphatically prefer W60.  Yes, it is my personal preference of a sound sig but the better treble extension, refinement and overall detail retrieval has nothing to do with preference.  It is what it is.   I can only think it is because Shure basically has 2 worthwhile higher end IEM's where Westone has 5 or 6.

 
I think it's because the W60 was released just this May, while the SE846 has been out much longer and can be had for around $750-800 now from some authorized dealers.  
 
I think interest in the W60 will pick up given a few more months. It is a faultless IEM.

 

[jlbrach]

I own the 846 and had the w60 which i returned.To my ears the 846 is head and shoulders better!I have owned pretty much every IEM and i love the 846

 

[uelover]

I own the 846 and had the w60 which i returned.To my ears the 846 is head and shoulders better!I have owned pretty much every IEM and i love the 846

They are two very different sounding iem and personal preference will determine which is 'better'. The se846 could be fatiguing after a while (in terms of its sound and physical comfort).

I find the 846 to be quite aggressive while the w60 is mellow.

 

[daviemcc]

I own the 846 and had the w60 which i returned.To my ears the 846 is head and shoulders better!I have owned pretty much every IEM and i love the 846

I think you have already stated that before on this thread.

 

[Spyro]

I actually find them similar in many ways.
 

1. Neither one is u-shaped or v-shaped. They are both pretty balanced.
2. Midrange and vocals are superb on both.  SE846 is just more forward.
3. Bass is outstanding on both but not overdone or bloated in any way.
4. Both excel with all and any type of music (IMHO).
5. Detail is outstanding on both.  But one would expect that at this pricepoint.

 

[LFC_SL]

I agree SE846 may come across as forward for some tastes on budget daps and your smartphones / tablets because that is the output signature of modern devices. Or rather the chips that present economic / business decisions dictate. If you use high end source like Hugo or AK240 the space and 3dimension-ality is very much translated to SE846 and sounds so sweet & awesome.

In regards to fitting, as I said in forza audioworks thread, aftermarket cable without memory wire makes big difference. SE846 now flat against ear using same tips. Impressive difference versus stock cable where it stuck out a little. The memory section never bothered me but am noticing difference in fitting profile.

I hope this helps someone. If you are prepared to invest in the game then probably best to get source / amp sorted before demoing headphones. System synergy and source matching may affect buying decision. If you just intend to rock smartphone then take that to shop and demo accordingly.

 

[uelover]

I agree SE846 may come across as forward for some tastes on budget daps and your smartphones / tablets because that is the output signature of modern devices. Or rather the chips that present economic / business decisions dictate. If you use high end source like Hugo or AK240 the space and 3dimension-ality is very much translated to SE846 and sounds so sweet & awesome.
 

 
That was a poor sweeping statement IMO.
 
Something that has the correct spec will work fine with the SE846. No need for the so call 'high end' products.
 
SE846 has a very low impedance so device matching has to be careful. If the output impedance of the device is high, the bass on the SE846 will sound weak while the treble will be more fatiguing than what was originally intended.

 

[ubercaffeinated]

   
That was a poor sweeping statement IMO.
 
Something that has the correct spec will work fine with the SE846. No need for the so call 'high end' products.
 
SE846 has a very low impedance so device matching has to be careful. If the output impedance of the device is high, the bass on the SE846 will sound weak while the treble will be more fatiguing than what was originally intended.

 
Exactly. A source with less than 1 ohm of output impedance is a must for multi BA IEMs. A good digital source will do the job the same as any other. Priority should be placed on the source of the material/mastering quality of the album.
 
Also, the AK240 has an output impedance of 2 ohms out of the headphone jack. You can get 1 ohm output impedance out of the balanced out however.

 

[Spyro]

I agree SE846 may come across as forward for some tastes on budget daps and your smartphones / tablets because that is the output signature of modern devices. If you use high end source like Hugo or AK240 the space and 3dimension-ality is very much translated to SE846 and sounds so sweet & awesome.

 

 
That makes absolutely no sense.   It has little to do with the player and everything to do with the sound signature of the IEM.  It is what it is.  I think Shure reps would even tell you that the SE846 has forward mids.    But your "high end" player scoops the mids out?  Okay......?      I would surely want to avoid any player that so dramatically changes the sound sig of any IEM.

 

[M Coupe]

The good thing is...the W60 owners are showing up.  I spent 6 hours listing to mine thanks to an unnamed airline...
 
Please someone jump all over me if I have this wrong.  Both the W60 and 846 have done a great job representing their house sound at the highest level....they are different.  I happen to enjoy both.  I expect, many will have a very strong preference one way or another but that is completely cool.  
 
I found the 846 an instant hit for me. The W60, I had to spend significant time with.  The more I listen, the more I like it.  I could see the same being true for W60 lovers being true with the 846.

 

[LFC_SL]

That was a poor sweeping statement IMO.

Something that has the correct spec will work fine with the SE846. No need for the so call 'high end' products.

SE846 has a very low impedance so device matching has to be careful. If the output impedance of the device is high, the bass on the SE846 will sound weak while the treble will be more fatiguing than what was originally intended.

I think you and other members did not read properly. No where did I say the SE846 does not play nice with "normal" sources. I use it straight out of the Nexus 5 and Clip Zip just fine on daily commute and have been saying for ages the SE846 is clearly designed with modern smartphone in mind.

What I did say was you do notice the SE846 benefiting from a high end source, as with any other good headphone.

So no you do not need to buy the Hugo or AK240, do not worry. I only said they enhance the SE846 and went into how. If you have not heard the Hugo or AK240 then demo, don't criticise.

 

[davidcotton]

The W60, I had to spend significant time with.  The more I listen, the more I like it. 

 
Which correct me if I'm wrong by all means, was pretty much the evaluation of the 4/4r before it.  Nothing too exciting to start with, but over longer periods people appreciated it more.

 

[Spyro]

   
Which correct me if I'm wrong by all means, was pretty much the evaluation of the 4/4r before it.  Nothing too exciting to start with, but over longer periods people appreciated it more.

 
Certainly.  Not to oversimplify but W60 is a W4 with following improvements:

1. Any sense of lower mid veil (or any veil for that matter) is completely gone.  Just amazing clarity throughout the midrange now.
2. This makes the transparency and realism even greater that what was already applauded with W4.
3. Bass is deeper and fuller but retains the tightness and texture of W4.  These better dynamics make it naturally more exciting.
4. Soundstage is a little larger.  I found it very nice with W4 but it seemed smaller and more intimate with W40.  With W60 it seems back to at least the size of W4, perhaps a tad larger.

 
That's basically it for any W4 owners out there.  ONLY YOU can determine if the price jump is worth it.
 
To me, SE846 was like, "WOW!"    W60 was more like "woooooow".

 

[M Coupe]

In the trust tree...
 
I did not like the 4R...at all.  I did like the W40.  I don't have either at the moment so this is straight memory.  I owned the 4R for a few months and demoed the 40.
 
I don't disagree with what has been said about the W60 but it has more than that over the 4R.  My only rationale is that I am listening to Balanced amp to my W60. I have to imagine that what I am hearing is a fact that the W60 scales up far better than the 4R or the W40.  
 
Thoughts?

 

[Spyro]

Just that the improvements I point out as a whole....are a pretty significant upgrade. And I think I need a new amp. Not getting much out of my I basso T3