[spook76]

I appreciate that 2 days is not really long enough but here are my impressions compared to the Shure 846 so far.
Source was AK240 through a Chord Hugo and I used the same Comply foam tips on both IEMs.

I have had the 846 since Xmas so they are truly run in and I use a double helix cable rather than the stock cable.
Interestingly I tried the same cable on the W60 and it was worse than the stock braided cable.
In terms of build quality then yes I concur the 846 are superior to the W60. However because of size the W60
win out for comfort for me. You could wear them all day with ease.
Music was:
Laura Veirs
Vic Chesnutt
Lou Reed
Cowboy Junkies
Ride
Pearl Jam
Bill Frisell
REM 
Sonic Youth
Ron Sexsmith

The 846 have the ability to grab you by the throat with a forceful and dynamic sound I have not heard from IEMs before.
The bass is incredibly deep yet not overbearing. The only criticism is that sometimes the vocals can be a little muted
on some tracks. I use the balanced filter as I prefer this to the other two choices. The bass never becomes too intrusive
and the midrange is clear.
Compared to the 846 the W60 are more subtle, the 846 are not subtle they are there to do a job and by God they do it.
So it takes a few listens to appreciate the W60 and to my ears they give a slightly wider soundstage than the 846 and I believe a slightly better vocal performance on more acoustic type tracks.
So for example Vic Chesnutt sounds better with the W60 but I feel that Pearl Jam benefit from the 846 approach.
Early REM sounded better with the W60 as I felt the wider soundstage and the ability to understand Michael Stipes vocals
gave the W60 the edge. Whereas Sonic Youth love the 846.
I detected no harshness with either the W60 or the 846 and neither pair ever lost control of the music.

I also own the Sennheiser HD800 and the Grado PS1000, however since I got the 846 I hardly ever use these with
my portable set up.

It is early days yet and I need a few hundred more hours with the W60 but so far I score both the 846 and the W60
at 9 out of 10. I am going to live with the W60 for a week then alternate with the 846 and in a couple of months it will
be interesting to see if I decide to favour one over the other.

So in conclusion, at this early stage, both are fantastic. Credit to Shure for setting the pace with the 846 and leaving most others
well behind, I sold my IE800 within days of getting the 846. Credit for Westone for raising their game with the W60.

Excellent review and comparison.

 

[Jim Barry]

  All stock sold now on Amazon UK.
It will be interesting to see what the price is when they are back in stock as I feel 599 pounds was
a great bargain.
Normally in the UK we tend to pay as if the pound and dollar were parity.
Still the pound has been somewhat stronger this year so maybe things are changing for the better.

Yep, getting anything better than 1:1 is generally a bit of a result. To be fair, headline prices in the USA are pre-tax whereas UK prices include 20% VAT so it's not a fair comparison. Which is why the DAQOnline price was so surprisingly good. I got some insanely great deals when the exchange rate was nearing 2:1 about 5 years ago, then it all went pear-shaped after the financial meltdown. As you say, the pound seems to have recovered a bit lately.

 

[M Coupe]

Cheznous- Strings and Female vocals shine with this IEM among other things.  If you like Concrete Blonde, check out this song, "Little Conversations."  Good imaging and sound.
 
 

 

[uelover]

I

Behavioral economics is a fascinating subject. Spyro could be a case study.
Don't worry too much, the w60 are stunning iem's. I can't fault them and certainly don't have buyers remorse.
I listened to dark side of the moon the other night and it was the best I had ever heard it.
Tremendous with acoustic music as well.
You can't go wrong with the w60.
Nothing worse than a seed of doubt after making a purchase.

 
Both W60 and W30 are fantastic IEMs.
 
The W30 has a more V-shape fun sound which I enjoyed but can get a little bit of listening fatigue due to the sparkling treble which is rare in the entire Westone range.
 
The W60 is the regular player while the W30 is a super sub to spice up your life once in a while.

 

[Spyro]

  Dammit Spyro, whatever happened to the W60 being "absolute perfection", "truly flawless", etc?

Yes, you can't go wrong with W60.  It's unreal. I have had JH13 and JH16 and W60 is the smoothest most refined sounding IEM I have ever stuck in my ears bar none.  The transparency and detail is fascinating as well.  But this is very hard to describe but there is a backdrop of (almost) an overall smoothness that lacks BITE and excitement (can someone else chime in and validate this?)
 
This may be good or bad depending on your taste of music and preference of sound.  I REALLY do not want to steer anyone wrong here.  The W60 is incredible.  But after a few days of soaking in that euphoria you have to ask...is this what I have been seeking all along?  I still take nothing back other than saying it certainly leans towards the darker/smoother side and based on what I am reading about W50/Pro50 I have to think W60 kills those!
 
W30 is a pretty different animal.  It is NOT all that smooth or refined sounding.  It is rawer sounding but has a sensational amount of detail and is brighter sounding than Pro30, UM3X or W60 (and it would seem W50 too).
 
It is still a preference thing but the brighter sound is really refreshing from the typical Westone warm (slightly) veiled sound sig.   And the NX1 has some crazy synergy with it.  Other quick comparisons (with the $50 NX1 amp)
 
W2:  Similarly balanced bright(er) sound sig but much fuller bass and larger soundstage.
W3:  No mid bass bump...much more linear.  Midrange more forward which naturally shrinks the soundstage a bit.
UM3X/Pro30:  Brighter and better represented treble.  I find Pro30  bass quite front and center and a bit thump thump dominated.   W30 does that too but is more balanced sounding.  Bass is not as front and centered.  Just balanced.
SE535:  Similar level of "brightness" or "aliveness" but bass is bigger, treble extends farther and midrange not quite as forward.  W30 superior for sure.  More fun sounding.
TF10 Pro:  As said a few posts above.   Very very close but I find TF10 midrange cloudy or veiled.  W30 has a much better represented midrange.   Treble and bass I would gauge about the same.
 
For reference, I did not care for SE846.  Perhaps I am sensitive to forward midrange but to me it sounded like the trumpet player was not 4-5 rows away but literally the next chair over and blowing 2 feet from my head.  Fatiguing to me but I DO listen kind of loud.
 
Just trying to give reference points for people.  Complaint about W30????  Lacks smoothness and refinement which W60 has, ... but overall I like what W30 does as a whole package moreso than what W60 (or SE846) does.  I am truly spoiled.  I am really splitting hairs here.  With my Ipod Classic + NX1 amp + W30 the sound is truly amazing.  No B.S.  No hype.  Being totally honest.  I hope the reference points above help someone/anyone.

 

[daviemcc]

I appreciate that 2 days is not really long enough but here are my impressions compared to the Shure 846 so far.
Source was AK240 through a Chord Hugo and I used the same Comply foam tips on both IEMs.

I have had the 846 since Xmas so they are truly run in and I use a double helix cable rather than the stock cable.
Interestingly I tried the same cable on the W60 and it was worse than the stock braided cable.
In terms of build quality then yes I concur the 846 are superior to the W60. However because of size the W60
win out for comfort for me. You could wear them all day with ease.
Music was:
Laura Veirs
Vic Chesnutt
Lou Reed
Cowboy Junkies
Ride
Pearl Jam
Bill Frisell
REM 
Sonic Youth
Ron Sexsmith

The 846 have the ability to grab you by the throat with a forceful and dynamic sound I have not heard from IEMs before.
The bass is incredibly deep yet not overbearing. The only criticism is that sometimes the vocals can be a little muted
on some tracks. I use the balanced filter as I prefer this to the other two choices. The bass never becomes too intrusive
and the midrange is clear.
Compared to the 846 the W60 are more subtle, the 846 are not subtle they are there to do a job and by God they do it.
So it takes a few listens to appreciate the W60 and to my ears they give a slightly wider soundstage than the 846 and I believe a slightly better vocal performance on more acoustic type tracks.
So for example Vic Chesnutt sounds better with the W60 but I feel that Pearl Jam benefit from the 846 approach.
Early REM sounded better with the W60 as I felt the wider soundstage and the ability to understand Michael Stipes vocals
gave the W60 the edge. Whereas Sonic Youth love the 846.
I detected no harshness with either the W60 or the 846 and neither pair ever lost control of the music.

I also own the Sennheiser HD800 and the Grado PS1000, however since I got the 846 I hardly ever use these with
my portable set up.

It is early days yet and I need a few hundred more hours with the W60 but so far I score both the 846 and the W60
at 9 out of 10. I am going to live with the W60 for a week then alternate with the 846 and in a couple of months it will
be interesting to see if I decide to favour one over the other.

So in conclusion, at this early stage, both are fantastic. Credit to Shure for setting the pace with the 846 and leaving most others
well behind, I sold my IE800 within days of getting the 846. Credit for Westone for raising their game with the W60.

That is a good review.
I always thought the 846 may be better for rock as it is more in your face.
Keep the thread updated with your long term thoughts

 

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

I hear what your saying Spyro, the W60 is darker and smoother than the W30. I also find the W30 more fun to listen to than the W60, but the W60 is no doubt the technically superior iem in terms of reference sound quality. I'm going to try getting a custom cable to see if I can remove some of the darkness from the W60 and make it more engaging, it would truly by unbeatable then. M Coupes suggestion of the copper litz cable seems on the money.

 

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

Hmm I've been thinking lately that I would like more midrange presence from the W60. I've been doing some critical listening and the treble and bass are louder than the mids to my ears, also the mids are very smooth while the bass and treble both have impact to them which further pronounces the feeling that the mids are veiled or recessed. Anyone else finding it  V shape sounding?

 

[DatGuy]

I agree with those observations.
But remember that the design philosophy of the W series is a more consumer oriented sound of slightly more pronounced highs and lows, as opposed to the UM series which are aimed at the professional/performer groups with their flatter signatures.

 

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

I'm beginning to realize that the V shape sound of W60 really isn't my thing. I prefer the U shape sound of the mid forward W3 

 

[Jim Barry]

  Hmm I've been thinking lately that I would like more midrange presence from the W60. I've been doing some critical listening and the treble and bass are louder than the mids to my ears, also the mids are very smooth while the bass and treble both have impact to them which further pronounces the feeling that the mids are veiled or recessed. Anyone else finding it  V shape sounding?

This is exactly what you are paying the big bucks for - a flatter response with extended highs and lows. So naturally the mids will sound quieter compared to earphones with a more "rolled off" frequency response. Also the human auditory system perceives high/low frequencies as being louder relative to mid frequencies at higher sound pressure levels, so it may help to listen with the volume turned down slightly.

 

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

  This is exactly what you are paying the big bucks for - a flatter response with extended highs and lows. So naturally the mids will sound quieter compared to earphones with a more "rolled off" frequency response. Also the human auditory system perceives high/low frequencies as being louder relative to mid frequencies at higher sound pressure levels, so it may help to listen with the volume turned down slightly.

 
As far as extension goes, I've compared the W60 to the W3 and they both bottom out at 25hz at roughly the same loudness, so they both have the same bass extension. There is no denying the bass of W60 has much better texture and timbre though. Same goes for the treble, they extend roughly the same but the W60 has better texture etc. The problem here is that the mids of the W60 are just not as loud as the bass an treble. Lowering the volume or using lower gain does help to some extent, but it doesn't fix the problem for me. The W3 on the other hand has forward mids that never get fatiguing, I actually find the v shape sound of the W60 quite fatiguing!

 

[uelover]

  I'm beginning to realize that the V shape sound of W60 really isn't my thing. I prefer the U shape sound of the mid forward W3 

 
The W60 is not V-shape sounding and neither is its mids recessed.
 
My impression is with my Benchmark DAC1. 

 

[Jim Barry]

I could never get on with the W3 because of its thick sound caused by the pronounced peak in the upper-bass/lower-mid frequencies. The W4 solved this problem brilliantly but was slightly lacking in overall bass response. The tip selection makes a huge difference, of course. The Comply tips tend to boost the bass and dull the treble, and for me the medium size P-100 was the perfect companion for the bass-shy, brightish W4/W4R.
 
Unfortunately the fit is quite a bit different with the W60 (different stem angle, deeper insertion, more like the UM2) and the P-100 isn't working so well for me due to comfort issues. Also the treble attenuation is tilting the sound too much towards the bass.
 
I had some UM56 custom tips made a few years back but ended up hardly using them, partly because of their tendency to emphasize the mid frequencies. But this characteristic actually pairs quite well with the W60, resulting in a rather nicely balanced sound. So I may get my money's worth out of the UM56 after all. The only problem is that the isolation is poor compared to the Comply tips.

 

[Spyro]

   
As far as extension goes, I've compared the W60 to the W3 and they both bottom out at 25hz at roughly the same loudness, so they both have the same bass extension. There is no denying the bass of W60 has much better texture and timbre though. Same goes for the treble, they extend roughly the same but the W60 has better texture etc. The problem here is that the mids of the W60 are just not as loud as the bass an treble. Lowering the volume or using lower gain does help to some extent, but it doesn't fix the problem for me. The W3 on the other hand has forward mids that never get fatiguing, I actually find the v shape sound of the W60 quite fatiguing!

I disagree.  W3 does NOT have forward mids. The recessed mids is its #1 complaint???   W3 is a  recessed mid and very V-shaped sound sig.
 
W60 mids are moderately forward and just about perfect to my ears where SE846 are overly forward and dominate over bass and treble.