[twister6]

 

   
If you are impressed how they fit 6 drivers into that small bean shaped shell, wait till you see W80 where the shell is a hair slimmer and stuffed with 8 drivers

 
As @BKG22 above mentioned, UM56 could be one of the solutions, I covered it in my review HERE, though its advantage is more with creating CIEM-like seal which might or might not help in your case.  The advantage of Shure olives tips is shorter stem of the eartips which jams the shell deeper in your ear, and could cause the uncomfort you experiencing where it's rubbing against your antihelix.  If you look at the included Westone silicone Star tips, they don't just vary in diameter but also in length.  That could control the depth of the shell insertion which can help with a fit.  Try the largest star tip with "orange" marking.  You don't need to jam it all the way into your ear, even half way in will still give you a good seal of earcanal and it should work as a "spacer" to give your antihelix more room to "breath"

  See if that will help?

 
Thanks, @twister6 - and thanks for all your reviews, which are really excellent. I've actually been using the orange star tips, but the housing is still causing pressure against the antihelix of my left ear. It seems there's just not enough lateral width in my left ear to accommodate the earbud.
 
I may try a pair of CIEMs, though I worry that I might encounter a similar problem. It's a real disappointment since the W60 is genuinely outstanding (as you yourself have said). I auditioned them against the JH 13 v2, Campfire Audio Jupiter, and Noble Audio Savant, and the W60 was the clear winner.
 
The W80 is an engineering marvel, as you say. I didn't spend long enough with them to get a good feel for the sound (they're out of my price range, unfortunately), but they did impress me.

 
Yeah, maybe CIEMs is the way to go for you, and if not - perhaps full size headphones as the last resort?

 

[djhitman]

Does anyone have a comparison between the w60 with the ie800's?

 

[twister6]

Does anyone have a comparison between the w60 with the ie800's?

 
Never had a chance to listen to IE800, but many describe it as v-shaped with enhanced bass and crisp treble, which is probably not in the same ballpark as more balanced lush laid back warmer sound of W60.  Wonder if anybody has both and can offer the actual a/b comparison.

 

[xaddictionx]

Does anyone have a comparison between the w60 with the ie800's?

Sound signatures wise they're definitely worlds apart.

IE800 forte lies in its voluptuous sub bass coupled with great details attributing to it's brighter signature and "sharper"/energized treble range. Vocals wise it's not as lush and smooth compared to Westone offerings.

W60 attributes mainly for its buttery smooth sound signature which maybe described as warmer and more balanced. W60 has great pounding bass too. Though it's not as deep and punchy than IE800 it's definitely very enjoyable and blends well with any music thrown at it. W60 has great details and resolution too just not as prominent with its smoother treble range.

Choosing between both models are very subjective as they're miles apart. Considering practicality and ergonomics wise W60 takes the lead. IE800 uses proprietary tips which is a hassle. The fit might not suit all and its hard to get replacement tips should you lose it. Personally i prefer the W60 to IE800 and even to SE846. But the W60 does scale better with aftermarket cable rather than Westone stock cable though.

 

[anqallyt]

Just got these 2 days ago. First impression was a let down. After 4 hour burn in MUCH better. After 8 hours... Stellar!!! Every BA IEM needs 12 hours before they kick in. I'm 54 so the price is misleading. Back when I was 16 had a 800.00 dollar stereo system with 50.00 headphones so 1K for these is on par. That being said having TOTL sound in an IEM for this price is fair. Are these perfect NO but to all those out there that want one set of IEMS save and get these. I've spent many a thousand on this journey and these are by far my happiest purchase and second come my Grado's 325e's. These are not bassy but have excellent imaging and the only IEMS that come close to them that I own are the Dunu dn-2000j's. I'm not an audiophile because I enjoy music. Audiophile is a term they don't even understand. Denon has the best adjective MUSIC MANIAC of which I am. The only thing I would say is the vocals are slightly behind. The mids, bass, treble are right on. I have owned every almost every Westone W series W20,30,40(still have) and the 60's are top notch.  These will make every DAP you sound better and the better the DAC you have the better they will be. My FIIO x5ii/ea12a really push these nicely. I know for a fact I have own/owned more headphones/IEMS  than 99% of the people out there and yes I have owned the Sennheiser hd650's which I sold. These are now my favorite. And yeah I have the Hifiman he400i's and a lot more so GET em. It's pointless to grade the bass/treble and highs the MOST important categories are IMAGING and separation. Because everything else is subjective. I like everything for Sinatra to Black Sabbath and current Christian music. Fantastic product!!!  

 

[twister6]

  Just got these 2 days ago. First impression was a let down. After 4 hour burn in MUCH better. After 8 hours... Stellar!!! Every BA IEM needs 12 hours before they kick in. I'm 54 so the price is misleading. Back when I was 16 had a 800.00 dollar stereo system with 50.00 headphones so 1K for these is on par. That being said having TOTL sound in an IEM for this price is fair. Are these perfect NO but to all those out there that want one set of IEMS save and get these. I've spent many a thousand on this journey and these are by far my happiest purchase and second come my Grado's 325e's. These are not bassy but have excellent imaging and the only IEMS that come close to them that I own are the Dunu dn-2000j's. I'm not an audiophile because I enjoy music. Audiophile is a term they don't even understand. Denon has the best adjective MUSIC MANIAC of which I am. The only thing I would say is the vocals are slightly behind. The mids, bass, treble are right on. I have owned every almost every Westone W series W20,30,40(still have) and the 60's are top notch.  These will make every DAP you sound better and the better the DAC you have the better they will be. My FIIO x5ii/ea12a really push these nicely. I know for a fact I have own/owned more headphones/IEMS  than 99% of the people out there and yes I have owned the Sennheiser hd650's which I sold. These are now my favorite. And yeah I have the Hifiman he400i's and a lot more so GET em. It's pointless to grade the bass/treble and highs the MOST important categories are IMAGING and separation. Because everything else is subjective. I like everything for Sinatra to Black Sabbath and current Christian music. Fantastic product!!!  

 
As I was reading through your post, I was thinking to myself that you are listing quite a variety of different headphones/earphones with an opposite sound sig (as an example, w60 and dn2kj) but your last sentence cleared everything up!!!!

  You are right, we all judge based on different perspectives which have higher priority to our ears.  For example, if you care about imaging as your higher priority, you have to go for W-series rather than UM Pro series, that's definitely objective, not subjective.
 
Btw, X5ii with E12A is a good pair up.  I'm not too crazy about X5ii internal amp, but E12A with its MUSE02 opamps is very clean and transparent.  I guess the next step for you is X5iii (so far based on my testing it's a great budget dap, as long as you don't have very sensitive iems) and maybe w80?

 

[pacman46]

I find with the right tips and insulation these can hit pretty low, and keeps everything else fairly balanced. I find when I use the silicone medium black or the larger red ones these sounding fairly balanced maybe more on the brighter side with great detail and separation imiging is spot on to me. Now I switched to red foam tips and the insulation is great/amazing and these become a different story Imo. Still great imiging and separation but now lifted the bottom end a little more making them sound, I want to say more natural, sorry I'm not really great at describing this stuff just know what I like or what sounds correct to my ears. Now they sound fuller and warmer like everyone says they sound. I didn't really find them that warm when using the silicon tips but with the foam tips provided make them sound fuller especially in the mids and bottom end. I loved these with the black silicone tips but with the foam tips and a better insulation have taken these to that beautiful sweet spot for me. And if I may add, some people complain that foam or comply tips soak up the highs and make them sound maybe rolled off? But when you roll the tips properly before inserting them to me that doesn't happen. All of this is just my opinion of course lol plus I'm really not sure why the w60 don't get much more praise around here they are simply great and so underrated imo.

 

[anqallyt]

   
As I was reading through your post, I was thinking to myself that you are listing quite a variety of different headphones/earphones with an opposite sound sig (as an example, w60 and dn2kj) but your last sentence cleared everything up!!!!

  You are right, we all judge based on different perspectives which have higher priority to our ears.  For example, if you care about imaging as your higher priority, you have to go for W-series rather than UM Pro series, that's definitely objective, not subjective.
 
Btw, X5ii with E12A is a good pair up.  I'm not too crazy about X5ii internal amp, but E12A with its MUSE02 opamps is very clean and transparent.  I guess the next step for you is X5iii (so far based on my testing it's a great budget dap, as long as you don't have very sensitive iems) and maybe w80?

Yeah after reading I could understand your comments or how it is read.  I absolutely agree the w60's and dunu dn-2000j's are not the same sig but I like what the dunu's do. When I got my Grado's I was awed yeah they are high oriented but on unplugged music they sing and are really solid for 70's rock. I did not like the senn 650's but like the ath-r70x's. Go figure. On my 3rd day with w60's I have to say they are very nice to listen to. I a/b'd them with my w40's and they are better but not twice as good. I got the w60's on a boxing day order for a few hundred less(a lot less actually) but it took forever to get them as the retailer messed up. . . They're an authorized dealer and I bought a lot of stuff from them so they honored the boxing day price for me. I would like to hear the new x5 but as for the w80's they are out of my price league. The w60's sound just great paired with my Chord Mojo and PC. That's another topic!!  BTW thanks for your response....

 

[anqallyt]

I find with the right tips and insulation these can hit pretty low, and keeps everything else fairly balanced. I find when I use the silicone medium black or the larger red ones these sounding fairly balanced maybe more on the brighter side with great detail and separation imiging is spot on to me. Now I switched to red foam tips and the insulation is great/amazing and these become a different story Imo. Still great imiging and separation but now lifted the bottom end a little more making them sound, I want to say more natural, sorry I'm not really great at describing this stuff just know what I like or what sounds correct to my ears. Now they sound fuller and warmer like everyone says they sound. I didn't really find them that warm when using the silicon tips but with the foam tips provided make them sound fuller especially in the mids and bottom end. I loved these with the black silicone tips but with the foam tips and a better insulation have taken these to that beautiful sweet spot for me. And if I may add, some people complain that foam or comply tips soak up the highs and make them sound maybe rolled off? But when you roll the tips properly before inserting them to me that doesn't happen. All of this is just my opinion of course lol plus I'm really not sure why the w60 don't get much more praise around here they are simply great and so underrated imo.

I prefer foam tips with any Westone I have used. To me the foamies make the sound more natural as you put it. I use silicone with dunu dn2kj and for some reason they are not too bright for me maybe I'm going deaf!!!

 

[LouisArmstrong]

If I want a warm sound with good bass, is W50 better than W60?

 

[blazer78]

  If I want a warm sound with good bass, is W50 better than W60?

 
Both will provide a warm sound with "good" bass, with the W50 being even warmer and thicker sounding compared to the W60. You will however, notice that the W50 sounds somewhat muddy in comparison to the W60, which provides a clearer sound overall with more accurate timbre in its treble presentation.

 

[Law87]

  If I want a warm sound with good bass, is W50 better than W60?

 
 
to me the W50 have way too much bass, but i am bass shy, if you love bass you will definitely love the W50, if its too much bass when you try it, then use the silicone tip, it will lighten it a bit.


IMO the W50 is market toward people who love bass, its too much.

 

[twister6]

 

  If I want a warm sound with good bass, is W50 better than W60?

 
 
to me the W50 have way too much bass, but i am bass shy, if you love bass you will definitely love the W50, if its too much bass when you try it, then use the silicone tip, it will lighten it a bit.


IMO the W50 is market toward people who love bass, its too much.

 
Absolutely agree.  The bass in W50 can get overwhelming.  You can play with EQ to reduce it or switch to a smaller size eartips to loosen up the seal (that helps with a bass), but personally I would stick with W60 unless you are a basshead

 

[LouisArmstrong]

If I liked my Westone ES5 (one side of which was unfortunately lost due to a loose plug on the cable), would W50 or W60 be more similar? Or both of them can't beat ES5?

 

[Spyro]

Yes, for sure...I have been loving Pro50 for 2 years now and one of it's greates features is it needs no amp.   Literally no improvements amped or unamped IMHO.    Agree...very bassy but SOOOOOOOOOO smooth.
 
But yes, for the less bass that W60 has it SURELY makes up for it in treble and detail retrieval.  Really, really good.  Sounds pretty perfect to my ears with the NX-1 amp.