[Law87]

  Problem is 2 guys keep making a lot of noise. Chill, buy another brand and go to your favorite thread. It is tiresome to keep listening to all this BS. 

 
1. its not 2. both of us own the product (and might I add multiple models) and we are allowed to talk about it here 3. if you want to continue then dont read my post, honestly its a flick of a wheel scroll to skip my post 4. if you think Westone quality isnt questionable then IMO you need to go do some reading...try the W40 and W60 thread.


 

 

[Law87]

  wow thats what i said.  You are not alone.  Its like were not allowed to post anything but praises on this thread.

 
 
Its like that with any forums, I thought people in head-fi are more mature but all of them are the same, just because it didn't happen to them then it never happens. People with 15k post who trolls and live in this forum on the daily has more weight than us guys, because whatever they say "must be right", because if there stuff hasnt broken yet meaning "we are doing something wrong" because we dont have quantifiable scientific stress/engineering test "we are wrong"... I paid $1000 so I can spend my time stress testing a product? next time when I buy a Bugatti Veyron SS let me stress test my 2 million dollars car too. What a joke.

 

[ljnew]

   
 
Its like that with any forums, I thought people in head-fi are more mature but all of them are the same, just because it didn't happen to them then it never happens. People with 15k post who trolls and live in this forum on the daily has more weight than us guys, because whatever they say "must be right", because if there stuff hasnt broken yet meaning "we are doing something wrong" because we dont have quantifiable scientific stress/engineering test "we are wrong"... I paid $1000 so I can spend my time stress testing a product? next time when I buy a Bugatti Veyron SS let me stress test my 2 million dollars car too. What a joke.

I have to admit, I was the same way.  Whenever someone spoke negatively, I had doubts.  But when it happened to me I was pissed.  

 

[twister6]

  Can anyone make a comparison between this and K10U and PP8?.. I had K10U but sold it because Encore was being released but now I regret it because Encore is said to be too analytical and bright. I liked K10U signature a lot even though it lacked some energy. I want a smooth, coherent sound with good bass punch and slam and sub-bass presence with smooth yet energetic highs and present low and mid mids. Upper mids shouldn't be forward.

 
I know it's a long read, but if you scroll down my W80 review: http://www.head-fi.org/products/westone-w80-eight-driver-system-with-dual-bass-dual-mid-and-quad-high-78508/reviews/17578 in Comparison section I have W80 vs K10UA.  I don't have PP8, tempted, but just too much on my review plate now.  From what I heard, PP8 is rather neutral, with some comparing it even to UERR.  I can't say it for sure since I don't have PP8, but in my review I also have a comparison to UERR.
 
Regarding Encore, I spend some time at CanJam NYC listening and comparing Encore and Katana.  A number of people told me Katana will be the "brighter" one, but to my surprise it wasn't at all.  As a matter of fact, I found Encore to have brighter upper mids, more than I would like, and a more neutral flatter bass.  In comparison, Katana had a smoother upper frequencies and more low end weight.  If I would rank them from warmer/smoother to brighter, it would be Katana > K10UA > Encore.

 

[cellarbro]

   
 
Its like that with any forums, I thought people in head-fi are more mature but all of them are the same, just because it didn't happen to them then it never happens. People with 15k post who trolls and live in this forum on the daily has more weight than us guys, because whatever they say "must be right", because if there stuff hasnt broken yet meaning "we are doing something wrong" because we dont have quantifiable scientific stress/engineering test "we are wrong"... I paid $1000 so I can spend my time stress testing a product? next time when I buy a Bugatti Veyron SS let me stress test my 2 million dollars car too. What a joke.

I remember purchasing back in the old old days a pair of GR07 due to the heaps of praises and super bang for your buck. I paid like $159 for them which was a really expensive purchase for me years and years ago for IEM and headphones overall. I was like 23 and that was a pretty sizable purchase after already having 2 other headphones.
 
I did it over the recommendation of joker. They were pretty good but I don't know if they were the gold standard of IEM. (This is what I said to myself when I heard them years ago) After only a few months of light use, (I would carry this thing with me in the case it came with and baby the product) it broke with no way to reach the manufacturer. All I heard was noise about how great the product was. Nothing pointing blankly about how terrible the quality was and its a known fact that vsonic products don't have great durability and QC. It's known now, but back then, I didn't hear any cons for it and thought I was imagining it. I never had things break on me that fast. My m50 and sennheisers HD25-1 ii are still standing and they are much older than the GR07 when I bought them. They work 100% fine even after owning them for more than 6 years now. It was only afterwards that people came forward and now the GR07 and vsonic are known to have issues. Its one of the reasons they replaced their cables to make them detachable just recently. 
 
 
Same with the now Hifiman which people were also hyping. I almost fell for that too but I held out and dug deeper to people making their problems known. It was especially with the GR07 experience and the fact that I never was able to get a hold of anyone to claim any kind of warranty that I was more careful in the future. Im glad I never went the hifiman route because I have heard people complain everywhere about durability issues on all of their products. 
 
With that said, there are some people that will stand by a product or gloss over the cons due to them getting the product for free. It is absolutely not the same when someone purchases a product for close to $1000 or even more and someone who gets it free. A small problem like material would probably get a small mention of, "I wish it werent made of plastic" to if you had to pay $1000 for it and felt that it was a cheaply made product I would be pretty pissed. After being pretty disappointed with and not really agreeing with reviewers I have learned to look at their reviews but I hold them to the lowest weight possible. Getting a product to review for free is not the same as investing $1000 into it and reviewing it. Sorry its not the same thing. Don't care about your disclaimer its biased the moment you took it in for free to review or took a big discount on it or ANY of their previous models or IEMS. 
 
I remember purchasing the ER4PT (recent) due to the raves about it only to realize that it after I bought it that it felt like my ear drums were being poked out. It was that uncomfortable & painful. It was painful to put in and keep it in my ear after 5 minutes, but in reviews, only a few mentions of it may not be for everyone. As a reviewer who got it for free they might just say its briefly. I actually had to go back to the reviews after purchasing it and realized there was barely any mention of the fact of how uncomfortable the IEM were. If I were reviewing it as a paying customer, I would have left a 1 star review because I couldn't review it due to the uncomfortableness of it. If I am 'commissioned' to write this review, Id have to keep going and find other stuff to talk about, effectively glossing over the con of not being able to keep the IEM in my ear for longer than 5 minutes.
 
Point is, I tend to try to look at reviews from people who didn't get the product for free. Ill try to pull some objectiveness off the sound signature of the reviews of the 'professional' reviewers but their weight is very low to me. If I got free stuff, Id have the 4-5 star rating button on speed dial. Just my two cents. No offense, I still look to some 'professional' reviews to try to describe the sound but come time to look for them to talk about quality objectively and how they treat customers and warranty and customer service, sorry but you have no say in this because technically you are not a customer. My two cents.

 

[Law87]

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

I remember purchasing back in the old old days a pair of GR07 due to the heaps of praises and super bang for your buck. I paid like $159 for them which was a really expensive purchase for me years and years ago for IEM and headphones overall. I was like 23 and that was a pretty sizable purchase after already having 2 other headphones.
 
I did it over the recommendation of joker. They were pretty good but I don't know if they were the gold standard of IEM. (This is what I said to myself when I heard them years ago) After only a few months of light use, (I would carry this thing with me in the case it came with and baby the product) it broke with no way to reach the manufacturer. All I heard was noise about how great the product was. Nothing pointing blankly about how terrible the quality was and its a known fact that vsonic products don't have great durability and QC. It's known now, but back then, I didn't hear any cons for it and thought I was imagining it. I never had things break on me that fast. My m50 and sennheisers HD25-1 ii are still standing and they are much older than the GR07 when I bought them. They work 100% fine even after owning them for more than 6 years now. It was only afterwards that people came forward and now the GR07 and vsonic are known to have issues. Its one of the reasons they replaced their cables to make them detachable just recently. 
 
 
Same with the now Hifiman which people were also hyping. I almost fell for that too but I held out and dug deeper to people making their problems known. It was especially with the GR07 experience and the fact that I never was able to get a hold of anyone to claim any kind of warranty that I was more careful in the future. Im glad I never went the hifiman route because I have heard people complain everywhere about durability issues on all of their products. 
 
With that said, there are some people that will stand by a product or gloss over the cons due to them getting the product for free. It is absolutely not the same when someone purchases a product for close to $1000 or even more and someone who gets it free. A small problem like material would probably get a small mention of, "I wish it werent made of plastic" to if you had to pay $1000 for it and felt that it was a cheaply made product I would be pretty pissed. After being pretty disappointed with and not really agreeing with reviewers I have learned to look at their reviews but I hold them to the lowest weight possible. Getting a product to review for free is not the same as investing $1000 into it and reviewing it. Sorry its not the same thing. Don't care about your disclaimer its biased the moment you took it in for free to review or took a big discount on it or ANY of their previous models or IEMS. 
 
I remember purchasing the ER4PT (recent) due to the raves about it only to realize that it after I bought it that it felt like my ear drums were being poked out. It was that uncomfortable & painful. It was painful to put in and keep it in my ear after 5 minutes, but in reviews, only a few mentions of it may not be for everyone. As a reviewer who got it for free they might just say its briefly. I actually had to go back to the reviews after purchasing it and realized there was barely any mention of the fact of how uncomfortable the IEM were. If I were reviewing it as a paying customer, I would have left a 1 star review because I couldn't review it due to the uncomfortableness of it. If I am 'commissioned' to write this review, Id have to keep going and find other stuff to talk about, effectively glossing over the con of not being able to keep the IEM in my ear for longer than 5 minutes.
 
Point is, I tend to try to look at reviews from people who didn't get the product for free. Ill try to pull some objectiveness off the sound signature of the reviews of the 'professional' reviewers but their weight is very low to me. If I got free stuff, Id have the 4-5 star rating button on speed dial. Just my two cents. No offense, I still look to some 'professional' reviews to try to describe the sound but come time to look for them to talk about quality objectively and how they treat customers and warranty and customer service, sorry but you have no say in this because technically you are not a customer. My two cents.

 

I dont think thats the issue here, I doubt anyone is getting the W80 or even the W60 for free. The issue is people want to hear praises all the time, or if the unit dint break down for them they refuse to believe that there is a problem and automatically dismiss that person and wanting all sort of proof, claims or even "testing". If thats the case then how can a company progress or how can the status quo be changed?

 

[youngarthur]

I has Weston 4R, sold,and purchased the 846,very very happy with the sound, but never got really comfortable with them. Having had the 4R, I purchased the W60, a different sound, but very comfortable, enabling me to concentrate on the sound, and not even noticing they were in my ears. As we all have different ears/earphones, I personally read reviews, buy, and decide for myself. Reviewers certainly help, but only you should make the final decision.

 

[obsidyen]

   
I know it's a long read, but if you scroll down my W80 review: http://www.head-fi.org/products/westone-w80-eight-driver-system-with-dual-bass-dual-mid-and-quad-high-78508/reviews/17578 in Comparison section I have W80 vs K10UA.  I don't have PP8, tempted, but just too much on my review plate now.  From what I heard, PP8 is rather neutral, with some comparing it even to UERR.  I can't say it for sure since I don't have PP8, but in my review I also have a comparison to UERR.
 
Regarding Encore, I spend some time at CanJam NYC listening and comparing Encore and Katana.  A number of people told me Katana will be the "brighter" one, but to my surprise it wasn't at all.  As a matter of fact, I found Encore to have brighter upper mids, more than I would like, and a more neutral flatter bass.  In comparison, Katana had a smoother upper frequencies and more low end weight.  If I would rank them from warmer/smoother to brighter, it would be Katana > K10UA > Encore.

Katana is warmer than K10UA? Interesting. It must have less bass nonetheless. 

 

[twister6]

 

   
I know it's a long read, but if you scroll down my W80 review: http://www.head-fi.org/products/westone-w80-eight-driver-system-with-dual-bass-dual-mid-and-quad-high-78508/reviews/17578 in Comparison section I have W80 vs K10UA.  I don't have PP8, tempted, but just too much on my review plate now.  From what I heard, PP8 is rather neutral, with some comparing it even to UERR.  I can't say it for sure since I don't have PP8, but in my review I also have a comparison to UERR.
 
Regarding Encore, I spend some time at CanJam NYC listening and comparing Encore and Katana.  A number of people told me Katana will be the "brighter" one, but to my surprise it wasn't at all.  As a matter of fact, I found Encore to have brighter upper mids, more than I would like, and a more neutral flatter bass.  In comparison, Katana had a smoother upper frequencies and more low end weight.  If I would rank them from warmer/smoother to brighter, it would be Katana > K10UA > Encore.

Katana is warmer than K10UA? Interesting. It must have less bass nonetheless. 

 
In terms of tonality, W80 is closer to Katana then K10UA.  But one problem with K10UA, it's not as small and with an added weight of a metal shell - sometimes it breaks the seal (subjective, of course) making sound brighter to my ears.

 

[MacedonianHero]

   
 
I guaranteed you a person with 15k post has more weighted through people mind then someone with 5 post. It just the way human nature thinks.

 
No, that's just your nature. 

 

   
 
No I'm ready to drop the topic, but when people like macedonian keep replying to me stating that "I dont have a problem with my product, its you" well that just pissed me the hell off, and its not just me, its people that been buying and using the product. A quick search of the word faceplate would definitely tell you what I'm talking about. He is a senior member he should be know better then to stand behind a product that users have been complaining. He lost all credibility when he says "wheres your claim? have you done any stress test on the product?" what a joke...

Again, I hope you understand the difference between anecdotal evidence vs. real evidence? I suggest you look them up, there are some great articles out there. You made a sweeping statement and only backed it up with a few anecdotal points...the greater the claim, the greater the evidence required. I never asked for your claim...rather, I asked for evidence beyond the very limited anecdotal evidence provided to emphatically claim that A was better than B in regards to reliability and durability. That is a very fair thing for me to ask. Therefore I have to conclude that your comment here:
 

   
 
 
If all things being equal in term of quality and durability, the Shure 846 would win hands down, because it looks more durable, it feels more durable....
 

 
is only your conjecture based on limited anecdotal evidence. That was the entirety of my point and as it is based on the evidence provided thus far. 

 I also offered my own anecdotal evidence about my several quality issues with my Shure products...should I say you've lost all credibility in my eyes for standing behind them (whatever the heck that means)? I prefer the W80's sound, I prefer the W80's comfort and I've owned many Westone products through the years that have NEVER had any issues whatsoever. As have many others here who have also responded in kind. I suggest you look up the term "confirmation bias" as you seem to only focus on the few points that you support and neglect the others. I would position that several thousands of W60s and 80s have been sold and all I see is a handful (at most) on this or the W60 thread. And as I mentioned, without solid evidence, I won't go against my first hand experiences  based on your post and the limited evidence provided. Remember that the many who don't have problems will NOT chime in and say: "owned it for 4 months and still no problems"...and then a month later "owned it for 5 months and still no problems". 

 

[Spyro]

WOW!!!  I've been absent for a while but trying to get back in the swing here.....
 
I apologize if I missed something but are we talking about poor quality craftmanship from faceplates?   I MUST have this wrong or it's it's a joke or something.  It's a faceplate.....it's fixated on the IEM and never moves.  How can one crack?  
 
It's like buying a new car and the dealership decal on the back trunk or bumper starts pealing away and you want to return the car.   That's what it seems here but I apologize if I missed something major,
 
In my 14 years dealing with Westone they have been nothing short of perfect.  No matter what your issue is...their whole focus is on making the customer happy. I love Westone!

 

[gilency]

   
1. its not 2. both of us own the product (and might I add multiple models) and we are allowed to talk about it here 3. if you want to continue then dont read my post, honestly its a flick of a wheel scroll to skip my post 4. if you think Westone quality isnt questionable then IMO you need to go do some reading...try the W40 and W60 thread.

 

Yawn.
Seriously. You guys talk too much. don't you have a job?

 

[HiFiGuy528]

  I am very sorry to hear that you are having issues with our product. 
 
I can assure you, as the director of product and marketing for Westone, that I have told my customer service team to support the replacement of faceplates even if you are out of warranty. If you reached out and were denied I would like to know so I can better train my team. If you have not reached out then I would like to get your email and contact information and I will make sure you are connected with someone who can send you replacements. 
 
I have been watching these threads and we have been addressing the faceplate issue and I can assure you that we will replace your faceplate. 
 
Also, if you are out of warranty we will do our best to accommodate you. If you do not feel that you were treated properly then PM me. We do care about our customers and I will do my best to support them. Hence the reason I spend time on here daily. 

 
I can vouch for Westone's customer service. I also had an issue with the faceplate, all of mine split at the seams. I may have over tightened the screw or something. I was gonna buy metal faceplates from Amazon JP (link), but 4,800 Yen = $41 USD is a bit steep for me. I reached out to Westone about replacement cost if I have to buy them when the warranty expires. They sent me a set at no charge and told me they don't know what the cost is for someone to buy one because they have never charged anyone for them. They saved me $41 from buying the metal ones and I got new faceplates within a week. Other than the faceplates, I don't have any issues with my W60. I've been fooling around with upgrade cables and the MMCX connectors are holding up very well. Much better than my Sony XBA-Z5.
 

 

[xaddictionx]

I can vouch for Westone's customer service. I also had an issue with the faceplate, all of mine split at the seams. I may have over tightened the screw or something. I was gonna buy metal faceplates from Amazon JP (link), but 4,800 Yen = $41 USD is a bit steep for me. I reached out to Westone about replacement cost if I have to buy them when the warranty expires. They sent me a set at no charge and told me they don't know what the cost is for someone to buy one because they have never charged anyone for them. They saved me $41 from buying the metal ones and I got new faceplates within a week. Other than the faceplates, I don't have any issues with my W60. I've been fooling around with upgrade cables and the MMCX connectors are holding up very well. Much better than my Sony XBA-Z5.

Thumbs up for westone customer service as well. Got replacement faceplates from them without any questions asked!

 

[Law87]

   
I can vouch for Westone's customer service. I also had an issue with the faceplate, all of mine split at the seams. I may have over tightened the screw or something. I was gonna buy metal faceplates from Amazon JP (link), but 4,800 Yen = $41 USD is a bit steep for me. I reached out to Westone about replacement cost if I have to buy them when the warranty expires. They sent me a set at no charge and told me they don't know what the cost is for someone to buy one because they have never charged anyone for them. They saved me $41 from buying the metal ones and I got new faceplates within a week. Other than the faceplates, I don't have any issues with my W60. I've been fooling around with upgrade cables and the MMCX connectors are holding up very well. Much better than my Sony XBA-Z5.
 
 

 
 
whoah the metal one look so cool. wish they sell them in the states.