[- Xtreme | Fidelity -]

I'm on the hunt for a hi end custom earphone. So far I've picked the UE10, UE11 and Westone ES3X. Which of the 3 will give me the most uncolored, natural and detailed sound? Thanks.

 

[qusp]

LOL asking for 'the best' high end customs is a bit of a silly question IMO. besudes there might be like 1 person that has all three, so any answers you get will be meaningless

 

[koven]

ES3X

 

[- Xtreme | Fidelity -]

Quote:

Originally Posted by qusp /img/forum/go_quote.gif LOL asking for 'the best' high end customs is a bit of a silly question IMO. besudes there might be like 1 person that has all three, so any answers you get will be meaningless

I'm new to this, sorry

. So you say the Westone ES3X is for me koven? Have you heard it?

 

[fabianwseko]

put se530 on you list....;p

 

[- Xtreme | Fidelity -]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fabianwseko /img/forum/go_quote.gif put se530 on you list....;p

I already have them and rank them as my top earphone for their overall sound.

 

[tintin47]

That is an awesome first step if you are new. I wouldn't really worry about it much. There are some comparisons of the ue10 vs the ue11, so I would read those, but I think that all of them will suit your needs and be fantastic phones. If you ask people, however, people will just say that one or the other is the best because that is the one they own.

Another option: Jerry Harvey audio. He is the one who started UE and designed the 10 and 11, and now he has another company that is getting back into ultra high end IEMs. I think that he might have one now or soon that is his design successor to the UE11, so that is definitely worth taking a look at.

 

[- Xtreme | Fidelity -]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tintin47 /img/forum/go_quote.gif That is an awesome first step if you are new. I wouldn't really worry about it much. There are some comparisons of the ue10 vs the ue11, so I would read those, but I think that all of them will suit your needs and be fantastic phones. If you ask people, however, people will just say that one or the other is the best because that is the one they own. Another option: Jerry Harvey audio. He is the one who started UE and designed the 10 and 11, and now he has another company that is getting back into ultra high end IEMs. I think that he might have one now or soon that is his design successor to the UE11, so that is definitely worth taking a look at.

Thanks, I'll take a look into that...

 

[music_4321]

Quote:

Originally Posted by - Xtreme | Fidelity - /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm new to this, sorry . So you say the Westone ES3X is for me koven? Have you heard it?

Absolutely nothing to be sorry about - you ask "Which of the 3 will give me the most uncolored, natural and detailed sound?", a very valid question.

Both the UE-10 ($900) and ES3X ($850) are said to be more neutral/ uncoloured. The UE-11, the most expensive of all ($1,150), has 4 drivers (a dual driver subwoofer) and they emphasise the low frequencies, so they're often preferred by so called 'bass heads', so not exactly 'natural' or uncoloured.

Quite a few people describe the UE-10's as being analytical and detailed, and some (NOT everybody) describe them as not being that much fun or musical.

The ES3X (which I own) are said to be very neutral/natural sounding, balanced & detailed yet musical and fun, with no emphasis on any particular frequency. I totally agree with this description, but I myself have NOT heard the other 2.

The Jerry Harvey audio customs are not available yet, so a proper review will still take some time.

I also own/ have owned UM3X, W3, SE530, HD650, AKG K141 Monitor, UE Super.fi 5 V2, EX90 & E888.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tintin47 /img/forum/go_quote.gif ... If you ask people, however, people will just say that one or the other is the best because that is the one they own...

This is NOT always the case as some people have more than one custom IEM and have truly reported differences & preferences and not always choosing the most expensive.

 

[- Xtreme | Fidelity -]

Quote:

Originally Posted by music_4321 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Absolutely nothing to be sorry about - you ask "Which of the 3 will give me the most uncolored, natural and detailed sound?", a very valid question. Both the UE-10 ($900) and ES3X ($850) are said to be more neutral/ uncoloured. The UE-11, the most expensive of all ($1,150), has 4 drivers (a dual driver subwoofer) and they emphasise the low frequencies, so they're often preferred by so called 'bass heads', so not exactly 'natural' or uncoloured. Quite a few people describe the UE-10's as being analytical and detailed, and some (NOT everybody) describe them as not being that much fun or musical. The ES3X (which I own) are said to be very neutral/natural sounding, balanced & detailed yet musical and fun, with no emphasis on any particular frequency. I totally agree with this description, but I myself have NOT heard the other 2. The Jerry Harvey audio customs are not available yet, so a proper review will still take some time. I also own/ have owned UM3X, W3, SE530, HD650, AKG K141 Monitor, UE Super.fi 5 V2, EX90 & E888. This is NOT always the case as some people have more than one custom IEM and have truly reported differences & preferences and not always choosing the most expensive.

I'm liking the impressions and reviews on the ES3X. Seems like the perfect earphone to me. I'll wait till a very informative review pops up for the JH custom earphones being compared to the other top tier custom earphones. Thanks for the clarification music_4321.

 

[Harun]

I don't think you can go wrong with either one of those custom IEM's. I have owned both the SE530 and UE-10 Pro's. I must say that the two were uncomparable. The UE-10's were better in every imaginable way.

From what i can make up of all the info i've gathered the UE-10's are the most analytical sounding (which is true). The ES3X is the one that sounds the most natural. The UE-11 seems to be the best allround IEM, analytical and fun at the same time with great bass.

I haven't heard the UE-11's and ES3's so take it with a grain of salt.

 

[- Xtreme | Fidelity -]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harun /img/forum/go_quote.gif I don't think you can go wrong with either one of those custom IEM's. I have owned both the SE530 and UE-10 Pro's. I must say that the two were uncomparable. The UE-10's were better in every imaginable way. From what i can make up of all the info i've gathered the UE-10's are the most analytical sounding (which is true). The ES3X is the one that sounds the most natural. The UE-11 seems to be the best allround IEM, analytical and fun at the same time with great bass. I haven't heard the UE-11's and ES3's so take it with a grain of salt.

*sigh*. I just read a review of the Shure SE530's from stereophile and the following pretty much is confusing me since what I've read from you:

"So how did the SE530s compare to my references, the Etymotic ER-4S and the Ultimate Ears UE-10 Pro? With headphones, comparisons are even harder than with other components, essentially because of factors you can't completely control, such as compensating for impedance differences and insertion depths.

For example, I felt the UE-10s had a bit more deep-bass impact than the SE530s, but less bloom and body—but how much of that was caused by the closer proximity of the UE-10s' acoustic channels to my eardrums, and how much by the Shures' combination of crossover and port? Either way, the UE-10s seemed to go deeper, but the Shures surely better integrated that bass into the rest of the spectrum.

Similarly, the Etymotics had a more tipped-up top end, which gave them a more revealing (or, if you prefer, ruthless) quality, whereas the Shures, while not lacking for extension or clarity, balanced their extension better with their midrange.

And let's not forget that, sans headphone amp, the Shures trumped both sets of 'phones in control and dynamics across the spectrum. "

Are the top universal earphones better than the top customs or atleast comparable? Is it all just a preference thing? Someone enlighten me...

Here is a link to the review: here

 

[SOUNDinterpreter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by - Xtreme | Fidelity - /img/forum/go_quote.gif *sigh*. I just read a review of the Shure SE530's from stereophile and the following pretty much is confusing me since what I've read from you: "So how did the SE530s compare to my references, the Etymotic ER-4S and the Ultimate Ears UE-10 Pro? With headphones, comparisons are even harder than with other components, essentially because of factors you can't completely control, such as compensating for impedance differences and insertion depths. For example, I felt the UE-10s had a bit more deep-bass impact than the SE530s, but less bloom and body—but how much of that was caused by the closer proximity of the UE-10s' acoustic channels to my eardrums, and how much by the Shures' combination of crossover and port? Either way, the UE-10s seemed to go deeper, but the Shures surely better integrated that bass into the rest of the spectrum. Similarly, the Etymotics had a more tipped-up top end, which gave them a more revealing (or, if you prefer, ruthless) quality, whereas the Shures, while not lacking for extension or clarity, balanced their extension better with their midrange. And let's not forget that, sans headphone amp, the Shures trumped both sets of 'phones in control and dynamics across the spectrum. " Are the top universal earphones better than the top customs or atleast comparable? Is it all just a preference thing? Someone enlighten me... Here is a link to the review: here

i'd say it is preference. your best bet is to read reviews on each custom and decide from there or wait until more comparisons surface.

 

[GreenLeo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by qusp /img/forum/go_quote.gif LOL asking for 'the best' high end customs is a bit of a silly question IMO. besudes there might be like 1 person that has all three, so any answers you get will be meaningless

I think QUSP has a very valid point here that not many of us have all three (850 for ES3X, 900 for UE10 and 1150 and 3 ear impressions cause a small fortune).

Digihead state that they are all good and I believes in him. And he also states that trying to differentiate ES3X and UE11 in terms of SQ is splitting hairs. Try to search what he said in the ES3X appreciation thread. Also, it seems to me that TODAY one more headfier who already had a UE11 will get a ES3X as well. It's worth to wait for his impressions. I'm waiting for it as well.

For me, I tried, among some much lower quality IEMS, the E500 (same as E530), UE TF10, W3 and settled on the ES3X now. I doubt the E500 can compete with the ES3X.

However, preference affects the decision. For instance the bass of W3 is heavier than the ES3X. Initially, I like the bass of W3 better but now I honestly like the bass of the ES3X better.

It's an ashame that we can never try custom IEM before we buy it. The seal of the custom IEMs plays a big part in the SQ. I wanted to try the UE11 but that was too expensive for me. Also I worried the fit may cause several further fittings and then the actual cost of the UE11 would go up. After nearly two years the ES3X comes up and fit my bill. So I take it. For top custom IEM's I think it is advisable to use the minimax strategy -- buy the one that costs lowest among the top models of different brands.

By reading the IEMs you have, I think we're pretty alike. I found ES3X good and hopefully you'd find it as well.

Hope this helps.

 

[Sinocelt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreenLeo /img/forum/go_quote.gif For top custom IEM's I think it is advisable to use the minimax strategy -- buy the one that costs lowest among the top models of different brands.

That would be the LiveWires, or the C3, not the ES3X. I don't think this "minmax" strategy is a good one. The UE11 pro has more bass, which doesn't make it sound better than the UE10 pro for everyone, and the cheaper ES3X has been favorably compared to both. What I mean is that a top-of-the-line Westone may be very different from a top-of-the-line LiveWire, for instance.