Quote:
Originally Posted by Wmcmanus
There are a lot of threads about these various products, especially the UE10-Pro and Sensa 2X-S. Not as much seems to be known (among the Head-fi loyalists) about the UE-5 or the Westone products. Digihead has (or at least had at one pont) the UE10-Pro, Sensa 2S-X and Westone ES3, and prefers the Westone (or at least seems to favor them mostly, although he sees strengths in the others as well). A lot of it (for Digihead and others) comes down to getting the proper fitting so that the IEM is extremely comfortable and has a proper seal. In other words, someone who never gets the UE-10 Pros to fit just right may end up giving up and on them and preferring the Sensas; others will have just the opposite reaction and give up on the Sensas if they don't fit right.
So my advice is that since very few people have personally experienced more than one of the 4 or 5 IEM's that you've mentioned, and since fit issues weigh heavily on the observations that they are able to offer, and since your musical tastes and system components will differ from their's, you really have to realize that it's more or less a shot in the dark! Sad, but true. I've said on other UE versus Sensa threads that if I had to do it all over again, I'd just flip a coin. IMO, it's really that close. But my opinion comes from being a very satisfied UE10-Pro owner, plus having read the comments from many very satisfied Sensa owners and a couple of very satisfied Westone owners. Almost without exception, the people who have been unhappy with any of these products have complained mostly about fit and customer service issues. And even when it comes to fit and customer service, I've seen good and bad about both Sensa and UE (not as much about Westone because they are relatively unknown among head-fiers).
So... read all of the threads and see if they point you in one direction or another, and then make the best decision you can based on imperfect information. If you get a good fit, you will be happy with any of them.
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Hear, hear...couldn't have said it better myself. My IEM experience overall has been a complete nightmare. I of course am thankfully the exception to the rule. To me, the best piece of advice I could give to anyone is to go with the company where you can get the best fit experience. By that I mean if I were in Chicago, I'd go with Sensa, LA Ultimate Ears, etc. Aside from that, I know there have been some members here who used the Sensa Labs in the UK and were very satisfied. Knowing this, Sensa would be my recommendation. Aside from that, I love my Westones and listen to them everyday. The UEs and the Sensas never fit properly for me, unlike the Westones which got it right on the first try. Same audiologist, same mold process, etc. I think I have had a total of six sets of molds made over the course of time. No matter what the Sensas or the UEs might sound like, I would always pick up the Westones, simply because they fit me the best.
Rest assured, the differences in sound are really small. Any of these IEMs at a certain point all sound incredible. An example is one member here who has both the Sensas and the UEs and switched back and forth many times over which one they preferred more. Ultimately I think it could be called a toss up.
One other point to note, it does seem that some people here have had technical issues with the Sensas shorting out. Seems to happen after the six month mark (warranty expires) as well.
As far as UEs service goes, they had their moments of being greaqt and had their moments of not being so great. Overall they were better to deal with than Sensaphonics. I think at a certain point with UE, I got caught with them at a time when they were switching lead lab techs and that caused them to drop the ball a bit.
