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Gear / Technical Help => Playback Forum => Topic started by: acidjack on August 05, 2010, 10:24:46 AM
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My trusty Shure SE420s got broken in my pocket during a show, and while I am hopeful that the kind folks at Shure will replace them, I don't really see why they would, given that it's pure "user error."
For a replacement I'd like to go to a three-way solution. From what I've read on here, folks seem to love the Westones. But, I had great luck with my Shures, so I am considering staying with them and buying the 530s.
Has anyone used both and have any thoughts? I'm looking for rich, accurate bass for my live stuff, as well as solid build quality (clearly something I should pay attention to given the fate of my last earbuds).
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I haven't used the Westones, but I own the 530's. I love their sound, but their build leaves something to be desired. I haven't had the split wiring issues that some had in the past (I think they've fixed that), but the rubber cable directors detach from the earbud housing after awhile, and even after super gluing they will do it again - one has now split halfway up the rubber nub on me.
Doesn't affect the sound, but it bugs me.
Other than that, I love the bass on the Shures and having three drivers in the earphone really helps separation of sound.
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I sold my UM3x set to a guy here who has Shure IEMs (not sure if it's the 530s or not). That's the only person I can think of who might have heard both.
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I know that you are interested in the Westone UM3x, but you may want to keep in mind that there are sonic differences between the Westone 3 and the UM3x to not confuse the two. From what I understand the UM3 are more for listening to music and the UM3x are more for monitoring. They recently (as in a couple years ago) introduced the Westone 1, 2, 3 series as earphones that are more aligned to listening to music than the studio monitors of the UM1, UM2, and UM3x. I have the Westone UM1 and the Westone 2 and the two sound very different, and not only because the Westone 2 is a dual-driver design. The UM1 are much more neutral and have a more forward midrange, while the Westone 2 have a more rolled-off bass and a relaxed midrange. I like them both, but they are for different applications.
I really, really want to purchase a pair of the Westone 3, as the reviews on them have been outstanding. Just a bit outside of my budget for now and I am really happy with my Westone 2 earphones.
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^^ I only saw the UM3x and the Westone 2, and assume that I want triple-driver...
The Westones are definitely not cheap. The comments above on the build of the Shures concern me, since I have now already gone through two pairs of the SE420s (the first died, unlike my second set)....
This may be a stupid question, but what can I expect from a "studio monitor" small phone like the UM3x vs. one designed for music? My intended application is listening on an iPhone on the way to work, etc. - I have fullsize cans for home use..
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I've had them for a little over two years. Yeah, the aesthetics of the nubs coming off is bothersome, but the sound hasn't been hurt at all. They still sound very very good when well driven - but even on iPhone they sound very good.
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This may be a stupid question, but what can I expect from a "studio monitor" small phone like the UM3x vs. one designed for music? My intended application is listening on an iPhone on the way to work, etc. - I have fullsize cans for home use..
The Westone 3 and UM3X have a couple of differences:
The biggest that people talk about is the bass hump in the mid-bass region on the W3. For studio albums, I find the UM3X has the appropriate amount of bass (I loved listening to the Pumpkin's MCIS with them). Live recordings typically have more and I personally was not attracted to the even more bass that the W3 is said to have. Second, I swear everything above about 12khz is recessed by about 4db (since you typically arn't monitoring cymbols). You'll hear them, but it's enough to know they are there, not the full range extension upward. I don't know how the range is on the W3. This didn't bother me when I had them while traveling, but it is part of their character. Last, the midrange on the UM3x has a bump of about 1-2db, which I didn't think was noticable unless you use the airplane attenuator/adaptor (mismatch of impedance and a bass drop as a result). For all of the little EQ quirks, they are some of the most detailed listening devices I've heard. I sold mine primarily since I wasn't traveling as much anymore and I came into some cash to get full-sized headphones in the spring. Sold them to help pay for my new dac/amp otherwise I would have kept them.
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You may want to see if you can buy both the Westone 3 and the UM3x from a place like Earphone Solutions and see if you can return the one that you don't like.
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You may want to see if you can buy both the Westone 3 and the UM3x from a place like Earphone Solutions and see if you can return the one that you don't like.
agreed.
I didn't buy my current set of headphones until I heard them at a group meet. Once you get this sort of cash outflow for listening gear, I think it's clutch to hear it before you plunk down that sort of coin.
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I'm on my 4th (or 3rd) pair of se530's...these things sure do like to break. I've had the split wiring issue every time. I also owned a pair of the old shure e2c and those broke and were replaced at least three times as well.
I love the se530's, but they sure are source dependent.
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Georgios - curious why you'd buy them again for a 3rd or even 4th time?
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^^ Probably b/c Shure does have good warranty service. Now if they'll warranty service mine with the actual neck of the phone broken off, that will REALLY be great customer service....
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You may want to see if you can buy both the Westone 3 and the UM3x from a place like Earphone Solutions and see if you can return the one that you don't like.
Thanks for the advice. Based on what I'm hearing, unless Shure will fix my broken 420s for very low-cost, sounds like I should try the Westones. As long as their return policy is good, I think the 3 seems like the place to start (given its intended use) and go from there.
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^^ Probably b/c Shure does have good warranty service. Now if they'll warranty service mine with the actual neck of the phone broken off, that will REALLY be great customer service....
Mine were over two years old and I emailed about service - they sent me a link to the price list. It was like $160 for ANY service. F that.
I didn't even think to check, and it was happening before 2 years - I just didn't think it was enough for them to fix.
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Westone has the best warranty and service policy in the business. A cable snapped off after a year and they ended up replacing both cables and the plug for free. Then, an ear stem snapped off after two years, well after the warranty expired, and they still replaced the entire earpiece for free. Turnaround was around two weeks both times. Can't ask for more than that.
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^^ Probably b/c Shure does have good warranty service. Now if they'll warranty service mine with the actual neck of the phone broken off, that will REALLY be great customer service....
bingo. Shure replaces them every time free of charge thanks to the 2 year warranty.