Topic: IEMs: Thoughts on Westone 4 vs. Westone UM3X vs. Shure SE535

[acidjack]

My Westone 3s just broke and sadly are out of warranty, so rather than pay nearly $200 to fix them, it seems I might need to go for another pair.  I'm fairly committed to Westone as I liked the sound of the 3s a good bit, but I'm open to ideas.  I probably do not want Ultimate Ears as they look way too big.

Sound-wise, what I want is something very neutral, the very opposite of Hyped Bass by Dr. Dre.  Something useful for evaluating my recordings, with crisp, natural highs and a reasonably flat bottom end.  My only complaint about the Westone 3s would be that I felt they had a bit of an LF bump I was not crazy about.

The people at Westone tell me the Westone 4, which has another bass driver, will be more neutral than the 3.  Their description of the UM3X, which I know is designed to be a live musician's monitor, kind of made no sense to me. Has anyone here A/B'd the two or have any thoughts on the differences?  I guess given that I broke my 3s, if the UM series are any more durable, that'd be good to know, too.

In this price range, the other product I know of that I would consider is the Shure SE535.  I own a pair of Shure SE315s (or the earlier model equivalent) that I use in the field, and I don't really have anything bad to say about Shure or the quality of these (relative to their much lower price).  I thought the Westones blew the less expensive Shures away, but that's not to say the same is true of the Shure 535.  I do note that the 535s page has as its first feature "Rich bass", which may or may not be what I'm looking for.

Any thoughts?  One bummer about these is I think it's probably fairly difficult to go somewhere and A/B them, especially as Westone has few dealers.

[page]

I had the um3x and I thought they rolled off the high end just a touch. Not enough to grouse about it, but it's noticeable when you compare it to your Denon 7000s. Folks on headfi who had both said they were missing the LF bump you noticed in the W3s and were split on their preference. They are best used in live performances, but they don't slouch in the detail department for listening.

[acidjack]

I had the um3x and I thought they rolled off the high end just a touch. Not enough to grouse about it, but it's noticeable when you compare it to your Denon 7000s. Folks on headfi who had both said they were missing the LF bump you noticed in the W3s and were split on their preference. They are best used in live performances, but they don't slouch in the detail department for listening.

What do you use now for IEMs? Or do you not have any?

[page]

I had the um3x and I thought they rolled off the high end just a touch. Not enough to grouse about it, but it's noticeable when you compare it to your Denon 7000s. Folks on headfi who had both said they were missing the LF bump you noticed in the W3s and were split on their preference. They are best used in live performances, but they don't slouch in the detail department for listening.

What do you use now for IEMs? Or do you not have any?

funneled that money to either of my big-rig headphones I've got now. I discovered that I wasn't listening to music on the plane or in the car (as a passenger) or anywhere else that was noisy so I got rid of them. In those sorts of environments I actually just use the 30db buttons and put in my earplugs.

[jlykos]

I have not heard the other two but I have the UM3x and I love them. I don't think the highs are rolled off but it may appear that way because of the mounds of flat bass. The earphones are very neutral and you definitely hear what the recording contains in them. They don't have the "sparkle" that many other earphones have but instead are very accurate studio monitors. I prefer listening that way, but its all a matter of personal preference.

I do know that the UM series are better made than the other Westone earphones. UM are made in the US at the Colorado factory while the regular numbered ones are made in China. I found the numbered series fragile and my set of Westone 2 earphones was repaired three times, with each repair happening around four months away from each other. Got the UM3x and they have been great for a year and a half, as have my two pairs of UM1.

[acidjack]

I have not heard the other two but I have the UM3x and I love them. I don't think the highs are rolled off but it may appear that way because of the mounds of flat bass. The earphones are very neutral and you definitely hear what the recording contains in them. They don't have the "sparkle" that many other earphones have but instead are very accurate studio monitors. I prefer listening that way, but its all a matter of personal preference.

I do know that the UM series are better made than the other Westone earphones. UM are made in the US at the Colorado factory while the regular numbered ones are made in China. I found the numbered series fragile and my set of Westone 2 earphones was repaired three times, with each repair happening around four months away from each other. Got the UM3x and they have been great for a year and a half, as have my two pairs of UM1.

My 3s were also repaired once before they now are broken completely.  It sounds like the UM3X may be the right choice for me....

[jlykos]

I have not heard the other two but I have the UM3x and I love them. I don't think the highs are rolled off but it may appear that way because of the mounds of flat bass. The earphones are very neutral and you definitely hear what the recording contains in them. They don't have the "sparkle" that many other earphones have but instead are very accurate studio monitors. I prefer listening that way, but its all a matter of personal preference.

I do know that the UM series are better made than the other Westone earphones. UM are made in the US at the Colorado factory while the regular numbered ones are made in China. I found the numbered series fragile and my set of Westone 2 earphones was repaired three times, with each repair happening around four months away from each other. Got the UM3x and they have been great for a year and a half, as have my two pairs of UM1.

My 3s were also repaired once before they now are broken completely.  It sounds like the UM3X may be the right choice for me....

One more thing that I will say is that Westones HATE moisture and water.  I had a major problem with the 1s shorting out when I would use them at the gym or even walking around outside on really hot days.  The sweat and salt get in the electronics and screw up everything.  I bought this $10 item called the Monitor Saver from them that is basically a bunch of silica gel encased in a plastic mesh in what looks like a large pill container and it works really well in preserving the earphones in between uses.  It may be worth a shot if water and moisture was the problem with the Westones going out.

In my experience, all earphones break at some point becasue the way that most people use them is not the way that they are intended to be used.  Westone gives you the hard nylon cases for a reason, but I honestly don't use mine at all.  Wrapping the earphones around an iPod and shoving them in your pocket is definitely not how they should be stored, but I do it all the time and I suspect that is what most other people do as well.  Properly caring for them would go a long way toward extending their life.

[acidjack]

I have not heard the other two but I have the UM3x and I love them. I don't think the highs are rolled off but it may appear that way because of the mounds of flat bass. The earphones are very neutral and you definitely hear what the recording contains in them. They don't have the "sparkle" that many other earphones have but instead are very accurate studio monitors. I prefer listening that way, but its all a matter of personal preference.

I do know that the UM series are better made than the other Westone earphones. UM are made in the US at the Colorado factory while the regular numbered ones are made in China. I found the numbered series fragile and my set of Westone 2 earphones was repaired three times, with each repair happening around four months away from each other. Got the UM3x and they have been great for a year and a half, as have my two pairs of UM1.

My 3s were also repaired once before they now are broken completely.  It sounds like the UM3X may be the right choice for me....

One more thing that I will say is that Westones HATE moisture and water.  I had a major problem with the 1s shorting out when I would use them at the gym or even walking around outside on really hot days.  The sweat and salt get in the electronics and screw up everything.  I bought this $10 item called the Monitor Saver from them that is basically a bunch of silica gel encased in a plastic mesh in what looks like a large pill container and it works really well in preserving the earphones in between uses.  It may be worth a shot if water and moisture was the problem with the Westones going out.

In my experience, all earphones break at some point becasue the way that most people use them is not the way that they are intended to be used.  Westone gives you the hard nylon cases for a reason, but I honestly don't use mine at all.  Wrapping the earphones around an iPod and shoving them in your pocket is definitely not how they should be stored, but I do it all the time and I suspect that is what most other people do as well.  Properly caring for them would go a long way toward extending their life.

I actually use mine pretty close to how intended, I'd think - never at the gym, only on subway or planes, and the rare show.  I actually even use the nylon case.  The first time my 3s broke, the cable snagged on something and became dislodged from the cap, I think.  The second time, the entire ear-inserting portion snapped while I was taking them out of my ear!  That was kind of a bummer, esp since that's not fixable.