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kank_39

Why Westone?! Why?!

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I was going to get myself a set of Westone UM1 yesterday so i went down to Jaben Networks to audition them. The owner was very nice and all and after listening to it for about 15 minutes, i found it to be pretty good for its price range. I was going to ask the owner for a new set already until he asked if i wanted to try the UM2.

 

I was pretty hesitant as i thought i might be tempted to buy the UM2 after listening to it. Nonethless, i went ahead, thinking that i wouldn't be able to afford it. After 5 minutes, i was so very distressed. The UM2 was screaming BASS, BASS and BASS! w00t.gif The soundstage was amazing. It reproduced what i really had in mind for an IEM. Man.. it's a totally different beast as compared to the UM1. It sounds so much better than it's little brother.

 

So what happened? Team UM2 I have joined. innocent.gifwhistling.gif

 

Lesson to all who's looking for buy the UM1. Do not touch or even think about the UM2, it's poisonous. rolleyes.gif

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I was going to get myself a set of Westone UM1 yesterday so i went down to Jaben Networks to audition them. The owner was very nice and all and after listening to it for about 15 minutes, i found it to be pretty good for its price range. I was going to ask the owner for a new set already until he asked if i wanted to try the UM2.

 

I was pretty hesitant as i thought i might be tempted to buy the UM2 after listening to it. Nonethless, i went ahead, thinking that i wouldn't be able to afford it. After 5 minutes, i was so very distressed. The UM2 was screaming BASS, BASS and BASS! w00t.gif The soundstage was amazing. It reproduced what i really had in mind for an IEM. Man.. it's a totally different beast as compared to the UM1. It sounds so much better than it's little brother.

 

So what happened? Team UM2 I have joined. innocent.gifwhistling.gif

 

Lesson to all who's looking for buy the UM1. Do not touch or even think about the UM2, it's poisonous. rolleyes.gif

dude, how much did u paid for the UM2? and the UM1?

 

have u ever compared it with the super.fi 5pro?

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If you spend more time with a UM1, you will realise that can sound better than a UM2 at times. I dun think they are different. Actually they are very similar. I find the UM2 have too much bass at times, its treble got swallowed up.

 

UM1 Vs UM2

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Similar as in sound signature i meant. Both Shuffle and Discman are good enough to test both IEMs i felt.

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RB26DETT, Jaben Network is selling the UM1 for $230 and UM2 for $570 at retail. smile.gif And sorry, i've not heard the super.fi yet.

 

As for the bass swallowing up the treble for UM2, i personally don't really mind that. I listen to mostly bass heavy stuff on the go, heavy metal and rock tracks to be specific. Therefore, the UM2 simply suited me. But of course people listening to other genres of music like pop or classical stuff would prefer a different sound signature. It all depends on your ears and your musical preference. smile.gif

 

As for the difference , personally i feel the sound of the UM1 seems a bit puny as compared to the UM2. UM2 provides a wider soundstage and the music sounds more in the head than in the ears.

 

As for your source and amp, it makes a whole lot of difference. Do bring your source and amp (if possible) for audition. It sounded very tight and impactful on my protable rig (ipod 4G -> DIY lineout -> DIY portable amp -> UM2) and i loved both the highs and lows and the mids are just flowing. However, when tested on my home rig (Denon DM33 mini hifi -> DIY SOHA tube hybrid amp -> UM2), i was shocked to hear the difference. Gone is the impactful bass and highs seem to be a bit more airy. Mids are terriblt boosted. It sounds pretty bad actually. blink.gif Then again, it might sound good to some as i was listening to some metallica track then. tongue.gif

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Haha thats what the extra driver is for and sets the them apart but to me, treble is impt as well as bass. I like UM2's bass as i am a little of a basshead. Nice and tight but a little too much for its recessed treble. On some megadeth songs, i can hardly hear the ride cymbals. tongue.gif When i switched to the UM1, everything sounds flat and dead BUT its treble is ALIVE. laugh.gif For me, biflange tip and shre's grey flex gives the most treble.

 

UM1 is not gonna out perform the UM2, but UM2 could use a little more treble to match its bass. In this aspect, the UM1 is more balanced. Listen to a Discman, it will show UM2's true capability.

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I did own the UM2 for a period of time too. Like the consensus said, bass is really plenty and soundstage is wide. However the midrange sounds harsh to me, comparatively to shure E4c, which is much smoother. Yup for rock and bass-heavy songs UM2 is definitely the one party.gif Too bad I love vocals more, thus when I heard the E4c I sold my UM2!

 

I tried listening to the UM2 with an amp before, the midrange can be modded something to my liking, but IMO e4 handled it better.

 

Things i missed is the wide soundstage comparatively to the shure e4c and etys 6i (2 IEMS i heard b4), the bass is tight and punchy (can be a little too much for songs tt are tuned bass-heavy).

 

Actually as kank_39 said, it's BEST that you audition it with your ears smile.gif My source is an ipod which the EQ cant be customised yet, thus it didnt make the cut for me... I read lots of views on UM2 on forums, thought it was the ONE for me.. haha.. but my ears just didnt like them enuff... So hear it wif yr own ears and let it do the judgement happy.gif

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Afbug, if you like the megadeth tones, i understand why UM2's not your cup of tea. Megadeth sounds much brighter than metallica or most of the metal bands that i like. But that is not to say that they rock less. Dave's picking and riffs and of course sound is legendary on its own. And man.. I wish i have a discman. Nobody in my family uses a discman anymore. sad2.gif

 

Viconte, I have not heard the e4c but the etys 6i (both white and black ones) just didn't do it for me. I know that the bass is there (tight as hulk hogan's underwear) and the highs and mids are pretty smooth which suit vocals very very well. I like the clarity too. However, i'm looking for some head banging fun on the go, so UM2 is my choice. Although they do sound just a tad bit muddy as compared to the etys and shures, the warmness (of the bass tongue.gif) more than made it up for me. rolleyes.gifsmile.gif I'm not really an audiophile, just a music lover so... er... whatever that my ears like, i like. happy.gif

 

 

 

PS Ok.. Ok.. I admit.. I'm a bit of a basshead... and maybe "a bit" is an understatement.. kicking.gif

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Afbug, if you like the megadeth tones, i understand why UM2's not your cup of tea. Megadeth sounds much brighter than metallica or most of the metal bands that i like. But that is not to say that they rock less. Dave's picking and riffs and of course sound is legendary on its own. And man.. I wish i have a discman. Nobody in my family uses a discman anymore. sad2.gif

Precisely! Megadeth is brighter than most metal bands and it sounds good on my UM2 but even it has a bright sound, UM2 still struggle with its treble a bit. I'm not saying UM2 is bad but the UM1 has more treble cos of the lack of a extra bass driver.

 

I feel that the extra driver make a better first impression and the higher sensitivity makes it louder. After owning both for sometime, for me, things start to go hmm..... tongue.gif Doubts began creeping in and i wonder if its really that good.

 

BTW, i listen to Metallica as well. w00t.gif

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RB26DETT, Jaben Network is selling the UM1 for $230 and UM2 for $570 at retail. smile.gif And sorry, i've not heard the super.fi yet.

 

As for the bass swallowing up the treble for UM2, i personally don't really mind that. I listen to mostly bass heavy stuff on the go, heavy metal and rock tracks to be specific. Therefore, the UM2 simply suited me. But of course people listening to other genres of music like pop or classical stuff would prefer a different sound signature. It all depends on your ears and your musical preference. smile.gif

 

As for the difference , personally i feel the sound of the UM1 seems a bit puny as compared to the UM2. UM2 provides a wider soundstage and the music sounds more in the head than in the ears.

 

As for your source and amp, it makes a whole lot of difference. Do bring your source and amp (if possible) for audition. It sounded very tight and impactful on my protable rig (ipod 4G -> DIY lineout -> DIY portable amp -> UM2) and i loved both the highs and lows and the mids are just flowing. However, when tested on my home rig (Denon DM33 mini hifi -> DIY SOHA tube hybrid amp -> UM2), i was shocked to hear the difference. Gone is the impactful bass and highs seem to be a bit more airy. Mids are terriblt boosted. It sounds pretty bad actually. blink.gif Then again, it might sound good to some as i was listening to some metallica track then. tongue.gif

Earphone solution is providing free international shipping for UM2 at US299.

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Yah. I know about the deal at earphonesolution.com but i don't mind paying a little bit more wink.gif just for the local support and knowing one more local dealer doesn't hurt either. smile.gif

 

afbug, what i was actually looking for when in search for my iem was the oomph in the bass without compromising much of the details (like the sony ex71 series) so i don't regret sacrificing a bit of the treble for the thump. biggrin.gif Need it for those non-audiophilic music thrashing out from my ipod. yeah.gif

 

[EDIT] Tried some EQing and man.. what a difference! For those who own an ipod, try the "Acoustic" option. The bass signature of the UM2 is retained with a boost in the clarity and transparency of the highs. Thank goodness the line out of my ipod did not turn the EQ off. tongue.gif

Edited by kank_39

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