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Westone 3 impressions?


ultros

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Wow, I think you need to chill a little HeadphoneAddict. I don't understand why you read my post as a personal attack, but here's a recap just to make things clear.

You said this:

Well it's either a high 10% failure rate of the phones or tip selection, or I and many others have super bat-hearing and can hear what you are missing.

It implies that if other people don't think the same as you, they either have "lesser" hearing or broken phones. That's quite a fallacious argument if you ask me. And to back this argument, you imply that the "many others" in question are more right than the people disagreeing with you.

I never said that your review was wrong or anything and the "Pick your team" line was said in jest. You can notice a little smiley next to it.

If you want to use swear words, let yourself loose if you have that much agressivity in you, but I never intended this thread to be a flame war. You created it by not admitting opinions other than yours.

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Uh, before we bring personal issues into this, let me just say that I've talked with Flavio and he also thinks that there is an issue with my headphones. I will send them to Westone to double check, just in case. I don't exactly want to bash these headphones since I also had very high hopes for them.

Still, I don't think there's anything wrong with them personally. If I am allowed to be brutally honest - so far all universal-fit IEMs have sucked, at least the ones that I've heard thus far. All, without exception. There isn't a single one that sounds like a proper high-end headphone. Every one has major sonic problems that you wouldn't accept in a full-size headphone. Why should I be surprised that the W3 isn't any different? I was hoping that it would be, but hopes and reality aren't the same thing. In my experience, if you want really good sound on the move, you get a high-end custom IEM. End of story.

Pricewise, this isn't that unfair of a comparison. Jumping up from $400 for the W3 to $650 for the ES2 isn't that big of a deal considering the amounts we spend on headphones constantly. Toss out the amp, which you don't need for the ES2 to sound acceptable in the first place, and you're financially on even footing.

I won't blame the source either. I could use my Opus 21 and a good amp with the W3, but who will ever use their IEMs from a similar system? I'm using them like they were intended - on the move. The IA7 is better than average for an mp3 player, and the Kenwood is one of the best sonically. All my music is in FLAC or Wave.

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Not everyone does - I am currently having my Westone 3 review and my integrity questioned over at head-case. mad.gif

Opinion about a certain pair of headphones =/= integrity. You need to stop taking things on a personal level, nobody here attacked your integrity. I've only questioned some of your arguments and it looks like you don't like when debates get too heated, you prefer to go crying to your friends at the other place. OK, that was a personal attack, but you were looking for it.

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Uh, before we bring personal issues into this, let me just say that I've talked with Flavio and he also thinks that there is an issue with my headphones. I will send them to Westone to double check, just in case. I don't exactly want to bash these headphones since I also had very high hopes for them.

Still, I don't think there's anything wrong with them personally. If I am allowed to be brutally honest - so far all universal-fit IEMs have sucked, at least the ones that I've heard thus far. All, without exception. There isn't a single one that sounds like a proper high-end headphone. Every one has major sonic problems that you wouldn't accept in a full-size headphone. Why should I be surprised that the W3 isn't any different? I was hoping that it would be, but hopes and reality aren't the same thing. In my experience, if you want really good sound on the move, you get a high-end custom IEM. End of story.

Pricewise, this isn't that unfair of a comparison. Jumping up from $400 for the W3 to $650 for the ES2 isn't that big of a deal considering the amounts we spend on headphones constantly. Toss out the amp, which you don't need for the ES2 to sound acceptable in the first place, and you're financially on even footing.

I won't blame the source either. I could use my Opus 21 and a good amp with the W3, but who will ever use their IEMs from a similar system? I'm using them like they were intended - on the move. The IA7 is better than average for an mp3 player, and the Kenwood is one of the best sonically. All my music is in FLAC or Wave.

It'd be great you listened to the W3 on your big source and amp, just to be sure the Cowon or the Kenwood are as a good source as you're assuming. Not that I think they're not, I don't know since I never listened to any of both, but for all the things I've been reading about them, I'd be cautious in the least. DAPs sounding more than acceptable on average phones, really suck once you plug them into a good amp and you use resolving and well balanced cans.

Maybe your W3s are defective, or maybe they happen to sound just like that. In any case I agree with you, most IEM suck when compared to serious phones and it's all a matter of personal preference to like some better than others for a portable use. I wouldn't expect the W3 to sound like the O2, L3000, PS-1 or not even the HD6xx no matter how good is your source and amp, but who knows, maybe they're more revealing than we would need for a portable use.

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So, you have pissed me off to no end.

All the fawning, grovelling and sucking-up that you are used to over at Head-Fi has softened you up, chum. Grow a pair for fuck's sake.

I have all these F words floating around at the tip of my tongue, and even though head-case members seem to encourage that kind of behavior it doesn't fly with me. So, I'm logging off before I say something that I will regret later.

Buddy Jesus is proud of you.

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It'd be great you listened to the W3 on your big source and amp, just to be sure the Cowon or the Kenwood are as a good source as you're assuming. Not that I think they're not, I don't know since I never listened to any of both, but for all the things I've been reading about them, I'd be cautious in the least. DAPs sounding more than acceptable on average phones, really suck once you plug them into a good amp and you use resolving and well balanced cans.

Maybe your W3s are defective, or maybe they happen to sound just like that. In any case I agree with you, most IEM suck when compared to serious phones and it's all a matter of personal preference to like some better than others for a portable use. I wouldn't expect the W3 to sound like the O2, L3000, PS-1 or not even the HD6xx no matter how good is your source and amp, but who knows, maybe they're more revealing than we would need for a portable use.

I actually don't have a good dynamic amp at the moment, just the MG Head (which sucks) and some portables, but I'll listen with the Opus and whatever I can find. All my money is in 'stats right now, which is just the way I like it :P

I know the Kenwood for what it is though. I've listened to it with the ES2 and everything else I have that's any good. The ES2 tells the truth, and the Kenwood, while not being up to par with high-end or even good mid-fi sources, is on a different level from most DAPs. The IA7 of course, is just a DAP, but it's above average. The ES2 is nowhere near the level of the O2 or any other world-class headphone, but it is a high-end headphone nevertheless, and I do like it more than the HD600 out of most simple rigs. The HD600 balanced and on a serious rig will kill it, but then that's not the ES2's intended use.

I'll post back with how listening goes.

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MANY people hear sound behind them with headphones, and probably most hear it inside the head between the ears, but sometimes that can be helped by using an amp with crossfeed. Other times you can train your brain to move the image up front like I have.

To start I have to tip my head down, chin against my chest with my eyes closed, and turn up my eyeballs to look up inside my closed eyelids to bring the sound up to my forehead which is then in front of me. Then I keep my eyes closed and slowly lift my head and concentrate on keeping the sonic image locked in place while my head moves into a normal position. It takes an IQ of 140 or higher to do it, but you might be able to get it to work anyway :tongue_smile: :happy_face1:

:palm::tmonk::peter:

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