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Westone 3 impressions?


ultros

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I just discovered something incredibly important with the Westone 3... - Head-Fi: Covering Headphones, Earphones and Portable Audio

Hmmm... he's onto something here. This kind of fit makes a difference. I'm using oversized tips now to seat the phones further away from the eardrum, and the highs have settled down, while the mids have - partially - come out. The sound is a lot more coherent, and without the steely highs I can now crank it to bring the midrange further out.

Still, it's hardly perfect. The mids are still a bit veiled, the tone is wrong, and the bass is still somewhat boomy and is now even louder than it was before in relation to everything else since I'm cranking it more.

At least they don't sound like utter crap now. They're already quite a bit better than the E500 and UM2. Still no match for the ES2 and still not a high-end headphone by a mile, but they're better than they were before.

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Head-Fi: Covering Headphones, Earphones and Portable Audio - View Single Post - Westone 3 - You asked for it, we listened !

looks like its just some mutual back scratching. head-fi is growing and going the way of marketing over substance so this is just small stuff compared to the real world

Not just that, but I think Ray's post is inappropriate because he is using the IEMs with his amps (though he didn't explicitly state), which people are going to think are a good match for the Westone and might seek an RSA amp out.

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I was browsing Head-fi last night and I noticed there was a guy from Montreal selling his Triple.fi 10 Pro. It turns out he works at my university, so what else could I do other then to pick them up considering the price was pretty good. :D

I'm listening to the Triple.fi right now and to my ears they are a lot better than the Westone 3. More refined sound and way better balance across the spectrum. They're supposed to have recessed mids according to some people, but I don't notice that so far. My only complaint is: wtf were the developers thinking when they conceived the design? The phones are too big to enter in the ears like Etys, Shure or Westone, so the fit is not as good and isolation is diminished. I'll see if I can get used to it and maybe find a solution with different tips because I really dig the sound so far.

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I've only heard them with Comply's, bass was impressive but they did have a bit of mid recession for me and the highs were just borderline for sibilance. I'm hopefully going to borrow the same pair again soon, but with a recable, and give them another try because there were aspects that I really did like.

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Yeah, the mids are definitely not forward, but I'm not sure if I'd called them recessed so far. One thing that I like, the vocals don't have a veil on them like with the Westone 3, they're very smooth and the mids are quite detailed. About the cable, I remember reading that the Westone ES2 cable fits on these, is that right?

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I believe you're right on the cable, there is also at least one or two other third party cables available. My friend bought one but I forget what the name is, I can find out for you if you like.

It's funny the differences we as individuals have in how we perceive different headphones, in particular IEM's. While I didn't find the tri.fi's midrange severely recessed or anything it was enough that in some instances vocals and some music sounded a bit flat and lifeless. I don't really hear a midrange recession with the 3's, in fact they sound fairly natural to my ears.

I do quite like the 3's but at this point they are somewhat confusing at the same time, they're almost chameleon like for lack of a better term. It's hard to explain, in some cases songs I didn't expect to sound that great end up sounding wonderful while others that I expect to sound good only sound mediocre. Some songs I expect to hear sibilance issues with exhibit none while others I've not had an issue with before do. Some songs the bass is full, punchy and drives the music while in other cases snare drums lack the expected "snap". But I do find I'm hearing further into some recordings, getting more of a sense of the space and the instruments and as I've mentioned based on comparisons with what I have here and previous comparisons I think at this point they offer a step forward albeit with some reservations. That said no headphone is perfect and it's a matter of how well it suits the users ear and preferences. Most of the flaws I hear with the 3's are fairly minor in the grand scheme but even though I quite like them the sibilance issues may end up being a deal breaker for me.

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I'll continue to hijack this thread with my Triple.fi impressions. Damn it, these were the universal IEMs I was looking for all along. Balanced presentation and "full" sound, very airy and sweet highs and just the right amount of bass to make me tap my foot. No harschness, no sibilance, natural reproduction of vocals. The bass doesn't extend very deep, but it's got a nice round character and doesn't blur with the mids like on the Westone 3. Also, I don't feel much the so-called midrange recession, it reminds me in a way of the HD600 mids, slightly laid back, but the detail is all here. Also, I found a pretty comfortable way to wear them, using the flip-flop mod, Comply tips and slightly rotating the earphones towards the front:

photo27ed9.jpg

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I loved the TF when I owned them, twice. But in the long run, I just couldn't deal with the form factor. They constantly lost their seal. This problem went away significantly when I switched to the Shure soft flex sleeves, but then my need for IEM's went away.

Glad others are discovering the sweet TF sound.

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This is my first post here. I am glad that I was directed by another member from head-fi.

When I first read the Westone 3 raving reviews I decided to sell my e500 and the Triple Fi 10, the SAE 6 and the qJays. Plus the RE1.

I am keeping the Ety E4RP and the OK1-2 and PK1.

I guess that you have to find for your preferred sound signature and I just did not like that of e500 and Triple Fi 10. Plus, the Triple Fi felt as carrying a banana in each one of your ears. I have also been told that since the pins of the westone cable (done by Jaben) are thicker than the original, this may ruin the insertion on the headphone pieces of the Triple Fi's.

I am glad I did not jump onto the Wes 3.

What is the opinion on the recabling of the Ety with A Pure Sound cable? Does it change a lot the phones signature? In which direction?

Best regards

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This is my first post here. I am glad that I was directed by another member from head-fi.

When I first read the Westone 3 raving reviews I decided to sell my e500 and the Triple Fi 10, the SAE 6 and the qJays. Plus the RE1.

I am keeping the Ety E4RP and the OK1-2 and PK1.

I guess that you have to find for your preferred sound signature and I just did not like that of e500 and Triple Fi 10. Plus, the Triple Fi felt as carrying a banana in each one of your ears. I have also been told that since the pins of the westone cable (done by Jaben) are thicker than the original, this may ruin the insertion on the headphone pieces of the Triple Fi's.

I am glad I did not jump onto the Wes 3.

What is the opinion on the recabling of the Ety with A Pure Sound cable? Does it change a lot the phones signature? In which direction?

Best regards

Welcome mate ;). Ask Tony, he's very happy with the recabled Etys and he'll be able to compare them to the W3 shortly.

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