about 6 months ago today, i joined the ranks of the waiting. today, i went down to lay claim to the stuff of legend, the westone 3.
a past user of the um1s, and then the um2s, i made a leap of faith and put down a deposit for something that i have never heard or auditioned. afterall, the amount deposited was indeed sizeable to me, and in exchange for getting the very first set in the very first shipment, i promised uncle that even though he refused to let me listen to the prototype hanging in the glass showcase, i would not back out and get a refund after listening to the demo unit.
looking back at this promise now, i realise i was very foolish to have been so worried. the w3 has delivered what it's hype had promised, and much much more. on a side note, uncle could have chosen to lessen my suffering, but did he? no.... he chose to MAKE IT ALL THE MORE PAINFUL
taking it out of it's box, i was reminded of the reason why i loved westones so much in the first place, the es2 cable, and the familiar low profile drivers. coming with 10 sets of tips, an additional inline volume control, travel case, 1/4" adapter and wax loop, westone has packaged the w3 with more than just the basic necessities, along with enough tips to last a long, long time. i must say that the w3 sounds different with each of the different tips used, which should be a consideration for all those who are waiting to audition it. each of the tips i used resulted in a different signature, with the triflanges being my favourite.
after playing around with all the tips, here is my verdict on the fit. regardless what tips i used, the w3 sat snugly in my ear, comfortable and oh-so-light. before i knew it, they disappeared into nothingness in the moments that followed after i inserted them into my ears. falling asleep with the w3 on is not a problem, they are so low profile and comfortable.
a definite improvement over the um2s, i feel that westone has really outdone themselves with the w3. the sparkly highs which i had missed so much with the um2s had materialised, the mids, so silky smooth, and the bass tight and deep. a user of the freqs, which emphasized the mid range, i hardly missed the mids with the w3, in fact, imo, the rendering of the mids was much better with the w3, without bleeding into either the bass or the highs. sad to say, this is bad news indeed for my freqs, which were my favourite IEMs, before the w3 entered the picture. they are to be retired to second favourite
. an achievement indeed for the w3, especially since the freqs are triple driver customs, and were my favourites. in all fairness, the freqs are a tad more comfortable, they are, afterall, customs.
two thumbs up, and thank you, westone, for making the w3 a dream come true for me, instead of a nightmare
now for more experimenting and enjoying with my newfound love!
