Review of the New UM3X Earphones
Apr 22, 2009
UM3X Earphones Review by Flavio T, Chief Editor with Earphone Solutions
April, 22, 2009
Today I received my UM3X sample from Westone. They managed to fit all 3 new drivers inside the same exact casing as the UM2 which is great because the UM2 has one of, if not the best, fit and comfort among all high-end in-ear earphones. The casing is half black, half clear. The cables are identical to the awesome UM2 cables and yes, the UM3X is made in USA.The UM3X was built for stage monitoring and for professional musicians. One thing I noticed right away was the isolation level I got from it was higher than with my Westone 3.In comparison, the sound of the UM3X is more gentle with strong bass presence. The sound is mellow and velvety. The Westone 3 which was optimized for the iPod playback, has a more extended high therefore a brighter presentation. The UM3X is more subtle and really shines with vocals and acoustic guitars.I did not test the UM3X with musical instruments because I don’t have a band and I am not a musician. The test was done with an iPod Nano, no external amps.
There was a concern that the UM3X could show some hissing sound in the background when used with the iPod but there was nothing like that. Just silence and a beautiful vocal presentation.
The UM3X shined specially with some of my Japanese collection which I enjoy very much:
- Mizuyo Komiya – Lullaby
- Mizuyo Komiya – Color
These are definitely the best earphones for acoustic guitar, vocals, and some other songs that benefit from a mellow presentation and an empty background. The UM3X has a very smooth sound and for long listening hours they are superb. It’s basically a UM2 with even more detail but not so extended highs such as the Westone 3. I personally prefer the fit of the UM3X because it has a slightly smaller form. Scott Stapp songs I listened to, the vocals came out a bit muddy and not so forward as I would expect but I have just determined that it was due to the recording being too congested if that makes any sense. Fact is after trying the Westone 3 and the UM2 with that same song, his vocals sounded muddy the same. My acoustic collection shined like never before with the UM3X.
For live presentations, these are now by far the best option for a professional musician that doesn’t want to go through the process of getting ear canal impressions and then have a custom in-ear monitor manufactured. I actually own the custom ES2, but honestly prefer the UM3X. The custom earphones can be a bit “intrusive” in the sense that they reach deeper inside your ear canal and they are not made of a soft material such as the Comply Tips that come with the UM3X. For that reason, I do prefer the $379 UM3X over my $650 ES2. Of course this is a personal preference.
I apologize this is a superficial review but I simply used the Westone 3 and the UM2 as a quick reference and could not spend the amount of hours I would like with the UM3X as we were being Certified by Denon as a Certified Integrator this week.
A more extensive evaluation of the UM3X will follow. I can say that I took it with me to the training sessions at Denon and I was extremely happy. I listened to the Gladiator soundtrack (I recommend this masterpiece by Hans Zimmer) and the UM3X sounded beautiful. More to follow…
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