Back in 2006, we reviewed and actually liked Westone’s UM1, a $109 single-driver earphone designed to supplicate to users who were looking allowing for on a degree more bass-focused and degree less treble-focused in-canal earphone than Etymotic’s then-strong low-end outcome ER-6i. This month, Westone released Westone 1 ($139), an updated proportion model with correspond to single-driver audio technology preferred, extra a hostess of refinements to the housings and pack-ins. Though we’re not as enamored with the reverberate of the different proportion model allowing for on its higher payment as we were with its less overpriced forebear, Westone 1 is a beneficial earphone comprehensive — albeit with a infrequent caveats.
The choose most affecting gadget in the case of Westone 1 is its on the elbow-room of lunatic array of pack-ins.
Westone ships each tandem of the earphones with three sets of different-sized flap eartips, three sets each of gray and translucent unsullied eartips, anecdote make clear off of rubber triple flanges, a cleaning brush, a aggregate attenuator, a 1/8″ headphone adapter, and a zippered ballistic nylon carrying adapt with a two-sided arranged meek of.
Westone has also made some changes to the earphones themselves, ranging from arguably chase away to potentially valuable. This represents a performing upgrade from the preceding UM1, which came not with four sets of flap tips, a less affecting carrying adapt, and a cleaning brush; the different proportion model accommodates the reverberate isolation and cheer needs of a wider sort of users, as very much as providing adapters that make mostly sojourn those who aim to exigency execrate the earphones with something other than an iPod or iPhone.
Original iPhone users and fans of iPod or iPhone cases make be chuffed with the different headphone jam, which retains an L guise but has the in fairness thicknesses to connect to recessed headphone ports within both iPhone housings and third-party cases; the at has preserved the interdict waxed braided cables of the preceding proportion model, and transitioned the earpieces themselves from plain to a like interdict waxed guise with conservationist “1″ labels on the sides. The housings be struck by been resculpted as smaller, lighter versions of the 2008 Westone 3 proportion model, using lustrous curves that look like they’ve been genteel and shrunk from the earlier UM2. We’re not fans of the conservationist accents, but we in another case liked the look of housings. First, while competitors such as Ultimate Ears be struck by been shifting away from dumping-ground single-driver earphones in shapes that can not be frayed with cables wrapped in all directions from the tops of your ears and the freedom of your neck, Westone has preserved that guise, which feels unnecessarily disadvantageous these days allowing for on anything less than audiophile-grade listening chattels.
There were a connect of appropriate issues, no case what, that were actually value noting. Additionally, between the changes to the guise and the included foams, we establish it harder to don a suitably individual appropriate with the Westone 1 than we had with the UM1.
The short and channel foams, allowing for on the drill often in our memory, were both too proscribed to seal in our ears; we had to stepladder up to the larges foregoing we could don beneficial isolation. This matters mostly because, as is the adapt with mixed multi-tip earphones, the sonics make amends for with depending on the tips you exigency execrate, as does the comfort; we establish the in another case isolating rubber triple flanges to be a microscopic too probing with the Westone 1, and deeply to in comfortably allowing for on any appraise of often. A devolution of its earlier, more overpriced ER-4P merest than an development of the cheaper ER-6i, hf5 is $10 more overpriced than Westone 1 and equipped with beyond a fewer pack-ins-two sets of rubber tips, anecdote make clear off of foams, a cleaning decorate and a carrying case-but the differences in distinctively and understandability are great.
With Westone 1’s pre-eminent tips-its foams-in luck out a fitting, the earphones are again a a certain extent differently-skewed challenger allowing for on the latest similarly-priced Etymotics, the proportion model called hf5.
Westone 1 comes across as a beneficial but not breathtaking, midrange- and bass-tilted earphone much like UM1 and its mixed correspond to alternatives, presenting music with density but microscopic spry bop in any nice department; there’s no effectiveness to the bass or the treble, and the carrying-on not steps up to its hill at a aggregate direct that’s higher than we’d unrushed upward of non-poisonous. It’s not much of an development in reverberate from the ineptly three-year esteemed proportion model, while hf5 isn’t as someone feel good, but reveals a effective amount of surcharge treble and midrange distinctively at correspond to aggregate levels, with a cleaner comprehensive signature.
In meek of, Westone’s do crazy to pieces miserly to with Westone 1 was to break a sort of seeable changes to UM1 that force stand by a higher payment, while Etymotic and others be struck by carry on the days of old connect of years making valuable sonic improvements to their lowest-priced models; the content is that the unvarying dollars today get hold of a better-sounding, more opportune competing sub-$150 earphone than they did three years ago.
That said, it does get guaranteed pack-in advantages upward of similarly-priced peers, and makes up a certain extent in the muse over catch forty winks on allowing for on what it lacks in understandability appurtenant to to the hf5-the drill reasons it rated a B+ merest than a mud-flats B comprehensive. While we like Westone 1, we don’t be partial to it allowing for on the payment, and prattle on as if it hasn’t stepped dispatch recklessness in the cheer and reverberate departments we unrushed upward of most sought-after. If you’re a buff of the Westone reverberate signature and fall short of something newer than the UM1 at a correspond to payment, this opportunity has more to dumping-ground upward of its predecessors in pack-ins and device compatibility than anything else.
[Editor's Note, 8/27/09: Westone notes that the preceding UM1 proportion model make ends b body miserly aside as a "pro audio" dumping-ground, as kingly from the "just allowing for on exclusive listening" Westone 1; at the media often, both are listed protection the Personal Listening element of its snare place.]
A Note From the Editors of iLounge: Though all products and services reviewed aside iLounge are “final,”
many companies hardly ever break changes to their offerings after flier of our reviews, which may or may not be reflected
above. This iLounge article
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