Westone 3 driver review

Westone 3 make big bass bloated and great clarity coexist like no other IEM does. As I said, it manages to screw the bass-midrange tonality, otherwise similar to that of Klipsch Image X10, even if the W3 are better at pretty much everything else. The Westone 3 have an incredible ability to reproduce reverb sounds echoing on another part of the room. Even with average mp3 players, the Westone 3 do this single aspect even better than, say, Stax headphones.

My idea is that the decay is tuned differently for every driver, and especially short in that dedicated to midrange that might also reach some midbass-upper bass frequencies. The Westone 3 have laid back vocals, mainly given the upper midrange recession. The lower midrange tone makes acoustic guitars sound very pleasant, satisfying, full bodied and defined. The same lower midrange can make certain albums sound too saturated, like Popol Vuh — Hosianna Mantra, whose recording already has resonance at lower mids until about 1kHz.

Going up with frequencies, treble has more quantity and definition compared to Klipsch X While Klipsch Image X10 make cymbals sound attenuated, for example, they hit just right with Westone 3, without sounding painful.

Westone 3 have no sibilance once one sorts out the tips choice. Instrument placement is VERY precise and defined, and makes great use of all the head space. Do I like these toys? Overall, I think they have great qualities, many unique in the IEM world, and they make me happy. Unfortunately, I think midrange is a bit off, hence, if one likes lifelike vocals, the tonal balance of Westone 3 might not fit well.

Mostly, this has to do with the large size of the earpieces: they measure more than three-quarters of an inch across, and the eartip attachment arm doesn't stick out far from the 'bud. In fact, although the earphones are designed to be worn so that the wire loops over the top of the ear, we actually had to swap the left and right earpieces so that the cord was hanging down; they simply would not fit into the shape of our ears otherwise. On the plus side, the 'buds and cable are very light, which helps them stay put.

All that being said, we completely forgive the large size of the Westone 3's earbuds because the company manages to shove three balanced armatures into each one. Put simply, this equals fantastic audio reproduction.

So good, in fact, we cringed whenever a file of a bit rate lower than Kbps came through on our test player the Sony S-Series Walkman. Frankly, if you have a lossy music collection, there's no point in spending your dough here. For audio connoisseurs, music sounds exceptionally clear, deep, and balanced. We listened to songs across a variety of genres during our testing and were never disappointed.

Akon's vocals in "The Sweet Escape" sound positively shimmery, and the bass in Massive Attack's "Protection" is encompassing without being overpowering. Mids are rich and buttery across the board. The Westone 3 True-Fit Earphones are expensive, and the earpieces are large and may not fit securely. The Westone 3 True-Fit Earphones feature top-of-the-line sound to go with their top-of-the-line price tag; they should be a top choice for audiophiles who desire ultraportable headphones.

Photo gallery: Westone 3 True-Fit Earphones. Score Breakdown Design 7 Features 9 Performance 9. See full specs.