echo-oche's Full Review: Westone UM2 Professional Headphones
After previously being extremely disappointed with other ear-bud headphones which command a high price for mediocre sound, I let Mike at Freq City Sound talk me into giving the Westone UM2's a try.
From the moment I put them in I've been just amazed at the fantastic sounds quality these produce. In contrast to single driver ear phones, these UM2's have 2 drivers - and it's apparent - these sound fantastic.
I am no audiophile however my ear is discerning enough to differentiate good from exceptional and for earbuds these border on exceptional for earphones.
These UM2's have a MSRP of $499.00 but it's easy to find them for $299.00 nearly anywhere. I found mine Brand New from a popular auction site for 256.00 with shipping included. They are worth every dollar.
I was on a mission to find a set of earphones which would provide me a much richer listening experience than with my previous earbuds - and my mission is successful with these.
In addition to wonderful sound reproduction, I have been able to find subtle voices and background subtleties that I hadn't previously found in some of my music.
The noise isolation is fantastic, though so good that you probably don't want to wear these riding your bike or jogging, because you won't hear traffic at all and these make it too easy to get into a zone because it's difficult to hear anything else with them on while music is playing.
I've tried these plugged into my computer and they sound great, but primarily I wanted them for my Nano. They are a well suited pair. Though, these headphones are capable of much higher quality sound reproduction than mp3's without question. These are really high-end professional earphones.
Overall the sound from bass to midrange to treble are well balanced. The bass hits low, relatively tight, and definitely full. The midrange has a rich presence, and the treble is very accurate - just right.
It's pretty amazing to listen to something like Govi - Andalusian Night's or Persuasion, Sade's King of Sorrow, or the sweet voice of the Sunday's with these earphones. But be sure to listen to something like Evenescence, because the UM2's reproduce rock really well also.
A couple things to keep in mind: When you plug headphones or earbuds into your computer you need to be really mindful of the player settings because in the case of Windows Media Player if you have the True Bass set too high with the WOW effects you are going to get distortion - but this is the case with nearly any earphone/headphone. I found that by default Nero Showtime sounded better during playback than Windows Media Player.
Using the iPod Nano, they sound amazing.
In short, don't bother with the other single driver earbuds in the proximity of this price point. Just get the UM2's and be happy. I purchased the clear ones and they look sweet. I think that the Shure's have more of a polished and finished look to them, but I undeniably prefer the sound quality of the UM2's. Anyway, they also are available in black.
Don't let me forget to tell you about the fit!
Ok, so I always notice with earbuds that I have to fiddle with them to get them in my ear properly. I've noticed this with my previously returned SE210's, and my iPod Nano earphones. But the Westone UM2's very easily pop into my ear and fit nicely without protruding (once you understand which is left and which is right)(red dot-right, blue-left).
These fit like ear monitors (as I believe they technically are professional ear monitors). I've had them on for a couple hours this evening alone with no fatigue from listening. They are very comfortable to wear and the cords stays in place over my ears, and don't fall out constantly as with many others.
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