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UM1/UM2 Appreciation Thread
Topic Started: 12 Dec 2006, 11:52 PM (2,111 Views)
cruise
Member Avatar
The Great One
im sure by now alot of us owning the Westone UM series IEM, and thought it would be great to share our appreciation for these babies..

mine came as a "Love n Hate" Affair.. I sold my first UM2 away having in mind to do an upgrade to E500.. Cos i wanna venture to a more well balanced IEM in terms of the bass/treble.. I ended up buying UM2 new instead again.. i reckon my wallet's now fed-up with my reckless decision..

UM2 sound signature seems appropriate to me.. as the warm bass and the details allows me to appreciate alternative rock/rock and jazz/vocals at e same time..

kudos to UM2!!
Portable Rig:
8G Ipod Nano + Hornet M + custom IC + UM2

"Life is not the amount of breaths you take. It's the moments that take your breath away"
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scanfiend
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Moderatus Supremus - Da Big Stick
You are preaching to the choir, brother! :thumbup: UM2's are the best earphones I own, period. :D
Amps (Portable): XM3, Xin Supermini v5, GoVibe V5, Xenos REP, Portaphile
V2^2 (maxxed), Headroom TotalAirHead, Xtra X-1, RSA Hornet-M (Gold), Headamp AE2, Headamp Pico, Graham Slee Voyager
Interconnects: Currently: xxx's Red Series, ALO SCD (AU/AG)
Amps (Desktop): Firestone Audio Beyond, Firestone Audio Little Country
Headphone/earphones: Sennheiser HD590, AKG K601, Grado SR80, Grado MS Pros, Denon AD5000, Denon C700, OVC TC20, Sony EX90LP, AT CK9,CrossRoads Mylar (1-3), UE TripleFi 10 Pro, UE-11 Pro
Sources: Panasonic CT820, Creative Zen Vision:M, Creative Zen X-Fi (32GB), iAudio X5L, Apple iPod Nano 8GB 2G, Apple iTouch (16gb), Samsung YH-J70SB, Cowon D2, Sony NW-A808, Sony NW-A829, Sansa Clip (4GB), Sansa Fuze (8GB)
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Ryner
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Music Lover
Fellow UM2 user here. =]

I love the UM2 for its mids and mid-bass. I use it on almost every genre of music even techno and heavy metal.

But some tuning of my rig is required for the UM2 to perform on techno or heavy metal. That is why we need to have a good variety of amps and cables to suit the occasion and mood.
People call me things like nuts, crazy and insane, I just tell them I am very serious when it comes to my hobbies.

What the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.

The most important thing in this hobby, sit down with a nice drink and enjoy the music. =]
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cruise
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The Great One
tats when e portaphile V2^2 Maxxed comes into place.. :lol:

scanfiend:
the choir needs recognition!! :P :P
Portable Rig:
8G Ipod Nano + Hornet M + custom IC + UM2

"Life is not the amount of breaths you take. It's the moments that take your breath away"
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joi-ful
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Yo. Happy UM1 user here.
Looking to upgrade to ES2.. when my budget allows for it. Haha.
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yongchris
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I appreciate the UM2 so much, I spent my own money to buy a pair.


seems I am no longer able to reply to the custom earmolds post...
Anyway, I got sick and tired to waiting (yes after 3 months) and I emailed westone directly. Got a reply from Doug that they've actually been shipped back to SG and the postal service is waiting for the invoice from westone so that the shipment can be delivered to Wilson. Which means that I 'SHOULD' be able to get them before Christmas... (who would've thought)

Chris
Recipes at Secret Garlic Butter. Click me
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JLM
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[SIZE=1]A newbie here. Still loving my UM2 after half a year of using them. A really good IEM for portable use. A toast to all UM users. :D
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aaron-xp
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Boy
Used the UM1 for about 3 months before something happened. <_<

Loved it for the isolation, the nice mids and decent IEM style bass.
team Lover, You Should've Come Over
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Jin
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i'm using the UM1 now and im very impressed :D
iPod Mini First Generation | iPod 5G Video 30GB | iAudio X5L | Westone UM1
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chaych
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"Batman"
fellow UM1 user here too..love it for it's sound when coupled with my XTRA X1 amp.
Home:
- HD 590
- MS2i

Portable:
- UM1(for sale!)
- UM2
- OVC TC20
- CrossRoads MylarOne
- MX500
- XTRA X-1
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BigBlur
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Been using my UM-1 almost everyday for the past 9 months. What more can I say
:)
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cruise
Member Avatar
The Great One
upgrade to UM2! tats more than u can sae!!
Portable Rig:
8G Ipod Nano + Hornet M + custom IC + UM2

"Life is not the amount of breaths you take. It's the moments that take your breath away"
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rapier84
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:lol: Loving my UM1s at the moment...loving them so much that I have custom molds on the way :P What more can I say?
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sukasuka
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Certified Product Stress Tester
UM1s with bi-flanges that fit perfectly into your ear = Clear sound in MRT
In a land where anything goes...
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BigBlur
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cruise
Dec 13 2006, 03:06 PM
upgrade to UM2! tats more than u can sae!!

Only if Wilson gives me a 50% off :lol:
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zonalblitz
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Site Photographer
Haha! My friend, take a little more time and save up more? :D I'm pretty sure you will never regret with the choice you made.
If impressing/being impressed is how it gets you around, forget it. It is not gonna happen.
The world of audiophile and fine living is not an Olympics.

Team "> Two Thousand Dollars Only" per Portable Audio Rig

Posted Image
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Ryner
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Music Lover
Yup, the good thing about getting something after you have saved for a long time is that you will appreciate it a lot.
People call me things like nuts, crazy and insane, I just tell them I am very serious when it comes to my hobbies.

What the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.

The most important thing in this hobby, sit down with a nice drink and enjoy the music. =]
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Zonic
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I managed to test the UM2 and compared it to the UM1.
The UM2 was really a step up form the UM1. I attribute the improve sound to the dual drivers which it has as compared to the single in UM1.
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Proton
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UM1 is about 75% of UM2, the improvements in the bass region is definitely noticable. But UM2 retains the similar sound signature of Westone, so if you liked UM1, you probably love UM2. As for whether it is a "step up" in SQ, it depends on individuals.
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JLM
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Proton
Dec 15 2006, 10:31 AM
UM1 is about 75% of UM2, the improvements in the bass region is definitely noticable. But UM2 retains the similar sound signature of Westone, so if you liked UM1, you probably love UM2. As for whether it is a "step up" in SQ, it depends on individuals.

Actually UM1 should be 75.99% of UM2. So you missed out the 0.99%.

Anyway this is meant to be a joke. So do not take it to heart.

From what i can say, there is no way to put how much is one product when compared to the other. So i do not think it is fair to either UM1 or UM2 to put a percentage. I will agree with you that the sound signature is still there. Currently i do have both UM1 and UM2 in case you want to know why i am making such a comment.
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Proton
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LOL, I can take the joke. It's rather a personal opinion. You are right to say we can't compare "apple" and "orange". The improvements of UM2 from UM1 may not be justified by some, and I am one of them. The opinion was based on my brief experience of UM2, but all I can say is that if you liked the UM2, UM1 will sound unexciting. But if UM1 hits the right spot, UM2 may just be another expensive upgrade.
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Zonic
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Just adding my 2 cents as opinions differ.
Those interested do try them out ya?

:etys:

P.S: Any UM smileys coming up next ??
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Cocobean
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Hi Everyone,

I'm those few who got the UM1 with just one listen but ever since my Ipod died, i sold off my UM1. Since then i've been saving for dought to get the UM2 as i got a shuffle now but the earphone that came with it is so bad at isolating sound that i have to turn to max. Also the quality is poor when compared with my previous UM.

Definitely a MUST have!!! ;)
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solo2
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Hey all,

This is about the braided cords of the UM2. I have noticed that the braided cord can "untwist" itself sometimes, making it appear as if the entwined wires are separate ones; of course the braided cord is still intact. This happens particularly at the joining at the earphone jack. If I deliberately "unwind" the cord by turning it, such a phenomenon happens. Should I be concerned about it? I have just had the earphones for two weeks.

Any experience please?

Thanks.
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zonalblitz
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Site Photographer
Hi solo2,

The wires on the UM1 and UM2 have to be specially cared for when coiling them for storage.
The braided cables works the same as braided climbing ropes (Z-Rope & S-Rope). It has to be coiled in a specific direction to prevent the 'unwinding'.

I think in the case of UM1/2, it is to be coiled in Clockwise direction to prevent unwinding. For the case of earphones, the issue of unwinding is not as critical as compared to climbing ropes.

Have fun with your UM2!
If impressing/being impressed is how it gets you around, forget it. It is not gonna happen.
The world of audiophile and fine living is not an Olympics.

Team "> Two Thousand Dollars Only" per Portable Audio Rig

Posted Image
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Ryner
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Music Lover
No problems about the cord unwinding, after about a year of usage my UM2 cable has just a slight unwinding at the jack and that has only appeared very recently and considering how well "used" my set is. Well if you look after you UM2 well, it might not even unwind at all.

Enjoy the music.
People call me things like nuts, crazy and insane, I just tell them I am very serious when it comes to my hobbies.

What the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.

The most important thing in this hobby, sit down with a nice drink and enjoy the music. =]
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solo2
No Avatar

Thank you all :)

I'm careful with the um2s, housing them in a UE metallic case when not in use. About coiling them, I coil them in a clockwise direction I think cos it's almost instinctive. I'm a right hander. Has anyone noticed that the finishes of the um2s are a bit rough? What I mean is the slightly jagged edges of the earphones enclosure and the tiny but still noticeable stray wires from the jack? I thought build quality could be improved, considering the price and place of production.

Having said that, the um2s are great for sleeping. They're the most comfortable pair of iems I've owned so far.
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puffpoopy
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Looks like there are several UMx owners around!

Just tested my friend's Shure E2c and I'm not sure is it myself, my ears, the seal. the earphones or even my source but the sound from the E2c sure sounds pretty thin. :( I do hope its a user problem.

But anyway, looking forward to giving the UM1 (since that's all I can afford and I want something that can last me at least another 3 or 4 Xmas before it dies on me again) a shot.

Do u guys have any photos of ur UMx with all its included accessories and stuff?
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solo2
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Okay here's the um2. I must admit I prefer UE's accessories over Westone's

Posted Image

PS: The Shure soft flex sleeves are not included. To be purchased separately
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puffpoopy
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Thanks for the photos! :clap:

It may be premature but I'm thinking that if after auditioning the UM1s and if they do make out well, I might just do a custom tip once all the comfy plugs are destroyed by natural hearing process (shld be a year or two?).
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