Australian stock with Australian warranty. Very good price on these, I couldn't find any cheaper even from overseas.
This is the removable cable version. If you are not familiar with these, check out the reviews on this link
http://www.head-fi.org/products/westone-4r-with-removable-ca…
Australia wide free shipping
Yeah, but if you sign up to their mailing list they ALWAYS have 25% off specials. Also, if you buy from them you get a worldwide 1 year warranty, and I found out my Westone 3Rs have a five year warranty. Had them replaced once already. Good deal, but not fantastic.
not sure if you're gonna see this, but how often do you mean by ALWAYS?
i've signed up to their mailing list because of your comment. ;) i think there's only a 14% off special at the moment though.
i'm just waiting for the right discount and AUD-USD rate before taking the plunge on a um3x purchase.
They have a coupon about once a month ranging from 5-25% off.
This is cheap… i'm tempted! oh no =S
Good deal on fantastic quality IEMs.
I probably shouldn't have bought those 20 pairs of cheaper head/ear phones and just skipped straight to the quality :/
yeah you should have.
i was buying cheapo earphones then decided to get Westone Labs UM1
They were going fine for over 2 years until my ex broke them cuz she wasn't using a carrying case.
then bought Westone W2
Great earphones for the price. Paid $220 on eBay. Again going strong for the 3rd year.
She broke your UM1, that's the reason she is your ex? :p
Just kidding~
Next step, UM3X :)
YES! MY UM1111111111111111
just kidding
Love the sound of UM3X
not good for long listening sessions
I use my UM3X for hours on end with no issues. Found them to be very comfortable.
Really? $400 for in-ear buds?
OK, I understand all the hipsters wearing overt Beats by Dr Dre and stuff to look cool and supposedly have a good quality pair of "cans", but am I - as someone with a decent hearing ability, but not an audiophile - going to get anywhere near the value from these?
Is there really THAT much of a difference? It does seem a little "Emperor's new cloths" to me, but I'm happy to be convinced otherwise.
Really not trying to troll here. Would love to test them myself, but I'm not dropping $400 on the idea of having amazing sound from my ipod.
The thing with Beats and those "Trendy" headphones is that they are more for looks than anything though personally I think they are loud and ugly. They do not have good quality as anyone would tell you. Even Bose is better and that says a lot. Those hipsters headphones are just for show and for excessive amounts of bass. Most people have this preconception that more bass equals better quality.
If you have decent hearing ability, you will be able to hear that there is a significant difference.
That being said, the correlation between sound quality and price is an upwards curve. The law of diminishing returns applies here.
A $20 earphones when compared to a ~$90 is rubbish. A sub $200 earphone is even better. A $300-400 earphone is better. A $2000 earphone is just… for if you have the money.
Also, there are varying factors that would contribute to the sound quality. The bitrate of your music files, your music player.
If you're playing youtube ripped mp3s on your ipod touch and expect them to sound amazing with this pair of IEMs, you're high.
Thanks for the intelligent response. The proper spelling of "a lot" and correct usage of apostrophes, means I will place a higher value to your arguments. :)
Don't think I'm quite ready to drop $400 on a pair of headphones yet though…
100% agree.
One other comment is that while yes these are expensive, the fact the cable is removable means that if you damage the cable at least you are up for the cost of a bit of wire, not entirely new IEMs. If you lose them you are out of luck, however as far as wear and tear is concerned I believe the vast majority of IEM failures are typically attributed to cable failure. I've had sony IEM's that were in the $100 ballpark where the cable literally rotted to the point that I had exposed wire showing.
Not that you need to spend $400 to get models where the cable can be replaced, but I personally wouldn't buy a model in excess of $150 that didn't have that ability. Note the cables are still a bit expensive to replace, but I find it more economical than replacing the entire unit. I'd also wager the quality of the cable from the outset on a more expensive model will be higher than many cheaper ones durability wise.
The $100 Sony's I mentioned before were replaces with some Ultime Ears Super Fi 5's about 7 years ago and apart from having to replace the cable once, they are still going strong.
The cables aren't that expensive, you can get a replacement Fiio cable for $34.
As I mentioned above - I got my 3s replaced because the cable split. For free. Westone customer service is the best I've ever experienced - friendly, courteous, and they'll do almost anything to make you happy. And I agree with lamerthanlam; these are a world of difference. Whenever I listen Beats cans (for a laugh) I'm always reminded how happy I am I bought them. If you are like me, and had Sennheiser CX200-300s dying every six months because the cable unsheathed, then this is the answer.
Wait, how did you get them replaced? Does westone have local au customer service?
Also, was yours out of warranty? If not how long was the warranty?
+1 for the use of ~
my best advice is to go to your local headphone/audio store and ask them to demo you a few sets.. take whatever your current buds are with you also and do a quick comparo.. maby you wont drop 400 but you might just leave the store with a new pair of something.
also the in ear vs supra/circumaural is a long and dreary one but suffice to say I wouldn't discount them based on the fact they can fit in your ear.
where do you live? I'm sure someone around here will know a place nearby you can visit if you have the time
There is really a big difference, instrumental separation being one of them, less blurry bass and more detail. But if you're using poorly mastered (google loudness wars) 128kbps mp3 files it won't make a difference, 320kbps is the point of diminishing returns.
Think of music being one track of one instrument laid over another eventually resulting in the song you're listening to. Having good audio gear lets me pick out instruments with ease, it lets me focus on parts of a song that I like.
Also beware the tinnitus if you decide to get IEMs, it's an audiophile's worst nightmare, nigh incurable. Remember to exercise precaution when listening with IEMs, there's actually a daily exposure limit set out there. If you go clubbing or attend rock concerts please disregard this paragraph.
100dB from an IEM is no different to 100dB from a pair of headphones (plus ambient noise) or heavy machinery. An IEM won't cause more hearing damage than any other loud noise source. The only thing to remember is that a small music player might be able to produce higher SPLs with IEMs than headphones can.
IEMs - when used properly - can help prevent or delay the onset of tinnitus.
People who use non-isolating buds or cans in noisy areas tend to turn up the volume so they can hear their music over the noise. IEMs or cans with good isolation will passively block out a lot of ambient noise so the volume doesn't have to be turned up as high, resulting in an overall lower SPL at the ears.
Yah I cringe when I see people crank their apple earbuds to the max to drown out sounds at the gym. Sound + more sound = tinnitus city!
Oh and public service announcement, if you happen to suffer sudden hearing loss in one ear or suffer from like superloud ringing after a loud noise e.g gunshot or a 140 decibel grateful dead concert do not make an appointment with your GP, head straight to the emergency room, it is often reversible. They'll give you a prednisone injection in the ear and you'll be right as rain.
I've had the previous flagship Shure IEM's for years now (SE530) and yes, the sound is quite astonishing from the top IEM's. If you haven't heard a pair try going to a store which sells top quality ones so you can check the quality. I mainly listen to my Senn HD650's but still love the sound from my SE530's. I'm sure those Westone 4R's are amazing too.
BTW, regarding the Beats headphones, the sound of all levels of them are terrible. They are all for bling. For the same price you could get a pair of Senn HD25's which are FAR FAR better.
Anyway just my 2c
BTW, people who doesn't care about Removable Cable can go for w4.
Wow just got one. thx for the deal
I just lost my Shure SE215's and I've already got a pair of Westone 3s. Should I get Westone 4s or Shure 535s as my next upgrade? Ozbargain Audiophiles, give me your opinions. I'm looking for "Fun" sounds, not really true sound reproduction for this pair.
fun sound = UM3X! or 535
The UM3x is univerasally regarded as a neutral IEM, for a fun sound go the W4 or the 535's
tried both. UM3x is more characteristic sound than w4
It's a very intimate presentation as a he Soundstage is pretty narrow. So it can soundlike fun bbecause you hear everything up close. But it's artificial for my liking. The w4 creates a bit more space yet still keeps things detailed without that nauseating feeling. Bass is better on the um3 though.
i was a shure fan, until i got some vsonics, my $36 GR02 BE are comparable with my share se210's. i think you should consider the vsonic GR07, which are around $180-$200.
+1 for the se535 for fun sound
If you guys are looking for a good pair of IEM's I suggest the Monoprice 9927. It sells for about $25 delivered on ebay (cheaper if you use a forwarder with monoprice). Got raving reviews so I though i'd try it myself.
BEST DAMN IEM's youll find under $150. It's an open design, so it'll have less bass than your typical IEM but man is it balanced with insane soundstage. You can tape up the small port and it'll bring the bass back, think Senheisser cx-300 but the mids a little more forward and less recessed.
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?p_id=9927&seq=…
whaaat is with these monoprice guys.. i just got one of their graphics tablets its amazing considering it cost me 70 bucks.. but why must they all be so ugly..
are you including the though rare sub150 tf10's in that recommendation krisspy? cause then im all over it
I just checked out some of their other products (2 and 3-way monitors). What the hell. You're right - a lot of really good reviews. Going to purchase a set of 2 and 3-ways and use them for my surround sound.
Was literally looking at a pair of these online today at Headphone.com
So tempting! and so are a pair of Etymotic ER-4PTs
Now I just wish I had $400…
Oh man I literally just ordered a UM3x from earphone solutions on Tuesday and due to arrive today.
Got the UM3x to replace my Westone 2's that I lost after 3 years. Not complaining, can't wait for the Fedex guy.
Just another option to consider is the sm3. I own both the w4 and sm3 and have tried pretty much every single top tiered iem out there.
The bass on the w4 is a bit anemic with zero sub-bass. Quantity is very good though.
The sm3 has very good bass and sub-bass, phenomenal 3D Soundstage and natural voices. It's also very transparent from track to track and really true to the source.
If you want to be in the presence of the singers on stage, go the sm3 route.
http://headphones.com.au/psingle?productID=532
If you want a Soundstage from the traditional audience seating arrangement go the w4.
For an extra $15 the sm3 is my recommendation.
+1 for SM3, my favourite set at the moment along with TF10 and VSONIC VC1000
Gosh that's expensive for a Quad BA, the model refreshed Sony XBA40 is almost half the price of this on Ebay. Whilst I understand that this would have finer tuning, the fact that both the Sony and this are quad BAs, you're really paying $200 more for perhaps 1-2% better quality.
hey guys,
I was wondering if you had an eta on the new adventure series alpha's?
cheers
Just got one - I spoke with the support guy and he warned there wasn't much stock left due to the OzBargain crowd! He was really helpful though when I needed to be awkward about payment. Let's hope the product matches the service :)
Good deal, ear solutions sells it for $499 US dollars.