Former flagship and triple driver earphone from Westone's True-Fit series. The Limited Edition version was released November 2009 in celebration of Westone's 50tn anniversary and has a limited production of 333 units. Each pair of the LEs are individually numbered.
Specs:
Driver: Triple Balanced Armature
Frequency Response: 20Hz~18KHz
Packaging / Accessories:
Simple hard cardboard box with a see through section that showcases one side of the earphone. The box is packed with accessories, including a nice assortment tips (3 Comply, 6 single-flanged, and 2 bi-flanges), travel case, cleaning tool, 1/4" adaptor, and an in-line volume control extension. That's quite an impressive array of accessories and one should have no trouble finding the right tips.
Impedance: 30Ω
Sensitivity: 107dB
Cord Length: 1.28m
Sensitivity: 107dB
Cord Length: 1.28m
Plug Type: L-Plug
MSRP: $569.00 // Current Price: $349.99
MSRP: $569.00 // Current Price: $349.99
Packaging / Accessories:
Simple hard cardboard box with a see through section that showcases one side of the earphone. The box is packed with accessories, including a nice assortment tips (3 Comply, 6 single-flanged, and 2 bi-flanges), travel case, cleaning tool, 1/4" adaptor, and an in-line volume control extension. That's quite an impressive array of accessories and one should have no trouble finding the right tips.
Build Quality / Appearance / Cable:
The housing is made of plastic and has a very ergonomic design. There is a negative "3" on the shell with a red background for the normal W3s and gold for the LEs. The twisted cord is supposed to add extra strength and I must agree that this is one of the best cables I've used. The cable can definitely take the accidental pulling and stretching and has good reliefs. Because of the way they are designed, the cable is meant to be worn behind the ear which successfully eliminates all microphonics.
The housing is made of plastic and has a very ergonomic design. There is a negative "3" on the shell with a red background for the normal W3s and gold for the LEs. The twisted cord is supposed to add extra strength and I must agree that this is one of the best cables I've used. The cable can definitely take the accidental pulling and stretching and has good reliefs. Because of the way they are designed, the cable is meant to be worn behind the ear which successfully eliminates all microphonics.
Comfort / Isolation:
Although it may take a couple tries at first figuring out how to put this on (if you've never worn earphones where the cable goes behind the ear), the Westone 3 is very comfortable as I find all Westone IEMs to be. However, with 3 drivers, the housing is "fatter and "tubby", which may be uncomfortable for people with smaller ears. Isolation is truly excellent, especially with the P-Series Comply foam. With other tips, it is still very good but not as noise isolating as when using the P-Series. It was a pleasure to wear these on a 10hr flight as they caused no discomfort whatsoever and isolated chatter and plane noise completely. Also, due to the ergonomic design, I am able to comfortably lie on my side with them in my ear.
Although it may take a couple tries at first figuring out how to put this on (if you've never worn earphones where the cable goes behind the ear), the Westone 3 is very comfortable as I find all Westone IEMs to be. However, with 3 drivers, the housing is "fatter and "tubby", which may be uncomfortable for people with smaller ears. Isolation is truly excellent, especially with the P-Series Comply foam. With other tips, it is still very good but not as noise isolating as when using the P-Series. It was a pleasure to wear these on a 10hr flight as they caused no discomfort whatsoever and isolated chatter and plane noise completely. Also, due to the ergonomic design, I am able to comfortably lie on my side with them in my ear.
Sound:
Lows: The first thing you notice is that it has lots of presence. There is a lot of impact and really slams with authority and power, but at the same time very well controlled and refined. The bass has a lot of weight and is full-bodied. Depending on personal preferences, the bass can be too much as these are definitely the "bassiest" BA I've heard, but it does give incredible detail and texture. Compared to bass from a top tier dynamic (JVC FX700), the W3's bass sounds more artificial and punchier. There is also a slight mid-bass hump that makes the W3 just a bit muddy at times, but it never interfered with my enjoyment of the sound as a whole.
Mids: The mids are semi-warm, and again has great detail even with the added warmth the boost in the lower midrange. It is not forward as on the UM2, yet not recessed like I found the TF10 to be. I found the mids to be very transparent and even quite lush. The midrange of the W3 is slightly laid back and can sometimes sound a little harsh, but it is still nicely presented majority of the time.
Treble: The highs are sparkly and has a lot of energy. It is pretty bright and can be sibilant. Though I fixed the sibilance issue by using the Comply P-Series tips, which dampened the high end, and found the highs much more enjoyable. The sibilance is probably also caused by poorly recorded tracks as it was not present on my reference ones. Treble extension is good and on par with the TF10.
Soundstage: The W3 has a great soundstage. It is very wide with a great sense of space, like the stage just completely opened up. Imaging and instrument separation is excellent. They also have a very impressive headstage that I have only experienced with overhead headphones.
The W3 is quite sensitive to the quality of the source. They are not very forgiving and will certainly pick up sibilance if it is part of the recording. I also want to add that the W3 is extremely easy to drive. With these, I usually have the volume 15-20% lower than any of my other in ears.
The W3 is quite sensitive to the quality of the source. They are not very forgiving and will certainly pick up sibilance if it is part of the recording. I also want to add that the W3 is extremely easy to drive. With these, I usually have the volume 15-20% lower than any of my other in ears.
Summary:
The frequencies come together very well and has a very impressive soundstage. They are an extremely fun and musical sounding IEM that really engages you with the music. It has a big, full-bodied sound that reveals an incredible amount of detail. Keep in mind that the sound is very tip dependant. The Westone 3 is a very special product worthy of its top tier status for those that appreciates powerful lows and sparkly highs, but the sound signature is certainly not for everybody. People that's looking for an earphone with a flatter response and a more forward midrange should look elsewhere. Listening to the Westone 3 is a very intense experience and they definitely have that wow factor.
--Westone 3 Limited Edition // The LE version sounds the same as the "normal" Westone 3s. The LEs come with a ton of extra stuff including: Numbered Westone 3 T-shirt Westone 3 gold-plated keychian, acrylic Westone 3 paper weight, autographed "All Access Card" by the Westone team, and a lanyard.
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