HIFIMAN HM700 + Westone UM PRO 10 (Blue)

thoughts on the Westone UM-10 Pro

I own many balanced armature IEM'S, predominantly Etymotic. The Westone UM10 was my first choice for getting to know the Westone brand.

Sonic Electronix provided excellent service with the lowest price that an authorized dealer is allowed to charge. I highly recommend doing business with them.

The UM10 appears to use transducers that are similar if not identical to other low-to medium priced IEM's, such as the ETY HF5. The sound signature of the UM10 is slightly different depending a great deal on the ear tips that are used. By design, the acoustic path from transducer to your inner ear canal can be much longer that with various deep-insertion IEM's. This affects the sound.

Getting a good, tight seal with the UM10 will depend upon how the Universal Fit body of the UM10 fits your outer ear. If you can get the body to fit closer to your ear canal, you can get a better seal. If, as in my case, the body does not allow the nozzle and tip to fully penetrate into the ear canal, some modifications must be made. And in my case I successfully modified aftermarket ear tips to get a good seal. This meant that the acoustic passage from the transducer to my ear canal is a bit longer than usual and that does color the sound somewhat.

The sound that I get from the UM10 is very satisfying in my opinion. I sometimes wear the UM10's for many hours, and sometimes without any signal at all just to enjoy a bit of silence. I forget that I'm wearing them. For shear comfort I prefer the Westones over other IEM's that are not as flush with my outer ear.

If Westone wanted to extend the length of their orange-coded silicone tips by two or three millimeters and make them two millimeters or so larger in diameter they would fit my somewhat larger ear canals perfectly. But Westone customer service wants to sell me custom tips instead, that would end up costing me as much or more than the UM10's themselves. I wish I had smaller ears.

I expect that most customers can get a good seal with the exceptional variety of tips that Westone supplies with the UM10. Their tips are excellent quality compared to competitor's tips. I'd like to see one more size in the Westone lineup, though, just one step larger. The Westone silicone tips are better than any other silicone tips I've owned, made of superior, more durable materials.

By the way, the Westones will not provide the ultra-deep penetration that IEM's like Etymotics will unless (I assume) you adopt the custom fit tips. So anyone who needs greater attenuation of ambient sound will not be satisfied with the Westone universal, using universal tips. Compare the ambient noise attenuation specifications for both the Westones and the Ety's and you will see what I mean. Again, this is a function of the depth that the tips penetrate into your ear canal. And everyone has their own preferences. Some may prefer less isolation than others. Professionals who require extreme isolation will not balk at the price for purchasing custom molds.

The Westones are perfect for what they're intended for. They are very accurate in mids and mid-to-high ranges (some may say too accurate). I replaced the green acoustic filters in my UM10's with red to enhance the lower frequencies. This had only a slight impact on 1800hz and up, which I compensate for by boosting the level just a tad which replaces the higher frequencies back to 'normal' and boosts the lows. This modification provides very accurate base response - not boomy - but crisply precise, as a single transducer balanced armature IEM should sound on the lower end.

I recommend the UM10 to anyone who wants to gain experience with IEM's and potentially graduate to a higher level of performance. It will take you quite a while listening to the UM10 before you start thinking about purchasing a more expensive multi-driver IEM. The UM10 Pros, when properly fit, are a very satisfying product.

By the way, Westone customer support admits that the acoustic filters are replaceable, but they want you to send them into the factory for replacement. In my experience the filters are a fairly tight fit but do come out with a standard filter tool. BE CAREFUL!! Do not force the removal tool into the nozzle any further than necessary or the plastic nozzle will crack!

Standard Knowles acoustic filters fit perfectly in the Westone nozzles (Mouser Electronics sells them, get the correct diameter).

That's my two cents.

When I'm prepared to have custom molds made to order I will purchase other higher-end Westone products in the future, based on my experience with the UM10's.

By the way, no matter what anyone tells you, break the UM10's in for several hours or so before making any judgements as to sound quality. And NEVER accidentally overdrive them. Use a good ultra-low output impedance headphone amp for best results (especially for low-end response).

Thanks again to Sonic Electroniks for their honest and enthusiastic service.

No, I'm not a paid shill (or even an unpaid one). I just take my sound and my ears seriously and I like to encourage others to do the same.