Westone UM1 Bundle with Triple Flange, Monitor Saver, more Review

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(More customer reviews)"Westone UM1 Review"
I was in the market for a set of earphones to replace my Vmoda Bass Freq earphones which I gave to my daughter. Prior to the Vmoda, I owned a set of Sony MDR EX71 SLB earphones, which stopped working in the left ear due to a short in the wire. I really liked the portability of earphones over headphones, but hated the way the wires kept getting tangled up in the Sony and Vmoda earphones.
I would not consider myself an audiophile, but I do like to listen to music and audiobooks. My criteria for my next set of earphones was as follows: noise isolation, price, comfort, sound quality, and customer service/product support (in that order).
In my search for finding a good set of sound isolating ear phones, I considered looking into headphones. My friend got a pair of Bose Quiet Comfort II noise cancelling headphones over Christmas and he couldn't stop talking about them. But I ruled them out for the sake of portability.
One of the best sites I found for providing information and user reviews was the Earphone Solutions website. I read every user review for every earphone that fit my criteria and I concluded on paper that the Westone UM1 earphones were the best ones for me.
But before I shelled out the cash, I wanted to hear the difference myself. The opportunity came when I was at the airport awaiting my connection flight. I went into a high-end headphone store and asked the salesperson if I could listen to some of the earphones he had on hand. I listed to the Shure SE115 and SE210 models along with the Dr. Dre Monster Beats eaphones and Westone UM1s.
SE115: The first earphone I tried was the Shure SE115. It was small and did not protrude excessively from the ear. I was impressed by Shure's heavy and high quality cords. The carrying case and accessories provided were really nice too. However, when I listened to the music from my iPod, I had to bring the volume level to approximately half to listen to the music and drown out the background noise. The bass and trebles were lacking and the mids were relatively flat. Pros: small, nice cord, nice accessory packet, many colors to choose from, price ($79), you could wear them hanging straight down or around the ear. Cons: sound isolation not as good as normal ear plugs (I used the foam inserts provided), sound was flat and lacked bass and treble.
SE210: Next, I moved to the Shure SE210s. These were more expensive ($180) and although they touted a fuller sound than the SE115s, they were not significantly better. The pros and cons were nearly identical to the SE115s except that the price was significantly more expensive and they stuck out a little further than the SE115s.
Monster Beats: This version was called the Dr. Dre Tour in-ear headphones. The most unique aspect of these headphones was the cord: they were flat and easily avoided entanglement through the great design. They also touted a strong bass sound. Unfortunately for my ears, that was about it. The worst part of these earphones was the rubber ear cups that were supplied. They did not do a good job at isolating sound as well as the foam inserts (which were available but for an additional $20). Pros: flat cord, strong bass, bling factor. Cons: expensive, sound quality was worse than the Shures except for the decent bass response. Treble was lacking and the mids were muffled.
Westone UM1: The fit of the UM1s took a little getting used to because I have never had a set of earphones that required wrapping around the ear and behind the head. I looked on Shure's website (they have a nice video that shows how to wear sound-isolating earphones properly) and learned how to properly don my earphones. These blew me away! The sound isolation was remarkable. My volume level dropped down to approximately 10% on my iPod compared to nearly 50% with the Dr. Dre and Shure earphones. The sound was fantastic and although they were not overly bass heavy, they had better bass response than the Shures. I thought that the cord was really flimsy at first, but then I got used to them and realized that there was a true benefit to having the twisted pair of wires, which actually made them tangle resistant (though not as good as the Dr. Dres). The best thing I liked about the UM1s was the fact that I could wear them while lying on my pillow--I fell asleep with them a few times and hardly noticed that they were there at all. Pros: great sound isolation, great product support (2 year warranty), comfortable to wear for long periods, outstanding sound. Cons: a little pricey at $109 (for my budget), not very distinctive looking, style of wear takes some getting used to, did not have the triple flanges supplied (which would have added even more isolation).
Summary: Overall, I was really impressed with the Westone UM1s. Prior to getting info from the internet, I had never even heard of Westone before. Now I am a big fan. I took my UM1s with me on a 3-hour flight and enjoyed peace and serenity throughout the flight. The slight pressure in wearing ear canal headphones takes some getting used to, but once you get accustomed to that, they are a great pair of headphones!
I've attached a summary of my review and rankings of the various headphones I was considering from 1-5 (5 highest).
Here is ranking for the Westone UM1: 4.45 out of 5.
They are simply the best value for my limited budget!
Pros:
-Great sound isolation
-Great product support (2 year warranty)
-Comfortable to wear for long periods
-Outstanding sound quality
Cons:
-A little pricey at $109 (for my budget)
-Not very distinctive looking (clear)
-Style of wear takes some getting used to
-Did not have the triple flanges supplied (which would have added even more isolation)
Here is a summary of my rankings from 1-5 (5 highest):
Noise Islolation (40%)
Bose QC2-2
Shure-3
Westone-5
Dr. Dre-2
Vmoda-2
Ear Plugs-5
Price (25%)
Bose QC2-1
Shure-2
Westone-4
Dr. Dre-3
Vmoda-5
Ear Plugs-5
Comfort (15%)
Bose QC2-5
Shure-4
Westone-5
Dr. Dre-2
Vmoda-3
Ear Plugs-5
Sound quality (15%)
Bose QC2-4
Shure-2
Westone-4
Dr. Dre-3
Vmoda-3
Ear Plugs-0
Customer Support (5%)
Bose QC2-4
Shure-5
Westone-5
Dr. Dre-3
Vmoda-2
Ear Plugs-0
Overall
Bose QC2-2.45
Shure-2.7
Westone-4.45
Dr. Dre-2.6
Vmoda-3.5
Ear Plugs-4.0

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1 Westone UM1 Made in USA with 2 Year Warranty (need to mail the warranty card with a copy of Earphone Solutions Invoice) with 1 adapter

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