Westone is a serious company that has been making professional headphones for over 55 years. And if anyone knows a lot about in-ear “monitors,” it’s them. The company's assortment includes universal models and special series with o. The latter were developed for professional use, but the manufacturer addresses them not only to musicians, but also to music lovers who are demanding of sound quality. Feel free to consider ourselves in the second category, we tested the UM Pro 50 model, the eldest in the updated line of professional headphones.
Neutrality
Being a professional model, UM Pro 50 has an extremely strict and utilitarian image. The user is not offered any cheerful colors. Technically, the headphones have no color at all; their body is completely transparent, which allows you to see the entire contents. The only colored element that makes it possible to distinguish models within the series is the sound guide, and in this particular model it is black, which symbolizes the senior position.
Westone UM Pro 50 headphones are designed for professionals
Each earphone contains five reinforcement emitters connected in a three-way circuit. Dual small drivers operate at mid and high frequencies, and one large driver delivers bass. In addition to the miniature electric crossover, the headphones also have an acoustic filter located inside the sound guide.
The headphone cable is removable, with a standard MMCX connector. The package includes a proprietary Westone Epic cable, but in principle there is nothing stopping you from experimenting, for example, using a balanced connection or simply trying cables from other manufacturers.
Westone UM3X RC Equipment
- Westone UM3X RC Headphones
- Three pairs of soft single-lobe silicone tips of different sizes
- Three pairs of rigid single-lobe silicone tips of different sizes
- Three pairs of foam nozzles of different sizes
- One pair of three-blade silicone tips
- Passive volume control
- Adapter for 6.3 mm jack
- Brush for cleaning sound guides
- Hard case
- Supporting documentation on CD
Easy and comfortable
Thanks to the use of plastic, the weight of the UM Pro 50 headphones is extremely small. The same can be said about the cable - it is light, almost weightless. The manufacturing quality of the headphones and cable is quite high: there are no burrs or irregularities, the material and insulation of the wire do not cause discomfort when touched. The microphone effect is minimal not only due to the way it is positioned - even if you take the wire out from behind your ear, touching it does not produce a loud response. The wicker design is practical because it absorbs well during axial “tearing” forces, and a convenient L-shaped connector completes the picture.
Branded attachments should be selected as carefully as possible, only then will they be effective
The headphones have very thin and long sound guides, so it will be difficult to choose alternative ear pads. Realizing this, the standard equipment was made rich. Branded tips with an original, elongated, slightly conical shape, reminiscent of a wine cork, are presented in two versions: foam and silicone. Moreover, each version has not three, as is often the case, but five sizes. All this allows you to perform the landing as accurately as possible. However, I couldn’t do it any other way.
It will be difficult to select third-party nozzles, since the sound guide has a small diameter
Only after going through all ten pairs, I found one with which the headphones fit perfectly, do not cause discomfort when worn for long periods, provide excellent isolation of external noise and do not give an audible loss of bass. In a word, they behave as high-quality nozzles should behave. Usually, by going through different options, it is possible to find two or three pairs, but in this case there was only one option, but it was ideal.
Includes durable and sealed plastic case
In addition to the ear pads and cable, the package includes a shockproof and sealed plastic case. Thanks to the presence of a threaded bushing integrated into the body, it can be attached to a microphone or instrument stand.
Conclusion about Westone UM3X RC
The headphones are of high quality and stand out among reinforcement models with a full range of low frequencies. In general, the sound of the headphones is neutral, with a slight predominance of the low and mid frequency range. UM3X is best suited for use outdoors, in transport and other noisy places. The headphones have high sensitivity. They develop high volume from the average signal level at the player’s output, so even with a quiet player there will be a headroom in volume. A detachable wire is used as earhooks, which can be bent as you like and adjusted to suit you as accurately as possible. The wire is quite flexible and without a microphone effect. Thanks to a large selection of replaceable tips and a thin sound guide, the headphones fit comfortably and are suitable for a wide range of people. The situation when the earphone does not fit into the ear or does not hold well is practically excluded. The headphones are reasonably priced. The model is competitive in its class.
Author:
09.02.2012
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Turn it up!
Headphones with armature drivers do not like to play quietly. This statement is especially true when developers install acoustic filters in the sound guide, as is done with the UM Pro 50. At low volume levels, the sound character feels dark, although it pleases with good intelligibility in the mid-frequency range. As the volume increases, the resolution increases, the bass level rises to the level of the mids, and the highs still sound somewhere in the distance, which gives the sound softness and warmth. I note that the higher the power of the amplifier to which the headphones are connected, the sooner the moment comes when the sound picture returns to normal. But in any case, the volume level that fully reveals the sound is somewhere in the range from medium to high.
It is important to note the small pitch of the size range and the presence of two different types of nozzles
The depth and focus of the bass is highly dependent on the capabilities of the amplifier. The bass can be boomy, especially on lower notes, but the more powerful the amp and the higher its damping factor, the more precise and controlled the low-frequency range.
The specific settings of the UM Pro 50 headphones (flat mid/low range, smooth roll-off of high-frequency output and high detail) were created specifically for using the model as a stage monitor. However, even off stage it allows you to achieve very impressive results.
Headphone cleaning tool - standard on expensive in-ear models
Firstly, even with such a specific coloring, the headphones remain genre-universal and allow you to get to the bottom of almost any music.
Secondly, the soundtrack remains extremely legible and understandable even in situations with a high level of external noise. And not only musicians performing on stage will be able to fully appreciate this feature. It's enough just to take a short ride on the subway or find yourself on a noisy street. Sounds penetrating through fairly powerful passive insulation do not interfere with the perception of melody and rhythm, and the specific frequency response makes it possible to increase the volume without feeling discomfort.
The professional origin of the model has its advantages and disadvantages for domestic use.
Thirdly, in a recording of the most questionable quality you can hear much more than when using any other headphones, including reinforcement headphones. So if you vitally need to hear the words of a song from a concert recording of Psoy Korolenko, made from the far corner of the hall on an iPhone 4, these are just the headphones that will solve the problem.
Custom-fit forever
After many years, Westone has not forgotten about the subtleties in the production of headphones, such as the shape of the ear canal, and this is nice. Of course, if you decide to buy one of these models, no one will come to make an impression, but that same custom still remains, simply in the form of a huge assortment of replaceable attachments. An individual approach, as they say, is visible from afar, and when it is complemented by sound that is difficult to compare with anything else on the market, you want these headphones even more (the main thing is to choose the right sound source like AK70 or older). But you have to be prepared that it will be difficult to return even for non-mid-budget solutions.
Yes, the pricing of the UM Pro 30/50 cannot be called affordable, but when you need headphones for work, you usually buy them once and for a long time. Moreover, devices have been developed for those who are actively involved in the music industry, and these guys do not forgive mistakes in sound.
The power of music
If we return to the scenario that was originally planned, namely, listening to music in high quality, we should start with the classics. Bach's Brandenburg Concertos are reproduced brilliantly as expected, with high resolution, good mood reproduction and lively instrumentation. The scale and atmosphere were a little lacking, but it was already difficult to clearly assess whether the recording or the nature of the sound of the headphones was to blame.
The use of standard connectors allows you to experiment with the selection of cables
Bizet's Carmen suite had a similar effect. Still, it would be worth adding a little depth and scope to the sound stage. But chamber music sounded better, which can also be said about calm jazz. “Feelings” performed by Jheena Lodwick sounds soulful and captivating, and there was quite a bit of musical information in this minimalist performance. The headphones somehow especially accentuated Katie Melua’s mannered performance of the song “Scary Films,” giving the sound a deliberate retro flavor in the spirit of Postmodern Jukebox.
From the point of view of operational properties, the standard cable is quite convenient
AC/DC “Highway to Hell” has great rhythm, there is some feeling of compression in the mid frequencies, but overall it sounds very driving and rocker-like, as it should be. “Immigrant Song” by Led Zeppelin is, first of all, incredibly informative; I had not noticed some of the studio noises and sounds before. Overall, it’s assertive, bright, energetic—there’s absolutely nothing to complain about. In “Hunting High and Low” by Stratovarius, I was only slightly lacking in density and punch in the bass region, but I really liked the mids, as well as the lack of harshness in the upper frequencies. The Hi-Res version of The Who's "New Song" sounded unexpectedly boomy in the bass, projecting a fuzzy, fuzzy sound across the entire frequency range. These headphones were able to infuriate even the powerful Astell&Kern SP1000! But not for long.
I turn on “Calling Elvis” by Dire Straits - and the bass is fine, but there was not enough sharpness and transparency in the upper frequencies, for which the frequency response of the headphones, not the player, is responsible. David Bowie's "Lazarus" sounds like it was recorded by the Great and Powerful back in the 70s. This is exactly the character the composition acquired in the performance of UM Pro 50.
Measurements
The test bench meets the requirements of the IEC 60268-7 standard; an artificial ear corresponding to average anthropometric data is used to interface the headphones with the measuring microphones. When measuring in-ear headphones, the installation depth is controlled and ear pads are selected for the greatest linearity of the result.
When pairing the Westone UM Pro 50 with an artificial ear, the smoothest frequency response was achieved with foam ear pads. According to subjective sensations, foam ear pads provided better noise insulation, but silicone ones were more comfortable during prolonged use.
The frequency response graph well illustrates the specifics of stage monitor headphones: the vocal range and fundamental tones of musical instruments are reproduced quite smoothly and at a level significantly higher than the upper mids and high frequencies. In the main (working) part, the frequency response of the left and right channels has minimal deviations.
The low level of distortion in the region above 1 kHz corresponds to the decline in headphone output in the same range. Local bursts below 50 Hz are a consequence of the interaction of the headphones with the amplifier of the measuring complex.
