Westone Releases Westone 3 In-Ear Monitors

[btarunr]

Westone, an iconic brand name when it comes to in-ear-monitors, released the Westone 3 in-ear monitor, the world's first true 3-way in-ear monitors. Each bud includes three drivers as well as a proper 3-way crossover, with which low (bass), mid and high (treble) get an armature each. The drivers are mounted in a piggyback fashion that makes them phase-aligned, which could prevent abnormal distortions or reverberations. The set includes as many as 10 kinds of ear-tips that the user can select.

These bits of technologies make the Westone 3 a revolutionary product in its category. The Westone 3 has reached retail channels, and comes at a MSRP of US $399.



Press Release follows:

Westone Music Products is proud to announce the release of the Westone 3 on November 28, 2008. The 3 is the world's first true three-way earphone specifically designed for personal listening. Built into every 3 is Westone's 50 years of experience producing custom-fit products for the ear and over 20 years of designing and manufacturing in-ear musicians' monitors for the world's top performing musicians. Compatible with virtually any personal listening device, the unparalleled comfort and high fidelity make the 3 perfect for anyone seeking great sound and long-wearing comfort: audiophiles, business travelers, exercise enthusiasts, and more.

The Westone 3 offers a unique sound signature optimized for the needs of the personal listener, with rich low-end response, detailed mids and articulate highs. The sleek new design showcases Westone's commitment to comfortable ergonomics and fit. Each unit includes a "fit kit" with a selection of ten universal eartip options. A soft zippered carrying pouch, 1/8" to 1/4" plug adapter and inline volume control complete the package. The 3 will have a street price of $399.00. For more information or to find a local retailer, please visit this page.



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[btarunr]

Many Thanks to Frederik S for sending this in!

 

[Necrofire]

If I had to pay $400 for a set of earphones, it'd have to do the following:

-sound like they say it sounds like.
-can also be used as climbing rope.
-guaranteed for life.

no point in paying that much if the cord won't last any longer than the $10 pair I have right now.

 

[Random Murderer]

If I had to pay $400 for a set of earphones, it'd have to do the following:

-sound like they say it sounds like.
-can also be used as climbing rope.
-guaranteed for life.

no point in paying that much if the cord won't last any longer than the $10 pair I have right now.

first off, you should take a look at head-fi.
in comparison to other headphones, these are dirt-cheap.

second off, westone is a great brand with a reputation and fan-base to back that statement up.

third off, recabling headphones, whether they need a new cable or not, is very commonplace among audiophiles, however small the cable or headphones themselves are.

fourth off, they will sound better than anything you have ever heard. your comparison to a $10 pair of headphones proves just how ignorant you are of sound quality. if you would like a cheap pair of entry-level audiophile headphones, check out the grado sr60. you can get them new for about $50 and they will far surpass anything you can buy from wal-mart or the like.

 

[timta2]

I would have to hear them. There is a lot of snobbery, snake oil, and some truth in the audiophile world.

 

[Random Murderer]

I would have to hear them. There is a lot of snobbery, snake oil, and some truth in the audiophile world.

snobbery is easy to ignore and snake oil is easy to avoid, just think, use common sense, and if all else fails, google it.

 

[Nemesis881]

holy crap. i've seen $100 plus in-ear monitors for playing in a band on stage but thats just ridiculous!!
they would have to make love to my ears for that price...

 

[AsRock]

LMAO at that price makes me think of BOSE. Then again some one has to like them i guess as everyone ears are different i'm just glad i prefure the sound of technics Maranze sony and such.

$400 that is funny.

 

[Scrizz]

holy crap. i've seen $100 plus in-ear monitors for playing in a band on stage but thats just ridiculous!!
they would have to make love to my ears for that price...

oh but they do

 

[shoman24v]

Let's be realistic here..... $400 bucks for something my dog could eat so fast...

I would love to have a pair, but I could never justify spending money on something like that.

I guess I'd have to hear them before judging though.

 

[Haytch]

I will eventually get around to giving these a go. The price tag might be a little steep for most, but its all relevant. If you have a $600 sound card, why would you be using $10 headphones; but if you had some cheapo onboard sound it would be acceptable.

Didn't your girlfriend want that $5000 diamond ring that the dog should eat ?
My sound system at home is comprised of Bang & Olufsen with Bose International and its great, but neither have In-Ear monitors that can remotely compare. Not yet anyways.

If you know what your on about, you get what you paid for. If you have no clue's, you get ripped off. $400 is a decent price for a product that noone else has. Personally i have come to respect sound, not only as a form of enjoyment, but the enhanced ability it DOES supply to gaming.

 

[Frederik S]

$400 is not a bad price for a set of in-ears, considering the triple armature design with three way crossover. Compared to Shure SE530 which is another triple armature design (only with a two way crossover) cost $549!

So in comparison to what the competition is charging for a somewhat technically inferior design, the Westone 3s are quite a bargain.

One of the most common in-ears used by performing artist is the Ulitimate Ears UE-10 Pro ($900) and UE-11 Pro ($1150). The UE-10 Pro is like the Shure SE530 a triple driver earphone with a two way crossover.

Technically speaking the Westone 3s are one of the most sophisticated earphones around.

 

[theJesus]

For being triple armature with 3-way crossover, the frequency response is kinda disappointing. However, I'm quite intrigued by the fact that they've even managed to do it at all.

btw, I absolutely hate when people complain about the price of nice headphones and act like they're totally useless. Headphones aren't just for personal entertainment y'know. Recording engineers need accurate headphones for mixing and mastering. And besides, there are audiophiles that are willing to spend whatever takes for the best possible sound, so there will always be a market for "expensive" headphones.

Take a moment to think how many people would call just about every pc component the members of this forum buy a waste of money because their P4 system still browses the net and plays counterstrike just fine.

 

[ReTiCuLe]

After trying my first set of Seinheinser HD555's then going to the Audio Technica ATH 700's I have to say. I'm impressed with expensive headphones. I'll never buy a cheap pair again. I'm not rich either, I do notice a difference. It's not where I just have loads of money and a compulsive buying disorder and convince myself they sound great. In this case price is quality.

Not saying I've read much about Westone but, $400 doesn't sound expensive when I've heard friends of mine dropping over $800 for headphones lol.

 

[Random Murderer]

After trying my first set of Seinheinser HD555's then going to the Audio Technica ATH 700's I have to say. I'm impressed with expensive headphones. I'll never buy a cheap pair again. I'm not rich either, I do notice a difference. It's not where I just have loads of money and a compulsive buying disorder and convince myself they sound great. In this case price is quality.

Not saying I've read much about Westone but, $400 doesn't sound expensive when I've heard friends of mine dropping over $800 for headphones lol.

i feel the same way. i don't have the money to just compulsively buy the latest and greatest in headphones or computer parts, but i do enjoy my setup.
$800 is still relatively cheap when you compare it to some electrostat setups costing upwards of $2500. I think that for the people that don't use electrostats(like me, i do not feel comfortable putting a pair of headphones that run on 400v on my head) the most expensive part is not the headphones themselves, but their sources and amplifiers, and that's why people don't really see the value in high-end headphones. sure, you can get a pair of HD600's for $200, but they need to have an amplifier to sound good. that's another $100+, and then when you have all that, you'll hear how noisy your source is and spend money upgrading that.

it's an investment. you get a good setup and take care of it well enough, it will last you for years.