Performance

Since these in-ears represent the top of the line from Westone I decided put them up against my LiveWires ($300) and Sleek-Audio Custom fit earphones ($350), because they are the ones that come closest to being in the same price category and are known to be good performers. Now as far as universal style earphones, the best currently in my possession is the Head-Direct RE0 which is one of the finest sounding in-ears out there. To begin with I burned in the Westone 3s just for a day to be sure that everything was performing like it was supposed to, normally balanced armature in-ears do not need burn-in, but in the case of the Westone 3 I did it just to be sure that the crossover was performing near to its optimum. As with all the other recent in-ear reviews I used my portable rig as reference, it consists of a Cowon D2 and a RSA Tomahawk IEM amplifier.

After my first extended listening session I did not want to put down these earphones for anything. Not only do they deliver the most convincing sound I have ever heard from an IEM solution they are practically flawless in terms of tonality. The midrange is semi warm, but amazingly clear and smooth unlike any other earphone I have heard. The shear amount of detail it brings forth is just staggering - it really brings out the best in the music. The midrange is very natural in its presentation, but sounds really smooth. Even though it is pleasing to listen to, the Westone's midrange retains a maximum amount of detail, this combination is very rare since achieving the one often means that you sacrifice the other. Kudos to Westone for making such a musical and delicate sounding IEM, it has effectively set an entirely new standard when it comes to in-ears and what you can achieve with one in terms for sound quality.

Compared to a set of in-ears like the Head-Direct RE0 the 3s sound smoother, the aggressive sound of the RE0s stands in stark contrast to the rather smooth sounding Westone in-ears. The tonality of the RE0s is analytical whereas I would describe the 3's semi warm and full bodied, whilst retaining a mind-blowing amount of detail.

Treble wise the Westone 3s have a little more sparkle than the RE0s, but a bit less treble energy than the Sleek-Audio Custom in-ears with the treble plus configuration. Detail wise it is a tough fight between the Sleeks and the Westone 3s, it almost too close to call, but I think the 3s do a little better because of its better separation. I find the LiveWires Custom in-ears pretty lacking in this department so it makes little sense to compare the two.

Bass wise the Westone 3s are near perfect as well. Incredibly tight and with enough power to satisfy almost everybody. You have to be an extreme basshead in order to find the low end of the Westone 3s lacking. Extension wise in-ears play as low as 20 Hz which is about the lowest a normal human being can hear. The bass is better defined than on my LiveWires custom in-ears and is not quite as overpowering, needless to say the 3s puts the LiveWires to shame in every other performance aspect.

Sound wise they are very hard not to fall for, even though the sound is smooth and full it still packs a punch making percussion instruments sound just perfect. That being said the Westone 3s are ruthless when it comes to lousy recordings because they pick up every little error in the recording. Listening to extremely well recorded CDs from Steely Dan, Diana Krall, or DCC remasters of Cream these IEMs sound just right.

What is truly shocking about these new in-ears is the sound stage, it is broader, deeper and more lively than that of any other in-ear I have heard to date. The only problem I have been able to identify with the Westone 3s is that the upper midrange can become a bit of a problem with some of the tips. The hard single flanges make the upper midrange at bit too pronounced making them a bit sibilant to listen to. I found that the best tip for me was the gray medium sized single flange, minimal sibilance issues (none on well mastered tracks) and with a good comfy seal.

The brilliant sound stage and instrument separation coupled with near perfect frequency response makes them highly versatile.
The ergonomic design of the Westone 3s meant that I was able to get a good seal with all of the medium sized tips and even the triple flange tip, even though it is a bit too long for my taste. The Comply tips are extremely comfortable, but they have a nasty tendency to dampen the high end and compress the sound stage somewhat. The dampening of the high end can be a good thing you are sensitive to high tones.

Another virtually flawless aspect of the Westone 3s is the cable design which handles microphonic noise extremely well. The only problem with the design is that it has a right angled jack which means that you will have to use an adapter with your old iPhone and possibly with the new Cowon S9.

Durability

The design of the Westone 3s means that they are just as durable as other IEMs currently on the market today. The filters are not user exchangeable which means that you have to send them in for repairs. If you keep your ears clean and clean the tunnel regularly I cannot see this becoming a problem.