Westone 1 UM1 True-fit Balance Armature driver Earphone

Westone has been around for more than 50 years, their product range covers anything from universial earphone, custom made earpiece to children earphone. But in fact, the first time we heard about this brand name was 2 years ago. A very impressive experience after having a test hearing with the Westone UM2. Back then, Westone has only two models for universial earpiece.

Over the past 2 years, they have been getting more aggressive in the universial earpphone market, last year christmas they had released the new Westone 3, a earphone with three micro drivers embedded inside, it can produce amazing sound quality, almost every customer are 110% satisfied with their purchase. It seems that the only downside is the price tag, which is almost 399 USD, somewhere around 270 GBp.

With all the positive comments, Westone had released the New Westone 1, it shares very similar design to the Westone 3 ( Shape wise ), instead of having full three armature drivers. The Westone 1 has a balanced aramture driver takes care of the full range response. Yes, it is no where close to the 3s, but the sound quality is still above most of the competitors in the market in the same price range. A balance driver only contributes half the success of a good earphone, the rest is relying on the Ear tip, and for the Westone 1, it comes standard with 10 different sizes of Ear tips, 3 pairs of them are made by Comply. ( For those who don't know comply, you seriously need to try it ) The comply ear tip can be squeezed to a shape that fits your ear canal, once it is pluged to your ear canal, it will slowly reformed into its original shape. That will make your Ear Canal completely sealed from exterior noise, usually known as noise cancelation.

For those who wants to know more about the Westone 1s, Please check the following review comments from CNET, or if you already owned any Westone line of product, look no further, treat yourself with another good earphone !

In 2006, we got our hands on professional audio manufacturer Westone's only two pairs of consumer earphones--the UM1 and the UM2--both of which received high marks for their good looks, comfortable fit, and excellent sound quality. Rather than toy with two winning products, the company then added a third headphone to the lineup, the ultrahigh-end Westone 3 True-Fit Earphones. Now, one more set, the more wallet-friendly Westone 1 True-Fit Earphones, is making an appearance.

These canalphones step up to the plate with a great design that manages to be ultralightweight, durable, and comfortable, but the sound quality leaves something to be desired. The design of the Westone 1 True-Fit Earphones is a bit unconventional, namely because of the cable. Each wire is individually coated in black rubber and then braided to form the overall cord. Westone asserts that this winding characteristic contributes to both the comfort and durability of the cord. The cable, which measures 50 inches, terminates in a gold-plated L-plug and features a slider at the Y for preventing tangles. Westone includes an optional inline volume control attachment that increases the overall length by 10 inches.

There's also a quarter-inch adapter, a cleaning tool, and a hard-sided zipper case with an inner pocket, along with perhaps the largest selection of eartips we've ever seen. You get three sets of stiff and tapered rubber eartips (S, M, and L), three sizes of soft silicone sleeves, three sets of foam fittings in various lengths, and one triple-flanged set. It's clear Westone takes the term "True-Fit" quite seriously. Despite the wide array of tips, the Westone 1 earphones may provide a bit of a challenge for people with extra-small or uniquely shaped ears.

They are contoured to fit into the outer ear with the cables looping up over the top cartilage and then down the back of the neck. This configuration may not be entirely comfortable for everyone, though we were able to achieve a secure fit with little issue--quite a difference from what we experienced with the Westone 3 earphones. This is thanks entirely to the fact that the earpieces of the Westone 1s are noticeably smaller and flatter. Also, we're happy to report that Westone carried over the ultralightweight cable and earpiece design, as that helps the earphones stay put during activity.

Now, the Westone 1 may be quite a bit more compact than the Westone 3, but it's for good reason: rather than three balanced armatures, you get just one (and that takes up much less space). Of course, the sacrifice is obvious. The Westone 1 earphones just cannot compete with their triple-armatured sibling in terms of sound quality, but they also cost significantly less, so it's not a fair comparison. Rather, we pitted the Westone 1 against the similarly priced Etymotic hf5. Unfortunately, the Westone 1 didn't quite stack up in terms of clarity and balance, so they came off sounding slightly muffled next to the Etymotics. Also, bass is far from thumping. On the plus side, mids are pleasantly rich and warm.