Westone is one of the famous brand when we talk about in ear monitoring earphone. The UM Pro is their entry level for in ear monitoring earphone. The UM Pro 10 features a proprietary, single-balanced armature driver. Each unit is individually hand-crafted in Colorado Springs, USA, you can be sure that the quality is good. Let?s start the review of Westone UM Pro 10.
The packaging is great, there’s certainly a premium feeling to it, the dark grey box is sturdy and material of the box is smooth. I would say that Westone really did a great job to offer the premium feeling. I just hope that the cost creating such a good packaging is not passed to the customer.
There’s a thank you message and a quick insertion guide, which actually quite useful if this is your first time wearing an In-ear Monitors.
Accessories.
Included with Universal UM Pro Series are Westone?s patented STAR? silicone tips, True-Fit? foam tips, wax removal tool and mini-monitor vault.
The vault is good to protect your IEM, there’s small valve to release the pressure in case you are going to a higher altitude such as in the airplane. It seems that the newer version doesn?t come with this valve. The quality of the vault is good and protect very well.
Build and Design.
For the earpiece itself, the build quality is excellent. The polymer feels durable with a clean finishing. I’m very happy with the build quality, doesn’t feel like “cheap plastic” at all. The housing is pretty small so it fits nicely into my ear. Talking about the fitting, westone is one of the most comfortable universal IEMs that i?ve ever try, the housing is small, lightweight and could fit easily and nicely to my ear.
The cable is an MMCX twisted helix cable for durability and it?s replaceable. Westone regarded this as a high-flex, ultra-low resistance tensile wire, reinforced with a special aramid fiber, and braided for ultimate durability, acoustic transparency, and isolation from mechanical cable noise.
Instead of replacing the whole set, if your cable is having issue, you just need to replace the cable. It?s possible also to change it to become a MMCX wireless cable! take a look at this
The cable is a Y splitter 3.5mm gold plated L jack, I prefer a L jack compared to a straight jack. It does last longer in my experience.
While wearing the IEM (it’s connected to my phone at my back pocket) i almost don’t hear any microphonics (cable noise caused by the friction between the cable and your body / other things). Thanks to this cable and the over the ears design. I do encounter the small inconvenient where the cable spins opposite direction where i wanted it to go. This is a common issue with the MMCX cable because of the connector is spinnable.
The patented STAR? and True-Fit? Tips come in multiple sizes and give a personalized fit ensuring the best comfort. This is a dilemma, I like the sound produced by the STAR but prefer the fitting of the true-Fit.
For the STAR, the sound it’s more dynamic and the voice is clearer. If you like clarity, STAR will be your baby. It?s comfortable and no problem wearing them for hours. Sound isolation is okay for me even though is not that great.
While for the True-Fit, you’ll get more bass out of it. It does sound a little bit muffled. I find it that the earpiece is not dense enough. Sound isolation is better than the STAR tips.
Sound quality.
Sound stage
Sound stage is okay, you can hear the depth and width but that?s it. It?s pretty standard. Using the STAR tips will allow more space and make the soundstage wider. While the True tips will make it more intimate more enclosed space.
Bass
It exist and feels like it?s hidden, it?s a very subtle bass. I would avoid Westone UM Pro if you?re not using this for a monitoring. because it only has a single balance ameture which compared to a dynamic driver it moves less air and produce a lesser impact and slam. This is also understandable that the bass seems to be less defined and could not be heard at times.
Mids
The single balanced armature delivers a analytical sound, kind of a flat sound signature. It sounds a little bit boring because it’s flat.
High
The high is not overpowering also, it looks like Westone keep everything in balance and make sure it?s not overpowering each over. I don?t hear any sibilance, It sounded natural to me which is good for a monitoring where you need to get a clean and balance sound.
What’s my final take?
Westone UM Pro will give you a clear, detail and natural flat sound signature. you may feel that this IEM lack of bass, it has bass but it’s too thin and the single BA is too limited to cover the bass.
I would recommend it for monitoring (the intended purpose) because normally musician and sound engineer need to hear the natural flat. it will also work if you’re listening to instrumental, jazz, blues, classic, vocal and non-bass genre. For the others, you can find couple of other good IEMs in the same price range.
You can still tweak the EQ in your player / phone to improve the sound signature.
Westone UM Pro 10 Single-Driver
Overall
-
ACCESSORIES
-
BUILD
-
SOUND QUALITY
Summary
Westone UM Pro will give you a clear, detail and natural flat sound signature. you may feel that this IEM lack of bass, it has bass but it?s too thin and the single BA is too limited to cover the bass.
I would recommend it for monitoring (the intended purpose) because normally musician and sound engineer need to hear the natural flat. it will also work if you?re listening to instrumental, jazz, blues, classic, vocal and non-bass genre. For the others, you can find couple of other good IEMs in the same price range.
Pros
- Detailed sounds with visible soundstage
- Great accessories (tips and the vault)
- High quality build (cable and housing)
- Replaceable cable (MMCX connection)
Cons
- lack of bass
- boring sound signature
