Review - Westone UM2

I did not confirm this review earlier because I was wondering if Westone would be replying to my email at all, not knowing that they had a distributor over in Hong Kong.

Dale Douglass from Westone Laboratories Inc sent me an email telling me that they are interested in getting their products reviewed and also a shoot out between the Westone UM2 and the Shure E5c which I have been using for a few years now. This is very interesting because there are many similarities between both products it becomes difficult for consumers to make the decision which would be a better buy.


Airtight hard protective case the UM2 comes in.


Westone looked into every detail for protection.


Included in the package.


Close up of the UM2


Another angle.


The one with the Blue Dot is the left side.


Pretty, isn't it?


Quality connector. Note the cables.


Very well made pair.


A peek into the innards.


Feels solid and slightly weighty on my palm. (A good thing).


The UM2 with a modified 3rd party "double flange" sleeve.

Also, its interesting to note that Westone Labs are also custom ear mould makers and I will most likely be sending them my ear impression to get a few sets of ear moulds made. I have received quite a few emails over the months since I started bringing attention to in ear monitors to you readers.

OK, so updating this post, here is what I feel about the Westone UM2 after using them for about two weeks :

There are many in ear monitors out there in the market, and many of you are familiar with brands like Shure and Sony and their offerings for in ear monitors (some call them canal phones, in ear buds, etc). So how does Westone's UM2 hold up against the similarly priced Shure E5 series?

I have used the Shure E5 for about 2 years now, so in a way I can make a good comparison between the E5 and the UM2. The biggest complaint I have always had about the Shure E5 is their "Memory Fit" cables that goes behind your ears when you wear the E5. The concept behind the "Memory Fit" cable is good, but for someone who wears glasses and love to listen to music for hours, they become a pain and a source of irritation. You start noticing the thickness of the cable behind your ears and you just get so irritated by the cables after an hour of wearing them, and the humid weather in Asia just seem to make the discomfort worse when one starts perspiring.

The UM2, as you can see in the pictures above, are way more comfortable than the E5. The cables are highly flexible and feels like silk, and they fall nicely into place when you wear them and does not display any of the discomfort like the E5 at all. Wearing them for hours does not give me the discomfort like the E5, so this is a big plus and also why I fell in love with them the first day I used them. Kudos to the UM2 designer for this. Comfort is a big issue for a performer on stage. Any form of discomfort can seriously affect a performer's mood during a gig and for the average user who wants to enjoy music on the go, this comfort itself is priceless.

Sound quality. Both in ear monitors have powerful sound, and the bottom end seems a lot more "bigger" on the UM2. The UM2 has a very rich bottom end but sometimes can be a little overwhelming (just a little, but you will get used to it very soon) for someone like me who is used to/prefer a "flat sound". The stereo image on both in ear monitors are great, but in some subtle ways, the UM2 has a very nice spread that seems to make the music "bigger".

Both E5 and UM2 are very detail sounding in ear monitors, and I can hear all the details from a recording and they are more superior than the lower end models offered by Shure. For the E2c and E3c, the bottom end is missing and this irritates me when I am listening to Jazz pieces because I love double bass players. Double bass loses much of its punch on these lower end models, but on the UM2... woah! You hear everything in superb clarity. In fact, when comparing to the E5, the UM2 seems to be more capable in reproducing that "big sound" and good recordings sounds a lot more better on the UM2 than on the E5. This said, the UM2 is very unforgiving to crappy recordings because they are so detailed, and this is also the same reason why I am preferring the UM2 more than the Shure's range of in ear monitors these days.

UM2 comes in a very well made, almost "indestructable" protective case, which also contains moisture absorbing material in the centre of the case (reusable by heating them like you would with photography-use silica gel) to keep the UM2 dry during storage. Any form of moisture will slowly degrade ANY in ear monitors, so the details that Westone has looked into in the packing/case design impressed me.

The "Fit Kit" comes with only foam sleeves, which is more than suffice for any regular users since most Silicon sleeves are practically useless for a proper seal and are uncomfortable, and for me, I have always used a Triple Flange Sleeve from Shure to get a comfortable and good seal. (If you noticed from the pictures above, I have also trimmed the third flange off because the additional length is simply too long for my ear canal, and after trimming, the new Double Flange fits perfectly and comfortably for long hours of use).

Note that Shure's sleeves made for the E3/E5 series can fit the UM2 as they are of the same size, so if you love the Shure Ultra Flex sleeves, you can use them on the UM2, but I strongly recommend the Triple Flange (or trimmed to Double Flange) sleeve for a very comfortable and good seal/fit.

If I am asked again to recommend a higher model in ear monitors now, I would recommend the more comfortable and bigger sounding Westone UM2 over the Shure E5 because of the comfort and fit, and the UM2 sounds better in my opinion. There will be Shure fans out there, but for me, I am a convert to Westone. The UM2 is a keeper that's for sure.

The UM2 costs between US$329-US$450 based on a quick search on the internet for online resellers.

In summary :

- The UM2 wins hands down for being the most comfortable pair of in ear monitors that I have ever used to date.

- Significantly more comfortable when compared to the Shure E5. The cables on the UM2 are amazing and very comfortable. I wouldn't be surprised that Moby (who also wears glasses) owns them as well.

- Deep clean bass that is not present in "lesser" models developed by the competition.

- Depending on how sensitive your hearing is, but in my case, the UM2 has a nicer stereo image and clarity when compared to the Shure E5. BUT! The UM2 is not forgiving towards crappy recordings, this might or might not be a good thing for you. I like them as such because then I can rely on the UM2 as serious monitors.

- Interestingly, Shure sleeves for the E5s can be used on the UM2. And for those who are waiting for your custom moulds to be made at Westone, you can try out the Shure Triple Flange sleeve at the meantime. They are pretty good.

- Carrying case that comes with the UM2 contains a dehumidifier built in, and the case itself is very well made.

- Westone after sales service is good, so you don't really have to worry about after sales service. Even when your local distributor fails you, you can still contact Westone directly for support.

- Don't bother with the painful "upgrade path" that starts you from Shure E2c to E3c to E4c to E5 and then realise that you should have just bought the UM2 instead. I have been through this before...