Sound analysis.

For this cable-rolling sound analysis I decided to pick flagships from Westone line up of UM Pro and W series, UM Pro 50 v2 and W80.  In my test I was comparing their corresponding stock cables, UM Pro “Epic” and W “ALO Ref8”, to cables from Effect Audio Vogue series.

I used Lotoo LPGT as my source since its SE 3.5mm and BAL 4.4mm have the identical sound, making it easier for comparison.  Also, I played a selection of the following test tracks, Agnes Obel “The curse”, Sandro Cavazza “So much better” (Avicii remix), C-Bool “Never go away”, Ed Sheeran “Shape of you”, Galantis “Hunter”, Alan Walker “Darkside”, Iggy Azalea “Black widow”, Indila “Boite en argent”, Robin Schultz “Oh child”, David Elias “Vision of her”, and Michael Jackson “Dirty Diana”.

Westone UMPro50 v2

Sound

With a stock Epic cable, Pro50 has a relatively balanced sound leaning toward being a little V-shaped due to more emphasis on deeper low end and sparkler treble, while mids are being more relaxed, organic and slightly pulled back.  The soundstage is wide, not super wide but the widest in UM Pro line up.

Cable rolling

Epic vs EA Maestro (Cu) – the most noticeable difference here is mids being a little more forward, more revealing, resulting in the sound sig being more balanced.  Also, bass sounds like it has more control, being tighter and with a shorter decay.  Treble has the same level of sparkle.

Epic vs EA Virtuoso (SPC) – here, the mids are also the center of attention, being even more forward than with Cu cable, brighter in tonality while still sounding natural.  Treble has a little less sparkle, and bass has a little less emphasis with mids being more forward.  The sig is balanced, but I do hear mids being a little more forward now.

Epic vs EA Grandioso (hybrid Cu/Ag) – this hybrid cable has the effect of the other two cables, taking the best of the changes offered by each one.  Bass has more control, tighter, with a shorter decay which gives it more articulation, similar to Cu.  Mids are more forward like in SPC, brighter, revealing, yet still natural.  Treble is very close to Cu with the same level of sparkle as original, but it has just a touch less sparkle, with a similar effect as SPC making treble a little more natural.

Summary

Even with adapters, the fit was very comfortable, and the cable went up around my ears without a problem, sitting snugly, with IEMs secure in my ears.  Among 3 tested cables, I preferred hybrid Cu/Ag Grandioso with UM Pro 50 since it offered a more balanced sound refinement, bringing mids more forward and taking the brighter edge off the treble sparkle.  And you get access to a balanced plug over stock Epic cable.

Westone W80

Sound

With a stock ALO Ref8 cable, W80 has a balanced W-shaped sound sig with a slightly laidback presentation.  The tonality is more natural revealing, having a deep low-end extension, detailed mids, and well-defined non-fatigue natural airy treble.  Also, the soundstage is wide and open in every direction, approaching holographic level.

Cable rolling

Ref8 vs EA Maestro (Cu) – very similar mids and treble, while the bass with Cu cable has a little more sub-bass rumble.  I actually find the original Ref8 cable to give the sound a little better layering and separation.

Ref8 vs EA Virtuoso (SPC) – I hear a very similar sound performance across all bands, except the sound is tighter and has a little more speed, not as laidback as I hear it with Ref8 cable.

Ref8 vs EA Grandioso (hybrid Cu/Ag) – with this hybrid cable I hear a combination of changes found in other two cables.  The bass has a little more sub-bass and tighter faster mid-bass, making bass more articulate.  Mids have more energy, not as laidback, a little more forward presentation, also being just a touch more revealing.  Treble has more sparkle and airiness without pushing it too far, still keeping it under control.

Summary

Even with adapters, the fit was very comfortable, and the cable went up around my ears without a problem, sitting snugly with IEM secure in my ears.  Among 3 tested cables, I also preferred hybrid Cu/Ag Grandioso with W80 since it added some clarity and more forward presentation of mids/vocals.  Just keep in mind, it was on a level of refinement, nothing drastic.  Access to a balanced plug was a big plus, but I appreciate even more having a softer non-microphonic alterative to a stock Ref8.

Conclusion.

If you are getting aftermarket cables specifically for your Westone IEMs, it makes more sense to order with mmcx connectors, thus eliminating the need for any additional adapters.  But if you have a big collection of different IEMs and want to have flexibility of using one cable with all of them, similar to how you can get 2.5mm terminated cable with 3.5mm and 4.4mm adapters, you can consider getting a cable with either 2pin or mmcx connectors and corresponding adapter pair to use with other IEMs.

So, if you are looking for a replacement cable, something like EA Vogue budget series is a good alternative to your stock cables.  Then, adding either 2pin to mmxc or mmcx to 2pin adapter on top of it gives you more flexibility to be independent of IEM connector type.  And now I can also cable roll Westone and other mmcx IEMs using 2pin cables and OE Audio 2pin to mmcx adapters!