Westone, a pioneer of ear monitors since the 1960’s, has been leading the industry with their on- the-edge technology and friendly customer service to this day. Westone hit my reviewing schedule with their new flagship custom monitor - the ES3X - released earlier this year. A true 3-way crossover melded onto carefully chosen drivers to obtain the most neutral and balanced audio Westone has created yet. The ES3X is available in colours requested by the customer, and custom artwork is also available for a small price. Built to the highest quality standards of Westone monitors, the ES3X is available for $850USD plus shipping.





Specifications

Variation: Any colour, any artwork (must be on an opaque faceplate) Hard Acrylic Tips instead of Heat Sensitive tips on request
Transducers: Three Balanced Armature Drivers
Configuration: Passive 3-Way crossover (Single High, Mid and Low)
Frequency Range: 20 Hz-18 kHz
Impedance: 56 ohm
Sensitivity (1mW): 124 dB SPL
Accessories: Replaceable braided cable, Ear Lubricant (Oto-Ease), De-humidifier pod, Cloth, Cleaning Tool, Deluxe water-resistant carry case
Price: $849 plus tax, shipping and ear impressions


Packaging and Accessories

Westone ships their Elite Series monitors in the deluxe water resistant carrying case, which also holds the ear lubricant, cloth, and cleaning tool. The case is then bubble wrapped to be placed into a cardboard box which includes a T-shirt, manuals, accessory ordering form, and the receipt. Westone has taken their thoughts into packaging as everything falls into the cardboard box very nicely without leaving any gaps for movement and damage.

The accessories that come with the Elite Series monitors were carefully selected and decided by Westone. Upon inspection, every paper and tool that comes with the ES3X is useful. The ordering form includes accessories like the desiccant that keeps the humidity down, the cleaning tool, monitor saver (also a de-humidifier) and replaceable cables.

The Oto-Ease ear lubricant that came with the ES3X is very useful for new users of custom monitors or users who have trouble getting a seal with the monitors. Directions are to lightly coat the monitors with the lubricant before insertion - it’s as simple as that! The cloth, which is very similar to clothes used to wipe glasses, and the cleaning tool are handy when you need to clean your monitors. Westone recommends to wipe the monitors down after every use with the cloth as excessive build up of ear wax on the monitor could cause yellowing of the clear heat-sensitive tips. Westone also recommends, after the detailed cleaning, wiping of the exterior of the monitors with an alcohol-free anti-bacterial wipe to keep them clean and to prevent the vinyl heat-sensitive tips from yellowing.



The Westone deluxe carrying case made by Pelican comes in black with a laminated tag imprinted with the name of the owner, serial number and manufacturing date of the monitors. The case is water resistant with an automatic pressure purge built in, and a snap-to-lock design on it. First opening it, you will find the accessories included along with your monitors wrapped around a compartment where the Anti-humidifying desiccant rests. The desiccant when new is orange, and slowly turns green after a period of time depending on how humid the environment is. Westone states it needs to be reactivated when green for it to keep working; microwave for 10 second increments for reactivation. There are little compartments where your cleaning tool and your lubricant sits so you are able to take them along on travel without having to put them separately from the monitors themselves.


Build Quality (9/10)

When you spend $850 on a pair of professional high-end custom monitors, what you expect is aspects that hold up to its price tag. Build quality is one of the most important of them all, and there’s nothing less than superb from the ES3X. Even among custom monitors, Westone monitors are above the normal in build quality. The hand-made acrylic shell is of perfection, extremely smooth and is spotlessly clean. Molding is very precise and properly done. Molding the heat sensitive tip to the acrylic body is of top quality construction, as the transition from the heat sensitive vinyl to the hard acrylic is smooth and consistent. Faceplate of the monitor is sealed and flawlessly bound together with the acrylic body despite being completely done by hand. Artwork is printed on the faceplate of the ES3X by machine with extreme precision, and detail with supreme colour accuracy. Westone had troubles with the artwork I requested as the “tma” print is so small, they had some trouble lining it up completely straight on both sides, but I don’t blame them on it. Just note that if you are thinking of putting abnormally fine print, beware as it may not be consistent on both sides.






Cables (9/10)


The cable included with the Westone Elite Series monitors is a twisted type that is flexible yet durable. The cable has a memory wire in the first two inches of the monitor plugs, with a clear tubing surrounded to protect the wire. There are strain reliefs that have been properly shrunk and glued at the right angle 3.5mm plug and the hard plastic y-split in the middle that will prolong the cable's life and relieve the joints from tight bends. Microphonics on the Elite Series cable is near to nothing, and there’s close to 0% noise when you touch the cables or rub them against your clothing. Material used on the outer coating of the ES cable is the big beneficial part of this fabulous sound-proof attribute. The material isn’t necessarily the most tangle-free material, but it’s definitely doing its job of durability and flexibility.


Fit (8.5/10)

The detail and fit of the acrylic piece is close to perfection. After sending my silicone ear impressions to Westone, their adjustment to the impression before waxing and casting the mold was definitely professional work. One little complaint that I have with my set of monitors is that neither of my monitors fit completely flush, as the side with the plug tends to stick out 2-3mm from my ear which isn’t necessarily the most beautiful thing especially considering the inner part of the earpiece is a different colour to the faceplate. However, the fit is very snug, tight, and seal very well without being intrusive or irritating over time. The heat-sensitive vinyl tip put into the canal part of the monitor is an advantage over usual acrylic material during long period listening.



Sound (7.5/10)

Housing specifically selected triple armature drivers, Westone has integrated a 3-way crossover to split the frequencies each to a dedicated high, mid, and low range driver.

High Frequencies
The ES3X was designed to be as neutral as possible. Listening to the ES3X, the highs are rather laid back and easy to swallow. The reproduction of the high frequencies on the ES3X is no doubt detailed, with a very nice crisp sound to it. Despite this, it’s not always right in your face. Rather, it’s always there playing at the perfect tone of accuracy and position. It is neither too forward nor recessed, but right on spot. The transparency of the high frequencies is exceptional; micro details are heard without a flaw. Breathing and strung of the guitar are easily picked up. Decay is excellent, and the ringing of cymbals are never too long or too short giving cymbal representation another level of realism compared to other monitors that I have tried in the past. Extension wise, the ES3X on occasion struggles to reach the upper levels of treble. At around 16-17 kHz, the ES3X may roll off a tad if the highs and mids are busy.

Mid-Range Frequencies
Westone was always known for their magical mid-range, and the ES3X is no exception. In fact, of all the monitors in the line of Westone products that I have tried, including the top of the line universal UM3X, the ES3X is superior in mid-range reproduction by a large margin. The mids are slightly pushed forward, I would say around one or two decibels to put vocals closer. The response of the mid-range is smooth, the transition of low mid to high mids are extremely smooth without any cut-offs or sudden “jumps” in frequency reproduction. Details in terms of the mid-range are some of the best I have heard yet, enough to show the realism in vocals and instruments. Decay on the mid-range is rather stretched when compared to the decay of the high and deep-low frequencies. Mid-range can no doubt be described as extremely well-defined.

Low Frequencies
Some wonder that since the design of the ES3X is geared towards monitoring and neutrality, they would suffer from low-range representation. However, I am confident and glad to report that after my long period of listening to the ES3X, the lows are by no means inferior to other monitors that I have owned before. Despite having a very neutral and accurate response in the low reproduction; punch and speed of the lows are fantastically done. While power may not be the most dominant essential of the ES3X, accuracy, speed, and punch are qualities that stand out for the ES3X. The Es3X is enriching in depth, and has great extension to the very lowest frequencies without being muddy.

Soundstage
With the carefully selected drivers by Westone and years of experience of tuning drivers, the company has reached their best reproduction of soundstage in their current line of monitors with the ES3X. With no bump or enhancement in the frequency response, there are no notes that are put too close to your face during listening. Instrumental and vocal positioning are very accurate. Furthermore, with the rather mellow tone and neutral response, the ES3X brings “airy-ness” into the presentation of instruments. Instruments are able to be easily distinguished if they are far away from your reference point or right up close. The overall soundstage of the ES3X is fairly wide, with a great level of depth and height, allowing a very enjoyable listening experience despite being designed for on-stage monitoring.


Score Breakdown:

High - 7.5
Mid - 8.5
Low - 7.5
Soundstage - 8.5
Stereo Imaging - 8
Frequency Extension - 8.5
Transparency - 8.5
Decay - 8
Impact - 8
Speed - 8
Clarity - 7



Conclusion ( 8 /10)


Being Westone’s top-of-the-line custom monitor, the ES3X doesn’t disappoint. Despite housing the same drivers as its triple driver relatives of Westone like the universal Westone 3, and UM3X, the ES3X is a different monitor all together. In terms of build quality and fit, Westone’s craftsmanship is on the highest level. It’s hard to name manufacturers that offer a higher build and finish than Westone.

Highs, Mids and Lows come together in a mellow and easy-to-accept neutral presentation. Highs are not irritating, but with a rather crisp tone to it with a great amount of detail. However, as mentioned earlier, the highs could roll-off a little if the load of high frequency response builds up. An example would be in an orchestra where hundreds of soprano pitch sing while instruments are being played at the same time. Mids are smooth with great transparency. Together with the accurate, punchy, speedy lows and a delicate airy soundstage, the overall sound is mesmerizing. However, if you are someone that prefers a load of sparkles and details on the highs with the most roaring and thunderous bass response, the ES3X isn’t for you.

Despite loving the ES3X, and being one of the highest quality monitors that I have come across and heard, the minor flaws of high frequency roll-off and the misalignment of the artwork leaves me docking marks from the ES3X.


This article was written by Felix Yau.