• Tweet
• Sumo

• Tweet

Allright, I guess this is one of the milestone of earphone review I made so far. Because this is the first earphone that cost more than $100 I reviewed so far.

My friend just bought the earphone last week after several weeks of reading reviews from various headphone and audiophiles sources in the internet.

So let’s see what a $100 plus earphone sounds like…

Physical Form

What are truly unique to this earphone are probably the foam tips and the earphone shape that pretty much dictates how you should wear the earphone.

Unlike other IEM I tested before, Westone 1 tips are different. dbE and MylarOne tips are interchangable, but not this one.

From a quick google, the tips are made by Comply.

Sound

As in all other IEM, the bud is the key factor to the sound quality we hear. I’m not saying that the bud is the one that  makes the sound good. But however great is the sound produced by the driver, it is useless if you don’t get the proper seal.

My friend said that what makes the Westone 1 sound great is the foam bud. The foam bud is really a foam (spongy rubber) that I never saw before.

However during the test I still prefer the medium rubber tips. The sound quality did not significantly change anyway.

Sound is astounding with clear staging. I don’t need to say much, it’s just perfect, better than all IEM I tested.

Price

In Indonesia, its price is $139.

Conclusion

The brand and the price says it all, there is no sound compromise whatsoever.

But the final question really is does it worth the price? 😀

Honestly, it’s a bit complicated than just saying yes or no. I think if you already have a great sounding DAP, then go  ahead buy this earphone.

However for most other DAP, I don’t think this earphone can help much. Great sound? Of course! But only as far as your DAP supports.

So probably the appropriate bottom line is, unless you already have a great DAP such as iPod (classic or nano) and
Meizu M3 (even better), I don’t really think that the extra $100 can pay you back.

Allright, that’s all I’ve got to say about this Westone 1, and excuse me, I have some more songs to enjoy with this  wonderful IEM. 😀