[jlbrach]

after a very long wait and all kinds of delays i find the w60 to be a major disappointment.I am not suggesting that it is a bad IEM,it is not!I am suggesting that given the bump up in price and expectations that it is more of a modest improvement than a revelation.I do think the shure 846 is a revelation and a dramatic improvement.Sadly,the w60 is really not dramatically different than listening the the westone 4.I am not a westone critic and have owned and currently own westone IEM's obviously.That said i am disappointed after a long wait and lots of expectations!

 

[tracyca]

Sorry to hear your disappointment in your new w60, I was eyeballing them myself but decided on the se 846. From what I have read of late I'm glad I made the shure dession.

 

[milford30]

Sorry to hear your disappointment in your new w60, I was eyeballing them myself but decided on the se 846. From what I have read of late I'm glad I made the shure dession.

 
I did the same thing, also got to demo the w60 to confirm it was a good decision.

 

[tracyca]

I still want to demo the w 60 just for curiosity, I had the westone 4r and want to see how much improvement they are.

 

[jlbrach]

my w60 is going to be returned,i have numerous issues with it

 

[ubercaffeinated]

  my w60 is going to be returned,i have numerous issues with it

 
What issues are you having?

 

[jlbrach]

the biggest problem i have is the stem where you put the tips is too short and slippery and does not hold onto them properly so that they keep coming off in my ears when i try to remove them...in fact i almost had to go to the doctor this weekend to remove the tip.I have never had this problem with my shure 846 or any other shure IEM...in addition i think the upgrade is very underwhelming,i hear little difference between the westone 4 which i still have and the w60...the shure 846 is a huge upgrade to me from the 535.I am as i said very disappointed

 

[cn11]

Wow, scary impressions for a $1K IEM. 

 

[jlbrach]

My w60 went back and I am 1000 dollars richer!I don't mind paying up for a top notch poduct that is a big improvement but the W60 left me cold....

 

[AUDIOBREEDER]

I feel Westone need to go back to the materials and 'look' they used for their older models. it's true you cant judge a book by its cover but sometimes that aint true!

 

[javahut]

Nonsense. The 846 is like being at the movie theatre listening to the soundtrack for Batman. The W60s are like listening to the Charles Lloyd Quartet live with all the subtleties and dynamics. Not that the W60s are good only for certain types of music. They're great for everything I listen to... from acoustic jazz to avant-garde electonic. They are warm, and super detailed throughout the frequency range. They have a lot of detail that the 846 is missing. They don't sound like a thumping sub and exaggerated mid/top end trying to impress you. Don't get me wrong.... I like the 846. But having listened to the 846 since they came out, and been impressed... and now listening to the detailed and rich sound of the W60 since they were released... the W60 is in another, more refined league than the 846... which makes them beautiful to listen to, and way more fun than the 846 for me. They are a marked improvement over the W4, and well worth the price of admission. Every time I put them in my ears, regardless of the style of music, I can't wait to hear what kinda treat my ears, brain, and senses are in for. If the 846 is like platinum, the W60 is like liquid gold.

 

[swmkdr]

If the 846 is like platinum, the W60 is like liquid gold.

From the rest of your post I think you got this the wrong way round! Platinum is more valuable

 

[javahut]

From the rest of your post I think you got this the wrong way round! Platinum is more valuable

Yes, I know. But the notion of "hearing" platinum gives me a feeling of cold and sterile. Liquid gold seems to better describe what's flowing through my eardrums and brain when I'm listening to the W60. So, definitely more metaphorically speaking than a literal $ value. Though both platinum and gold only have any value whatsover as is artificially given to them by society. Whereas, the exquisite sound of the W60 is more intrinsically valuable to me personally than either gold or platinum, disregarding the artificially and superficially inflated worth attributed those substances by a generally superficial society. So there you go.

 

[ubercaffeinated]

I'm going post a mini review in the W60 appreciation thread in the next few days with pictures of my W60 lined up next to my W4, W4R and UM3X RC to compare nozzle/stem length and body size.
 
Despite what the OP posted, I believe the build on the W60 is actually great - it feels, and certainly fits closer to the UM3X RC than the build and fit of the tubby W4/W4R. Also, the nozzle/stem of the W60 isn't short - it is as long as it is on the W4/4R and UM3X RC - and indeed it would have to be since these IEMs all use the same tips interchangeably.
 
The insertional depth is deeper than that of the W4 however, owing to what I feel is a narrower body - closer to that of the UM3X. I've also had no issues with the tips sliding off or getting dislodged in my ear - not with the W60, and certainly not with the W4/4R or UM3X.
 
I just needed to post how I felt, because I read the OPs comment about the W60's build quality right after hitting the order button 4 days ago. I dreaded receiving a poorly made product, and was very much relieved, when I opened the box the next day, to know I received the same Westone quality I'm accustomed to.
 
As for what the W60 sounds like - I will go into that in the appreciation thread at a later time, but it is as javahut mentioned - the W60 is nothing short of phenomenal. Westone was really able to keep the sound of the W4 and further improve and refine it - which is all I wanted in a universal IEM and what I consider a feat of its own. 
 
I'm sorry the OP had such a negative experience with the W60 - but reading about the tips sliding off and the stem being too short makes me think it might have been a dud?

 

[Spyro]

If W60 had a pinch more bass or sub bass than W40 as well as better lower midrange clarity (and I am guessing it does both of these things),  it is the perfect IEM.  There is nothing to improve upon beyond that.
.
But portability is important and if the SE846 sounds as good amped versus unamped that would be a huge consideration for me. Like W4/W40,  I'm assuming W60 needs an amp to shine