Tonality: 5.3/9
Technicalities: 5/9
Preference: 6/9
Total Score: 5.4/9 (C+)
(star rating is for the price to performance)
(total 6 mins read)
Intro
I never had a chance to experience any of Westone’s products but I’ve read a lot about them from time to time. They manufacture a large number of audiology-related products ranging from hearing protection, clinical & audiological supplies, custom communication & hearing healthcare earpieces, and most importantly in-ear monitors for professional musicians and audiophiles. Established in America back in 1959, Westone is undoubtedly one of a few professional auditory-related brands that have gained legendary status for their contribution to society.
Recently they have released the MACH series of IEMs consisting of 8 new models into the market specifically for working musicians & professionals. The main difference is in the driver configuration starting from MACH 10 which comes with a single full-range balanced armature and up to MACH 80 with 8 balanced armatures in total. I have received MACH 10 & 20 for the Asia & Australia tour and I can say that they’re very similar in terms of build and package. I believe all of them have almost the same housing construction and packaging except for different cables starting from MACH 40 that comes with Linum SuperBaX and Linum UltraBaX cable for MACH 70 & 80. The difference between the cables is in the number of wires & resistance rate as stated on the official website.
Despite being related to Etymotic via Lucid Audio (both Etymotic & Westone are acquired by Lucid Audio), Westone is still opting for the same old shell design with some minor re-constructions for this new MACH series. The build is quite good, they are plastic, and they almost weigh nothing. The accessories are as expected including 5 pairs of foam and 5 pairs of silicone ear tips, a crushproof & watertight mini case, a Westone audio cloth bag, and the very thin & almost non-microphonic Linum BaX T2 silver-plated copper cable. So far, I like the presentation here with nothing to complain about.
Westone may be a giant back then (for the lack of competition), but currently, the fast-fashion market is filled with mountains of brands and products to choose from. Minus the target crowd, at a $299 price tag, can MACH 10 compete in the whole earphone market?
*this unit was provided by Westone as part of their Asia & Australia tour and I thank @Zachik & Westone for including me in the tour. all words are 100% mine
Signature
On subjective listening, the sound signature of MACH 10 can be described as neutral with a bass boost. The tuning is well-balanced and natural-sounding but definitely lacking in both low & high extensions. I believe MACH 10 is meant for moderate loudness audio playback as per its driver configuration & high impedance rating suggested.
my preferred signature is neutral with a bass boost, with an exception for a little warm-tilted, or mild V-shaped but honestly, I'm a "signature agnostic" because anything can work. I listen to mostly EVERYTHING but currently lusting more on the modern sub-genres of Jazz, Progressive Rock & Metal, Drone, Noise Rock, No Wave, Minimalism, Totalism, modern recording of Chamber, Orchestra, Concerto, or Modern Classical at large.
Tonality
I think the treble of MACH 10 is a love-or-hate situation depending on where one’s coming from or which type of stock ear tip one’s using. The level is at a bare minimum condition, or I could say it’s very
safe. At most times, I find it lacking actual bite or sparkle in the presence & top end area to give a better definition to the overtones or instruments that fundamentally reside in the treble area such as hi-hat and cymbal. I guess the depression is starting from around 3kHz and upward. Even so, the treble is so smooth without any hint of “BA grain” or distortion. Smoothest and the most
natural-sounding balanced armature treble I’ve ever heard. At times, I also feel like this is how a treble should sound like. No emphasis or boost for a better
perception of detail.
The midrange response is perhaps the best attribute of this earphone. It's neutral and natural-sounding with a good note density across the range. Vocal reproduction is
bold and
forward. The electrical guitar sounds like an electrical guitar, the piano sounds like a piano, and nothing sounds out of place, thin, or colored. I have nothing to complain about the midrange as it’s pretty well-done in my opinion.
The bass amount is not plenty nor really lacking. The whole quantity is just right for a neutral response to be “alive”. Although roughly it’s lacking in the sub-bass region, I can still feel the semi-deep rumble and weight when called for. Honestly, I really like to listen to soundtracks with this set. Titles like
2049 by
Hans Zimmer & Benjamin Wallfisch,
Hand Covers Bruise by
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, and
Ryuichi Sakamoto & Alva Noto’s
The Revenant Main Theme are among my favorites.
The mid-bass section is ample with punch and kick as needed. It's borderline warm and lean. Every kick is clean with a smooth edge to make it appear “musical” while being semi-analytical at the same time. It doesn’t really sound like a balanced armature bass but not quite like a dynamic driver, so, it’s somewhere in between I suppose. It's quite impressive what a single balanced armature can do. Everything is in unity and sings in harmony.
I think everything is pretty well-done except perhaps the treble where I prefer a tad more presence and air response, but that's just me. Nevertheless, it’s not the worst treble. I believe the treble response is also related to the insertion depth which directly affects the treble peaks whereas MACH 10 is not physically possible to go as deep as Etymotic earphones. So, the key importance for the best response here is to get the best insertion depth or a good proper seal with the right ear tips. Overall, from a consumer perspective, MACH 10 is tonally
not-wrong with very minor things to fault.
Ear-tip tip: long foam tip for the best response!
Technicalities +
Despite the fact that it has an almost perfectly
natural-neutral response, the transient attack of MACH 10 is a bit
blunt as it also feels like the transient decay of the lows is purposedly prolonged for a more “natural” sound reproduction. As a consequence, I think the “naturalness” of the bass benefited from this. Resolution-wise, MACH 10 is pretty good with the exception of its detail retrieval. I don’t want people to get confused between resolution and detail, so let me explain a bit.
When compared to highly resolving IEMs like ThieAudio Monarch MKii, the glaring difference mostly is in the detail retrieval other than in the imaging department. I need to drop down the volume of Monarch MKii to match the loudness of MACH 10 for an impartial comparison. While not as near as Monarch MKii, the resolution of MACH 10 is considered pretty good for a
miniature-sized image (in this case, the size of the note). The decay of bass is smoothed while retaining the sharp transient attack of the treble that rolls off as quickly as the treble usually does. This is believed to be related to the tuning because as a single balanced armature unit, it behaves wholly unlike one. And while treble quantity is also related to the
perception of detail, it doesn’t account for
pure resolution. So, I hope that explains.
Imaging is considerably good but not as near as true 3-dimensional or holographic even. Instrument localization is fair with decent separation and layering capability. It doesn’t mean that it has poor clarity but just not enough to hammer out an articulate positional cue for better-concentrated imaging. While doing fine on imaging, it’s rather average or narrow on sound staging that’s more like a reverse ‘U’ shape in front of my face, but I bet not many IEMs out there that excel in staging too. Overall, there’s not much to say about the imaging department besides the presentation is in between average to decent as much as all I can say about its most intangible aspect.
Here is where I think MACH 10 stumble. It feels a little bit compressed in terms of dynamics, especially nuances of the treble response. I find MACH 10 is striving to scale greatly as noticeable in tracks like
Mozart: Die Zauberflote, K. 620, Act 2: “Der Holle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen” by
Patricia Petibon,
Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble’s Tin Pan Alley, and
Muddy Waters’ My Home Is in The Delta. I also find “post-loudness war” or modern productions sound much better than most live recordings or analog music in terms of dynamics. This occurrence highlights the dynamic issue of this set, especially on micro dynamics. It’s not awfully bad yet not good enough. Music that is required to scale flawlessly for all the nuances and subtleties struggles the most. There’s also a lack of headroom where everything feels crammed together with less to no room for the music to breathe.
Comparisons
Etymotic ER2SE - $100
Compared to Etymotic ER2SE, tonally speaking, ER2SE is very neutral that also might appear bright to some people. As we all know, ER2SE is a flat-response dynamic driver in-ear monitor (or “canalphone” as dubbed by the community) that requires a proper deep insertion to get the best overall response. (I don’t quite agree that it’s a Diffuse Field target, but I digress). Isolation is so much better with deep insertion which also helps to give more “agreeable” overtones for music playback, but that doesn’t mean MACH 10 sounds wrong. I honestly dig both of the tunings; I could say they have a superbly neutral and natural tonal balance where ER2SE is the true
natural-neutral whereas MACH 10 is
organic-neutral with a bass boost that makes it sounds fuller.
Resolution is “bigger” on MACH 10, accompanied by better detail retrieval, a proper note weight, and a better sense of depth while ER2SE has slightly better imaging although it feels boosted because of the treble. The transient decay on ER2SE is more realistic especially for bass & drum reproduction while MACH 10 is slightly faster and better textured. MACH 10 is definitely a few small steps ahead in terms of overall technical performance and for an additional $199, it’s firmly an upgrade for ER2SE even though not as dynamic and punchy as the latter.
Moondrop Blessing 2 - $320
For an additional $20, multi-driver hybrid sensation Moondrop Blessing 2 offers a slightly different kind of neutral tuning that’s leaning towards a brighter tonality. Some might also find it mild V-shaped in the signature as well. It's definitely not as coherent as MACH 10 where Blessing 2 feels a bit disjointed at the mid-bass and particularly in the treble area, but it does offer a fuller and tonally-correct sound at a higher loudness level. Even so, Blessing 2’s treble might appear boosted or “unnatural” that comes with a mild
BA grain that can be harsh at times. Tonally, I can commend both of them and prefer one above another depending on the music, though I find Blessing 2 a tad bright when put straight head-to-head with MACH 10. One might also find MACH 10 a bit dull coming from a brighter set like Blessing 2.
Instrument localization and separation are distinctly visible with a better sense of depth & a wider stage presentation on Blessing 2, whereas MACH 10 boasts a more “oneness” & compact presentation that’s quite realistic & believable when putting attention to it. I think both of them respectively have an almost similar imaging density in their own way with Blessing 2 appearing slightly leaner and perhaps displaying enhanced
perceived details while MACH 10 is simply organic. I’m giving Blessing 2 extra points for the overall technical performance and for its finer dynamic range. One might find MACH 10 to be a more natural earphone but I think most people would rather add another $20 for Blessing 2 for its majority-pleasing tuning & high technical chops.
Etymotic EVO - $499
I know this is not a fair comparison based on the price tag (because I don’t have any of the ER4 series) but just to give a picture of where they’re at. EVO is tonally more accurate and crisper yet also microscopically smoother on the edges. It boasts more presence that gives proper overtones of lower frequency instruments towards realism. Both produce a transparent, uncolored playback in their own way where it’s cleaner with sure-footed sub-bass on EVO and warmer presentation on MACH 10, yet both of them have equal pleasantness to my ears.
MACH 10 is more cohesive as a unit where the whole frequency seems so well-attached or simply seamless even though EVO is extremely coherent as a multi-driver unit. It feels like I’m listening to a single balanced armature with EVO while MACH 10 sounds like a single dynamic driver. So far, I love the presentation of both sets although EVO had a great deal of my attention most of the time. I believe the longer nozzle of EVO also plays a big part in getting a deeper insertion, better seal, and thus better frequency response other than the tuning itself.
Although not a top-tier material, EVO’s resolution is still pretty good and technically many steps ahead of MACH 10 in almost all aspects. One of its obvious superior traits is the dynamic scaling ability. EVO exhibits good macro & micro dynamics with timely control and polished nuances that make it appear vibrant & energetic between the two. EVO’s faster transient attack gives a more “analytical” experience compared to MACH 10 while still maintaining a fundamental magnitude of musicality. The sound stage is almost similar but imaging is way better that’s quite
holographic with finer instrument separation & layering compared to MACH 10. Although in the real world, I wouldn’t label EVO as “holographic” for imaging. Overall, I’d say EVO is definitely an upgrade for MACH 10 though I still find it a bit steep for some small improvements. Perhaps MACH 30 is a better opponent to EVO?
MACH 20 - $399
The difference between MACH 10 and 20 is very audible in terms of tonality alone. MACH 20 has a better presence & bass response with proper loudness proportion across the frequency response that makes it tonally more pleasant to my ears. The bass on MACH 20 has more authority that’s better textured and also capable to separate sub-bass and mid-bass eloquently. I think MACH 10 has better midrange quality that’s more
forward and
bolder but that’s pretty much about it. In terms of overall balance, MACH 20 is definitely the superior set between the two.
Imaging is slightly denser and sharper. The sound stage is slightly larger with more headroom and air to breathe. In general, MACH 20 is like a step ahead in technical performance, and probably 3 steps ahead overall except for instrument separation where I think MACH 10 is just very slightly “holographic”. Anyway, it sounds much better coming from MACH 10 to MACH 20, but in the bigger picture, they are so much alike. Is MACH 20 worth the upgrade? I think I need to answer that once I’ve listened to MACH 30 for a firm conclusion, or else, any of them works fine.
Valuation
It’s understandable why Westone did this kind of super safe-tuning approach for the “budget” set of the new series. It’s evident that MACH 10 is free from any sibilance or listening fatigue for long hours of usage which will greatly benefit professionals & audiophiles alike. It’s tonally smooth and pleasant at a moderate loudness, although it might get shouty when cranked, that also depends on the amplification as its high impedance rating suggested.
In the technical department, MACH 10 confidently shows that treble is not always equal to resolution. The resolution is pretty good considering only a single balanced armature is doing all the work. It makes me question my choice of IEMs for music listening, again and again, every time I’m trying to compare them to MACH 10. However, at times, I also feel like it’s missing something in the line which I cannot truly explain except all that I’ve said above. It worked for me in the studio and I don't think it's going to be a problem on stage. I can say that I might get myself a pair of MACH 10s for the love of neutral & naturalness even though it seems a bit overpriced and
late to compete at this age.
Last but not least, those who love Etymotic ER2, ER3, or ER4 (especially XR) but don’t like the fitting, might want to consider MACH 10 because of its much more comfortable fit.
Purchase Westone MACH 10 here
tools:
Tidal / Apple Music via LG G7 / Macbook Pro with/without Ovidius B1 / Hidizs S9 Pro
Tidal / Foobar2000 (FLAC) via Topping EX5 with/without Aune X7s or Aune S7 Pro
key songs+:
Será Una Noche – Taquito Militar
Eddie Daniels – Baião Malandro
Patricia Petibon - Mozart: Der Zauberflöte – Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen
Sinne Eeg – We've Just Begun
Cécile McLorin Salvant - Ghost Song
Ryan Gosling & Emma Stone - A Lovely Night
Muddy Waters – My Home Is in The Delta
Stevie Ray Vaughan – Tin Pan Alley
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Red Right Hand
Scott Walker – Corps De Blah
Swans – Lunacy
Zu - Carbon
My Disco – A Christ Pendant Comfort Her Neck
Arab On Radar - God is Dad
Shellac - Crow
Mastodon – The Wolf Is Loose
Fear Before the March of Flames – High as a Horse
Botch - Japam
ANOHNI - Drone Bomb Me
Slowdive - Star Roving
The Shins - Simple Song
Radiohead - Idioteque
TheFatRat - Warbringer (feat. Lindsey Stirling)
Massive Attack - Unfinished Sympathy
Justin Bieber - Holy (fear. Chance the Rapper)
Lizzo - About Damn Time
Kylie Minogue - Real Groove