[cav82]

Right, after plenty of reading and trauling the net I have finally got my choice down to these two.
They will be mainly used for jogging (offroad) and just general listening. The music I listen to ranges to just about everything too.
These will be an upgrade from Shure E2C's which have served me well for the past 3 years or so.
Anyone got any experience with any of these or even any more suggestions to make my choice more difficult

[r@mside]

I've the IE8 but not heard Westones.

IE8 have really smooth presentation and great soundstage, like full size open headphones.

Very nice detail through low to high frequencies. The mid-bass is boomy depending on recording, this can be a good or bad thing - depends what you like.

I love them for quiet listening. Out and about, they don't seem to have the 'energy' I like from other earphones I've owned.

[Steven]

I own the UM2 and have demo'd the IE8

In your position I would be inclined to save up if possible for the more highly rated Westone W3 or UM3X

IE8 soundstage is good but for me the bass is too exaggerated - it adds bass where the song should not have it! And that was just on the lower setting (which in itself as a purist puts me off)

Last year I bought the Audio Technica ESW9 (not an IEM I know) and now find the UM2 bass bloated, the sound stage too narrow and restricted, not being airy enough. And that treble is slightly sibilant, though it bothers others more than it does me

Having done the journey that I have done, I am inclined to put my advice this way;
Buy budget earphones as you can afford at the time, then save up for top end universals/low end customs or skip fully to top end customs

Saying that without spending all that money I perhaps would not be able to appreciate how sound can be reproduced

[cav82]

Thanks for the input guys, the Westone 3's have been catching my eyes so I might struggle on with the e2c's for a bit then take the plunge for the 3's.

My original plan was to get some cheap ones for running and some good ones for the rest of the time but I would rather have awesome sounding music everytime I listen than have a set of decent headphones that sit in a draw and barely get used.

[Steven]

Just be aware that you risk sweat seeping into driver units. It can happen

I used to use Senn PMX80 II at the gym but since switching to outdoor running I have stopped using them because of traffic. If you have access to a location restricted to traffic then fair enough (I miss running on the bank of the Thames )

A Summer Challenge To Runners