14 DAY TRIAL // You might be tempted to mistake the Westone Signature Series UM Pro 50 for a pair of earphones, and they do look the part, but that's not what they are. Not exactly. Instead, they are high-end in-ear monitors.
In-ear monitors, or IEMs for short, are audio playback devices, but their purpose is more specific than that of headphones.
They are used by musicians, audio engineers and audiophiles to listen to music or to hear a custom crafted mix of stage instrumentation and vocals.
They are often used in live performance and recording studio mixing. In a way, they replace the loudspeakers once used for the same thing.
Said loudspeakers were placed on stage and aimed at the performer, allowing them to hear what they sounded like. Depending on the system, though, they could actually distract artists instead of helping them.
In-ear monitors are better because they don't allow for delay in the sound reaching the ear, and they can allow higher definition, panning elements of the performance to an ear or the other.
Westone's latest such pair of IEMs is called Signature Series UM Pro 50 and is handcrafted with five balanced armature drivers per unit, “delivering reference level sound and isolation for the stage or studio.”
The sensitivity is of 115 dM at 1mW, the frequency response is 20 Hz to 20 kHz, and the impedance is of 45 Ohms.
The Westone UM Pro Series 50 also benefit from replaceable cable (Up & Over cable routing, preventing microphonics), STAR and True-Fit Tips (multiple sizes) and a connector compatible with Adventure Series Alpha (ADV) MFI cables, Android cables, and W-Series MFi cables.
The Westone UM Pro 50 has a price of $699.99 / €699.99, with $149 / €149 extra needed for a Westone UM56 Custom Adapter (ear impressions needed to make them to your specs).