Surprising upgrade over the W30

By Aaron F. - Washington, DC, US

I've had every Westone up to the W40 (W10, W20, and W30). I like the flat, reference sound and so I was always pleased enough with each. The W30 was a little more bass-heavy but compared to the flatness of the W20 it was a welcome bit of energy to my mostly-rock playlists. Then I got the W40 when it was on sale and... wow. It is a HUGE step up from the W30 in terms of overall quality. I don't consider myself an audiophile by any means but I enjoy music and appreciate quality and fidelity. T...he W40 is flatter than the W30, but the overall sound is richer and smoother. Even after years of "critical" listening, I'm hearing details in songs I never had before. It's really staggering how much more I prefer this sound profile. Everything else is pretty much as expected from Westone; the buds are comfortable and come with a great variety of tips. The Bluetooth cable seems OK, but I don't use it much (why spend this much on earbuds and then listen to re-compressed music over BT)?