The Tipsy M3 is a 3-driver hybrid IEM. It uses a 9.2mm dynamic driver with a titanium-plated PET diaphragm along with dual balanced armatures. It is currently priced at 189 USD.
The Mach 50 is a 5 driver balanced armature IEM currently pierced around 400 USD although the list price can be much higher.
It might seem like an odd comparison review to make given the differences in price, but they have something in common: they are both very lightweight. The Mach 50 is exceptionally compact, while the M3 is more normal in size.
Another reason I dedicate a review to this comparison is that the M3 punches above its weight class, and it would be interesting to see how it holds up to a much more expensive IEM like the Mach 50.
TIPSY M3 SPECIFICATIONS
- Drivers: 1 dynamic and 2 balanced armature drivers
- Crossover: 2-way
- Impedance: 17 Ohms @ 1kHz
- Sensitivity: 105 dB/mW @ 1kHz.
- THD: < 1%
- Nozzle Diameter: 5.6 mm
- Cable: Detachable 1.2-meter quad-braided high-purity alloyed copper cable.
- Connector/Pin Type: 0.78mm 2-pin QDC
- Plug Termination: 3.5mm single-ended audio jack.
- Shell Material: 3D-printed, skin-friendly resin
- Weight: 4.4 g per side.
- Metal carrying case and tips included
Current price and availability:
- Amazon: Tipsy M3
WESTONE MACH 50 SPECIFICATIONS
- Type: compact in-ear monitor
- Drivers: 8 balanced armature drivers with 3-way crossover
- Driver configuration: 1 bass, 2 mids, 2 highs
- Impedance: 32 Ohms @1kHz
- Sensitivity: 110dB @1kHz
- Freq Response: 8Hz – 20kHz
- Cable length 127cm / 50 inches
- Cable name: Linum® Estron SUPERBaX™
- Cable connectors: T2 type
- Cable termination: 3.5mm jack
- Nozzles: 3 mm (Shure compatible)
- Tips: 5 Pair Foam + 5 Pair Silicone
- Accessories: Pelican Case, Cloth pouch, Cable band, Cleaning tool
Current price and availability:
- Amazon: MACH 50
LISTENING COMPARISONS
Associated equipment:
- Amplifier: Topping A90
- DAC: RME ADI-2 DAC FS
- Tips on both: Azla Crystal
Vicarious by Tool
This metal track is not showing the Mach 50 at its best, as it sounds a bit flat compared to the more dynamic and articulate M3, which simply sounds much better here.
Bored by Deftones
On this metal track, the Mach 50 sounds better. It’s quite good, but not as good as the M3, which has richer bass and is generally more punchy. The Mach 50 sounds drier and bass-light in direct comparison.
Rambling Man by Laura Marling
The Mach 50 offers wonderful vocals, while the M3 feels recessed in comparison. The detail level is generally quite comparable, but the Mach 50 is more balanced and neutral. The M3 may have a larger soundstage, aided by its V-shaped sound signature.
Sunrise by Norah Jones
Again, the Mach 50 offers beautiful and very present female vocals. The M3 vocals are more drawn back, sounding drier and more textured. Imaging and instrument separation are however better.
Limit to Your Love by James Blake
This track has delicate vocals and an insanely demanding bass line. The Mach 50 has smoother, slightly nicer vocals and piano, but the M3 is not far behind. The bass is a lot better with the M3: it is unusually clean and tight, whereas the Mach 50 is rather average at best and distorts. Most earphones distort on this bass, but the M3 does not, while the Mach 50 definitely does.
Teardrop by Massive Attack
The M3 has an excellent bass punch and sounds tight and spacious. Vocals are delicate.
The Mach 50 brings the vocals more into the center of attention, but the bass is not as textured and the soundstage and imaging are less impressive.
Spontaneous Compositorius by Thomas Agergard
Both are great. The Mach 50 sounds smooth and buttery with great imaging, albeit lacking a bit in terms of depth. The percussion is clean without being sharp, the saxophone warm and lush in a natural way, the bass well balanced.
The M3 also has great instrument timbre. The percussion is a tad brighter, the saxophone quite similar in character. The bass is more tactile and richer. The imaging is even more precise with an even better sense of depth.
II Allegro Sonata in A Minor de la Guerre by Sophie de Bardonnèche
The M3 has great instrument timbre on the strings: textured but warm and delicate, with a nice sense of bite without sounding overly crisp. The Mach 50 offers a similar string timbre but is slightly smoother and the soundstage is less precise. Things blend together more, but in a very pleasant way.
Summer 3 Vivaldi Recomposed by Max Richter
Here they sound quite different. The Mach 50 is lush and smooth, the M3 drier and crisper with more space between instruments. I like both, but they are quite different.
WRAPPING IT UP
Sound Signature
The M3 has more pronounced bass and a more recessed midrange presence, giving it a somewhat V-shaped sound signature. The Mach 50 is quite neutral. Both have relatively polite and non-offensive highs.
Treble
The treble is quite similar on both. It is nicely smooth without being dark, and does not get sharp or piercing. Treble-heads might be slightly disappointed, but I like the treble a lot on these two IEMs.
Midrange
The midrange is generally significantly more pronounced with the Mach 50. How significant the difference is depends very much on the track. On its own I do not find the M3 recessed, but in direct comparison it often is. Both offer excellent detail and surprisingly similar tonality when you compensate for the difference in quantity, although the M3 can be a bit crisper and brighter in character.
Bass
The M3 has more bass presence but also substantially better quality. The Mach 50 is mostly pretty good, but when really challenged it falls short of the cheaper M3, which performs well above its price point. There is a reason dynamic drivers are often favored for low-end reproduction, as in the M3. The balanced armatures of the Mach 50 cannot keep up with the more cost-effective dynamic driver.
Soundstage and Imaging
Helped by its V-shaped sound signature, the M3 has a larger soundstage. It also has better instrument separation and more precise imaging, with particularly strong image depth.
Detail, Dynamics, and Timbre
Given the price difference, I am surprised to find that the difference in detail level is generally very small, and in the bass region the M3 is significantly more detailed.
The M3 also offers better dynamics overall.
Despite their differences, the timbre, especially in the midrange and treble, can be quite similar. On many tracks both are nicely smooth with a welcome dose of warmth. However, the Mach 50 has better midrange presence and sounds more neutral and more natural in most instances.
CONCLUSION
Comparing these two IEMs proved to be very interesting. I really like the Mach 50 for its smooth and slightly warm take on neutrality. However, I am equally impressed by the dynamics, bass quality and general tonality of the more fun-tuned M3.
Still, they are not extremely different on most tracks. The M3 certainly offers more value for money, but the Mach 50 remains more neutral and renders the midrange better – it is also much smaller.
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