Westone 4 Appreciation Thread and Reviews (a.k.a. Westone 4 ?) - Page 201

Quote:

Originally Posted by Inks 

Shure olives also boosted the treble a bit on my PFEs, similar short nozzle.

 

Shane, try a 33ohm resistor, it makes it a bit more flat, users  have PMed me about it are reporting good results. Sure beats using snake oil cables. 

Yeah... I think you might be right about the olives. I detected the most minute treble uptick. But the shallowness of the tips themselves become problematic.

Put the trimmed Comply's back on tonight. Ahhhh... Since I'm using the P-series large, they are long enough for pretty deep seating with only a small separation from the nozzles base.

33 ohm resistor... really? I'd get one of these where?

Quote:

Originally Posted by shane55 

33 ohm resistor... really? I'd get one of these where?

Here, the link is to a 75ohm one, but you have to let them know you want the 33ohm option. I suggest anyone to try, it definitely changes the sound. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by shane55 

 

Yeah, the short nozzle has been interesting. The configuration (unlike the DBA / B2) allows the ear tips to go only so far into the ear. I have had to NOT seat the tips all the way down the nozzle as they become too short for a deep insertion and good seal.

Still experimenting. Last couple days... Shure olives. Then back to the Comply's...

Are these http://www.complyfoam.com/products/Ts-100/ like the Shure Olives?

I auditioned the W4 about a year ago.  It was brief but long enough to getting a solid handle on their sound and nuances.  I instantly fell in love them & I told myself I'd buy them once I could find them in the low $300s, I'd buy them.  I've slowly been trimming my HeadFi collection to transition into speaker-fi, but I saw a good deal on the W4 recently (in my target PP) and took the plunge.

I've had them for a couple of days now & I'm even more impressed with them this time around.  Finding the right tips for them is supremely important (I've settled on the triple flange.. which is surprisingly comfortable.. but plan on getting the ProGuard EarPortz.. just for kicks).  Once you secure the proper fit, the sound is truly breathtaking.  This is as close to the HD600 sound as I've heard in a universal IEM.  Despite the bass rolling off a tad sooner than I would've expected (I was aware of this before buying them since I noticed it when I auditioned them), it's really well textured.. the midrange is gorgeous.. and the treble's prowess seriously surprised me.  The treble quantity was probably my biggest concern.. but it was so long since I had heard auditioned it that i had sort of forgot it's proportional presence relative to the midrange and bass.  Thankfully, it has a really nice blend of air, crispness, and sparkle.. while remaining faithful to the studio-monitor moniker.

While I own & appreciate a diversity of signatures, I am at heart, a fan of a neutral signature.  And theW4 is so ideally suited to what I look for in an IEM (particularly the IEM equivalent of the HD580/600) that I wouldn't be surprised if this eventually ends up being the the only universal IEM I end up keeping in the long term.  Like the HD580/600, it just gets everything 'right' to my ears.

Having owned a couple of well-respected customs, the UM Miracle & 1964Ears Quads (both of which I recently sold to help fund my burgeoning speaker-fi interests), I still feel immensely satisfied 'downgrading' to the W4 .  The Miracle remains the finest IEM I've ever heard.  I feel one of its most impressive (and overlooked aspects) is its cohesiveness & ability to texture in a natural fashion.  It doesn't even sound like a 6-driver BA, in a stereotypical sense.  The W4 delivers that kind of naturalness and cohesion (not necessarily as proficient on a technical level, but quite impressively approximated for a 1/3 of the cost).

The W4 scales beautifully, too.  While it sounds great from my iPhone.. with my ODAC & Neco (and O2), it's even more dynamic, balanced, and neutral than out of a portable DAP.  It's got plenty of headroom and while the bass rolls off sooner than I'd ideally prefer, it's capable if extended quite low and rumbling effortlessly when properly amped.

These are my first Westone phones and I feel a little late to the party.. I feel I should've purchased these when I auditioned them.. but I've gained a certain degree of appreciation and anticipation for them by waiting and I couldn't be more happy having them at my beck & call now.

If you're on the fence about these.. get off.. and buy them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FlySweep 

.. but plan on getting the ProGuard EarPortz.. just for kicks).

Just a heads-up to those with large ears, I ordered XL-sized EarPortz and they turned out only about as large as medium Shure olives. If you need large olives for a good seal, you're most likely out of luck with EarPortz.

Originally Posted by james444 

 

Just a heads-up to those with large ears, I ordered XL-sized EarPortz and they turned out only about as large as medium Shure olives. If you need large olives for a good seal, you're most likely out of luck with EarPortz.

Thanks for the heads up.

Generally speaking, the medium sized tips that come with virtually any tip kit & universal IEM have always been the best fit for me (i.e. green Sony Hybrid tips).  In regards to the W4, the medium sized single flange gray and white silicones fit me best (the stock triple flange is excellent, as well).. knowing this, which size EarPortz would you recommend?

Quote:

Originally Posted by FlySweep 

Generally speaking, the medium sized tips that come with virtually any tip kit & universal IEM have always been the best fit for me (i.e. green Sony Hybrid tips).  In regards to the W4, the medium sized single flange gray and white silicones fit me best (the stock triple flange is excellent, as well).. knowing this, which size EarPortz would you recommend?

Here's a picture of my XL-sized EarPortz with the W4 stock triflanges and green Sony hybrids. Hope this helps.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Inks 

Here, the link is to a 75ohm one, but you have to let them know you want the 33ohm option. I suggest anyone to try, it definitely changes the sound. 

I have actually had a very positive experience using a 75 Ohm resistor with my W4's and to my ears etc. it seems to affect the presentation of mid range and highs in a much better way and  decreased the "veil" that  sometimes have been associated with the W4. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jupiterknight 

I have actually had a very positive experience using a 75 Ohm resistor with my W4's and to my ears etc. it seems to affect the presentation of mid range and highs in a much better way and  decreased the "veil" that  sometimes have been associated with the W4. 

I actually got rather inconsistant results from adding an UE impedance adapter to the chain, with noticeable improvement from some sources, but next to none from others. Adding a bright amp like the Icon Mobile has a more significant effect.

How much resistance is the UE adapter adding though? The sweetspot is 33ohms, the UE may not be providing enough to be consistent you also have to consider that DAPs with very high OI (output impedance) are practically doing the same thing, so the impedance adapter will have no effect on them. What is the OI of the icon mobile? If the DAP or amp has low OI, the resistance differences play a bigger role. 

From what I've gathered, the UE adapter should be 50 or 75 Ohm. The Icon Mobile's output impedance is <1 Ohm, so I guess you're right since some of the DAPs I've tried have definitely higher OI.

Ah, I see. 

You know, I may be wrong that 33ohms is the sweet-spot, it may be even lower. It hasn't been tested with lower impedance boosts so who knows. OI definitely accounts for the inconsistent matters you occurred, so I do need to mention that low OI will yield the most notable results. Nowadays most users use modern Cowons, Galaxy SIIIs, Iphones 4/4S, Sansa Clips, etc. These are low OI, so it should be a good, clear result for most. 

@Flysweep, try the new Earsonics biflanges.  They are much more comfortable, to me, than the earportz torture devices.  I found on the W4, the wider the sound bore of the tip, the better the midrange/treble response.  I also found some benefits with adding resistance, so that's something to play with as well.  Congrats and have fun.

I'm currently using the TX100 from comply and I'm very satisfied with the results, they're very confortable and give me a good seal.

P.S.: been some months I hadn't been playing with them... amazing level of details this little thing has!!!!! listening on a Fiio E17, from memory I'd say it's a better match than the previous E7.