[gambitasdf]

Just bought westone 4 from earphonesolutions.com with the 25% off sale, really looking forward to receiving it!

 

[Luisonic]

Hi all...
Just joining the discussion after following a bit, but there are too many posts!

Been enjoying my 4r's for a month now, and I can confirm all the expectations, in term of SQ , staging, and just pure enjoyment...

I need help though! As all know, the extreme tip-dependence has me thinking if I could do better...

I'm using the triple flanges that I cut to convert into a double, which are giving me the best overall performance from all the tips included...
My complaint is especially on mids and highs, where I find that there is too much veiling and even sacrificing some detail, that for example, my Superdarts give with no effort or equalizing... Things like fingers moving on the guitar chords, details on percussion, get " muffled" in ways that I hope are more tip-related than sound signature...

Any suggestions on other tips? There are too many posts to dig up all the different mentions...

 

[rawrster]

I've been thinking of picking up a W4 again recently. How do these fare against the competition? The last time I had a universal the W4 was pretty up near the top.

 

[kookoo]

Quote:

Hi all...
I need help though! As all know, the extreme tip-dependence has me thinking if I could do better...

I am getting my impressions done next week to get custom sleeves fitted for the W4, I've also bought the tips recommended by doc holiday to try to improve the treble. So when I get them all together I will try and make a comparison against the cut up tri flange which i use as well. might take upto or over a month before my custom sleeve gets back to me though so fell free to keep experimenting.

 

[Spyro]

Quote:

Hi all...
I need help though! As all know, the extreme tip-dependence has me thinking if I could do better...
I'm using the triple flanges that I cut to convert into a double, which are giving me the best overall performance from all the tips included...
My complaint is especially on mids and highs, where I find that there is too much veiling and even sacrificing some detail, that for example, my Superdarts give with no effort or equalizing... Things like fingers moving on the guitar chords, details on percussion, get " muffled" in ways that I hope are more tip-related than sound signature...
Any suggestions on other tips? There are too many posts to dig up all the different mentions...

I agree the tips make a big difference and the bi-flange mod is you mention is definitely an improvement.  A couple pages up in this thread I mention a TF10 bi-flange mod that REALLY opens things up and unveils the slight veil due inherrent with the small exit hole from the supplied tips.  Big improvement with the TF10 tip but having a little difficulty as the tips can come off when taking the IEM's out.  Still trying to figure out how to keep them more secure on the nozzle.  Westone will SOON be coming out with a new silicone tip with larger exit hole.  I was able to pull some strings and get Westone to send me some prototype samples I should have in a couple days.  I will report my findings and post pics after I try them out.

 

[JohnSantana]

Quote:

Hi all...
Just joining the discussion after following a bit, but there are too many posts!
Been enjoying my 4r's for a month now, and I can confirm all the expectations, in term of SQ , staging, and just pure enjoyment...
I need help though! As all know, the extreme tip-dependence has me thinking if I could do better...
I'm using the triple flanges that I cut to convert into a double, which are giving me the best overall performance from all the tips included...
My complaint is especially on mids and highs, where I find that there is too much veiling and even sacrificing some detail, that for example, my Superdarts give with no effort or equalizing... Things like fingers moving on the guitar chords, details on percussion, get " muffled" in ways that I hope are more tip-related than sound signature...
Any suggestions on other tips? There are too many posts to dig up all the different mentions...

Yes, you are not alone in this case :-\
I was using Logitech UE700 to listen to my Rock, Metal and Instrumental music the treble was bright and high, but then when I started to use Westone W4, I feel that the treble is not that bright as the previous sound signature as UE700, I guess this is more to manufacturer sound signature.

 

[Doc-holliday]

Hi all...
Just joining the discussion after following a bit, but there are too many posts!
Been enjoying my 4r's for a month now, and I can confirm all the expectations, in term of SQ , staging, and just pure enjoyment...
I need help though! As all know, the extreme tip-dependence has me thinking if I could do better...
I'm using the triple flanges that I cut to convert into a double, which are giving me the best overall performance from all the tips included...
My complaint is especially on mids and highs, where I find that there is too much veiling and even sacrificing some detail, that for example, my Superdarts give with no effort or equalizing... Things like fingers moving on the guitar chords, details on percussion, get " muffled" in ways that I hope are more tip-related than sound signature...
Any suggestions on other tips? There are too many posts to dig up all the different mentions...

If you look in my profile under photo albums.. There is an album with pics of doing a W4 "adapter" mod. This mod allows you to put tips on hour W4 with much larger bore. The result top my ears is a less restricted sound.

I am actually using 2 dollar biflange tips from buyincoins.com (sorry takes 3 weeks in shipping). They are softer than the westone tips with a large bore. But I have even had success with comply foam round tips with the mod done.

There is a step by step photo tutorial with the same pics in this thread somewhere but you can get the idea just from looking in my album.

EDIT: Nevermind I found the page HERE.

 

[james444]

Quote:

I've been thinking of picking up a W4 again recently. How do these fare against the competition? The last time I had a universal the W4 was pretty up near the top.

 
Actually, things change much less rapidly in the IEM world than marketing people want us to believe. Even the ER4 is still pretty up near the top.

 

[Zalithian]

Quote:

 
Actually, things change much less rapidly in the IEM world than marketing people want us to believe. Even the ER4 is still pretty up near the top.

 
Yep. I haven't been active in this scene for a while now, but it seems like it's pretty much always the same ones up there. The ER4 is legendary though.

 

[Luisonic]

I am getting my impressions done next week to get custom sleeves fitted for the W4, I've also bought the tips recommended by doc holiday to try to improve the treble. So when I get them all together I will try and make a comparison against the cut up tri flange which i use as well. might take upto or over a month before my custom sleeve gets back to me though so fell free to keep experimenting.

Thanks kookoo, keep us posted, cause custom's one of the ways I was thinking of going, so I'm interested in hearing how that performs...

 

[Luisonic]

I agree the tips make a big difference and the bi-flange mod is you mention is definitely an improvement. A couple pages up in this thread I mention a TF10 bi-flange mod that REALLY opens things up and unveils the slight veil due inherrent with the small exit hole from the supplied tips. Big improvement with the TF10 tip but having a little difficulty as the tips can come off when taking the IEM's out.

Thanks spyro... In fact, with my Superfi5s, I had tried a smilar solution, because the silicon tips kept coming off, and tried a glue of those that's not quite instant, but that when it dries, it turns into a silicon-type mush, easy to rub off with the fingers... It created enough traction that it kept them on, though not quite stuck...

 

[Luisonic]

If you look in my profile under photo albums.. There is an album with pics of doing a W4 "adapter" mod. This mod allows you to put tips on hour W4 with much larger bore. The result top my ears is a less restricted sound.

I am actually using 2 dollar biflange tips from buyincoins.com (sorry takes 3 weeks in shipping). They are softer than the westone tips with a large bore. But I have even had success with comply foam round tips with the mod done.

There is a step by step photo tutorial with the same pics in this thread somewhere but you can get the idea just from looking in my album.

EDIT: Nevermind I found the page HERE.

Thanks Doc, wow! Now that's what I mean... While I wait for updates on customs, I think I'm going to give your experiment a shot... My problem is that I'm in Italy, so I have to find a European distributor for this... let's see...

In the meantime, I'll keep experimenting, as I see now that pretty much all of us do, and see what we can come up with...

This is why this is THE AUDIOPHILE forum... always searching for the perfect sound... love it!

 

[Spyro]

Quote:

 
Actually, things change much less rapidly in the IEM world than marketing people want us to believe. Even the ER4 is still pretty up near the top.

I would disagree.  From 2007 to now the offerings for high quality audio in the portable market are dramatic!.  Back in 2004-2005 the two kings of the hill were Shure E4 and Etymotic ER4.  It was pretty much a 50/50 spilt as far as who thought which IEM was better.
 
Since....Etymotic has done NOTHING but Shure has introduced SE530, SE535 and Westone and so many other companies have continued to perfect audio, multiple drivers and crossovers, hybrid moving armatures, etc...
 
As far as I am concerned, Etymotic still stands about 7 years behind technology curve.  If you think Shure offerings past E4 have improved then you cannot dispute that Etymotic has fallen far behind.....

 

[eke2k6]

Quote:

I would disagree.  From 2007 to now the offerings for high quality audio in the portable market are dramatic!.  Back in 2004-2005 the two kings of the hill were Shure E4 and Etymotic ER4.  It was pretty much a 50/50 spilt as far as who thought which IEM was better.
 
Since....Etymotic has done NOTHING but Shure has introduced SE530, SE535 and Westone and so many other companies have continued to perfect audio, multiple drivers and crossovers, hybrid moving armatures, etc...
 
As far as I am concerned, Etymotic still stands about 7 years behind technology curve.  If you think Shure offerings past E4 have improved then you cannot dispute that Etymotic has fallen far behind.....

 
I think he's referring to pure sound reproduction, which is still the aim of these new technologies. The only Etymotic I've heard is two slots below the ER4, and it was still VERY impressive.

 

[Spyro]

Okay...