Quote:
Originally Posted by
rudi0504 
Dear James 444
When you can make comparison between Sony EX 1000 vs Westone 4 ?
I ilke to hear your comment for this comparison, because your comment are very clear and neutral for all Party's
Thank you James
Cheers
Ok, I've only had the Westone 4 since Thursday evening, so keep in mind these are provisional impressions. Nevertheless I've been almost exclusively listening to these vs. the EX1000 at home, in bed, out while walking and during bus/subway rides, so I've been covering pretty much all my common usage scenarios. Since I've never experienced much of a burn-in effect with BAs, I feel confident enough to give a first account.
In short, the W4 are extremely good IEMs and they hold their own against the EX1000 very well. They are nicely balanced, very relaxed and perfect for non-fatiguing long listening sessions. They remind me in many ways of the SM3, yet with a bit leaner (but still slightly forward) mids, a tad more present highs and a soundstage that puts you into first row rather than on stage like the Earsonics'. They also remind me a bit of the e-Q7 with their slightly mid centric and relaxed presentation. Overall a kind of sound signature that fits my taste like a glove and isn't that far from the EX1000's too. Last not least, the W4's timbre is worth special mentioning, they are the first multi-BAs I've heard that have very realistic timbre with most instruments. The SM3 were already pretty good in this regard, but the W4 managed to exceed my expectations for multi-BAs and are significantly better than the CK10, CK100, SF5 pro and SE530.
So where are the main differences to the EX1000? Well, for starters, getting a good fit and seal was much easier for me with the W4 and Shure Olives, a matter of minutes whereas I struggled for hours and needed a special tip construction with the Sonys. As expected, isolation is significantly better on the closed W4 vs. the vented EX1000, about as good as with the SM3 and only slightly short of the SE530. The W4's body fits snugly into the concha, which makes them very comfy and hassle-free even to sleep on the side with them, a sheer impossibility with the EX1000. Since they're all rounded and don't protrude from the ears, wind noise is a non-issue with the Westones vs. the Sonys.
Ok, all this would make the W4 much better suited for outdoor use than the Sonys, right? For the most part yes, but (as with everything about IEMs) there's also a downside. If you're like me and do a lot of walking, you'll notice pretty obvious occlusion effects on the Westones, like thumping from your steps and at times your own pulse beat. These effects are pretty much non-existent on the Sonys due to their vented design, so in absence of a stiff breeze and for places where I don't need high isolation I'd take the EX1000 over the W4 for walking. If you're mainly using public transportation there's no question that the W4 are better suited for that.
One word regarding the cables: like the SM3 the W4 have highly flexible braided cables, which are generally regarded as being among the least microphonic and best for mobile use. I agree with that, but with one noteworthy exception. If you happen to wear your bag's leather shoulder strap across your chest, or perhaps the cable just might rub against your jacket's zipper, anything made out of harder material than just soft cloth will make microphonics go nuts on these braided cables. Imagine drawing your fingernails over sandpaper and you'll get the picture. That said, there are some who reported microphonics with the EX1000's ear guides, but I don't have this issues and for my part am pretty happy with the Sony's Kevlar-reinforced cables.
Back to sound descriptions, the W4 impress with excellent detail and meticulous instrument separation, which makes them perfect for analytical listening. That's quite a feat if you ask me, being relaxing, non-fatiguing and analytical at the same time. The EX1000 don't miss out any detail in comparison and don't fall much short in separation either, but (as I wrote in my review) they have a more holistic presentation and don't call your attention to detail as much as the W4.
Deep bass extension is where the Sonys have a slight upper hand, and they also have a bit more bass presence and texture in general. Speaking of texture, here's the exception to the overall great timbre of the Westones, instruments that require a lot of texture in the low range, like cello or double bass, don't quite sound as large and real to my ears as on the Sonys, but a bit smoother and smaller. At the other end of the frequency spectrum treble extension is great on both phones, violins sound ever so slightly smoother on the EX1000 and edgier on the W4. Since I'm more the romantic type I prefer the Sony version, but can easily imagine it being the other way round for someone else.
Last not least, soundstage: the Sonys have an unfair advantage here due to their vents. The W4's soundstage is already very generous and among the best I've heard from closed IEMs. Width is as good as it gets, depth slightly less so, but overall there's a great sense of 3D space and ambience which is further enhanced by the stellar separation of these phones. Yet compared to the EX1000 the W4's soundstage still feels confined to a certain sized room or venue, whereas the Sonys seem to be playing out in the open, or at least without no discernible limiting walls. Since it's a poorly kept secret that I'm a soundstage junkie, there's no question which one I prefer in this regard.
There'd be some more points worth mentioning, like speed (which of course is slightly better on the BA driven W4) and some other details, but for an interim impression I'll leave it at that. These were the main points that grabbed my attention and to give a short summary, most sonic differences are rather slight to my ears. The W4 are tremendously good IEMs and I can easily imagine anyone picking these over the Sonys for their better ergonomics or isolation alone and not missing out much on sound quality in doing so. Or even just preferring them over the EX1000 for their better analytical qualities. As for my part, I feel genuinely privileged being able to have both of these phones and not having to make that decision... 
Edited by james444 - 4/10/11 at 5:38am
The main two things that make me gravitate more towards the Sonys than the JVCs are better isolation (though still far from really good) and less mid-bass.
