This is not a review. It's purely subjective. 
Hello, I wanted to share my somewhat bizarre experience with my IEMs. Firstly, I did tests on two IEMs - Westone 4 and Shure SE425. They are two different species but stay with me. I used a variety of genres - orchestral classical, tango, jazz, pop, rock and vocal. Each song has different bit rates (mp3 - 320kbps, 256kbps, 128 kbps). I happen to have one 96kbps song so I'll pop that in. :) I'm not discussing their strengths and weaknesses in specific genres/soundstage/etc for now.
The balanced Westone 4 makes every song sound great no matter what the bit rate is (128 +).
Bit rate: SQ
96kbps: 5-6/10
128kbps: 7 to 8/10
256kbps: 9/10
320kbps: 9.1/10
The analytical SE425 wowed me only in fantastic recordings and higher bit rates.
96kbps: 2-3/10 (it's a pain)
128kbps: 4-5/10
256kbps: 9.5/10
320kbps: 9.7/10
My personal findings:
-256 and 320 kbps made little difference but it is noticeable. Big difference between 256 + and 128kbps. The SE425 exposes the differences (Duh, it's cold and unforgiving).
-The W4 happens to magically turn bad recording into a decent piece.
-Although technically more drivers = better, neutral sound, in reality maybe not. I'm questioning the true capability of multiple drivers.
-SE425 sounded better than the W4 (when recording is great).
Did a blind test with a person who has no interest in headphones whatsoever: The individual preferred the SE425 because of the better fit and more intimate, larger soundstage and detailed sound (256 +). He also stated he liked the W4's instrumental separations and clarity on all songs no matter what the bit rate is.
Conclusions:
The quality of sound that you're going to hear depends on the quality of the recording (SE425). And for the W4, you will hear great music (every time). Whenever I listen to good recordings, the SE425 excels. The W4 is a great all rounder! Is the $200 extra worth it? You decide.
Cheers!
Do you guys have some experiences that people wouldn't believe?
