Heir Audio - The Appreciation Thread - Page 167

It's the nature of bespoke manufacture. Some things can be built quickly, some can't. Some pay the premium for expedited work, some don't.

I saw a review on the 4.ai on one of the Heir appreciation threads earlier, where someone offerred a pretty concise summary of the plusses and minuses of the 4.ai, and then apologized for posting it on the appreciation thread. However, I can't seem to place where I read it. Help?

This?

I saw a review on the 4.ai on one of the Heir appreciation threads earlier, where someone offerred a pretty concise summary of the plusses and minuses of the 4.ai, and then apologized for posting it on the appreciation thread. However, I can't seem to place where I read it. Help?

It's difficult to fault the 4.Ai at its price point, though. I can tell you some of its flaws:

(1) it has an obvious dip at ~3.7 kHz, and a relative peak at 5.8-6 kHz; if you EQ it out, then you get a smoother, more rounded, more accurate response. In its unaltered state, the treble can seem very, very slightly peaky;

(2) its bass is boosted a little bit and doesn't reach as deep as, say, a 334. if the 232 uses the Sonion drivers (type, not specific model, I know they're proprietary spec but it's probably 17A007/9-derived for the lows) that I suspect it's using, then it's possible the 232 can reach deeper

(3) Its accessory set isn't great. The case is too big for portable storage, and the cleaning loop looks/feels crappy.

(4) The level balance between its lower midrange and treble levels gives people the sense of smoothness (a little too smooth for my tastes) in certain instruments like the piano, and thus, in combination with the dip/peak I already mentioned, the timbre isn't flawless. Excellent, but not flawless.

I don't think the 4.Ai is TOTL, end-all, be-all... but it is very good, and is a great, great deal at the asking price. I think the 232 with reference filter will be more accurate sounding in the mids/vocals at the expense of body, and the UE900 will be more fun-sounding.

I listened to the UE900 for a very short period of time inside a hot, musty Logitech promotion bus. It sounded nice, but my instinct is to say that it's not built for analytical use like the 4.Ai is. I have nothing against the UE900; I think it's a nice product that comes with great, useful accessories, and has that big company feel and polish, but I'll need more time to give a real assessment.

Don't think it was that one. The one I had in mind was just a short paragraph long with no pictures and referenced the SQ mainly, IIRC. It's really bothering me that I can't find it. >.<

I didn't find it in any of the Heir appreciation threads either.  I would think it would show up there, as it is a thing that should be included in every appreciation thread (appreciate the goods, but also the bads).  That said, I did ask on the UE900 thread since the topic of the 4.Ai came up quite a few times, and I said a few things about hype (which I feel the 4.Ai are getting ;P)...  So below is what I was told.  I will eventually get my hands on the 4.Ai, so I may be able to add some things to the list.  Right now it reads that treble may have a few problems, maybe affecting vocal sweetness, maybe not.  Bass depth also may be a small short coming.  Short dip in lower-mids creating smoothness may smooth over some details :p  

None of this is verified though by anyone.  I'll do some testing when I get them :)  If the above is true, they will be on par with the UE900.  

Hm. Have you tried perusing the list of reviews?