Heir Audio 4.Ai - Appreciation/Impression/Review Thread - Page 124

I do want to help a bit with choice between the UE 900 and 4.Ai, as I feel they are just about evenly matched (although all won't agree with me) with different genres.

• 4.Ai: Rap, Electronic, Rock, Country (male singer)
• UE 900: Country (female singer), Pop, Alternative, Classical/Instrumental/Acoustic

Now, does this mean I recommend the 4.Ai for rap and electronic? No, it just fares better over the UE 900 :p  I would recommend you get the 3.Ai for rap and electronic :p 

There are obviously some exceptions to the general idea though.  I know I've stated signature differences enough, but I do want to reiterate them quickly if anyone knows what they already want an an IEM.  Neither are neutral, and I still have no clue what natural means :p:

• 4.Ai: Mid-bass focused bass with a strong impact and decently strong texturing.  Midrange that focuses on the lower mids while creating a relaxing, lush sound with vocals and instrumentals alike giving it a warm touch overall.  Highs are linear with a high-treble focus with a dip in the lower highs.
• UE 900: Linear bass focusing all around with a tight punch and ample impact with good depth for fluid sub-bass reproduction.  Midrange that focuses mainly on the upper-hand without loss of detailing that has sweeter vocals and clarity.  Highs are well-extended with a strong mid-to-high treble focus with a dip in the lower highs. 

While there are parts of your comparison I agree with I find it amazing that on the whole we can hear the two so differently. I really liked my Westone 4's and while they did have a few things on the 4.Ai's, overall I felt the 4.Ai was a clear step up on the W4.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomscy2000 


LOL... My recommendations based on genre would be almost exactly the opposite...

Down the rabbit hole we go... Oh well, I guess I'll go audition the UE900 for one last time to make sure I like it and probably go with those. 

I hope this brings my search to an end for a good while. Thanks.

Originally Posted by tinyman392 

Although I generally disagree with changing components with an IEM to alter it's sound, I do like to play around with it.  I will report results if I so decide to play around :p  I don't do it myself in normal, everyday use though.  I will admit that I'd rather alter the sound at a lower level than the higher level.  EQuing is done digitally, impedance loading, cables, and filters will alter sound through an analog channel. 

 

I will admit, EQing is a much cheaper alternative though...  Now if only my iPod had a (manual) EQ that didn't suck the life out of my battery :p 

I would say that the 4ai's response better with more impedance in both bass and treble, except the midhigh dip, which gets worse. I do feel that those that don't have a problem with the dip in the first place will prefer them with more impedance.

I use the "Free Music Download" app as my main Music playback app. It's more detailed than Apple's and has a 10 band EQ and can EQ any song to a specific setting. Drawback is the fact that you have to manage what you want inside the music library manually. Battery life is about the same, because it uses it's own library like Apple's does. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by KraftD1 

From Rin's graph of increasing impedance of the 4.Ai it looked as if it made the dip larger if anything. Not sure exactly how it would sound in the end, but doesn't look much better from the graphs.

Adding a resistor to a multi-driver IEM, significantly changing the impedance, will royally screw the crossovers. I'm actually surprised the graphs don't show a bigger change than that.

Why does it have to be fight? Humans...

Quote:

Originally Posted by tigon_ridge 

Why does it have to be fight? Humans...

Sorensiim doesn't want a fight, but he can accurately predict -- from past experience in this very thread -- that it would become one. So he's trying to spare us all. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sinocelt 

 

Sorensiim doesn't want a fight, but he can accurately predict -- from past experience in this very thread -- that it would become one. So he's trying to spare us all. 

Exactly. And I often become Credible Hulk in matters like these...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sorensiim 

Exactly. And I often become Credible Hulk in matters like these...

 

This. Omg I love this.

I might have asked before, but I was wondering what everyone thought about the idea of me offering my 4.A up for trade for a 4.Ai.  I think I'd probably use the 4.Ai more often than I do my 4.A.  Right now they kinda just sit there in my clear Pelican case with the new Toxic SPC Cable I made for them... and I end up using my TF10 more.