[Poimandres]

I wonder if these are the first ebony wood ciem's the Wizard has made.   The wood is so dense according to John that it breaks the teeth on the saw and it cannot be cut by the laser, although it can be engraved.  

 

[terry1109]

thx for the reply, sunninho~~
although i was planning to write a review some time ago
but i didn't have the proper gear to unleash its potential
and this is the main reason why i spent so much time and money on upgrading 
here are the steps for me to achieve satisfaction:
i was planning to use hifiman 601, audinst amp-hp and labkable 7n occ copper lineout and cable
the overall performance wasn't satisfying, i can only achieve the outstanding performance in classic and jazz
but not the accuracy and clarity i was expecting, may be my standard is too high?
then i change my player into ibasso dx100 and things got better
although it solved part of the accuracy problem, due to outstanding DAC chip from ibasso dx100 i guess??
but i know this 4A can do better then this, since i heard really surprising performance by 4a from an head-fi party formed by ex-8A's owner
with the use of their very expensive gear, which i cannot afford by any means.....
and this experience can only mean that the only remaining drawback would be the cable, since i was still using the supernova cable at that moment
i had to find the most suitable cable and solve the problem once and for all, which took me quite a while and 'wasted' quite a bit of money....
since there was some cable which i believe work well with 4A, but i was wrong after a short period time of usage
what completes me with my dream setting is this amazing cable form by local earphone repair specialist + cable expert in hong kong
which makes me this awesome cable, although i did some designing work on the combination of the cable
this new cable consist of the following material:
[size=small]6N gold+silver occ cable crossover with 6N copper occ cable (ratio 2:4) total of 6 twist
the end result is simply how the website describe the 4a:[/size]
The 4.A is primarily designed for accuracy; it delivers a sound signature that should satisfy those that listen to classical, jazz or those that demand accuracy and clarity. Hear every breath, every turn of the page, even the “tic” of a metronome.  
[size=small]full circle aka wizard did held up to its word, since i really did experience what is said on the web page along with other surprises, which i am not sure is it achieve by the cable or the 4A, but the end result is pleasant and full of surprise up till nowadays.
this is only my experience on the heir audio 4a, same may not be apply on other people
this photo is my complete setting on the heir audio 4a[/size]

 

[Sinocelt]

Quote:

Well I wanted the clear canals with amber shell and the darker olive amber color was the Wizards touch.  The final product is nothing short of spectacular.  I can't wait to receive them.  

 
It must be my French blood speaking, but I'd call this color vin rosé.
 
 

I wonder if these are the first ebony wood ciem's the Wizard has made.   The wood is so dense according to John that it breaks the teeth on the saw and it cannot be cut by the laser, although it can be engraved.  

 
I think it is the first (I haven't seen another). And I can imagine the Wizard praying for it to be the last. 

 

[Poimandres]

It may not be just the French in you as I think that they do have a slight rose hue in these pictures.  Photos are one thing I'll let you know how they look in person. 

 

[Sinocelt]

Quote:

It may not be just the French in you as I think that they do have a slight rose hue in these pictures.  Photos are one thing I'll let you know how they look in person. 

 
Don't hesitate to post more pictures too. 

 

[project86]

My review of the 4.A is posted HERE if anyone is interested. I hate to fragment the discussion, and I do like this thread, but I guess any specific questions or comments about the 4.A could be done there. Of course, this thread is still perfectly valid for general Heir Audio chat.

 

[terry1109]

thx for the head's up, project86~~

 

[underhysteria]

 
 

 
 
Time to neutralize this thread with this picture of mine!

 

[infam0ussteven]

Hi guys. I think I'm ready to venture into a new pair of CIEMS and was considering jh-13 or jh-16 but then I realized that I favor a more flat response which lead me to considering the UERM but now I have come across the 4.A and they have a flat sound, is it safe to compare them to the UERM and say that they are reference monitors? If the 4.a can be considered as a reference monitor then I am all for it as it is half the price of a UERM. Although I do enjoy really nice lows I think something that is flat and clear in all areas is more for me. Does my descriptions make any sense? I appreciate any input, thank you.

 

[project86]

Quote:

Hi guys. I think I'm ready to venture into a new pair of CIEMS and was considering jh-13 or jh-16 but then I realized that I favor a more flat response which lead me to considering the UERM but now I have come across the 4.A and they have a flat sound, is it safe to compare them to the UERM and say that they are reference monitors? If the 4.a can be considered as a reference monitor then I am all for it as it is half the price of a UERM. Although I do enjoy really nice lows I think something that is flat and clear in all areas is more for me. Does my descriptions make any sense? I appreciate any input, thank you.

 
I haven't heard from anyone that owns both the 4.A and the UERM. So there probably aren't any direct comparisons available at the moment.
 
I will say that the 4.A is an exceptional IEM though. Even though I own (or have experience with) numerous flagship $1k+ customs like JH13, Miracle, Merlin, 8.A, 6.A LE, ES3X, etc, I don't feel like the 4.A is a "lesser" IEM by a significant margin. You can do better, but not by much, and it will sure cost you.

 

[tupac0306]

Quote:

 
I haven't heard from anyone that owns both the 4.A and the UERM. So there probably aren't any direct comparisons available at the moment.
 
I will say that the 4.A is an exceptional IEM though. Even though I own (or have experience with) numerous flagship $1k+ customs like JH13, Miracle, Merlin, 8.A, 6.A LE, ES3X, etc, I don't feel like the 4.A is a "lesser" IEM by a significant margin. You can do better, but not by much, and it will sure cost you.

 So how does JH13 compare to 4.a?

 

[project86]

Quote:

 So how does JH13 compare to 4.a?

 
I just posted this in another Heir thread, so I'll just cut and paste it here.
 
 
It's been a while since I sold my JH13s, so take this with a grain of salt....
 
The JH13 seems to be more forward/aggressive in the vocal range. It's a really fun sound, and made the JH13 win on initial comparison with any other IEMs... but it got fatiguing after a while. The 4.A is more smooth and restrained than that, while still being very detailed and very present. Definitely not recessed in the least.
 
As far as bass presentation - the JH13 has subtle bass boost, centered around 60Hz give or take. It's not extreme but it does come through at times. It's kind of like the highs, making for a very impressive first listen, but long term maybe not as desirable. But we are talking a difference of a few dB at most. In terms of quality, both JH13 and 4.A are exceedingly clear and accurate in the lows. 
 
Ultimately the JH13 is more "exciting" sounding and the 4.A is more "neutral reference" sounding. Both have their charm. 

 

[terry1109]

i have tried uerm (demo) and own a pair of 4a, but with different setting and tried them at different time
i hope everyone wouldn't mind me posting a rather brief comparsion on the two
4a is the most neutral ciem i have ever tried/own, it behaves slightly different on different audio file
which i assume is due to the actual differences on different audio file and it achieves great balance on vocal and background music.
although uerm sounds kinda neutral, but definitely not as neutral as 4a, since it slightly keen on pop in terms of performance and more energetic then 4a in my opinion
it doesn't has the unique supreme neutral performance when compare to 4a, since it behaves rather the same on every song in terms of style
but it is balance in terms of vocal and background music, nothing override the other on every song i tried.
both ciem are great but 4a stand out in the game in terms of performance and value, after all 4a is around 1/2 the price of uerm

 

 

[Sinocelt]

New 4.A deal now official.

 

[infam0ussteven]

Quote:

i have tried uerm (demo) and own a pair of 4a, but with different setting and tried them at different time
i hope everyone wouldn't mind me posting a rather brief comparsion on the two
4a is the most neutral ciem i have ever tried/own, it behaves slightly different on different audio file
which i assume is due to the actual differences on different audio file and it achieves great balance on vocal and background music.
although uerm sounds kinda neutral, but definitely not as neutral as 4a, since it slightly keen on pop in terms of performance and more energetic then 4a in my opinion
it doesn't has the unique supreme neutral performance when compare to 4a, since it behaves rather the same on every song in terms of style
but it is balance in terms of vocal and background music, nothing override the other on every song i tried.
both ciem are great but 4a stand out in the game in terms of performance and value, after all 4a is around 1/2 the price of uerm

 

It's official. I'm sold! The 4.A sounds exactly like what I'm looking for, I hate how some ciems/iems are only good with some songs but aren't so spectacular with others which is why for the longest time I've realized that if I'm getting a new pair of ciem, I need something that is neutral and would sound exactly the way it was recorded.
 
Project86, thanks for your input also. I was sold after I saw what you said and also your review on the 4.A was great also.