As someone that has heard both, and owns the W4's, it depends on what you want for sound signature. I listen to just about everything short of country and the W4's literally can do no wrong, and I really enjoy their sound a lot. While they're not lacking in bass, there are times that I miss the...

I'd suggest the W4 as well to add a vote in that regard - I sold off a pair of 535s after hearing the W4s and literally couldn't be happier. The midrange was too much for me as well, and I prefer not to EQ. I can't imagine another IEM sounding any better to my ears and sounds like it's exactly...

I agree w/music_4321 - I have the W4's and absolutely love them, and recently sold off a pair of 535s as the Shure sound didn't sit well with me. I have literally slept with the W4's in b/c I love listening to them that much. They don't have the bass emphasis that say the W3s (or IE8/SM3/etc)...

You can read my impressions here.  The sound signature just didn't sit well with me at all, as the mids were way too much for my tastes and/or the music I listen to on a lot of tracks. I don't regret selling the 535s for a second. The 4's also don't have the hiss I heard on the 535s and seem to...

I've owned the original and 2nd iteration Vibes (the first was much better IMO) and found the Rockford Fosgate Punch Plugs to have a similar sound, though the mids & highs are a bit recessed in comparison recalling from memory. There's a ton of bass (their strong point for sure). I think they're...

I ordered mine early last week and they arrived on Monday while I was out of town - it definitely made for a long week of anticipation, but I had them in my ears w/in 20 minutes of getting home and they are simply amazing. The 535s have been sold and will be shipped off first thing in the...

I inserted the comply tips too far into my ear canal, and when I removed the IEMs Complys came off of the stem and were lodged in my ears and I couldn't get them out on my own as they were too far in. Whoops. The Complys and the olives are very close, but to my ears the olives didn't impact the...

Also, not sure where you do most of your listening but if isolation (blocking outside noise) is a concern such as on the bus/plane, at work, the gym, etc. The Westone 3's will provide a great amount of isolation, while from what I've read the IE8's don't do so well. The W3's are also very...

I compared the W3s and W4s here. I'd second the W4 for a more balanced sound that's not boring or overbearing in any particular area.

I'd definitely recommend the Westone 3 or IE8 over the SE530/535 if bass is what you're looking for. The Westone 4 is a phenominal sounding IEM but doesn't have the same bass emphasis as the Westone 3 or IE8 - it's a much more balanced sound. I've heard the W3 but haven't the IE8 so I'm going...

Thanks for the response vinnievidi, much appreciated! I wasn't expecting a detailed review, but really was wondering if there were any attributes that were night and day b/w the two that were obvious to you. I look forward to hearing a more detailed review at a later point.   Quote:  

Hey vinnievidi  - I'd love to hear your impressions of the W4's compared to your Quads. I've recently listened to the W4s and really liked what I heard, and would have ordered but they appear to be on backorder. My impatience now has me considering going customs and the Quads seem like a solid...

I've been listening to the PP15's for about 5 months and they're very decent for the price (I paid closer to 100 before the price dropped) - I've also had the VModa Vibes, and considered the Turbines at the time but ended up w/the Punch Plugs so I can't speak to them. The punch plugs have a...

Oh - and wanted to mention that I learned a VERY important lesson today about not inserting Comply tips too far. Was wanting to try a different pair of tips w/the 535s so I put some short medium Comply tips on them, which did help w/the mids but rolled off the highs a bit and the lower end...

Thanks - hopefully I can get my hands on them soon, as they appear to be on backorder at the moment. Have been listening to my Punch Plugs the last week. They're definitely not in the same league (though the bass is 1/2 way decent, at the cost of recessed mids and very rolled off highs). Kind of...

That wasn't my experience at all w/the W4's - sounds like you may need to return them, as muffled would probably the the last word I would use to describe the mids.

I recently compared the 3's, 4's, and Shure SE535 here. The 4's have a vastly different sound than the 3's, which I liked a lot better but they have noticeably less bass (since they lose the U curve of the 3's). The bass is definitely there, and is very good, but if that was your draw w/the 3's...

I know this post is a bit stale, but wanted to give feedback for someone that has heard both the 535 and W4 and there is no comparison - the W4 wins hands down to these ears. See here for my comparison, or review the Westone 4 impressions thread for more info.

I should have also added that it wasn't frequent at all - I rarely heard it but wanted to point it out in case the OP is hearing something similar.

I noticed some strange noises/distortion w/my 535s as well that I didn't hear on the same songs w/other IEMs, and also went through a cable replacement (though due to a different issue) and still noticed it. Some of the source material I was listening to wasn't very high bitrate (160-320)...

Thanks music_4321 - I did consider the TF10s (especially for the price) but was concerned about the highs sounding harsh and potential fit issues. It sounds like I could potentially solve the SQ issues w/a recabling, but not the fit issues. The UM3X was also in the running (+ it has detachable...

Not sure if that was a reference to my post, but not at all - that was my subjective review after buying the Shures and just trying to give back to the community as I wish I would have found a similar post before I spent my hard earned money. I'm just a geek that spends way too much time in...

I just wanted to follow up on a previous post after having a chance to compare the 4's (and 3's) to my SE535s. The original post can be found here but I snipped the portion applying to the 4's below.   The 4's are definitely keepers for me and I'll be placing an order shortly.   Westone...

I have been the typical more casual listener, having purchased several IEMs in the sub $100 range looking for the most bang for the buck and achieving a good sound. Some of these have included the V-Moda Vibe (original) and warranty replacements (originals were much better than the replacements)...

I wanted to post in this thread after having recently bought the SE535s, and experienced sound similar to what the OP had described. They have sounded "normal" to me until popping them into my ears this morning, when I noticed a serious degradation of sound compared to what I was used to. It was...