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joe
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PSB M4U 4

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General Information

You're listening to music more than ever before, and now you can do it on-the-go in comfort and style with PSB's true-to-nature sound quality. The PSB M4U 4 High Definition In-Ear Monitors offer a unique two-way Hybrid Dual-Driver Design that uses a moving coil low frequency dynamic driver and an ultra-low mass balanced armature high frequency driver. This latest addition to the popular M4U Headphone Series incorporates PSB's innovative RoomFeel(TM) Technology, the scientifically developed transfer function that adds back the acoustic signature of the typical listening room to create a more spacious and realistic presentation of recorded music. You will be amazed that these in-ear M4U 4s allow you to experience the sound of high performance speakers in a perfect listening room wherever you go.
The balanced armature drivers have very low moving mass, making them ideal for reproducing high frequencies with great transient response and detail. Musical textures are finely wrought, bringing great insight into the music and clearly delineating individual instruments and their unique voices. The precision balanced armature driver used in the M4U 4 is individually calibrated to meet its exacting response tolerances. A wave guide is used to link the sound tube of the balanced armature driver to the woofer, creating time-aligned driver integration. A miniature PCB using surface mount parts creates the electrical crossover network that divides the signal between drivers. The moving coil dynamic woofer is tuned for accurate response with three separate chambers, resulting in smooth response and reduced resonances. You'll enjoy deep, deep bass response that is punchy and crisp without sounding fat or boomy.
The comfortable low profile ergonomic design and around-the-ear cable placement ensures that the M4U 4s stay in place for active listeners. The distinctive detachable cable design also allows the M4U 4s to be reversible.

Latest reviews

Krisman

Krisman

100+ Head-Fier
Pros: Deep bass, rich sound. Good detailing and with a wide soundstage.
Cons: Mids can disappear with bass heavy tracks, treble can get fatiguing.
Preamble: 
I have a set of around 30 – 40 tracks all in the FLAC from varying genres that I use as my test reference playlist. I try to cover as many genres and stick to recordings that have good reputations as well as tracks I know have been lovingly mastered. 
I naturally prefer a more balanced sound signature and get treble ‘fatigue’ fairly quickly. Therefore I usually mark down anything that gives me discomfort in the higher registers. 
I have experience in mastering, DJ’ing and have had a keen interest in Hi-Fi and Head-Fi for almost 2 decades. I love this hobby and like to share experiences with others. 
 
For this test my source was the Onkyo DP-X1 DAP. 
 
Aesthetics and Tactility: 
Before I begin describing the sound characteristics I would like to describe how these look and feel. I will start by saying these do not look or feel like premium priced earphones at all. In fact they look better in photos than in real life. The side facets have a very cheap low end look and the PSB logo etching/paint looks cheap. In fact most of the construction feels cheap which is disappointing given the asking price.
The packaging and tip collection are both adequate and the inclusion of Comply tips is welcomed. 
 
Cable Microphonics and Comfort: 
Now here is where I would say the PSB M4U-4 earphones have been designed better. The cable is very supple and I found the microphonics to be extremely low. The over ear design coupled with a very loose feeling and absorbent cable combine very well. I have tested over 50 earphones now and I would put these in my top 10 for cable design and general comfort.
I had no comfort issues with these. The neck of the ear buds is quite long so the housing sits further out of the ears than many other IEMs. I find this a good thing if the earpiece is light so the bud doesn’t fall out if one is walking/moving around.
 
Sound Balance: 
These earphones appear to have gone slightly under the radar of most reviewers so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I did know that PSB marketed these with an emphasis on ‘room feel’. I will come back to the sound stage below. There is no doubting these are thick at the low end. Very well defined in some bass bands but also treacly and fussy in others. These earphones are more fun than reference but having said that there is a good amount of detail and presence in the highs. The highs can be fatiguing for those more sensitive in this band but are never shrill or too sharp. Just that there is a lot of it and can be overbearing. The mids tend to suffer badly on these, the overly present highs and thick lows can sometimes drown out the mids. This is a shame as I feel if the mids were more pronounced these could be a go to earphone for those wanting great quality and a large sound stage.
 
Soundstage and Other Notes: 
As stated previously I knew the ‘room feel’ was a big design feature for these earphones. I assumed that meant they had a large soundstage so this is what I will describe first. I really like the sound stage on these. I have always loved an earphone that doesn’t sound like an earphone. I prefer a roomier sound rather than the ‘direct sound injected into the head’ that some earphones exhibit. At times I forgot I was wearing earphones and that is a good thing in my book. The stage is very wide and fairly deep. I would say it often sounded like you were in the middle of a large auditorium, not a studio or intimate venue.
The depth is quite good and each instrument/vocal had plenty of breathing room but not to the point where things became incoherent. There was often a lovely frequency separation that allowed each layers nuances to be brought out but again the problem of bass and high saturation meant that many tracks didn’t sound their best.
 
Overall: 
I have been impressed with this offering from PSB. I realise many of my comments may sound negative but in reality they are not. I am merely pointing out the characteristics. I happen to like a little but more bass and a roomier presentation than some reviewers. I had fun with these and would strongly recommend auditioning these if you are on the lookout for an earphone that has good detailing and excellent large scale sound but are not fussed about micro detailing or pronounced mids. The sound ‘quality’ is pretty high but because of the highs being overly present on occasion things can sound a little shouty and in your face. This does make them sound a little cheap but overall I think they have a pleasant sound. If PSB can follow up on these with something that can bring out more detailed mids and tone down the highs slightly I they could have a killer pair of earphones on their hands!
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Krisman
Krisman
Hey, hope you like them. I was thinking about the design and perhaps due to the very long tube between the main body and earpiece there may be more chance of different people experiencing different frequency response. I will be interested if you hear the same recessed mids that I did! :)
RvTrav
RvTrav
Received the PSBs 2 weeks ago and wanted to get back to you about them.  First let me point out that these are several steps up in cost than any of my other earphones and I was pleased to hear that this added cost resulted in a great improvement over my other earphones.  I found the comply tips comfortable but I prefer silicone tips.  I found the supplied silicone tips were too flimsy and with some tip rolling found a stiffer tip in a size smaller than I usually use that allowed for a deep insertion, good seal and great comfort.  Over the last 2 weeks I have been paying attention to the mids.  I did not find that the bass bled into the mids and in most cases the mids were able get ahead of the bass when they should.  A few songs could have benefited by more forward mids but in general I really liked the overall  sound of these.  I have found that a deeper insertion of the earphone tip can result in a tighter bass response and this would affect how I perceived the mids.  I usually have my sights on a next level earphone but with the PSBs  I'm not  sure where I will go from here.
MFHRaptor
MFHRaptor
I'm wondering what's the kind of connector it's using? It's neither MMCX nor 2-pin. Is there an adapter for such a thing?
I would like to attach a wireless/Bluetooth cable in the fashion of sports buds (Jaybirds or Sennheiser CX Sport). Regular solutions for Bluetooth connectivity aren't practical or easy to use on the go.
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