Quote:
Been doing a bit of reading on the Heir Audio 4.A, and it looks very promising. As of right now, I'm more inclined to go with the 4.A than any of the other suggestions simply due the lower cost (though in the long long long run, I do see myself owning either the JH13, Hidition NT-6, UERM, or UM Miracle).
tomscy2000, would you mind elaborating a bit on what you think the 4.A does better than your DBA-02, and vice versa? Also, have you ever heard the CK10? If so, I would love to hear your thoughts on how the 4.A and DBA-02 compare to it.
I know that the CK10 and the DBA-02 are said to have very similar sound signatures, but unfortunately I can't verify that myself as I've never heard the DBA-02.
I have not heard the CK10, unfortunately. I know it's supposed to be the holy grail of all the TWFK-delivered IEMs, but I haven't gotten that chance at all. What I do know, however, from the comparisons between the two, is that the one thing the two do share is that treble-boosted, ultra-clarity that basically no other universal IEM manages to touch. It also opens the two up to treble fatigue if people don't wear it the right way.
The 4.A comes very close to that sense of clarity without that significant treble boost applied to both the DBA and CK10. In that sense, the 4.A strives for true neutrality. Both the DBA and CK10 lack sub-bass response; the 4.A isn't missing that at all (except for perhaps the absolute lowest of lows below 30 Hz but it does extend all the way down to 20 Hz). It might be a common denominator shared by customs, but there is an incredbile depth to each note that simply isn't present with 99.9% of all universals I've heard. The soundstage is not exactly ginormous, but it is very accurate, meaning it can impart both intimacy and spaciousness, depending on how the music is presented. The more neutral treble presence means that you'll some of that absolute sparkle, shimmer, and air in something like the CK10, but by no means is it missing at all. In fact, it is quite present, and compared to most earrphones like the W4, it actually provides more sparkle. Thus, I find that the 4.A is quite the enjoyable reference monitor. It doesn't sound sterile at all, due to great coherence between the lows, mids, and highs. The lows especially impressed me, as they really provided oomph if the music demanded it, and went right back to being in the background whenever the bass wasn't needed.
Basically, I think that if you do need that awesome shimmer of the CK10/DBA, something like the NT6 would probably suit you well (this is judging from the fact that average_joe quite clearly likens the NT6 to the CK10). Perhaps even the UERM (which seems to be very slightly brighter on the treble compared to the 4.A, judging from the impressions that I've read), I've listened to the demos of the JH13, and compared to the 4.A it has a slight bump in the bass response and slightly better articulation of speed and detail in a few very minor areas, but the tonal balance is actually fairly similar. Basically, while I think the JH13 is excellent, it's not exactly miles above the 4.A. I'm not sitting here with the 4.A in my head and thinking if I might've missed out by not going with the JH13. I'm guessing the UM Mage might have a little more sparkle, but I don't know at all because I've never heard it.
All in all, I'd say the 4.A isn't merely a 'poor man's reference monitor' but an excellent product in its own right; I don't think you'll miss the mark by going with it. If you consider my own listening tastes, my top ranked universals are all highly sparkly, analytical earphones, from the FI-BA-SS to the CK100PRO. I actually the 4.A adds something extra to aspects of that type of sound while having less fatiguing, more controlled highs.
If I were to state one thing I'd want more from the 4.A, it'd be airiness. Of course, more airiness might come at the expense of FR neutrality, but I can't be sure.
