[MacedonianHero]

  If you are NOT using an amp I think SE535 craps all over W4 in every regard.

You know what, I sold my SE535s and kept my W4s and in the end regretted that I made the wrong decision. Kinda a mute point now that my ears seem to not work with IEMs for more than 30 minutes or so...but I do agree with you.

 

[luisdent]

  If you are NOT using an amp I think SE535 craps all over W4 in every regard.

 
I think that's a "bit" of a stretch.

 

[ubs28]

But the Shure SE535 has better build quality? I hear the Westone IEM don't like water.

 

[squallkiercosa]

No IEM likes water...

BAs are more sensitive to moisture than dynamics. You shouldn't worry much about the issue.

 

[Mooses9]

  But the Shure SE535 has better build quality? I hear the Westone IEM don't like water.

yeah thats BS, i agree no iem likes water, ive heard stories of people washing their iems, not the w4/r in particular but wash them and they still work....i wouldnt test it though.

 

[truckdriver]

To me it seems that BA based IEMs require a good seal inside each individual's (different) ear canals and the resulting sound is not always universal (IMO).
 
It would seem that we don't all process/interpret soundstaging in the exact same way either. A reviewer wrote that the Tralucent 1+2 had an intimate soundstage (where as others described it as epic). For me, an IEM soundstage can vary quite a bit with different sources, tips, adapters (or, for others, cables) as well as song to song. Even the way I wear a tip can change the soundstage. Often I will wear the long triple-flanges (with its long stem) half way on the nozzle. Yeah, it sticks out of my ears but (in the truck) there's no one there to judge.
 
I had the W4 (not W4R) for a month of 8 hour daily A/B-ing with the 535 on my work route. The W4 was good at various things but not great at any one thing (as others have also said). I found the 535 (with Poweramp from my Galaxy SI and SII) to be better at nearly everything than the W4. In the end, returning the W4 was easier than returning the Ultrasone IQ or the UE900. The SM64 was also easy to return (but I digress).
 

 
My iPod Touch 3G and Headstage Arrow 4G paired well with the W4 (all ALAC tunes). I also had the iPhone 4 and 5 (on loan). I don't particular like Apple DAPs, but I wanted to use as many sources as I could. I also used my Cowon iA9 and Rockbox'd Sansa Clip+ (as well as a Dragonfly and Headstage DAC cable with various amps). I tried many source combinations and the assortment of Westone and Shure tips, but in the end the 535 was the best.

 

[neckemoff]

I have not heard the Shure SE535 because the new recommended red edition goes for ~$550 on Amazon Prime, but I can say the Westone 4's (no R - costing $300 on Amazon Prime...$250 cheaper than the Shure) is no doubt the best I have heard. For costing nearly 2 times less, I think Shure has some rough competition.

 
To sum up my research, people seem to like the sound stage of Westone 4's better.
 
Westone - open/realistic/balanced (there is a lack of noise about these because people are really happy and don't go online to complain...they are near perfect...not much to say)
Shure - thick/up-close/unbalanced (mid-heavy and lacking highs... some people would call this "muffled," but others call it 'warm,' ‘dark,’ or 'intimate')
 
IMO, after trying 10 different IEM's ranging $150-300 (excluding the Shure SE535 LE Red - really hard for me to justify $550... I think they're way over-charging), I can honestly recommend Westone 4's as leader in the pack as far as IEM go. IMO, listen to the forum poll, which currently favors the Westone 4's by a good margin. I may try the Shure's, but so far I don't see why because there isn't much to improve on the Westone 4's.
 
I do think it is really hard to gauge which earphone sounds better...it’s all opinion after all...people's ears are different and we are just stating opinions without data to back it up. The technical specs don't really dictate sound quality, though on paper, Westone 4's (4 drivers) look better than Shure SE535 (3 drivers.. 1 of which is combo).
 

Side note: I have compared the Westone 4's (best of the best) to the new Bose QC20's and honestly though the Bose are worse sound-wise, they still sound decent (good enough to not be called 'bad'). The Bose have a thicker bass (not as tight as Westone), but the mids and highs are 'low key'...probably intentionally tuned for comfort; overall, I think the listening experience is really good, but using the Westone 4's for the first time, I immediately heard everything "open up" as if the Bose have a fog, even after they opened up from break in. Regardless, once you get used to the Bose, the sound becomes comfortable and you don't care...add in that they have noise canceling that is a lot better than the passive isolation of other earphones, I would recommend these for everyday listening in noisy environments (almost everywhere...), where you want background music rather than sound perfection. The Westones are better as monitors for "sit down and serious listening" to...for which occasions I would honestly rather listen to my $5k home theater setup.

 

[Mooses9]

well as you may or may not know. the w4 and w4r are being phased out, more or less sold off for a cheap price to induct the new w40 as their top tier model along with everything under the w40.
 
i know its rumored that shure may be doing the same thing with the se535. although nothing has been mentioned about a replacement iem.
 
Both the W4r and the SE535 are exceptional in ear monitors and both bring something imo unique to the table.
 
i have BOTH se535 and w4r.
 
the se535 is a different animal, it has forward mids, and imo a wide soundstage so even though the sound feels wide the artist feels like they are right up in your face. IMO they are very detailed, with the mids up front and the bass slightly pushed back but still present this allows for a more revealing iem in the midrange section. highs are really dependent on if you are using the iem's straight out of a ipod or dap or a full rig, to me the extension of the se535 are as good if not better than the se535-ltd-j (i owned those too)...off bat i think they are semi bright this is again from the mids being forward. but a good copper cable can bring the mids slightly down and everything seems slightly more inline with eachother. ive owned great pure silver cables with the se535-ltd-j and they were very analytical, which made me go for the DHC symbiote occ copper cable instead of silver.
 
like i said they both bring something different to the table. vocals male or female surpass those of the w4r, also mids of the w4r surpass those of the w4r, on both the se535 and w4r neither have dominate bass or lows, i feel the 535's lows are a little more controlled slightly tighter and punchy, where the w4r's lows are all that but slightly scaled back some. again not dominate though, both lows work more on a quality vs quantity.
 
when i owned the se535 i was all about the se535 are better than the w4r, then i got out of the audio hobby and back in with the w4r, then i was like the w4r are much better then the se535......then i purchased both and realized they were both in their own rights superior to eachother.... and now i win both ways lol

 

[Zalithian]

They are both quite good. At least the W4R and the SE535 LTD. I preferred the 535 over the 4R but there's no denying the W4 is a great IEM. Considering how much cheaper it is I might pick it up over the 535 if I were going to be buying one of the two. Someone on here had a great quote about the W4 though, it's like that girl that does everything right but for some reason you just don't have chemistry with her. Can't remember who said that, and it's not verbatim so I hope I didn't mess it up. I felt it was quite fitting. Anyway, the W4 is supposed to be a totally different beast with a good amp.

 

[neckemoff]

Does anyone know if the Westone W40's are any better or worse than the old Westone W4's?

 

[squallkiercosa]

  Does anyone know if the Westone W40's are any better or worse than the old Westone W4's?

Well you can be the guinea pig and become the first reviewer!
http://www.westone.com/store/index.php/westone-music-products/personal-listening/westone-w40-earphone.html

 

[squallkiercosa]

The same sensitivity and impedance. (Maybe new filters)
Sensitivity: 118 dB SPL @ 1Mw
Frequency Response: 10Hz - 18kHz
Impedance: 31 ohms @ 1kHz
 
SENSITIVITY: 118 dB SPL @ 1 mW
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 10 Hz - 18 kHz
IMPEDANCE: 31 ohms @ 1 kHz

 

[neckemoff]

  The same sensitivity and impedance. (Maybe new filters)
Sensitivity: 118 dB SPL @ 1Mw
Frequency Response: 10Hz - 18kHz
Impedance: 31 ohms @ 1kHz
 
SENSITIVITY: 118 dB SPL @ 1 mW
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 10 Hz - 18 kHz
IMPEDANCE: 31 ohms @ 1 kHz

I called and was told the only difference is cosmetic (different cable connection and a different body with changeable face plates). Of course, this remains to be seen, but I doubt the guy I spoke to is lying.
 
Think I will stick to my Westone 4's for $300 opposed to getting the new W40's for $500. I like the look and feel of the W4's.

 

[Mooses9]

  I called and was told the only difference is cosmetic (different cable connection and a different body with changeable face plates). Of course, this remains to be seen, but I doubt the guy I spoke to is lying.
 
Think I will stick to my Westone 4's for $300 opposed to getting the new W40's for $500. I like the look and feel of the W4's.

yeah IMO not really worth the upgrade at all. and this has been echoed a few times per the w4/r and w40 being the same internally but just cosmetic differences.

 

[ubs28]

  the se535 is very mid forward, and it doesnt come anywhere near the W4r's instrument separation. also the se535 dont have a wide soundstage. its not um3x small but its not w4r wide either, kinda in the mid.
 
i found the w4r to be very fast, and have good attack and decay, but that really depends on the aspect of decay, as far as bass decay, or vocal decay. now i will say this, i dont use any dap or any music player straight up...so my perception needs to be taken into account the usages of algorhythm solos,ibasso db 2 dacs and ibasso pb2 and RSA SR-71B Amp... so amp and dac are going to play a role on fastness and attack and decay..... just something to take into consideration

 
This depends on what you are listening it from. The Shure SE535 can have a very wide soundstage with the right DAC/AMP.