64 Audio Fourte Blanc Impressions
Price: $3700
Configuration: 1DD/3BA
Unit provided on loan for review by Headphones.com: https://headphones.com/products/tia-fourte-blanc?_pos=1&_psq=four&_ss=e&_v=1.0
Where to begin? I actually heard the prototype that would become the Fourte Blanc all the way back in April of this year. At the time, I wrote down some brief impressions:
Sounded more like the Tia Trio IMO. Slightly less bass than Trio but still sub-bass focused. More 3-5kHz than their other models and slightly sibilant. Pretty bright, really good resolution.
Admittedly, I think that the production version of the Fourte Blanc that I have on hand now sounds different (mostly with respect to the level of elevation from 1-5kHz), but my memory is far too fuzzy at this point to really verify. One thing is abundantly clear either way: I am not particularly enthusiastic about the sound of the production version Fourte Blanc, and it is best considered an acquired taste like the original Fourte.
Now credit where credit is due, the Fourte Blanc does have measurable adjustments to its bass response. It’s been reigned in for a cleaner sub-bass focus and eschewed some of the puffiness that I recall plaguing its predecessor. But I still don’t find the Fourte Blanc’s bass to be noteworthy for a sense of attack crispness compared to something like the IER-Z1R (which I have for direct A/B and don’t even find entirely impressive for bass these days). It also doesn't have the tasteful softness to attack, with the subsequent impact and thickness, that characterizes the bass of the Tia Trio. The Fourte Blanc has an inoffensive bass response to be sure, but this is a miss to me given that the Fourte Blanc is significantly more expensive than either IEM.
To circle back to the comments on acquired taste, something that I
cannot turn a blind eye to every time I hear the Fourte (and by extension the Fourte Blanc) is the midrange. It is extremely recessed around 1kHz. This leads to something of a cross between singers - especially those of the soprano persuasion - sounding like they are holding their nose, and singing into a cup, with me listening to the reverb. Perhaps what makes this phenomenon all the more disturbing is the excellent resolution of the Fourte Blanc that stems from the treble response. No way about it, the Fourte Blanc is a bright IEM. It doesn’t necessarily sound like it peaks in one specific region to wholly throw off treble tonality, it’s just…again, bright. Too bright, really, on a lot of tracks that I listen to. Foam tips help with this issue, but then you're killing the Fourte Blanc's technicalities.
Speaking of which, there is not really much point in discussing the technicalities of the Fourte Blanc because it is an IEM that is capsized by inception, for me, by virtue of its tonality. But as I alluded to above, yes, I find it very detailed. It sounds very open. It is fairly dynamic. I question how much of these impressions are simply a product of its very
unique tonality, but I digress.
If you are someone in the market for the unique sound of the Fourte, then the Fourte Blanc is undoubtedly the better buy. The sound is a little more refined, the aesthetics are way nicer (in my opinion), and the extra cable tips the value proposition. But I think the better question might be the following: who’s in the market for a Fourte in the first place when the Tia Trio exists? At least what
I would like to have seen is a special edition of the Tia Trio because the shells of the Fourte Blanc, and the new cables, are excellent steps forward irrespective of what I think of the sound.
Bias Score: 6/10
All critical listening done off of my iBasso DX300 and iPhone 13 Mini.
