flowery words, tho interesting regardless.
is the filter a removable foam like in IM02 or non removable like on IM04?
is the filter a removable foam like in IM02 or non removable like on IM04?
Im01 with filter removed and sony hybrid tips was the most unique clarity sound i ever come accross,
I feel really relieve and at ease when listen to this happy and honestly beautiful princess that was never liar the most,
even your parent are liar to you sometime let's aside your girlfriend or wife,
even IM02 that was like the most 'beautiful goddess' can hidden something from you,
even e70 that was like 'real mona lisa' but no one can guarantee if she was liar to you sometime or not,
but this princess was just feel.... I can only honestly with you... never liar.... I rather die than liar to you~ even happiness or sadness~~ always made me smile even before even into the zone of music.
of course it was not have bass and treble extension of im02 or e70, it was still the most honestly sound and made up with unique bell tone clarity
that why this honestly princess will always in my heart forever~
I am interested getting an IM04 too. I have the IM01,02, and the 03 and overall I am impressed with those. Also, their prices have gone down because the increasing preference of bluetooth earphone over the cabled ones.hello , can you guys give me some advice ? im having an ath im03 . i love it . i listening various kind of music . im not a bass-head , i prefer everything balanced with good soundstage , maybe with a little more of vocal . i wanna try the im04 .. but sadly it is not avaible much in my coutry .i got a deal but he is far away , cant test before decide to pick it up or not . im using lg v30 and lg g8 . is it a best choice to have im04 along with im03 ? cause i heard they said that the im04 will be alike the im03 after change the cable . that's make me confused .
tks u so much , your review was very helpful to me , in my country there is a guy offer an im04 for me with the price about 200 usd , after reading your review , i think it would be a good choice , tks u again <3
I bought the used IM04 ($300) as my reward for completing my thesis. My overall impression was confused. When I first gave it a listen, I thought the earphones were broke. I immediately requested a return (which might not possibly happen, but I will keep it in my collection, regardless), but once I read through the reviews online, I notice that the IM04 is a laid-back earphone, which is not what I expected from the feedback of other reviewers - dark, warm, and lush (which I thought might sound like XBA-40 or Westone 4) I've gotten used to the IM03, which has an energetic and fun signature, but the IM04 is the opposite: relaxing and laid back. Still, I prefer the IM01 and the 03, and I would feel bummed if I purchased the IM04 full-priced, at $570 ish. Regardless, IM04 is a rare earphone, and I have difficulties finding cheaper IM04 elsewhere. I love the IM series, and as an earphone aficionado, I would like to complete the series.
These are my impression of today's listening session. The IM04 has roll-off on both bass and treble. It has slightly more bass rumble than the IM03 and the IM01, but it lacks the sub-bass extension, which gives the impactful bass. Still, IM04 gives satisfying rumble when as song calls it, but it might not perform well when playing electronic or bass-heavy tracks. Also, the bass misses some details and extensions. However, I like its treble presentation; it is the smoothest among the IM series. It lacks of the sparkle, shrills, and the brilliance of the IM03 and IM02, but it makes the IM04 a non-fatiguing earphone. I threw some harsh metal tracks and some with crazy repetitive cymbals, and the IM04 did an excellent job in maintaining them, but I still yearn for more treble and bass extension. I find the vocals are great on the IM04.
Taken together, the IM04 sounds dull and boring, even duller than the IM01, which I think it has more impactful bass, nearly close to the Klipsch X10. It reminds me of XBA-1, but with the sounds of multiple driver BAs.
Besides of its laidback nature, the earphone has an intimate and closed-in soundstage. Still, it sounds less-forward than the IM02 or any mid-centric earphones, but it gets nasal when played loudly. I agree with the findings of other reviewers that the IM04 has more depth and space, compared to its brothers. But, the depth falls behind to the Westone 4, and Sony XBA-40 has a better edge on the 3D presentation (and XBA-40 is far more fun than the IM04).
The IM04 indeed needs more volume. It needs 3-4 lever higher to reach a comparable level of IM03 and IM01, and 6-8 level higher to achieve an equivalent level higher than IM02, which is a loud and sensitive earphone.
I need some time to gather my observation. Maybe it gets better when I start to grow on the earphone. If you want me to compare the IM04 to the other earphone, please see my profile for the list of earphones I have. I still love the IM03 and IM01 - compared to the others. I agree with Lionlian that the IM01 is unanimously one of the best single-BA I have encountered, though the earphone is not popular among the peers.
Methods:
All earphones use Lunashop cable, and Sony Hybrid tips. I listen to these from Sansa Clip Zip (rock-boxed).
EQ settings:
There were no significant differences with the sound between the stock cable and the Lunashop's. I chose the Lunashop's because of its supple and light cable. The stock is just heavy, cumbersome, and the memory wire makes the cable hassle to wear.
- 32hz = +2.3 db
- 64hz = +2.2 db
- 125hz = +1.0 db
- 250, 500, 1000 hz = 0.0
- 2000 hz = -1.0 db
- 4000 hz = -1.0 db
- 8000 hz = - 0.5 db
- 16,000 hz = +0.5 db
I had compared with the Sony NWA45 and noticed the Sansa clip zip's sounds better, probably because of the EQ setting.
.