W2 vs W4 | Comparison & Review

[olear]

Anyone can compare SM3 to either W3 or W4?

 

[Darkocean-62]

I am quite new to the use of good earphones i only had the w3 for a couple of months when i got the w4.What i liked about the w4 in comparison is the greater accuracy and clarity, the w3 are not as detailed and too bassy for me so i think a clear and accurate sound 
is what i like.I was wondering if the w2 are better on this than the w4?

 

[LFC_SL]

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Maybe, just maybe Westone might make a UM4 *fingers crossed*... Other than that, excellent review. I agree that the Westone 4 is a tad disappointing... With that price tag and four mighty drivers, I expected a world of difference. Rather buy SM3v2 or a SE535 or even a W3 instead of a W4... Heck I actually prefer the Westone UM2...

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I love Westone but in 9 years of buying IEM's W4 is near the top as far as most dissapointing.  While I am not a big fan of either IEM, W2 certainly has better clarity.
 
As the other poster above stated, I think UM2 is much better than W2.  More natural sounding, smoother, a bit bassier and among the best midrange of any IEM I have ever heard.

Interesting thoughts because the left cable is starting to go on my UM2 (have to wear left piece 'unhooked'

). For me compared to old ESW9 the bass is somewhat a touch boomy and do also encounter sibilance, so currently scouting for new universals
 
 

 

[planx]

Interesting thoughts because the left cable is starting to go on my UM2 (have to wear left piece 'unhooked'

). For me compared to old ESW9 the bass is somewhat a touch boomy and do also encounter sibilance, so currently scouting for new universals
 
 

Such a shame your cables are letting go... Wish I still had my UM2... I found it to be one of the most fun sounding IEMs I have ever owned and auditoned. But opinions are opinions and I honestly think the UM2s are one of the best universals ever made, hands down.

 

[Katun]

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I'd pay anything for a pair of perfectly flat headphones/IEMs, that's why I like the W4, and that's the point of Hi-Fideity. Flat doesn't mean boring, to me it means accurate sounding.

W4's are pretty flat disregarding treble. And while I'll agree that flat sound and accuracy usually go hand in hand, I generally find a very neutral sound somewhat boring. I'd think most would agree balanced armature drivers can usually present "neutral" bass better than dynamics can, but a huge handful of people find armatures lacking in bass. Personally, a "flat" midrange is a recessed midrange for me, but that's as far as my preference goes. I reviewed the W4 as having a pretty flat and accurate midrange, but for my preference it's too recessed. I generally like to have the midrange more forward, while the treble is just a smidgen back (not to mention bass that has good presence, yet doesn't bleed too much).  So I guess while many have a long term goal of hitting near perfect neutrality in sound, I look more toward a balance of what "I" prefer, and that's why "colored" headphones exist -- because not everyone is looking for flatness in sound (and of course those who perceive colored as flat). But of course, it all really boils down to personal taste.
 
 
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^ Have to disagree. Whether something is boring depends on the listener's preference; whether something is neutral or not depends on the objective facts of headphone in question, and the likelihood that they have been engineered to account for variances in listener's hearing ability.

Agreed. Perception and preference vary too greatly to accurately pin-point certain facts.
 
 
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I own the westone 3 and 4 and i preferred the 4's instantly for the greater accuracy and clarity compared to the 3's
but i never really considered the westone 2 mainly because i assumed more expensive would mean better sound.
Are the westone 2 better than the westone 4 for clarity and accuracy?

For me, easily. But I'm sure you got that vibe from the review.

 

 

[Darkocean-62]

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W4's are pretty flat disregarding treble. And while I'll agree that flat sound and accuracy usually go hand in hand, I generally find a very neutral sound somewhat boring. I'd think most would agree balanced armature drivers can usually present "neutral" bass better than dynamics can, but a huge handful of people find armatures lacking in bass. Personally, a "flat" midrange is a recessed midrange for me, but that's as far as my preference goes. I reviewed the W4 as having a pretty flat and accurate midrange, but for my preference it's too recessed. I generally like to have the midrange more forward, while the treble is just a smidgen back (not to mention bass that has good presence, yet doesn't bleed too much).  So I guess while many have a long term goal of hitting near perfect neutrality in sound, I look more toward a balance of what "I" prefer, and that's why "colored" headphones exist -- because not everyone is looking for flatness in sound (and of course those who perceive colored as flat). But of course, it all really boils down to personal taste.
 
 

Agreed. Perception and preference vary too greatly to accurately pin-point certain facts.
 
 

For me, easily. But I'm sure you got that vibe from the review.

 

Thanks for the reply, my audio knowledge is quite poor so the best i can do in describing the sound i like is comparing the w3 and w4.
As soon as i can sell my w3 i will get the w2 and hopefully like them
 

 

[Jeremypsp]

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I own the westone 3 and 4 and i preferred the 4's instantly for the greater accuracy and clarity compared to the 3's
but i never really considered the westone 2 mainly because i assumed more expensive would mean better sound.
Are the westone 2 better than the westone 4 for clarity and accuracy?

No, more expensive does not mean better sound. Look at the GR-07 or DBA-02 for example, they are 2-3 times cheaper than the UM3x but they are put on the same level as it. I would say price = quality is probably a placebo effect and is highly subjective when it comes to sound. 

 

[striker]

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No, more expensive does not mean better sound. Look at the GR-07 or DBA-02 for example, they are 2-3 times cheaper than the UM3x but they are put on the same level as it. I would say price = quality is probably a placebo effect and is highly subjective when it comes to sound. 

Well, within the same range, of the same brand, more expensive does usually mean better sound (technically).
 
Sound preferences can, of course, make someone prefer the technically inferior and cheaper IEM, which is perfectly normal and even expectable.

 

[Darkocean-62]

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No, more expensive does not mean better sound. Look at the GR-07 or DBA-02 for example, they are 2-3 times cheaper than the UM3x but they are put on the same level as it. I would say price = quality is probably a placebo effect and is highly subjective when it comes to sound. 

 
     I gathered that from the review which seems to be a good comparison between the w2 and w4 but its surprising how good the 2's seem to be considering they only have duel drivers while the 
     4's are quad driver, you might expect much better sound from an iem with double the drivers

 

[Jeremypsp]

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Well, within the same range, of the same brand, more expensive does usually mean better sound (technically).
 
Sound preferences can, of course, make someone prefer the technically inferior and cheaper IEM, which is perfectly normal and even expectable.

Well, yes, I do agree that with the same brand, more expensive usually mean better. But not ALL the time. I personally do find the Sony XBA-3s to be a lot better than the XBA-4s.

 

[Jeremypsp]

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     I gathered that from the review which seems to be a good comparison between the w2 and w4 but its surprising how good the 2's seem to be considering they only have duel drivers while the 
     4's are quad driver, you might expect much better sound from an iem with double the drivers

Well, not necessarily, more drivers does not = better sound. Let me state a few examples. JH16 is not better than JH13, Sony XBA-4 is not better than XBA-3, SE535 is not necessarily better than SE425, and Audeo Phonak PFE232 has 2 drivers only but it's able to compete with the Westone 4 with 2x it's drivers really well. (though can't comment since I have not heard the PFEs')

 

[Tronz]

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Well, not necessarily, more drivers does not = better sound. Let me state a few examples. JH16 is not better than JH13, Sony XBA-4 is not better than XBA-3, SE425 is not necessarily better than SE535, and Audeo Phonak PFE232 has 2 drivers only but it's able to compete with the Westone 4 with 2x it's drivers really well. (though can't comment since I have not heard the PFEs')

The SE425 is a dual driver setup and the SE535 is a triple driver setup. 

 
 

 

[goodvibes]

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The SE425 is a dual driver setup and the SE535 is a triple driver setup. 

 
 

Still a 2 way.

 

 

[Jeremypsp]

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The SE425 is a dual driver setup and the SE535 is a triple driver setup. 

 
 

Oops! Typo there. Thanks for correcting. 

 

[Darkocean-62]

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Well, not necessarily, more drivers does not = better sound. Let me state a few examples. JH16 is not better than JH13, Sony XBA-4 is not better than XBA-3, SE535 is not necessarily better than SE425, and Audeo Phonak PFE232 has 2 drivers only but it's able to compete with the Westone 4 with 2x it's drivers really well. (though can't comment since I have not heard the PFEs')

More drivers = better sound is exactly the way i thought it worked, those really high end customs with 8 drivers dont look as impressive now that i know that