[imackler]

I've done some searching in this thread about the Monster Gel supertips: Do the Monster Supertips fit on the W4 stalk? Does anyone like the gel ones? In general, I prefer silicone tips but last time I had the W4 i preferred the Shure olives. I'm not in love with the Olives but I liked the wider opening vs. the smaller hole of the W4 grey silicone tips. The Monster tips look like they could be a good alternative.
 

 

[shotgunshane]

Monster supertips, gel and foam, fit with an adapter. Monster supplies the adapter on their big kit.

I don't like the gels all that much. They are a little unforgiving and odd shaped/sized. I highly recommend the new Earsonics biflange. It fits without adapter, is the most comfortable biflange I've used and has the larger sound hole, so it sounds great.

 

[imackler]

 
They look great! Is there anywhere to buy just the tips? EDIT: Ok, I saw them on the earsonics site. Is there a US seller?
I know that the W4 stalk isn't long. Are these deep insertion bi-flanges or are they large enough to rest shallow and still get a good seal?
 
Also, I noticed you have the Sony EX1000. Have you written a comparison anywhere?
 
Quote:

Monster supertips, gel and foam, fit with an adapter. Monster supplies the adapter on their big kit.

I don't like the gels all that much. They are a little unforgiving and odd shaped/sized. I highly recommend the new Earsonics biflange. It fits without adapter, is the most comfortable biflange I've used and has the larger sound hole, so it sounds great.

 

 

[shotgunshane]

The ES biflange are not deep insertion. They are easy in and easy out. No two handed ear tug. Bass is tighter with them versus the olives, so it hits just a bit harder. They have the best treble response of any univeral tip I've used.

I did a brief compare of the W4's, Sony ex1000 and JVC fx700 with a Peter Gabriel song "the Barry Williams Show". It's a really interesting song. This is what I posted in the ex1000 thread:

So I thought I'd do a brief comparison between Sony's, JVC's and W4's (on a Macbook Pro with no further amplification or sound enhancements) with the Peter Garbriel track Music posted:
 
On the bass line of the track the JVC's clearly produce these louder and with more emphasis; makes for a very fun and visceral sound.  The Sony's are not quite as upfront as the JVC's but seem more accurate and controlled.  The Sony's are also 'snappier' with the kick drums.  The W4's have really good texture but definitely take a back seat to the other two phones in this part of the presentation in how deep they go.  However they are not far behind.
 
I thought the JVC's presented the most life like sounding horns to my ears with the Sony's a close second.  However they were presented a little hotter on the Sony's.  The W4's presented the horns a lot more reserved and thus not quite as realistic as the other two in direct comparison.
 
I really like how the W4's present cymbals/hi-hats/rides.  They are very clear without being fatiguing and never get lost in the presentation.  Believe it or not, compared to the W4 and Sony's, the JVC's, while having brighter treble would sometimes lose these in their presentation, taking a back seat to the rest of what was going on in the chorus.  The Sony's cymbals/hi-hats/rides sounded the most realistic to me but I can't decide if the Sony's or the W4's presentation were better here.
 
The JVC's had the widest soundstage and also put the vocals further away from you; kind of like your are at a concert.  The vocals are their weakest point, when compared to the other two and at times did not seem to be in front of the drums as far as mental placement.  The Sony's split the difference between the JVC's and the W4, giving me the impression of being more accurate in placement and presence.  You can really pick out nuances in the vocals with the Sony's.  The W4's do not give you all the nuances in the vocals as the Sony's, so they are not as detailed here but I prefer their more intimate presentation.  The vocalist is right in front of you and the back up singers are whispering in your ears.  Clearly this would come down to your individual preference.
 
I don't think there is a 'better' phone between the 3; it just comes down to preferences.  If you want more intimate vocals and neutral presentation, go with the W4's.  If you want an expansive soundstage and visceral presentation, go with the JVC's.  If you want a more accurate, detailed and life like presentation go with the Sony's.  For me I'll listen to each every 3 days!
 
It is really hard to put all these differences you hear into words and have them make sense.  The differences can be very subtle between the different phones and I probably listened to that song 20 times just for this little comparison.  It makes me really appreciate all the more what James, Dfkt, Joker and others are able to bring to these forums.

 

[Naim.F.C]

Considering trying the Westone 4. Currently use a SE535, which I'll admit, to my ears sonically, are near enough perfect, even compared to my old SE530's. Compared to the SE530's, the soundstage is opened up a touch and the high's have more detail. They also feel a bit more lively and have more punch. Only thing that I'd personally prefer in them is a slightly more V like audio presentation, just ever so slightly less dramatism in place of an even wider sound stage or ever so slightly more distant or less potent vocals. That said, with the Westone 4, I'm afraid they might be too balanced and neutral with less impactful bass. I keep hearing that the bass on the W4's, whilst detailed, is less punchy than other earphones, and since I listen to a lot of dubstep and hip hop, I wonder if that could be a negative.
 
Any comparisons between the SE535 and Westone 4? Bear in mind I use my earphones currently un-amped straight from an iPhone 4.

 

[sly_in_the_sky]

Hello, Westone 4's bass are not weak at all. To me, they simply sound the way the artist wanted it to be....the Iphone 4 perhaps laks some bass presence in the extreme lows but using my W4 with the Hisoundaudio Studio V, I can surely say that the basses are very good, punchy, well controlled.
 
 

 

[Inks]

Iphone 4 is one of the flattest sources you can use with multi-armature IEMs so it isn't the IP4. Could be a fit issue. 

 

[sly_in_the_sky]

I also have and tried my Iphone 4 with the W4, and to me, bass on the Iphone 4 is not as punchy and impactfull than the Cowon J3 or Hisoundaudio Studio. These two players, especially the last, has more power and give more dynamics and punch to the bass and presence to the "sub"-bass.

 

[Inks]

yes because they're more colored, the IP4 will give you the actual reference sound because like I said it's flat it doesn't add any coloration. The treble will be better with the IP4 as it won't roll-off. 

 

[sly_in_the_sky]

When I listen to Jazz music (for me a reference to know if a sound is natural or neutral compared to what would be music in real life), the iphone 4 don't give me the impression of being more "realistic" than the two other players I mentioned. Not saying IP4 is bad, just saying that for me, something is lacking.
 
 

 

[Inks]

Yeah you probably just like the coloration there's nothing wrong with that. But the IP4 is more linear and proficient with multi armatures, theres data that back this up.

 

[Anaxilus]

Well, it's not as simple as being flat.  The clip+ is flat too and also pretty lifeless compared to a flat Sflo2.  You still need a certain amount of current or power depending on your phones.  It is driving 4 drivers w/ a Xover after all.  Impedance curve is ruled out w/ all these sources.  Then you have the issue of gain and listening levels.  Certain phones will respond differently to how much gain you give them.  You can have the flattest source possible but something like the Monster MD doesn't get a proper balance until you crank it up some.  
 
sly, you sound like me when I first started.  Portable amps or more high powered DAPs might be the ticket for you. 

 

[sly_in_the_sky]

Yes Anaxylus, for example, Hisoundaudio Studio V is very efficient with W4 that needs a little bit more power to sound at the max of the capacity. Even Cowon J3 without amp has more power than IP4 (without amp) and drives bass better...to my ears...

 

[Freefallr4545]

Quote:

Considering trying the Westone 4. Currently use a SE535, which I'll admit, to my ears sonically, are near enough perfect, even compared to my old SE530's. Compared to the SE530's, the soundstage is opened up a touch and the high's have more detail. They also feel a bit more lively and have more punch. Only thing that I'd personally prefer in them is a slightly more V like audio presentation, just ever so slightly less dramatism in place of an even wider sound stage or ever so slightly more distant or less potent vocals. That said, with the Westone 4, I'm afraid they might be too balanced and neutral with less impactful bass. I keep hearing that the bass on the W4's, whilst detailed, is less punchy than other earphones, and since I listen to a lot of dubstep and hip hop, I wonder if that could be a negative.
 
Any comparisons between the SE535 and Westone 4? Bear in mind I use my earphones currently un-amped straight from an iPhone 4.

Your post mirrors my requests. The 535's are just amazing. I want to try the W4's but I really think I would miss those Mids
 

 

[Naim.F.C]

Thanks for the comparison!
 
Quote:

So I've done some more A-B comparisons between my SE535s and Westone 4s.

My setup:

iPod Classic --> Moon Audio Silver Dragon LOD --> iBasso D4 Mamba --> IEMs

Overall, I do find the Westone 4s more "balanced" with bass/mids/treble. The SE535s have a stronger focus on the mids (and likely the best mids of any IEM I've heard). Bass response between the two is about similar (depth, control and detail), if you only concentrate on the exclusively on the bass, but with the more forward mids on the SE535s, the bass can be a little further back with the Shures in the overall picture.

Again, the mids on the SE535s are forward, lush and very smooth. The Westone 4s put the mids into more equal representation wit the bass and treble. They are not recessed as I found with the Westone 3s though and really quite good and accurately portrayed.

Treble is a tougher call. Both seem very well extended (unlike the drastic roll off of the SE530s), but overall I think I prefer the slightly smoother treble presentation of the Westones.

Sound stage both are on par left to right, but I think I give a slight edge to the SE535s for front to back imaging.

The SE535s are the sturdier IEMs...no doubt. I can use the cable as a bike chain if needed, but that sturdiness does come at a cost: ERGONOMICS. The cable can come off a bit stiff and harder to roll behind your ears and they are heavier (IEMs + cable). The Westone 4s, while not as sturdy, are the more ergonomically friendly IEM: light, with a great cable that just fits very well.

Hard to call a winner here still though, I love the liquid/lush mids of the SE535s and find them quite seductive in that regard, but I think I prefer the "total package" presentation of the Westone 4s by a small margin. You can't go wrong with either one really.

EDIT: I forgot to mention the all important noise isolation --> Winner = SE535s. While the W4s are great in this regard, the Shures are still tops here.