[rroseperry]

Quote:

 
I didn't word it as clearly as I could have, but I was actually referring to the quads from 1964 Ears in that comment.  It's not that I'm passing judgment at this point, it's just that I'm inclined to wait to hear more reviews based on the limited amount of information available on them, and the fact that other than project86, not many of those that currently have offered opinions have actually been exposed to other high end customs.  I'm lumping the triples in with the quads here, which probably isn't appropriate.  Unfortunately, the introductory prices seem to only last for another week, and I suspect I'd find them a less compelling value at their "regular" price.  Classic situation where the lack of information required to feel comfortable with a decision due to timing coincides with a price increase. 
 

 

 The reduced prices on the 1964-Ears goes until June. It's the free shipping that ends March 1. so you probably have some time for other reviews to come in
 
/OT

 

[daveDerek]

Quote:

One thing, though, that remains true about customs, even now that they can be re-sold, is that their re-sale value goes down considerably. But I guess soon it will be mandatory to own at least one set of customs if you want to join HF.

nah, only if you want in to the secret areas of the site

.  but you already have customs so you at least make that qualification 

.

 

[ValSic]

Quote:

I got my W4's today! I gotta say out of the box i was pretty impressed especially when I changed the tips to the large gray ones. I'm not an expert at describing sounds but wow they do everything right. From my favorite K-Pop tunes to the laid back acoustic instrumentals. I'm gonna try to post more impressions once i get to listen to these more and get to experiment with these tips. I'm just gonna enjoy them for now!

 
Ok so... I'm finished experimenting with the tips and found the medium-long comply tips to give the best sound for ME. Note that I won't call myself and audiophile since I have only owned a few IEM's (see my profile) and I'm currently inexperienced in describing sound but I'll try to be as clear as possible and again please bare with me.
 

 
First of all, one of the reasons I bought that Westone 4 is because I felt that my previous main IEM, the Ortofon EQ-5 got a little too boring and dull for my liking. I'm not saying that I didn't enjoy them but I just didn't find them musical enough to keep and were also "thin" sounding. Let's see if the W4's has what I'm looking for.I was trying to find an IEM which had a good balance and was clear and full of detail while being musical and enjoyable at the same time. Hence,that's why I bought the W4's ...out of curiosity.
 
Build Quality (9.8/10)
 
The build quality feels strong but is made of plastic. The nozzle feels a little bit uncomfortable for me especially when switching tips thinking that I might just break them accidentally but,that's just me. The most noticeable feature is the cable. Yes they're braided and are thin and there's also a "slider" (I dunno what it's called,but it's the one where you adjust the split) and also has a right-angle connector.
 
Microphonics (10/10)
 
You won't hear anything when walking, I haven't tried it while running but that's that.
 
Sound Quality(9.8)
 
YES.When I said "had a good balance and was clear and full of detail while being musical and enjoyable at the same time". I think I've found it. The sound is rich and is detailed. Very musical for my liking and enjoyable at the same time. They sound very very full just like a full sized can is. I'm glad they were able to give me the clarity I was longing to find without sounding too thin.
I listen to alot of music (Where the W4's are stronger are in bold): Acoustic/Acoustic Instrumentals, K-Pop/Pop,Classical,Rock,Metal,RnB,and surprisingly,Rap. One thing I also noticed that alot of music that were very sibilant when I was using the Ortofon EQ-5 weren't sibilant with the Westone 4.
 
 
---
 
Well that's my impressions with the W4's! I hope it helped.
I guess I'm gonna be keeping these for a long time since they're really enjoyable IEMs!

 

[shigzeo]

I know several recording 'engineers' in Korea and am familiar with the music. Cute and energetic, unfotunately, it is recorded even more for the lowest common denominator: mobile handsets, than any music i've heard. The W4 is an amazing headphone fore sure, but basing its performance on korean performance is like going fishing for blow-up toy halibut with the best deep-sea fishing rig. 
 
Quote:

 
Ok so... I'm finished experimenting with the tips and found the medium-long comply tips to give the best sound for ME. Note that I won't call myself and audiophile since I have only owned a few IEM's (see my profile) and I'm currently inexperienced in describing sound but I'll try to be as clear as possible and again please bare with me.
 
 
 
First of all, one of the reasons I bought that Westone 4 is because I felt that my previous main IEM, the Ortofon EQ-5 got a little too boring and dull for my liking. I'm not saying that I didn't enjoy them but I just didn't find them musical enough to keep and were also "thin" sounding. Let's see if the W4's has what I'm looking for.I was trying to find an IEM which had a good balance and was clear and full of detail while being musical and enjoyable at the same time. Hence,that's why I bought the W4's ...out of curiosity.
 
Build Quality (9.8/10)
 
The build quality feels strong but is made of plastic. The nozzle feels a little bit uncomfortable for me especially when switching tips thinking that I might just break them accidentally but,that's just me. The most noticeable feature is the cable. Yes they're braided and are thin and there's also a "slider" (I dunno what it's called,but it's the one where you adjust the split) and also has a right-angle connector.
 
Microphonics (10/10)
 
You won't hear anything when walking, I haven't tried it while running but that's that.
 
Sound Quality(9.8)
 
YES.When I said "had a good balance and was clear and full of detail while being musical and enjoyable at the same time". I think I've found it. The sound is rich and is detailed. Very musical for my liking and enjoyable at the same time. They sound very very full just like a full sized can is. I'm glad they were able to give me the clarity I was longing to find without sounding too thin.
I listen to alot of music (Where the W4's are stronger are in bold): Acoustic/Acoustic Instrumentals, K-Pop/Pop,Classical,Rock,Metal,RnB,and surprisingly,Rap. One thing I also noticed that alot of music that were very sibilant when I was using the Ortofon EQ-5 weren't sibilant with the Westone 4.
 
 
---
 
Well that's my impressions with the W4's! I hope it helped.
I guess I'm gonna be keeping these for a long time since they're really enjoyable IEMs!

 

[music_4321]

.

 

[elfary]

@sigzeo do you happen to know how does the W4 frequency response fare with dap built-in amps. 4 armatures and 3 ways look prone to frequency issues out of an unamped dap.

 

[shigzeo]

Only if own anythingbut recent ipods and sansa players, and the teclast t51. It's just an impedance issue for certain iems that have wildly swinging impedances. I noticed this first (kill me for being so slow) when I reviewed the Jerry Harvey JH13Pro with an iPod touch 2G that had NO problem at all running dynamic earphones of any type. Strangely, single armature earphones with no crossover to speak of, can also fluctuate very low and disrupt signal.
 
Westone, sine the UM3x, have done great work with their earphones for more linear impedance shifts that are easier to drive. The Westone 4 is pretty easy to drive, stressing good outputs only a little. If you have latest gen iPods, sansa clips, fuses, ot teclast t51, you absolutely don't need an amp unless you just need more volume, or more overhead for reducing clipping. 
 
Amazing earphone.
 
P.S. it took me 15 minute to write this because I have broken arm and my wife is tired of dictation. Sorry for the errors.

 

[Mkubota1]

Just a pic of my Sony Hybrid mod with spacers.  This is the Sony Hybrid 'M'-size glued onto the core of a 'M' Comply gray foam tip.  To push the tip out a bit more into my ear canal I took the core from one of the tri-flange tips and cut little 1-1.5mm rings and placed them between the new tip and the IEM shell.
 

 

[music_4321]

.

 

[incongnit0]

Or that its relatively high price is putting people off from buying it, after all for a little more they can buy a 1964 quad or cheaper alternatives. On a side note I saw more w3s and um3x on ebay so it may be that people are trying to offload their existing gear before purchasing the w4

 

[dwizard]

13) No stock in your country.
 
I'm in UK and can't find a company that stocks them

 

[JoeyRusso]

Quote:

Interesting to note that for a new product that has received plenty of praise already, that was officially released only 10 days ago (though it started shipping 14 days ago from one vendor), and all the anticipation (marketing?) that was created from early December, there's only one post in the last 24 hrs.

So, either:

1) The product is not selling as well as expected

2) People are reluctant to post on this thread because it's too intimidating

3) Everything's been said already and there's nothing more to add

4) music_4321 has single-handedly managed to prevent a lot of people from posting

5) More people are leaning towards entry-level customs

6) The world recession has hit even harder in the last few months

7) People won't buy the W4 unless it comes with detachable cables

8) People won't buy the W4 unless it comes with more expensive and flashy packaging a la SE535/ SE530

9) The SM3 still rules

10) The SE535, which has never ruled, now rules

11) "I'm enjoying my W4s so much that I just can't be bothered to post"

12) "Having seen the 'very cool' clear version of the SE535s, I don't like an IEM that doesn't show the zillion drivers it's got inside. That'd mean I wouln't be able to impress my mates/ girlfriend or the girl I've been trying to impress for the last 12 months and who thinks I'm a nerd because, amongst other things, I can't dance"

It's #'s 3 & 11 for me...   Cya..

 

[markh78]

Well, other than the fact that this thing is pretty expensive and it's not readily available outside US, I think that most stuff have been covered already in previous posts.
It's certainly not going to be FOTM kind of IEM, so there won't be much argument between rabid fans and skeptics that are the major force in driving post counts high in a lot of threads at head-fi

 

[EraserXIV]

The price is a little off-putting. Although I'm very interested, blowing nearly half a grand is a bit mind boggling to say the least.

 

[FlexPen76]

Found a use for the monster supertips adpator. They fit nicely on the nozzles also and provide a good anchor for all sorts of tips - Sony Hybrids, UE flanges etc...
 
Downside is you need to have a sampler kit from supertips. Upside is I finally have a use for them....