[i2ehan]

For the love of God, all W4 owners, PLEASE tune into ah.fm and listen to that bass response, for anyone with any doubts!
 
Another that couldn't possibly sound better!

 

[HynchSidrick]

nice radio channel. w4 never ceases to amaze me everytime i listen to it. it is the most addicting iem indeed imo

 

[obentou]

Thanks guys. I think I'm going to pass on the W4's!

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

I have 4 months of Westone 4 impressions in the following posts below:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/527694/westone-4-appreciation-thread-and-reviews-a-k-a-westone-4/225#post_7175150
 
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/527694/westone-4-appreciation-thread-and-reviews-a-k-a-westone-4/270#post_7183324
 
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/527694/westone-4-appreciation-thread-and-reviews-a-k-a-westone-4/360#post_7199437
 
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/527694/westone-4-appreciation-thread-and-reviews-a-k-a-westone-4/735#post_7277718
 
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/527694/westone-4-appreciation-thread-and-reviews-a-k-a-westone-4/810#post_7282494
 
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/527694/westone-4-appreciation-thread-and-reviews-a-k-a-westone-4/1455#post_7392096

 

[Spyro]

I strongly suggest an amp with W4 as they suck a lot of juice relative to other offerings out there.

 

[imackler]

I've never really thought an earphone could improve with amping until I tried the SE535 and W4 side by side. The W4 took a lot more juice, and it still felt like the ipod classic wasn't pushing it as far as it could go.  It really makes me want to try the W4 with an amp!

 

[imackler]

I had heard early reports about people having the Shure olives get stuck on the Westone 4--even actually tearing off the foam and having the sleeve still stuck. Has this been a recurring problem? Are people having a hard time getting them off or just moved away from using them? I thought the Westone 4 sounded best with the Shure Olives, but I definitely didn't want them getting stuck!

 

[imackler]

Quote:

People use the freezer trick to unstick them, seems to work.

To get the olives of the W4? I know they do that to get them off the Shure SE535...

 

[Anaxilus]

Shure doesn't use some special plastic that adheres to olives.  They use a core that likes to stick to all plastics.  Why would any other earphone have a different reaction to the same tip?  Has to be about the worst material Shure or anyone could have picked for a tip's core.

 

[lucozade]

 
Quote:

I've never really thought an earphone could improve with amping until I tried the SE535 and W4 side by side. The W4 took a lot more juice, and it still felt like the ipod classic wasn't pushing it as far as it could go.  It really makes me want to try the W4 with an amp!

The w4 is most definitely less efficient than my SE530, I have tried my w4 with my ipod classic , sounds ok, but somewhat weak on the bass end and prone to sibilance from time to time and needed volume turned up high, added my heron p3+ amp and there is an improvement . My cowon x7 on the other hand drives the w4 just fine , with lots of volume to spare , no amp needed and they sound much better . A thicker sound , good solid bass ,no sibilance , a fuller sound all round  .

 

[music_4321]

Quote:

The w4 is most definitely less efficient than my SE530, I have tried my w4 with my ipod classic , sounds ok, but somewhat weak on the bass end and prone to sibilance from time to time and needed volume turned up high, added my heron p3+ amp and there is an improvement . My cowon x7 on the other hand drives the w4 just fine , with lots of volume to spare , no amp needed and they sound much better . A thicker sound , good solid bass ,no sibilance , a fuller sound all round  .

If you're in England, chances are your iPod Classic was purchased in the UK/ Europe, and therefore it has a volume cap. I also live in Europe and have 2 Nanos (4G & 5G), but both were purchased in the US, both have no volume cap and both were able to drive the W4s (now sold) pretty well and when necessary things got VERY loud. I never once went over 80% of the volume, and that was ONLY with some very quiet old recordings I have. Most of the time if I wanted to play music at loud volumes (not often in my case), with most of my music, I'd push it to around 65% (70% max) - and that got really loud.
 

 

[lucozade]

 
Quote:

If you're in England, chances are your iPod Classic was purchased in the UK/ Europe, and therefore it has a volume cap. I also live in Europe and have 2 Nanos (4G & 5G), but both were purchased in the US, both have no volume cap and both were able to drive the W4s (now sold) pretty well and when necessary things got VERY loud. I never once went over 80% of the volume, and that was ONLY with some very quiet old recordings I have. Most of the time if I wanted to play music at loud volumes (not often in my case), with most of my music, I'd push it to around 65% (70% max) - and that got really loud.
 

Yes i am in england and my ipod classic was purchased here and i listen to the w4 at around 80% volume on the ipod without amp and yes they are loud enough to be satisfying at that level but its still a thinner sound than 65/70% volume on the x7 . also my se530 never need to go past 60% on the ipod which leads me to believe the w4 is less efficient .
 
 


Quote:

Your post made me do something I had not done so far, and that was plug the W4s into my iPod Classic direct (I typically only use an amp with the Classic, as my iPhone4 is my main on the go player). I put on 2-3 of my most sibilance-inducing tracks, and the W4s were not harsh at all. As far as volume, a little past half is as loud is I would safely listen (and that was not quiet). Not sure why you are hearing the sibilance and the lack of volume, or not hearing the bass. Could be tips. I do have custom sleeves, which might be the difference. Goes to show how different people hear differently.
 
Now, when I plug the W4s into the Leckerton UHA-4 using the Pure i-20 to extract the digital sound, the W4s do perform on the next level. So I agree, they do respond very well to an amp/DAC combo.
 


 

I use monster foam hybrid tips on the w4 for all listening with the x7 and ipod ,i never hear any sibilance on the w4 /x7 combo and while  there is plenty of bass present with the w4/ipod combo , its just a much fuller sound with a more solid bass presence with the x7.
 
 

 

[music_4321]

Quote:

 
Yes i am in england and my ipod classic was purchased here and i listen to the w4 at around 80% volume on the ipod without amp and yes they are loud enough to be satisfying at that level but its still a thinner sound than 65/70% volume on the x7 . also my se530 never need to go past 60% on the ipod which leads me to believe the w4 is less efficient .
 

In that case I suggest you don't get the EX1000s, CKM99s or SE215s - 3 IEMs I got recently - as they're also "less efficient", as 'inefficient' as the W4s.  
 

 

[lucozade]

 
Quote:

In that case I suggest you don't get the EX1000s, CKM99s or SE215s - 3 IEMs I got recently - as they're also "less efficient", as 'inefficient' as the W4s.  
 

No worries , those was not on my list of future purchases , however i will heed your advise and stay well clear of inefficient types . 

 

 

[fomoz]

I also hooked up the Westone 4s with my Graham Slee Voyager headphone amplifier. I ilke the sound in contour mode because these earphones are already flat. That is when the Westones just blew everything I have ever heard out of the window. The bass got stronger and deeper, the trebel got higher. I pushed it above the volume which I considered the limit for the Shures (as they start to distort beyond that point), and found that the Westones just kept getting louder and more powerful. They can handle much more juice than the Shures and deliver more powerful sound without distorting. I dont think there are any PMPs which can drive them to their true potential, but they sound good enough wihtout external amplifiers. The Westones are however a bit quieter than the shures (think of a difference of roughly 8 -10% in your PMP). This may be because of the more in your face signature of the Shures that they sound louder. But my HTC HD2 can take the Westonesto volumes high enough for any sane person. Any higher and you would not be able to enjoy the music and absorb all the rich details. I guess dedicated PMPs can drive them even louder.

 

here's my experience with the Westone 4 with the Graham Slee Voyager connected to my Sansa Fuze via LOD.

compared to the fuze where i set the volume at 55-60%, i set it to 1/4 turn or about 25% on the amp. compared to sound straight out of my Sansa Fuze, it's a lot more clear and more powerful across the range (i guess this is called dynamic range). this difference huge. the LOD makes a big difference in the sound clarity too. i tried using the headphone out with a 1/8" mini to mini wire and it sounded like i was listening to the music through a wall.

now here are my thoughts about the contour switch. i listen to electronic dance music. when i listen to studio-recorded 320kbps mp3 or flac songs, the contour mode gives it too much bass, the mids become recessed and i lose detail and clarity in the song. i prefer it off for songs recorded this way.

however, this switch is a godsend when it comes to live recordings. EDM is meant to be mixed, so i love listening to live sets, but they always sound flat. here's where the contour switch came in very handy. now live sets sound full and rich just like studio recordings. awesome.