Naim.F.C
1000+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- May 20, 2008
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Ok, I'll add to this comparison in a few days after I've had time to settle in with both, I'll also take shots with my DSLR, but after half a days listening with both the Westone 4 and SE535 on my iPhone 4 un-amped, both using Shure Black Olives, which imo give slightly better treble impact and seal than Comply's, here are my findings. I must say, there's really not a lot between them. There's actually less of a difference between these phones over other IEM's I've used or compared in the past (W3, SE530, SE420, Triple.Fi, ER4p etc). I had to pay relatively close attention to notice the differences which are by in-large mainly subtle.
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First thing I did was just listen to entire tracks (same track on both) to figure out which I actually enjoyed the sound of more. I think with nearly every track, so far anyway, the SE535 seems more enjoyable. It has a bit more bite and vibrancy that just gives a bit of extra life to songs. I tried everything from hip hop, Dub Step, Funk, Trip Hop, Classical, Jazz, Pop, Rock, Alternative and Drum & Bass (yes my music taste is that versatile). I think of everything I tried, the only album the W4 may have had a slight edge with, was with Caribou - Swim. Where less than perfect recording/mixing (I'm listening to Flac/ALAC) does add some harshness to the treble at times. The W4 is more forgiving to this, where as the SE530 likes to attack the high's and mids with a bit more vigour. The W4 goes for a more dialed back sumptuous or smooth flowing tone.
After that, I tried to pin point specific differences between them. Here's what I found.
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Overall the SE535 is a bit livelier and more bright than the W4's, though still quite neutral overall. W4's are slightly relaxed and even more neutral, maybe even a touch timid. Broken down the differences are:
Bass: Bass is not the main difference between the two as I thought it would be. The SE535 has ever so slightly warmer but more impactful bass that fills your ear easier, the W4's bass may have ever so slightly more low bass control. But the differences here don't stand out much, on the whole they offer a similar level of bass quantity and quality.
EDIT: Listening to Kahn - Helter Skelter back and forth between these two IEM's, the SE535's bass has more force and speed. It seems tighter in composure and definition. Earlier however I listened to another track that had some underlying very low frequency bass, here the W4 was slightly more controlled, but likely because it was less punchy and more of a low bass background murmur.
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Mids: The SE535 has more prominent mids than the W4. Not just vocals, but even immediate (main) background instrumentals stand out clearer and more lusciously. They're more forward on the SE535, where they can feel slightly further behind or less focused on the W4's. Listening to Arther Russel - This is How We Walk On the Moon, I assumed the vocals would over power the background violin more on the SE535's, to my surprise, both were more prominent on the Shures, whereas on the Westones the backing violin was further in the distance and less obvious, and instead, the vocals took the fore front. Generally the SE535's tend to have more dynamic and textured mids whereas the W4's are a bit more V like and delicate.
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High's: Again, the W4's seem to take a more neutral and less bearing approach. Where the SE535's really punch some of the high's in, and even border on sibilance or harshness on rare occasion, the W4's never over step the mark. The high's have detail but just slightly lack the snap and sparkle of the SE535's which seem to hold high's slightly more aggressively. The W4's definitely provide easier listening in this respect, in-fact they offer the lowest sibilance (almost none) I've experienced in a high end earphone/headphone in a long time. Whether they're too laid back is a matter of personal taste, they certainly aren't as rolled off as the original SE530's, just not as vivid as other IEM's out there.
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Soundstage: There's not a huge difference here, but I do think the W4's offer an ever so slightly wider soundstage with more spacing between musical components. The audio note is ever so slightly more V like than the SE535's which are a bit more colourful in the mid and upper frequencies (whilst still not drowning out the bass). The W4 is slightly more airy and mellow.
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Instrumental separation: It was quite difficult for me to point out differences here. Initially I thought the SE535's had the advantage as the high's and mid's as discussed, are a bit more punchy and obvious, but on closer listening, I believe the W4's just edge this one out. Whilst the details are not as emphasised, there is a touch more detail. Instruments are separated with a bit more spacing than on the SE535 (possibly in line with the slightly wider soundstage). For example in Thom Yorke - Hearing Damage, on the initial drum loop that follows the deep bass, the little flurry of beats that finishes each loop is ever so slightly more detailed on the W4's. This might also just be because the SE535's more dominant mids or darker bass just take a bit of an edge off the rest of the loop, who knows.
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Power draw: A minor thing, but something of note. I find I have to turn up the volume at least 20% more with the W4's compared to the SE535's to get the same volume of sound. I tend to go max 50%-60% volume on my iPhone 4 with the SE535's, the W4's however require more like 70%-80%. Not a big deal, but just thought I'd mention it either way.
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Comfort: I find the W4's to be more comfortable then the SE535's, mainly because the housing is more rounded, less angular and slightly smaller too (has it's drawbacks, read below). They glide in to your ears easier and are less fatiguing, though honestly speaking, I forget I'm wearing both after a few minutes of listing, and can even rest my head on it's side wearing either. Cabling is also more comfortable on the W4's. The memory cable can be a bit fidgety on the SE535's, whereas the cable from the W4's loops over the ear very easily.
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Seal: As mentioned above, whilst the the rounder, smaller housing of the W4's may be more comfortable, they do unfortunately lead to less of a seal, and worse sound isolation than the SE535's, which do a shockingly good job of blocking out sound. Wearing them with no music playing, I can barely hear myself clicking, whereas on the W4's finger clicking is definitely audible.
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Build: Whilst both are very well built, I must say, the SE535 feels more quality for it's money. The housing itself is weightier, more sturdy and better built. On top of that, the nozzle itself, the thicker cabling, the moulding on the cabling, the detachable cable etc all add to making the SE535 feel better built and more carefully physically designed than Westone's effort, which truth be told, doesn't feel comparable to it's actual cost. Even the laquer used on the housing is slightly matt and/or textured on the SE535 which feels more robust than the finger print inducing glossy finish of the W4's housing.
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Aesthetics: This is a completely subjective thing, but honestly I feel the SE535's look a lot nicer. The opaque clear acrylic with the bronze colouring a few mm below it really gives it a plush luxurious look. As mentioned above, the general finish looks more appealing than the glossy thinner plastic look of the W4's. I do however love the '4' artwork on the W4's and the general shape of them. They're just a bit bland in design. I feel Westone could actually change the shape of the housing on each of the higher end models instead of keeping them the same, giving each a more exclusive appeal, preferably in line with the cost and placement of the product in the line-up.
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That's all for now, photo's to follow. Any questions fire away. I'm still not deciding which I'm going to keep or sell just yet. I think it calls for further testing. The Westone 4's are brand new after all, whereas the SE535's I've had for at least a week (also quite new lol). Either way though, you can't go wrong with either. They're both phenomenal earphones.
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Update 2
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/560881/westone-4-vs-shure-se535-comparison-will-update-as-i-go-along#post_7582903
Pre-EQ findings
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/560881/westone-4-vs-shure-se535-comparison-will-update-as-i-go-along/15#post_7585171
Post EQ findings
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/560881/westone-4-vs-shure-se535-comparison-will-update-as-i-go-along/30#post_7594947
Final update (Post EQ)
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/560881/westone-4-vs-shure-se535-comparison-will-update-as-i-go-along/45#post_7599470
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Sorry for the delay in providing photo's, just been a bit busy, namely listening to music along with general work. Hope you guys like the shots.
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The album can be found here. If anyone wants high res (20+ megapixel) versions for whatever reason, just PM me a request.
http://s5.photobucket.com/albums/y180/nchoudhury/Audio%20equipment/