[stationwagon]

Hello Everyone
 
Today I am speaking of the Westone 4R and the Westone 4 and I would like to conclude that both of these earphones do have some difference, first and the main difference would be the Acoustic Symmetry, I had a friend of mine compare them from side to side and he had suggested that while in the Westone 4, one of the drivers seemed prominent than the other, while on the Westone 4R, it was evenly matched, care to give any comments?

 

[Rip N' Burn]

I would really like to see a FR graph comparing the left and right channels between the W4 and the W4R. It makes me wonder as to how much variance there would be with the W4. Etymotic used the same drivers from their ER4P and used them with the HF5 but the drivers were not matched like they are with the ER4P.

 

[stationwagon]

Quote:

I would really like to see a FR graph comparing the left and right channels between the W4 and the W4R. It makes me wonder as to how much variance there would be with the W4. Etymotic used the same drivers from their ER4P and used them with the HF5 but the drivers were not matched like they are with the ER4P.

Actually yes there is a difference in sound reproduction when it comes to both of the drivers. If you look at the video from 1:35 onwards you will understand that the W4R has been tested for a balanced sound reproduction, which means both of there earphones would be evenly Matched; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sX7zLV8BLpA

 

[Rip N' Burn]

Thanks for the link, I listened to the video using the W4 lol. I remember reading that the human ear would not be able to detect differences between the left and right with a variance of 3 dB or less. I don't know how accurate that is though.

 

[stationwagon]

Actually it is very prominent, even for 3db if your listening at an average level, it should be very prominent, as I heard it myself. Once I heard with the W4R's I can say that it didn't have any driver difference.

 

[planx]

Interesting. Could the cables have changed things? Personally, I'm a believer in good quality cables, and even though Westone cables are mediocre from experience, maybe the W4R's removable cable is of better quality than the W4's fixed cable?

 

[stationwagon]

No they are the same cable, but its just removable. I think the drivers have been calibrated to perfection, so hence yes there is a difference between the W4Rs and the W4.

 

[planx]

Hmm... Would be interesting how the W4R sounds after using my DHC Symbiote SE cable...

 

[stationwagon]

Have you tried it

 

[MahthovenWang]

Well, i own a westone 4r for more than two months now and i had to say the main differences between the 4 and 4r is the acoustic symmetry and the removable cables. r/c might not sound like a big deal to some, but imo i think ur not just given the freedom to change to good quality cables, but also able to replace the cables only if any mishap happened to ur cables. I'm intending to change to a good cable once i had enough $$$  

 

[MahthovenWang]

oh btw, acoustic symmetry act as a really good selling point as well imo as when u see the specs of audiophile headphones, u would see "tolerence: +- xxx dB", making us believe how accurate they are. thats basically my thoughts over the 4r  

 

[TwinQY]

I personally heard no difference between the W4 and W4R when I was deciding on buying them. And I usually pay quite a lot of attention on channel imbalance, as it's a major tick for me. Since the 4s were less expensive, a soldered cable usually having better longevity than a replaceable one (although, you can just replace them afterward), and the lettering design on the 4 was less ugly than the W4R...you can guess which ones I sprang on. Would like to see a blind test done though, with the memory wire removed on the W4R to eliminate any difference in fit. 
 
Quote:

Hmm... Would be interesting how the W4R sounds after using my DHC Symbiote SE cable...

When I get my W4s modded for a removable cable, you can find out for yourself 

 

[stationwagon]

Quote:

I personally heard no difference between the W4 and W4R when I was deciding on buying them. And I usually pay quite a lot of attention on channel imbalance, as it's a major tick for me. Since the 4s were less expensive, a soldered cable usually having better longevity than a replaceable one (although, you can just replace them afterward), and the lettering design on the 4 was less ugly than the W4R...you can guess which ones I sprang on. Would like to see a blind test done though, with the memory wire removed on the W4R to eliminate any difference in fit. 
When I get my W4s modded for a removable cable, you can find out for yourself 

I Believe you are wrong, and it does exist, the main reason to point it out is because my friend tested both, and he could clearly state that the w4 Had one stronger driver, while the w4r were nuetral all the way, which means both were accurate to the same level, while some may not notice, it will be a prominent issue with the drivers only when your listening at a moderate to mid level, and it is proven on the above video I posted where he speaks of the driver matching.

 

[kookoo]

What does not make sense is why Westone would deliberately make one product (quite pricey in itself) deliberately worse than the other. They gain nothing by pissing off the general community. I just think of it as marketing rather than anything more substantial than that.
One comparison is hardly hard evidence that indeed that there is anything going on here.

 

[TwinQY]

Quote:

I Believe you are wrong, and it does exist, the main reason to point it out is because my friend tested both, and he could clearly state that the w4 Had one stronger driver, while the w4r were neutral all the way, which means both were accurate to the same level, while some may not notice, it will be a prominent issue with the drivers only when your listening at a moderate to mid level, and it is proven on the above video I posted where he speaks of the driver matching.

The Acoustic Symmetry thing is stated to match each earpiece at +/-1dB. But this doesn't really mean that the W4s can't have this. In fact, they had probably meant that they did check for the W4R more carefully, and that the W4s had more variance. Not to say that the W4s can't be matched perfectly, just that they aren't as consistent. If you still have both on hand right now, I would really like to see some blind ABX tests/volume level measurements to reaffirm this. You would probably be one of the first to do so! 
 
As an aside, I just attempted to measure the volume on each individual earpiece with some cardboard, foam, and a SPL meter. While not entirely accurate by any means due to the nature of the gear, they did manage to stay within +/-1dB of each other from what I saw. Maybe I got a good pair?