My thanks to Yuheng for keeping me updated on the arrival of the Westone 4. I finally did the comparo between the Westone 4 and Shure 535 and decided that the former had a wider soundstage and better separation. They also felt less tiring to listen to. So in the end, to pair with my HM-601...







Fantastic service by the Jaben team and thanks for being so accommodating!

This post has been edited by lanatir: Mar 1 2011, 09:22 PM

thanks guys. sticker price is RM1750. will find time and the right words to do a light review soon

2GB

Ok here are some quick impressions with the Westone 4 after a night of listening to it. Take note I am not a detail and flat response freak. I like my music to be warm and coloured (hence IEMs such as the e-Q7 does not suit me - tried it, didn't like it). I have been using Hippo VBs (middle plate) for the past month and was definitely impressed by the robustness of the bass on the Hippos. However, it did not tackle the higher frequencies as much as I would like. Instruments would get muddled and vocals felt a bit further in the background.

Used the following for my impressions
DAP - Hifiman HM-601
Music - Andrea Bocelli, Alessandro Safina, KPOP, 80s music, Cai Qin, Rihanna, Sting

What I liked about the Westone 4
- good soundstage but needs a higher volume level to bring it out
- imaging and instrument separation
- almost no trouble with the trebles and not too bright
- smooth and balanced vocals

In comparison, I also tried out the Shure 535 for about 10 minutes at Jaben. I did find the 535 to be more aggressive upfront. Initially I actually liked the 535 more but after a few minutes, I did find the Westone to be less taxing to the ears. The 535 had a hint more trouble at separating the instruments and the higher frequencies were a bit too bright for my liking. The soundstage and imaging of the 535 was a bit inferior to the Westones imho. On the other hand, I did like the fit and the build quality of the 535 more.

Fyi, I did not burn in the Westone 4 and though balanced armature IEMs should not need it, wondering if it will change for the better in time.

I had only listened to the Westone 3 a few weeks ago for a short time. While I liked it, I can't say I liked it enough to buy it (don't remember much about the sibilance control though).

But with the Westone 4, I did try to push the high freqs to see if I would have any issue with sibilance. I must say that I found none. Note however that the DAP I am using may also be a factor.