This and That:
Good unboxing experience, nice accessories. Even contains a CD-ROM with product information as well as a small, hand-signed QC paper that states when the very in-ear was manufactured and who was responsible for the quality control.
The standard grey silicone tips fit and seal so much better in my ears than the elongated ones that come with much newer Westone in-ears.
The cable is nicely supple (industry standard with twisted conductors), however the memory wire ear guides that are integrated are fairly short, so I'd prefer a cable with longer ear guides or none at all.
I like the orange logos.
Sound:
Low impedance sources, largest included grey silicone tips.
Tonality:
Tonally, the W4R is a rather full sounding, midbass/upper bass/lower fundamental range oriented in-ear with a smooth midrange and relaxed middle treble.
At around 800 Hz, the lows’ emphasis starts to climb and forms the climax quite early at already 200 Hz, hence the lower (plus also middle) root and upper bass are full and punchy, with an emphasis that is about 8 dB compared to an in-ear with diffuse-field flat lows, such as my Etymotic ER-4S/the ER4SR. Extension is flat down to about 60 Hz and loses some presence, rolls off below towards 20 Hz, so the sub-bass takes a step back compared to the midbass, giving the W4R a midbassy sound as well as punch and fullness due to the early starting emphasis and rather early climax.
Although the root doesn’t spill too much into the lower mids, they are audibly affected and on the somewhat warmer (and also darker) side, though I would still say they are not too coloured and with a plausible timbre, however the general timbre is a bit off because of the full lower root that makes many instruments’ fundamentals sound a bit too warm.
The level is flat between 800 Hz and 1.5 kHz; from there on in the upper mids/presence area, it takes a step back, so female voices are somewhat in the background wherefore they lack a bit of presence/air, an impression that if further emphasised due to the following, quite distinct dip around 5 kHz that is mainly responsible for the midrange to sound smooth and relaxed, as that its overtones are tamed - an impression that not everybody likes, myself included, as the midrange sound very smooth, like sugar-coated, due to it.
Level comes back around 8 kHz, however without an emphasis but level that's similar to that of the midrange.
Super treble extension is still good up to around 13 kHz.
Resolution:
One shouldn't be fooled by the sugar-coating-creating tuning with the distinct 5 kHz dip and relaxed upper mids, as the W4R is very resolving and capable without cheating by using brightness and peaks to create "fake" resolution and clarity.
Micro details in the highs and mids are very clean and present. Nothing is lacking.
The bass is quick, tight, detailed and controlled, as it could be expected from the two small double-woofers per side. My UERM may be just a notch ahead here, however the W4R is still among the quickest and tightest sounding BA in-ears in the lows.
Soundstage:
Very wide but pretty much no spatial depth at all. Reverb is audible on the recording if present, but not perceived as depth - the W4R just remains flat and two-dimensional sounding in terms of soundstage, with a very wide base but no imaginary spatial depth.
Noticeably leaves my head.
Not very intimate but slightly distant sounding.
Very clean and precise instrument separation and placement.
Conclusion:
Very high resolution but presented with a sugar-coated tuning. Very wide but flat soundstage.