Introduction

Westone is one of the biggest brands in the earphone industry. Their latest set of in-ears is an upgraded version of their highly acclaimed Westone 4 in-ears. Dubbed the Westone 4R this new version comes with a user replaceable cable system and has more tightly matched drivers. The model will be introduced at $50 more than the original 4s, meaning you have to be willing to spend $499 plus shipping for a set of these earphones. The 4Rs use the same driver setup as the old 4s (two bass, one mid, one treble driver). Nothing has changed on the cross-over side so it is pretty much the same internals as the original 4s, besides the better matched drivers.

The replaceable cable allows you to upgrade to one that suits your purpose best. There will be versions with podded microphone and remote for i-devices. You could also opt to fit the Westone 4Rs with a higher quality aftermarket cable or simply one that is longer than the normal cable. In this review we focus on the performance with the regular cable and we see how the 4Rs' performance scales when run in balanced mode through a Whiplash Audio TWAg v2 cable.

Specifications

• Sensitivity: 118 dB SPL @ 1Mw
• Frequency Response: 10Hz - 18kHz
• Impedance: 31 ohms @ 1kHz
• Driver: Four balanced armature drivers
• Cable: EPIC removable cable
• Features: Crush resistant travel case, assorted eartips, 1/8” to 1/4” adapter, inline volume attenuator and wax loop for cleaning

The feature list for the Westone 4R has been left relatively unchanged from the Westone 4s. One great addition is the inclusion of a hard and small carrying case.

Package

Like its predecessor the Westone 4R in-ears ship in a sturdy cardboard box.


Inside the box you find all sorts of goodies. New for the Westone 4Rs is the inclusion of a small otterbox-like case which fits the earphones and a piece of accessory if you squeeze it. Kudos to Westone for finally including a small hard carrying case!


The insides of the new carrying case are padded sufficiently so that no harm will come to your in-ears during transportation.


Westone includes their normal fit kit with the 4Rs which works brilliantly. A word of advice, the triple flange can easily be cut to a slightly more manageable double flange with a sharp scissor or blade. This cut-down three flange provides excellent sound quality and immense noise attenuation.


The extras that ship with the Westone 4Rs include: Volume attenuator, wax scoop, 1/4" to 1/8" adapter.