[Spyro]

Quote:

Westone is a truly amazing company. I asked them about the availability of the new star tips and they offered to send me some samples. I was expecting couple of tips but today I found out that they actually sent me 20 star tips (10 pairs) free of charge. 10 silicones and 10 foams.
 
New star tips are really good guys! Everybody should get their hands on them.
 
Until today, I have been using the grey mushroom tips. I tired the new silicon tips with red, blue and non-colored stem. Blue stem is pretty good, opens up the sound, increases the soundstage significantly and adds quite a bit of energy to the highs. However bass response became softer compared to the mushrooms. It may be related to isolation though. I felt like they isolated quite a bit less than the mushrooms. They go deep into my ears and are quite comfortable though.
 
Red stem tips great. Bass is as strong as the mushrooms if not stronger. Soundstage is again much more spacious and there is again quite a bit of newly discovered energy up in the highs same as the blue stem tips. Isolation is top notch. However I found them a little bit too long for my ears. They really go deep which is not bad considering W4s have short nozzle.
 
Non-colored stem tip is the absolute bomb! Sound is same as the red stem tips. Punchy bass, amazing soundstage, clarity and quite a bit of energy in the treble region. However these are much shorter than the blue stems yet they isolate more or less the same. They look and sound like upgraded mushroom tips and they are actually more comfortable than mushrooms for me.  
 
There are 2 more silicon tips but didn't bother too try them. One is too large (orange stem) and the other one is too tiny (green).
 
I haven't tried the new star foam tips yet as well.

Just for clarification because someone else mentioned it a while back, the different star tips are NOT intended to create different sound presentations, etc.  Any variation in sound has to do with the fit (or improper fit) of whichever star  tip you are using.

 

[ericp10]

Quote:

Just for clarification because someone else mentioned it a while back, the different star tips are NOT intended to create different sound presentations, etc.  Any variation in sound has to do with the fit (or improper fit) of whichever star  tip you are using.

You sound like a company man right there, Spyro. lol
 
Just because a group of tips are meant to create different sound presentations doesn't mean the listener is getting that effect. It has been my experience that different tips (depending on length, nozzle diameter, etc.) can effect the sound signature (some slightly and some significantly). And yes, I'm talking about tips from the same family.

 

[Spyro]

Okay...it just seemed like stating the obvious (that a bad fit would create less bass).  For example, a person with a pair of Etys looking for more bass should NOT buy a pair of star tips thinking that a certain pair will give them more bass (LOL!!).
 
If one pair gives you LESS bass than another, it doesn't fit you properly, period.  If you like wearing it that way, so be it.
 
If would be like ordering a pair of custom JH16's and asking them to make the molds slightly smaller so the bass isn't so pronounced.

 

[Spyro]

With the very slight "veil", is the W4 the Sennheiser of IEM's more than any other IEM?  Not being a headphone guy, which model is it most like?  HD600, 650? 

 

[Inks]

hd650, but they don't have the veil, the 650s are clearer. So no, the W4 isn't the Sennheier of IEMs. EX1000 is closer to the HD800 than most and UE900 is closer to the 650 in clarity and bass. 

 

[ericp10]

Quote:

Okay...it just seemed like stating the obvious (that a bad fit would create less bass).  For example, a person with a pair of Etys looking for more bass should NOT buy a pair of star tips thinking that a certain pair will give them more bass (LOL!!).
 
If one pair gives you LESS bass than another, it doesn't fit you properly, period.  If you like wearing it that way, so be it.
 
If would be like ordering a pair of custom JH16's and asking them to make the molds slightly smaller so the bass isn't so pronounced.

 
I so disagree with this. The changing of the sound signature is not just base on good fit/bad fit. You can get a different sound signature due to how long or short the tip is and other factors. It's interesting that the new Westone tips just don't come in small, medium or large, but some of the tips are shorter than others yet fatter. Or the tip may be long but the main body is slimmer. These variants in the tips' shape and size have an effect on the earphone's sound. Now was it Westone's intention? I can't say yes or no. But I can say that I get a fantastic seal with three different pairs of the new tips, and each pair shapes the W4's sound a little differently than the other. 

 

[knubbe]

Different tips can definitely give different sound, due to the bore size and how deep they go and the materials used

 

[Inks]

Bass is affected by seal, period. If one tip has more bass than another Is because of seal, regardless of depth. Any engineer would tell you this, there can be deviating with foam but it happens subtly in the subbass

 

[aras]

Wow! I guess I unintentionally created quite a bit of drama.
 
Let me clarify couple of things;
 
Star tips independent from their size and length do sound significantly different than the old grey mushrooms tips. So yes tips do make a difference in sound in my experience.
 
Between the star tips, I consistently experienced similar clear mids and high energy treble characteristics with enhanced soundstage. However bass was different with one tip and I as I mentioned earlier, I thought that was because I was not getting as good isolation as with the other ones. Bass was similar between other star tips since I was getting similar isolation.  

 

[ericp10]

Quote:

Wow! I guess I unintentionally created quite a bit of drama.
 
 

 
A different opinion doesn't equate to drama (at least not to me). I still have my opinion, and others still have theirs. We state them and keep moving forward. 

 

[treal512]

All this talk of things being definite is nonsense. What difference does it make if the user notices a difference? IMO, it's fairly obvious that material type, insertion depth, bore diameter, and seal have a lot to do with the presentation of an IEM.
 
Quote:

the most comfortable IEM's period.

 
I used to think so too, but the PFE232 wins there. That is if you can stand the hot treble.

 

[knubbe]

Quote:

Bass is affected by seal, period. If one tip has more bass than another Is because of seal, regardless of depth. Any engineer would tell you this, there can be deviating with foam but it happens subtly in the subbass

 
Depth of insertion will affect bass too, so longer tips will have less bass than shorter ones, assuming identical depth of insertion.

 

[Inks]

No they don't, that's dependent on seal. I've confirmed this with 2 engineers

 

[knubbe]

So you're saying if I had a 10 foot long tip with perfect seal it would sound no different than a regular tip with perfect seal?

 

[Spyro]

Quote:

So you're saying if I had a 10 foot long tip with perfect seal it would sound no different than a regular tip with perfect seal?

 
Yes, the bass would be the same but the soundstage might be affected.