Softears - Studio4

I felt this about Studio 4. It is sparkly and present but not harsh, which I feel is the case with Aful P8.

Huge fan of the Studio 4, but what is a step up from the Hexa EQed to the Mystic 8? Blessing 3?

1. Hekse (best overall) 2. Softear Studio 4 (best sounding iem for my music) 3. He6se V2 (more dynamic than Hekse but nostalgic as comfortable. Less spacious and open) 4. Aful Explorer (like a lesser Studio 4 for commuting. Very easy listening) 5. HD6XX (comfortable and the baseline benchmark but not my go to) 6. Aful P8 (most boring sounding. Used to like it but not these days. Might be a good gaming iem but I don’t game anymore) 7. EW300 (it’s meh. Use for monitoring)

They bloated it too much. Studio 4 is better

There aren't that many once you've ruled out Etymotic. Honestly at that 'lower than Studio 4' price range you might as well go for the Studio 4. Aful Performer 5+2 / 8: Relaxed pinna gain at 2-4kHz means reduced vocal bite; speech and 'breathiness' is sacrificed slightly for a more relaxed, pleasant presentation. Not neutral. Anecdotally, I've heard the Performer 8, the soundstage is wide but centre image is weak. Moondrop Dusk: crinacle's house sound = big bass shelf. No go for neutrality. Moondrop Blessing 3: Upper-mids/lower treble emphasized (4-6kHz) beyond neutral. Supermix 4: Harman, i.e not neutral (bass and upper-mids emphasized) Thieaudio: U-shaped is their house sound from the Hype 2 all the way to the Valhalla. Extra bass and spicy treble. Not neutral. I would add that the Hexas aren't neutral either, they have too much bass for it, it's simply masked by the fact that its bass is sloped, not a shelf. All the 'Meta' IEMs out so far also fail in the neutral bass department by having too much of it. This includes the KE4, Volume S, Mega5EST and even CrinEar's 'Reference', if his chart is to go by. Graphs are worth looking at for reference. So you only really have the Studio 4 left. That, or an IER-M7 if you could get it for cheap.

Of the ones you posted my favorite is the Dusk. Another one of my favorites is the Studio4. Those I would recommend

I can’t help but shake my head watching that video — or anyone who quotes it, honestly. There’s a part where he says he disagrees with websites that list JM-1 targets as one category and neutral as another. I don’t know… but I just don’t like the sound of the newer Meta-tuned IEMs at all. To me, they don’t sound neutral — for example, the Truthear Nova and Kiwi KE4 both sound pretty bleh. They’re definitely not neutral in my book. That said, I do love the Studio4 — and it doesn’t follow any of the “rules” mentioned in that video. But is undoubtedly more neutral than any hogwash from those other IEMs.

I mean this respectfully, but to me, the new Meta just sounds a bit blubbery — not really my thing. It doesn’t sound neutral to me, though if you believe it is, I won’t argue. But let me turn the question on you: what’s your one pick for the IEM that best demonstrates neutrality — basically answering the OP’s original question? I mentioned the Studio4, since to my ears it sounds more neutral than any of the Meta IEMs. What would you choose?

I've been buying a lot lately and for me the Softears Studio4 blew me away. It sounds amazing on pop and female vocals.

Studio4 is amazing on female vocals.

Studio4. It's so good with vocals

Studio 4 and meteor, even tho I have 64 audio U4S, I pick S4 and meteor more

Funny that they sound boomy to me because now I'm more used to studio 4 which has that modest BA bass sound

Unless your ready to deal with the Studio 4’s pressure build up, I don’t recommend it. It’s a pain in the butt dealing with it

Could try something with EST and very smooth extension if you want minimal masking like HBB Punch which is basically a KE4 with ESTs, though you're going to want to eq the bass down on punch if you want technical. Or you can try something bright like the Braindance. Also harman tuning overall like Volare/Variations would be good as they have a midbass tuck which leaves a clean impression and wider stage, or a bass-light airy harman like Studio4. Lower mids and 3k scoop can also open up the stage a lot, make everything sound very wide and enveloping and leave a very technical impression/much more layering/better perceived detail retrieval like SA6 mk2 (or ultra if you can find one) which are tuned rly similarly to Anole VX. EPZ P50 could be a good more affordable choice it's still a tribrid, with microplanars handling the treble.

i'm currently looking into those... have you had any issues with the lack of venting?

I see...I've owned the softears studio 4 in the past but couldn't get past the lack of venting. hopefully with new eartips and insertion techniques i'll be able to appreciate these 😭

More technical and detailed in the treble, feels more hi-fi but brighter and not as balanced

I think Pilgrim is the best for detail and clarity here. I loved them but the nozzle is way too big for my ears. Studio 4 is the safest and smoothest, and with the lushest vocals, but they don’t have venting so be aware of that if you’re sensitive. P8 has rather recessed midrange, I like that but it leads to a sense of distance and less clarity that some don’t like. Fit is great and venting is great as well. Don’t have experience with dusk. For my money, if I had large ear canals, I’d go with the Pilgrim, really endgame tech for not much. P8 is the most comfortable for me.

Thanks for mentioning hifisoundgear. I historically buy used off of head fi (usually without warranty) but for Iems these pricey a warranty is a must. I did own the Softears Studio 4 a while back but for a reference set they sounded a bit "smooth" with midrange and treble lacking clarity in comparison to more colored hybrid sets (like my Elysian pilgrims) or even my etymotic Er4SR. Those had 4 BAs I contemplated the Gaudio Nair but they seem to sport a similar slightly warmish-neutral tuning to the studio 4s. That's why I landed on the Esr Mk2 as the best one for me. Research helps lessen the gamble. No wonder CanJams events are popular 😂 I'm curious about that upper frequency roll off you mentioned. The monitor seems to be advertised as being capable of extended treble. I don't see why such a roll off should exist as wouldn't that make the EST drivers moot? I thought their only problem would be low end extension and texture (since it's a balanced armature producing bass).

Hard disagree with (1), Softears Studio 4 is such a set, Kiwi Ear Orchestra Lite is also a pretty damn good one too. Hard agree with (6).

I tried KZ AS10 and DQ6, Blon BL-Mini and A8 Prometheus, Moondrop Kato, B2, B2 Dusk and S8, Softears Studio 4 and TinHiFi T2 Plus. Tin were trash. KZ AS10 was okayish but not really. DQ6 super comfortable, lightweight decent SQ for the price and comfort but nothing crazy. From Kato to B2/Dusk there's a significant step up in SQ. From B2/Dusk to S8 there's an improvement but it's not something crazy. The Blons sound OK, BL-Mini is quite decent in terms of price to performance, A8 are overpriced in terms of SQ but they look amazing. Both are lower in SQ than the Kato. Studio 4 sounds amazing to me, it's a more mid centric sound signature. The S8 has a more spacious sound and has more perceived space between instruments but the S4 is just godly in terms of it's timbre, everything's sounds just right, notes are weighty of I had to describe it somehow, and vocals are on another level altogether. I'll soon hear the RSV MKI. Thus far from this lineup I'd say diminishing returns start at the Blessings, now... The S4 I think is a justifiable step up, the S8 if you have the disposable income yeah, otherwise you spend more and you get more but not that much more. The S4 is cheaper than the S8 and I'd surely recommend the former. I guess it boils down to how much you are willing to spend. There is an improvement in SQ but it's definitely not a linear function, it's evidently logarithmic, just like horsepower in cars. I'm sure though there's plenty of snake oil sets out there. I'm sure if you bought the Hexa or the Nova and compare them with the Kato the latter would feel like a scam. That being said SQ is not the only factor, I have the Blons almost exclusively for how they look. I've met people that were like meh they all sound the same. I think I trust myself as I found the S8 underwhelming compared to the cheaper S4, and I really wanted to like the S8 as they look gorgeous, but I truly believe the S4 are the better pair. And bro, damn... those TinHiFi T2 Plus, 60 bucks? I wouldn't take them for free... Everything sounds like an out of tune banjo with only two strings left played by a crackhead that lost half his fingers.

Definitely Dusk over Volume S for bass. I prefer Studio 4 over both though. If your budget is $450 maybe you can consider the Kiwi Ears Hbb Punch too.

It depends on what you want. Variations is tuned towards Harman. If you want something that is like the variations but a bit better I would either look into the I/O Volare or wait for the Mooondrop Meteor x Crinacle DE (The issue with the meteor is the lack of bass, only decent mids but really good treble and crin said collabed with mooondrop to fix that. Like with the blessing series). [https://graph.hangout.audio/iem/5128/?share=JM-1\_Target,Variations,Volare,Moondrop\_Meteor&bass=8&tilt=0&treble=-4&ear=0](https://graph.hangout.audio/iem/5128/?share=JM-1_Target,Variations,Volare,Moondrop_Meteor&bass=8&tilt=0&treble=-4&ear=0) If you want an iem next to your Variations that is just more vocal forward I would either go for something cheaper like the Tanchjim Lineup (Nora,Fission, Fola) or for a bit more something like the Softears studio 4. If you want something that has good vocals but also bass, I would look into the Softears Volume s or any other jM1 tuned Iem like the crinear daybreak, Ke4, Ziigaat Odyssey 1/2, Mooondrop Dusk (and many more) or something like the Ziigaat Luna. Ps. You could also consider to try out some EQ and add a bit more lower midrange and maybe a bit more mid bass. Something like this might work for you. https://preview.redd.it/zn3o9psp46tf1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1a11b179c593b4f5707192bf77cd1be58c94e415

The Studio 4 is the most "shouty" of the bunch and it's BA bass is rather lean in the mid bass (albeit still good for BA bass). My vote would be on the Pilgrim since it is (to me) the most detailed but it's hard to go wrong with your other choices too. If comfort is a factor though the P8 and Dusk are better.

Moondrop aria 2 Moondrop kato Mega5est Thieaudio Oracle Thieaudio monarch mk2 Softear studio 4 Hidizs mp145 These are what I have... Pretty happy with these combo... I also have cheaper iem that works well... But has been mentioned above... Basically r4 is pretty versatile to me... And with the MSEB you can do magic basically with most of the IEM in market... My go to iem is aria 2 for any genre and mp145 for metal At work is studio 4, the rest, kept at for pure enjoyment and whatever else... Cuz to kinda expensive to me... With all being said... Please try out 1st before buying...

The Performer8 is the best performer (pun intended) for orchestral music, but considering anime OSTs can often incorporate numerous other genres, you may want to consider something that's more of an all 'rounder. The P8 is the king of clarity and detail under $500. It's still one of the best IEMs in its price range for that use case. The Studio4, which is also a stellar set, is a little more mid-forward and will be more suitable for tracks with vocals and midrange instruments (strings, guitars, etc.). The Origin is one of the few sets I passed on so I can't comment on its performance as I don't like to recommend IEMs I haven't tested myself, but if you were considering the Dusk, I'd also look at the Elysian Pilgrim. It may be the best of both worlds; it has slightly more emphasized bass than the Studio4, but it is well-controlled and will add some additional energy and dynamics to OST tracks with electronic and percussive instruments. The Dusk is still a good option. This is one of the few cases where I would argue for using it in its analog tuning. The default DSP tuning wouldn't be suitable for your preferences anyways; and you could still use the DSP cable for those times when you wanted additional tunings available, or to experiment with other genres. People forget the analog tuning of the Dusk was still a very solid effort. It often gets criticized in relative comparisons to its DSP tuning, as the DSP tuning catered to a wide range of listeners, but if you remove those relative comparisons it can still stand on its own against other IEMs on the market.

Most of these are far too V or U-shaped for critical listening work. The P8 is probably closest, but is still far from neutral. The Studio 4, which was mentioned in passing, is a set I’ve personally used for light mixing work. The Pilgrim would also work in a pinch, but would benefit from a low shelf filter to bring the sub bass extension down a bit so you’re not compensating in your mixes. I ran in-ears as my stage monitors for many years, and some of the older models from Shure, Westone, Sennheiser, and other brands are much more neutral. Most IEMs in the hobby now are fairly bass boosted, and so I still run headphones for most of my critical listening work (LCD-2/LCD-X, HD 490s, HD 600, etc.). One caveat is that FatFreq does make a reference series that might be worth checking out. And they’re fairly cheap compared to the rest of their lineup. I might start there instead.

if you want something neutral sounding, softears studio 4

Magicone is good if you can get it for like 70 usd. Studio 4 as well. Got it for 270 USD

Hmmm im not a basshead. I like a balanced sound. So i tried the teas and the p7. In the end i returned and sell them. Teas were too warm with too much bass. Tried eq but didnt work for me. Teas have nice soundstage and the bass is high quality. The p7 was not bad but i dont like the presentation in general and stayed with my fermats. I bought the studio4 instead...

Softears Studio 4, espacielly with singe Songwriter femal stuff

My top picks are the Pilgrim and Studio 4, the best for technical performancers up to $700-800, upgrade is the Cantor(talking pure resolving). The Pilgrim's darker, but the Studio 4 is brighter. I consider them the King and Queen. One step above all other sets around that price IMO.

Based on my listening experience, For the best price-to-performance, I'd suggest The Pilgrims and the Studio4; they're difficult to surpass given they compete technically against IEMs costing twice as much. Others I highly recommend the Volume S/Arcanis/HBB Punch. Any of these would likely be an improvement over the Tea Pro.

You just missed the spring sale but my Recommendation above the Orchestra Lite, the Studio4 altho little bit over priced is an amazing set and the only I consider to be almost par with the Pilgrims which are the kings in my book at under 500dlls in technical performance.

Interesting list and review. I'm using a SoftEars Studio4 for gaming (and music) now and I'm pretty happy with it.

I can say basically the same thing about my SoftEars Studio 4.

SoftEars Studio 4 is amazing!!

King of Neutral is Softears Studio4

Softears Studio 4 are good starting iem for mixing