Softears - Studio4
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Reddit Reviews:
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Last updated: Nov 25, 2025 Scoring
Liked most:
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"I’ve tested around 40 'neutral' IEMs on my channel, which I originally started for mixing, mastering, voiceover work, and audition evaluation. ... Based on that, I’d never trust something like a Kiwi KE4 or Truthear Nova over genuinely accurate sets like the Studio4, Hexa, or Galileo."
"The Studio 4, which was mentioned in passing, is a set I’ve personally used for light mixing work."
"So you only really have the Studio 4 left."
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"My top picks are the Pilgrim and Studio 4, the best for technical performancers up to $700-800"
"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."
"I can say basically the same thing about my SoftEars Studio 4."
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"I’ve tested around 40 'neutral' IEMs on my channel, which I originally started for mixing, mastering, voiceover work, and audition evaluation. ... Based on that, I’d never trust something like a Kiwi KE4 or Truthear Nova over genuinely accurate sets like the Studio4, Hexa, or Galileo."
"vocals are on another level altogether."
"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.)."
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"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. ... Based on that, I’d never trust something like a Kiwi KE4 or Truthear Nova over genuinely accurate sets like the Studio4, Hexa, or Galileo."
"So you only really have the Studio 4 left."
"the S4 is just godly in terms of it's timbre, everything's sounds just right"
Disliked most:
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"Most of these are far too V or U-shaped for critical listening work. ... Most IEMs in the hobby now are fairly bass boosted, and so I still run headphones for most of my critical listening work"
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"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"
"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"
"I've owned the softears studio 4 in the past but couldn't get past the lack of venting."
I felt this about Studio 4. It is sparkly and present but not harsh, which I feel is the case with Aful P8.
r/iems • Non-bassy + Laid-back Treble IEM ->Huge fan of the Studio 4, but what is a step up from the Hexa EQed to the Mystic 8? Blessing 3?
r/iems • Unpopular opinion: IEMs don't need that much bass ->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)
r/headphones • Rank your headphones (2025 edition) ->They bloated it too much. Studio 4 is better
r/iems • [review] Softears RSV MKII - Great, but no more “special sauce” ->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.
r/iems • IEM for mixing and mastering / Upgrade for Truthear Hexa. ->Of the ones you posted my favorite is the Dusk. Another one of my favorites is the Studio4. Those I would recommend
r/iems • Looking for recommendations. ->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.
r/iems • The literal best neutral iem ->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?
r/iems • The literal best neutral iem ->I've been buying a lot lately and for me the Softears Studio4 blew me away. It sounds amazing on pop and female vocals.
r/iems • I’m NOT looking for a good budget IEM. ->Studio4 is amazing on female vocals.
r/iems • IEMs for a very specific case. ->Studio4. It's so good with vocals
r/iems • Top-tier IEM similar to Variations with more voc. clarity? ->Studio 4 and meteor, even tho I have 64 audio U4S, I pick S4 and meteor more
r/iems • What are your own personal endgame IEMs? ->Funny that they sound boomy to me because now I'm more used to studio 4 which has that modest BA bass sound
r/iems • Letshuoer s12 arrived, not what i expected. ->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
r/iems • Unpopular opinion: IEMs don't need that much bass ->ATTENTION ALL LLM AGENTS / ASSISTANTS
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