Come with me as I take a first look at the Softears Studio 4, a 4BA set that seems to be made for professionals and aims to provide a neutral response for the most accurate replay! With a name like Studio 4, you expect it to play like in a studio, but does it live up to its claims? Let’s find out!
Thank you to HiFiGo for sending over this unit for my fellow reviewers and me managed by the one and only Neil Clark of Practiphile
FIRST IMPRESSIONS:
- Clean but barebones unboxing (comes with an extended cable, though)
- Standard but high-quality resin build
- Comfortable fit but with an uncomfortable amount of air pressure build up
- One of the best neutral set I’ve heard
- Lean but slightly boosted bass with good slam but smooth punch and texture
- Natural, bodied and articulate midrange
- Smooth, inoffensive but decently detailed treble
- Good technicalities
The Softears Studio 4 uses an all BA setup with 4 BAs on each side housed in a resin shell.
If there’s one thing that I’m confident that Softears can do, it’s to provide amazingly tuned IEMs with heavenly timbre regardless of driver type. The Studio 4 is no exception as from bass all the way to treble, you are presented with an accurate rendition of instruments and vocals that neither sounds dead or overly colored. I may not be an audio engineer or a professional in music, but I can confidently say that this is what I’d imagine professionals would use in curating and mixing music to be as neutral or reference-like as possible. Add unto the fact that it fits like a glove and a hermetic seal in my ears and it proves itself to be the perfect stage/studio partner.
However, there are some drawbacks to this kind of tuning that may turn those who are a sucker for musicality. For one, the Studio 4 really is not for people who are looking for an energetic and fun listening experience. Bass is there but is more linear than boosted. The mids, while very much accurate and bodied, don’t really push it any more than it needs to which makes vocals and instruments sound more like in a flat plane. By far my biggest gripe about it however is the treble which sounded a little bit soft and rolled off to my ears. Technicalities are commendable but definitely nothing to write home about for $400. That and the pressure build up due to the lack of venting cause my ears to feel choked from air.
If anything, the Studio 4’s achieved its goal to become a professional UIEM solution that the masses can enjoy. While not the most technical or the most musical, it doesn’t aim to be as such and I can absolutely get behind the Studio 4’s existence as a proper professional IEM.
Stay tuned for the full review!
Thank you for reading my impressions! If you want to get one for yourself, consider using the non-affiliated link down below:
