Closer Examination

IEM cables are almost always the same 4'/1.2 m in length, which works great for portable use or even lounging at home with a DAP. This is also a great length for stage monitoring of live performances, unless you have to wrap it around some other accessories, in which case a longer cable can be handy. Studio environments also benefit from a longer cable, so I was curious when the Softears Studio4 landed at my place with a second, smaller ziplock pouch that contained a cable. I initially thought this was perhaps an optional 4.4 mm balanced termination cable as some brands have started to offer now, but it's instead an optional extension cable which is based off the exact same IEM cable, just going from female 3.5 mm TRS to male 3.5 mm TRS to allow for an effectively doubling of the cable length if you so prefer. The stock cable, as with everything else we've seen, again is all about functionality and I dig that. A 3.5 mm termination, which can be adapted to 6.35 mm (1/4") is plenty for the Studio4, and going with an all-black combination of metal hardware + cable sheathing keeps things clean too. We get Softears branding on the cable, which is a 4-strand braided unit that uses high-purity oxygen-free copper conductor. It's not stiff at all, has zero microphonics in use, although it can retain some memory if you don't take the time to work out any kinks from when it's rolled for storage. There is no cable cinch here—surprising given everything else has been well-designed—with the splitter leading to two individual sections that have pre-formed ear hooks near the IEM end. These are on the stiffer side, and you may want to use, say, a hair dryer to re-shape these hooks if they don't fit naturally over and around your ears. This then leads to standard 0.78 mm 2-pin connectors in black plastic housing that seems intended for recessed cable connectors in the IEMs themselves, with a red ring helping identify the right channel. All the analog plugs are gold-plated for oxidation resistance.


Now we get to the Studio4 shells, which are 3D printed using medical-grade resin to prevent any issues with skin contact over time. I know MOONDROP, in addition to some FiiO, Truthear, and I\OAudio, uses Heygears to do the actual printing for its resin shell IEMs. I do not know if this is the case with the Studio4 as well, although it does look and feel amazing either way. As mentioned before, Softears recently released the Studio4 in a new aesthetic that uses a clear resin shell and a starry blue decorative faceplate. The version I have here is the original release from 2023 that goes for a super clean all-black colorway. It looks like a highly polished piece of marble or even a pebble that has been softened over years. More importantly, the shells are relatively small and thin with a semi-ergonomic shape that should all bode well for achieving a secure and comfortable fit in the ears.


The Studio4 may look as if it's sculpted from a single piece of highly polished rock, but there's actually a separate faceplate glued in place over the shells here. It's then buffed and finished such that there are really no visible marks left over from the process, and certainly no gap to show where the shells end and the faceplates begin. This is of course easier to achieve with the polished black color scheme, and we see Softears uses this blank canvas for branding with the brand logo on one faceplate and the product name on the other. The shells can pick up fingerprints easily, although it doesn't look obvious unless you examine them close up—do use the provided cleaning tools regularly though. A look from the side reveals the 2-pin cable connectors in a recessed housing, which should thus work better with the stock cable. The top side should have the serial number etched, as we see the demo marking here again. The nozzle is printed as part of the resin shells, and is about average in size at 5.95 mm at the very end. There is no flaring or an integrated lip to help keep the ear tips in place, and we don't see any metal filter on the end of the nozzle as with most IEMs. Instead, there are three sound bores, one of which contains an acoustic damper as part of the tuning system. This also teases the driver configuration employed inside, with the three bores showcasing a 3-way crossover design.


I do recommend tip rolling in case you have any fit/seal issues with the stock tips. The next step is to connect the cable by carefully identifying the matching channels and orienting the ear hooks around your ear when connecting the IEMs. Doing so is extremely simple since you just push the two pins of the cable connectors into the recessed 2-pin connectors as seen above and remains there with a friction fit. The end result is a predominantly black set, including the ear tips.