Package

Like its predecessor the Westone 4R in-ears ship in a sturdy cardboard box.


Inside the box you find all sorts of goodies. New for the Westone 4Rs is the inclusion of a small otterbox-like case which fits the earphones and a piece of accessory if you squeeze it. Kudos to Westone for finally including a small hard carrying case!


The insides of the new carrying case are padded sufficiently so that no harm will come to your in-ears during transportation.


Westone includes their normal fit kit with the 4Rs which works brilliantly. A word of advice, the triple flange can easily be cut to a slightly more manageable double flange with a sharp scissor or blade. This cut-down three flange provides excellent sound quality and immense noise attenuation.


The extras that ship with the Westone 4Rs include: Volume attenuator, wax scoop, 1/4" to 1/8" adapter.

Closer Examination

Design wise the 4Rs are a true copy of the Westone 4s. The only change is the addition of a cable mounting system where the over-molded cable enters the original Westone 4s.


Unfortunately the standard cable shipping with the earphones right now has memory-wire near the earpieces. There might be a version of the cable underway without, for all of us that absolutely detest memory-wire. The cable is of the usual high quality that we have come to expect from Westone. Like the 4s it uses Westone's Epic cable technology which means that the cable has a very soft cable jacket that is fiber reinforced. Besides lasting a long time the cable also handles microphonics very well. The plug on the cable is the same as that used on the pretty much all custom in-ears around so if you have a cable lying around chances are that it will fit the Westone 4Rs. The mini-jack used has a 90 degree exit angle, but it seems to be compatible even with recessed headphone outs.


Westone's replaceable cable adaptation on the 4-series in-ears is nothing short of brilliant. The jack is recessed into the shell of the earpieces which means that the plastic plug is less exposed. This construction seems much more durable than the normal surface mounted implementation. The sound tube exit angle is also the same as the Westone 4s so the fit has not changed at all.


The plug is recessed about 2 mm into the casing. This little design feature reduces the strain on the metal leads which should yield a small benefit in terms of durability, besides making the solution look tidier.