Enya X4 Pro review

drguitar001 · #1 02-20-2022, 10:13 AM

I picked up a new one of these just the other day and did a review right out of the box and then again after set up. $899 for the guitar with a hard shell case and leather strap. If you are not interested in the video review, the take away points are:

It is heavy, nearly 6 pounds
It has a very full bass
I hated the strings that came with it, made it sound low midrange muddy.
After a set up and a change of strings, it is definitely worth the money.

The video is about 18 minutes total; the first half is a review just out of the box and the second half is after I did a full set up and change of strings.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_ifIgpfzMA

steelvibe · #2 02-20-2022, 10:42 AM

Sounds great to me Drguitar. As for being heavy, yeah I get that. When it comes to carbon fiber it is hard to beat RainSong in weight.

Retros are great for but I don't hear the same mid range cut that you do. I think they are more vanilla and balanced across the tonal palate to my ears. If you want that mid range cut you also might want to check out Ernie Ball Aluminum Bronze.

Great review and great playing!

DownUpDave · #3 02-20-2022, 10:49 AM

Excellent review thanks for sharing that. Nice job on showing the short but telling back to back playing of the different strings.

David Eastwood · #4 02-20-2022, 10:53 AM

Excellent review. The difference between the two sets of strings is very striking.

I’d say, that for $899, Enya has made a very credible, and, with a bit of work, good sounding and playing entry level composite guitar.

jgriffter · #5 02-23-2022, 12:23 PM

Drguitar

Nice review. I have the Enya X4 Pro also. Got it about six months ago. I didn't know anything about Enya guitars but gave it a chance after reading as much as I could about it. I have been very pleased with mine also. I had similar set up issues I addressed myself but minor stuff compared to other guitars I have. Soundwise similar too - midrange emphasis and boomy bass. I tamed it a bit with Elixir 80/20s - after seeing your review I will try some Martin retros next.

All in all, a very nice guitar for the money - no regrets at all. It has been rock solid.

drguitar001 · #6 02-23-2022, 04:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jgriffter

Soundwise similar too - midrange emphasis and boomy bass. I tamed it a bit with Elixir 80/20s

I noticed that the midrange was THICK sounding, like there were too many harmonics and the harmonics were of the wrong type (odd order harmonics?). If I play gently, the midrange calms and the guitar is more pleasing sounding. As for the bass, it almost sounds like the top is tuned to the low E as it just blooms when playing an open E or Em chord.

The Martin Retro light gauge strings definitely calmed the midrange quite a bit, but it is still too aggressive for my liking. I have thought about maybe adding a brace to the top to quiet the thick of the midrange. That would take a lot of testing, experimenting and research before I would be comfortable adding a brace anywhere.

Elixir 80/20s nanowebs were my go to strings for years before I started to use the Retros. Honestly, the Retros are slightly quieter with less ring when compared to the 80/20 Nanos, but they last extremely long, are inexpensive and have a softer feel. So I may try the 80/20s since I probably have a set around, that may do the trick. Thanks for the suggestion!