[Cagin]

so hmm how soon for the Head-Fi TV episode about the anechoic chamber results and LCD-i4 release ?

 

[Cagin]

Today I've returned to my local audio shop where I had previously listened to the iSine 10 &20 (posted about it here
https://head-fi.org/f/threads/audez...netic-earphones.818870/page-179#post-13540887 )

Today I got the pleasure and opportunity to try something else



^the face of someone that still didn't realize the wallet's gone poof

I'll add my first impressions later in the night.

 

[bmichels]

Today I've returned to my local audio shop where I had previously listened to the iSine 10 &20 (posted about it here
https://head-fi.org/f/threads/audez...netic-earphones.818870/page-179#post-13540887 )

Today I got the pleasure and opportunity to try something else



^the face of someone that still didn't realize the wallet's gone poof

I'll add my first impressions later in the night.

looking forward reading your impressions ion i4 and how they compare with the FOCAL.

 

[musicday]

Today I've returned to my local audio shop where I had previously listened to the iSine 10 &20 (posted about it here
https://head-fi.org/f/threads/audez...netic-earphones.818870/page-179#post-13540887 )

Today I got the pleasure and opportunity to try something else



^the face of someone that still didn't realize the wallet's gone poof

I'll add my first impressions later in the night.

Yes let's us know how they compare to Utopia, and see you at CanJam London Cagin if you can make it.

 

[MacedonianHero]

Really looking forward to reviewing these in-ear headphones! I loved the iSine20 and I'm really curious to hear just how much better things can get?

 

[TOMY]

Has anyone try this IEM with DAP? I would like to know if AK SP1000 will match with i4.

Thanks in advance.

 

[kubig123]

Has anyone try this IEM with DAP? I would like to know if AK SP1000 will match with i4.

Thanks in advance.

I currently used them with a Lotoo Paw Gold, but I have the feeling that a more powerful DAC will bring out the full potential of these earphones.

 

[howdy]

Has anyone try this IEM with DAP? I would like to know if AK SP1000 will match with i4.

Thanks in advance.

Its only 6000 dollars for both, I hope they sound great. I would like to try this myself.

 

[AxelCloris]

Has anyone try this IEM with DAP?

Not a great pairing with the Sony NW-A35. Not enough power to shine.

 

[Cagin]

Today I've returned to my local audio shop where I had previously listened to the iSine 10 &20 (posted about it here
https://head-fi.org/f/threads/audez...netic-earphones.818870/page-179#post-13540887 )

Today I got the pleasure and opportunity to try something else



^the face of someone that still didn't realize the wallet's gone poof

I'll add my first impressions later in the night.

Alrighty then, a bit of captions for the pics first.

Le box:

Upon receiving the message that my LCD-i4 pre-order had arrived, I went back to my local audio shop, Belhifi owned by Pierre Costers, and opened that elegant leather box containing the LCD-i4.

I must say how beautiful it looks. And still so tiny looking. Lovely design. And you can even discern an A shape in the cutout of the grill.

• 2x3 Groovy tips, S/M/L sizes
• 2x3 normal tips, S/M/L
• 2x3 ear hooks, transparent, black and a bit bigger rubber one
• shirt clip
• cleaning tool/wax removal pick
• user guide on usb key
• certificate of authenticity card (mine's i4000011)
• leather case with mag latch with the cable wrap+slots to keep the LCD-i4 nicely tucked inside
• premium silver plated copper + kevlar 3.5mm TRS cable

Initial setup, first time hearing
Technics SL-C700 > Woo Audio WA22 > SPC 3.5mm SE cable > LCD-i4

First audio impression was through a completely unknown new gear/sound material which I normally wouldn't do but what the heck, I was so happy to be able to find an LCD-i4 without paying customs/tax up to the moon.
It's the first time I had heard those 3 cds, so the artists were a discovery to me, same as that big amp.

Pierre had a new Focal Utopia unit and a Senn HD800S on burn-in. Initially the Utopia (stock cable) was connected to anothe amp which I had no idea what it was, while the HD800S (XLR bal) plugged to that same Woo Audio amp as last time, but now I know its name: WA22 balanced amp. They were connected to a Technics SL-C700 cd player.

Seeing Pierre's enthusiasm, I didn't use my Sony WM1A and my balanced Norne Therium cable to listen to the LCD-i4 for my first time but went straight for that Woo Audio WA22 amp using the 3.5mm cable supplied with the LCD-i4. S sized Groovy tips + rubber ear hooks.

1st cd playing was Angus & Julia Stone "Down the Way"
"Santa Monica dream" track
Apparently this was a studio album when I asked, because what I heard seemed like some acoustic live session. It's so vividly clear. I could hear the bit of saliva she had at times. The male singer's voice though was great.

The way their voices lingered across the room was so well rendered, the drum kit so natural, the strings plucking. Everything came out so distinctly it's crazy.

"Yellow brick road" track
This had Angus solo singing, with like 4 guitar layers. It's effortlessly rendering all of em. Accoustic one, electric one, the feint bass in the back, and the country music styled steel guitar I think.

"And the boys" track
During some solo parts though her voice was at times explosive, at times wee sibilant. A bit too much to me. Her voice reminded of a younger version of Lamb's Lou Rhodes. This is where I started to think: man, the LCD-i4 is bright. Airy. Sparkly. Super open. I love those aspects but was this too much?

"On the road" and "Walk it off" tracks
I asked Pierre to try on the LCD-i4 here, who isn't into iems, mainly into speakers, then headphones. I asked if I could try on the Utopias on this music and the WA22, to see how they compare. I had only listened to the Utopia and the Elear once, last year at Canjam London, for like 2 min each. I remember how I had found the Utopia and Elear to be heavy to me.
So I put on the Utopia, plug it in, adjust the volume, and continue listening to the track and I frown very fast saying 'uh ?!?', turning to Pierre: "These are so narrow sounding. How is that possible? The LCD-i4 sounds so big and clear, how can those 30mm drivers do this when that huge Utopia costing double be like this?". Pierre is laughing, grinning widely, as he points to the LCD-i4: "Yeah I'd take that LCD-i4 over the Utopia too, and I don't even like intras!". Now sure part of me there did think, he's selling me the Audeze, so no point throwing dirt on it. But it's irrelevant to me. Genuine or not, what I just had heard myself was unequivocal. The LCD-i4 sounded so open, the voice presentation so pleasing and clear. So wide and deep.
He did offer a bit of caveat, the Utopia and the LCD-i4 are both still requiring burning in. The LCD-i4 would gain more control of the treble with time, and that the Woo Audio WA22 was highly dynamic of amp.

I did beam up and smile more and more. How something so tiny be like this. I said to Pierre, if this LCD-i4 makes this sound so live, how does it do on concerts or acoustic sessions?

CD #2 Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble "Couldn't Stand the Weather"

"Tin Pan Alley" track
So wikipedia says this is a studio album, but the track Pierre chose was from a live venue, I heard all the people in the audience there losing it (and boy o boy so did I).

What I experienced during this was reason alone to justify the price tag. Friggin huge expansive stage. I'm seeing everyone's speaking, shouting, cheering, whistling so vividly, the musicians all around. My eyebrows made a gymnastic session for a month's worth. I had to pull out the LCD-i4 two times to believe what I was experiencing.

Putting it bluntly: my brain hears stuff from my ears as if I'm in a live concert. But my body doesn't feel any sound pressure. I pull out the LCD-i4, it's dead silent room. Voodoo stuff. I told Pierre, this is absurdly crazy. I can put this tiny thing inside a Peli 1010 and bring it everywhere!

CD #3 Bellafonte "Returns to Carnegie Hall"

This was one of Pierre's favourite recordings. He likes his humour.

"Suzanne" track
It's my second time hearing a Carnegie Hall recording. I have one of Charlie Parker. But sadly I don't appreciate it as much as I want to due to the noise, and also a boomy, veiled sound. Clappings' sound so harsh. Still thankful there's a recording for us though.
I admit I didn't find anything noteworthy about this track :-s

"I adore her" track
I adored this song (^^). Definitely will try to find it in a store. A song to listen to lying on grass in a park or on the deck of a sailboat. Life is good

"Click song" track by Miriam Makeba
I knew this one, I like Miriam Makeba. The 'q' sound in Xhosa was surely intensive on my ears haha.

"Ballad of Sigmund Freud" track
Thoroughly smiled and laughed to this.

I then decided to try the LCD-i4 on my own gear and music library.

Sony WM1A > iFi Micro iDSD Black Label > LCD-i4

First time I actually used the iFi on the Sony. Sony volume set to 120 max, High gain, Direct source.
iFi had iemMatch off, Eco power mode, Bit perfect, + polarity, Xbass off, 3D off

Well I'll be honest, what I heard was okay. Normal iem level. Good normal soundstage but wasn't this big open feel I had just experienced. Disillusioned to be honest. I wondered if it was maybe the Woo Audio WA22 that did all the magic.
Switched on 3D, and XBass, and it immediately opened up. Yet I nuked my ears so hard it hurt. There were some huge treble spikes. Instanly switched 3D off, and unplugged. I'd have to try explore this at home.
Normally I just use my iFi Micro iDSD BL through USB on my PC with my Zeus R ciems. And listen directly on my Sony when away from desk.

Sony WM1A > Norne Therium 8cond 4.4mm BAL cable > LCD-i4

Quickly went through some of my favourite tracks I'm used with my Zeus R. Just to see if it's the sound signature I'm accustomed to. It is brighter than my Zeus R, bit hot treble. More sparkle. Better extension. Very fast. Decay detail better too. It's no bass head iem. Not slightly lifted like the Zeus R, but more like the Zeus XIV I had before.
I noticed the cable was too heavy for LCD-i4. It's weight reflected on the discomfort of the Groovy tip.
Has to be said that the fatiguing treble is also affecting me when I use that cable on my Zeus R. Using balanced output is also the culprit. It's the reason why I also sent back my Zeus R for a retuning to the original Zeus XIV.

Knowing I had to play a lot more with them, I bought them, chit chatted a bit, and not wanting to overstay my welcome said goodbye to Pierre. It's was 8 pm already! And we were both starving ^^
I'm very happy with that session, going to a real shop, talking and sharing experience, and I got new cd's I need to add to my collection

=======================================================================================
=======================================================================================


Day +1 using the LCD-i4

Already left a bit in the iSine 10 and 20 thread about comfort:

Ok back from my local audio shop (Belhifi), and I didn't try the iSine 10 or 20 for a second time. Tried the LCD-i4 I had ordered for 2h30 in there, felt super satisfied, paid and brought em home

I quite like so far the rubber earhooks, they aren't irritating even after a long session (5+h). The rubber earhook is quite sticky, I don't feel they would slide off actually. I'm relieved.

I'll try to use the SureFire Earlocks tomorrow and give them another try.

But sadly I can't say the same thing about the groovy tips. I put on the the smallest one yesterday right after opening the LCD-i4's box.
I can feel the tiny lines and they started to chafe me 15min in. I still kept using them and listened about 9h in between sessions.
Well my ears were sore today. So I tried to put on the a pair of sport Comply I had received last year at Canjam London, but I couldn't manage to attach them to the bore.
I then tried my go to Spinfit SS, hassled a bit but did get them on. Now mind you my ears were still sore, but at least it was comfortable enough to wear them 6h straight.
Now I'm still going through all my library, genre by genre, but so far, the Spinfits are good good good.

I'll post my LCD-i4 impressions in its thread, but I'm still subscribed to this one ^^

Audeze premium SPC 3.5mm TRS cable

The cable is a beauty to look at. It has this white gold color. Has a helix twist braid.
Yes it looks very cool, but it is very tangly and a bit stiff. And side's 2pin connector slid off twice already. The other one's more snug

LCD-i4 + driving in car

Driving home on highway with windows closed: I hear the engine at 3K rpm . I hear the left/ring blinkers. Don't expect isolation, you can talk clearly with them, and hear everything. But it didn't impact on my musical listening pleasure one bit. It's sorta like having the radio.

Windows opened <70km/h , still great. After that you can hear the wind baffling distracting your music a bit.

With my ciems, thanks to the seal, I can drive with windows opened at high speed. The wind baffling is so intense it'd force me to close them if I don't wear ciems. The downside of ciems while driving is with rock or drum n bass, I wouldn't hear a siren even as it passes right by my opened window or if I'm in the wrong gear and the RPMs screaming yet and I'm obliviously enjoying music.

Leather case

The leather case is very classy, elegant but when you insert the part that stores the iSines+cable, that part is too thick, which makes the flap not latch normally to the magnet on the side. if the flap was half a cm longer, it would latch normally without having to push/tug a bit. It's a minor thing OCD thing I guess. I thought at first it didn't have a magnet since it stayed unattached. But when I removed the insert, it did mag latch snappily.

Otherwise it's an awesome case, it's even a bit smaller than a Peli 1010 without considering the side parts where you attach carabiners. I have a Peli 1010 and also a 1020 I had ordered in prevision of owning an iSine but I might stick to the leather+insert case for daily use

ASMR on LCD-i4

Still no dice. It just doesn't happen effectively. Be it iem, ciem, won't work. Despite hearing absolutely everything that the other iems would dream to, it has to be sound pressure hitting the auricle.
I know I sold my MrSpeakers Aeon in order to buy the LCD-i4, but I think I might just have to buy one again in the future, because ASMR is a part of my life. I'll keep using my gaming headset Logitech G430 meanwhile. [room speakers is even better than headphones in this regard].

Singing with LCD-i4

Remember when I said using these in the car was like sorta listening to radio? Well I like to sing while driving (or at home). And the problem with singing when wearing ciems is the weird sound feedback you get. Like speaking in a diving suit. [big respect to stage singers who endure that!]
So I started singing on the way back home with my new LCD-i4 and lo and behold *it was friggin amazing* ! Being open with no isolation, you hear your voice just fine, and because you still hear the music normally, it's as if you're almost singing in the track itself! Now sure there's also your voice doing feedback loop and can resonate a bit, but it's such a huge bonus.

More sound impressions

I only listened through the 3.5mm spc Audeze cable today. On the WM1A (around 90-98 volume), or on my pc with iFi iDSD BL. It's nuts how well the LCD-i4 likes increasing power.

Fellow headfiers know the feeling of rediscovering their musical library when owning new gear, how they hear things for the first time despite listening to a track for the nth time. Well the LCD-i4 knocked on the Zeus R's door and dropped a "you've been served".

Well I've re-listened to my 65daysofstatic tracks, and it's not some new minor sound layers revealed in the back, no it's like added and put at front! And 65dos can be heavy noisy post-rock. And the LCD-i4 is so masterful at clearly laying it each distinctly, it was very enjoyable and not tiring which post-rock can be. Reinvigorating! Also, on the track "Radio Protector", at 2:41-2:59 on the left channel, there's another piano layer behind. First time I hear it.

But even using single ended spc cable, I had an example of too hot sound I'd like to share: A BU (Butterflies in Paris album) "Rainchel" track, at 2:50. Those piano notes fatigue me. Or in "Our Game" song by Yaima (OvO album), at 2:30, 1K Hz spike and again same at 3:33-3:36. This song is my favourite of theirs. The bass and dynamics of the track, and I gotta say the LCD-i4 delivered the best bass iem-wise (I love to blast this on speakers x-D)

Rameses B (Freedom album) "Into the Light", nice liquid drum & bass track, shows how well the LCD-i4 extends in the treble, very pleasing, no harshness. Mids hot at times.

On "Forgotten Myths" EP by Koan Sound, the LCD-i4 gave the perfect bass rendition I'd have hoped for. I said in the iSine 10 & 20 how hard it was to do right (to suit me). I'm no bass head. To me, the LCD-i4 gives just gives the perfect amount of quality impactful bass that rattles my eyes without giving me fatigue. Clean blows all around. And so fast. The K10 failed, the ASG 2.5 failed, the Oriolus failed, the Zeus XIV/R, failed, Andromeda failed. This is exactly how I like my EDM to perform. This balance fits me.

 

[Cagin]

Wearing these for the past 9 hours, writing that wall of text. So glad the Spinfits are working out.

@flinkenick Oi buddy, not driving south to Belgium anytime soon by chance? I'd love to share these with ya. Give proper words to what my neurons are bombarding me with.

 

[TOMY]

Not a great pairing with the Sony NW-A35. Not enough power to shine.

Yes, I currently used i4 for 1 week with Opus#3 and AK320. I feel both of them have no enough power to drive it.

And I prefer to use i4 with dap due to its size, maybe need to look for portable dac/amp like mojo/hugo or maybe AK KANN that have more power on output.

Its only 6000 dollars for both, I hope they sound great. I would like to try this myself.

My SP1000 will be arrive in the end of June. I hope they are good pairing gear.

Thanks for your sharing.

 

[Mimouille]

Wearing these for the past 9 hours, writing that wall of text. So glad the Spinfits are working out.

@flinkenick Oi buddy, not driving south to Belgium anytime soon by chance? I'd love to share these with ya. Give proper words to what my neurons are bombarding me with.

I flying to the South of China soon, does that work?

 

[acia]

@jude
@AxelCloris

You guys got me hyped up!

While I thought the Baby Stax and KSE1500 offered many improvements over traditional IEMs, none would be something I could live with as my one and only.

Can't wait to give the LCD i4 a whirl.

would be interesting to know how does it compare with kse1500.

 

[AxelCloris]

And I prefer to use i4 with dap due to its size, maybe need to look for portable dac/amp like mojo/hugo or maybe AK KANN that have more power on output.

I haven't tried the LCD-i4 prototype with the KANN or Hugo(2) yet, but it pairs quite nicely with the Mojo.

My SP1000 will be arrive in the end of June. I hope they are good pairing gear.

I plan to try pairing with the SP1000 once it arrives as well. Ours is shipping soon, so hopefully it won't be long before it arrives. Unfortunately, I don't know if we have any 2.5mm balanced cables in the office that will fit the LCD-i4, so I may be limited to SE output only.