[kubig123]

Thanks for your input in this. I was considering using them in a office environment, might have to rethink my plans.

I’m using them in the office, and even if it’s an open space, I can listen to them without problems.

Of course things are different if you have someone is screaming next to you.

 

[35FLE]

I’m using them in the office, and even if it’s an open space, I can listen to them without problems.

Of course things are different if you have someone is screaming next to you.

So no issues with people walking past and chatting over the background?

Being open back can people next to you hear what you are listening to?

 

[commtrd]

@edwardsean I would suspect so. I think their main disadvantage compared to full size headphones is the fact that a full size can creates an artificial chamber which imbues it with a certain soundstage. IEMs unfortunately are constrained in this regard.

 

[sorrick]

So no issues with people walking past and chatting over the background?

Being open back can people next to you hear what you are listening to?

I also use my i4s at work daily. The fact that they are semi open is actually a huge plus for me. It means I can hear if someone calls my name or needs to speak with me. As for leakage, this has been addressed several times already, but briefly, while there is some sound leakage, at normal listening levels it is pretty minimal...Unless your office is library quiet and you have coworkers sitting right next to you, sound leakage should not be loud enough for your coworkers to hear. It is not loud enough to hear across a cube wall, for example, at the levels I listen to music. If I take my i4s off and put block the tips with my fingers (as your ear would when they are on) I can barely hear any music is playing from more than about 3 feet away....and that's in my own office that I don't share so it is a fairly quiet room.

As for how quiet you need the room to fully appreciate the sound of the i4s, having some ambient noise, souch as a typical office environment, does not, for me, detract from the sound quality. Listening to them in my office, I still routinely hear details they resolve in music I know extremely well that I have never heard with other headphones or iems, include very highly resolving and isolating ones like my Noble encores. Background noises will definitely intrude if you try to use them in loud settings like public transport, and you would be silly to use them on a plane. But at least for me, the i4s are so enveloping/engaging that low-grade background noises like a coworker walking by or an office printer down the hall don't suddenly ruin the sound. Do you, in an absolute sense, lose some resolution if you aren't in a totally quiet space? Yes, but unless you are really listening very analytically or are listening at very low volume, low grade background noises do not put a damper on my enjoyment of the i4s.

 

[35FLE]

I also use my i4s at work daily. The fact that they are semi open is actually a huge plus for me. It means I can hear if someone calls my name or needs to speak with me. As for leakage, this has been addressed several times already, but briefly, while there is some sound leakage, at normal listening levels it is pretty minimal...Unless your office is library quiet and you have coworkers sitting right next to you, sound leakage should not be loud enough for your coworkers to hear. It is not loud enough to hear across a cube wall, for example, at the levels I listen to music. If I take my i4s off and put block the tips with my fingers (as your ear would when they are on) I can barely hear any music is playing from more than about 3 feet away....and that's in my own office that I don't share so it is a fairly quiet room.

As for how quiet you need the room to fully appreciate the sound of the i4s, having some ambient noise, souch as a typical office environment, does not, for me, detract from the sound quality. Listening to them in my office, I still routinely hear details they resolve in music I know extremely well that I have never heard with other headphones or iems, include very highly resolving and isolating ones like my Noble encores. Background noises will definitely intrude if you try to use them in loud settings like public transport, and you would be silly to use them on a plane. But at least for me, the i4s are so enveloping/engaging that low-grade background noises like a coworker walking by or an office printer down the hall don't suddenly ruin the sound. Do you, in an absolute sense, lose some resolution if you aren't in a totally quiet space? Yes, but unless you are really listening very analytically or are listening at very low volume, low grade background noises do not put a damper on my enjoyment of the i4s.

Thanks for your informative reply, I will certainly demo the lcdi4 vs my current kse1500 with hugo 2.

 

[Cagin]

Yup I had those

@Audeze Is this a concern of those of us who travel often? Do we need a specialized travel case like a pelican case or smth like audeze's own 'automatic ambient pressure equalization valve' feature?

Also, will the new Eidolic 2-pin PEEK Insulator, Locking barrel connector work for the LCDi4?

yup I had the Eidolic peek locking barrel with tellurium copper 2pin on my the Norne Audio Therium I previously owned, and the fit was perfect. Can't say the same about the aesthetics of that on the lcdi4 though haha

 

[james444]

I primarily listen to classical as well and have both the iSINE 20 and LCDi4. Both take eq very well without any detectable distortion. They are very easy to tune to your own personal taste and I find the LCDi4 exceptional for classical. They are both fantastic though. My primary over the ears are HD800S for a sound/tone reference point.

I'm also a strong believer in eq., provided you have a high grade transparent eq. I used two resonance filters with the Isine20 which evened them out nicely. I can't really find anything to equalize on the i4 and find they perform the best without it.

This is the one I primarily use from KMann w/ Audeze. I assume his link will work for you too but agree they do not require EQ. For my taste I feel the iSINE's do require EQ to sound their best. With the i4's it's simply icing on the cake and/or personalization.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/pmft7bmlp13go5q/Roon-i4-V4.zip?dl=0p

Think I might wait for measurements of the i4, to see if upper mids are ironed out. Or maybe just resort to EQ and go for the less expensive ones... anyway, thanks a lot for your replies!

 

[reddog]

So no issues with people walking past and chatting over the background?

Being open back can people next to you hear what you are listening to?

I had one girl hear what I was listening too. But it was very quiet in the store.. the girl turned red was listening to Frank Zappa give me that dirty love lol

 

[AxelCloris]

I had one girl hear what I was listening too. But it was very quiet in the store.. the girl turned red was listening to Frank Zappa give me that dirty love lol

Ooooooh, so that's why they call you reddog.

 

[jayboy76]

Day 1 of ownership and listening to i4 in the quiet of the night next to my wife in very low volumes and totally surprised by how full and articulate the music still sounds. I'm not straining to hear anything and the vocals in the dead of the night has layers and layers of nuance and detail. Driven only by a small A&K AK120 Gen1 and I'm sure it can scale much much better. The shop had a Wells Milo and that really kicked the i4 into an amazing sound.

Thanks to all i4 owners here who helped me decide. Your insights are most relevant and useful in me making my decision. To many many late late nights to come with the i4.

 

[Shmuel]

Has anyone compared the i4 with the Sony mdr -Z1r? I love the Sony but use it almost always at work (between 3 offices): transporting these around everyday is not ideal. If I could get similar quality of sound in a much smaller package I would be quite happy.

Thanks.

 

[AFWannabe]

Has anyone compared the i4 with the LCD-X on the same source?...

 

[MacedonianHero]

Listening to k.d. Lang's 25 Anniversary release of "Ingenue" (192kps download) with the LCDi4 and Hugo 2 and I am taken aback! What a revelation this combination is! This isn't just amazing for a portable setup, but an endgame desktop rig as well! The soundstaging is amazingly wide and deep, detail retrieval is so life-like!

 

[kernel8888]

Anyone have any more specific and detailed comparison to the isine 20? I've heard a lot of generalizations like "head and shoulders better" and "a whole new level"- any one have some specifics?

Also some comparisons against the he1000 would be great!

 

[jayboy76]

I came across an interesting situation I never had to think about w planars being all headphones in the past.

I carry the i4s in the leather case without the plastic holder as the latch doesn't patch well w the holder plus I hate having to remove and re-insert the ear hooks each time.

Question is I notice the 2 sides do stick together due to the magnets on the outer backs pulling them together quite tightly I must say. Do you all think that will have any impact to the Drivers over time when stored like this?