These are definitely the LZ-A2 on steroids. Which is a good thing.
My LZ units will most likely become my travel pairs and the FLC8S will live in the home front. The FLC8s tend to have pieces go flying; the LZ is much easier to customize without losing pieces. But I must say that the FLC8S costs 60% more and there is some justification for the price diference. The LZ-A4 as many have said is quite musical, but not perfectly comfortable and are not TOTL candidates. the FLC8S approaches TOTL status. And as many know quite a few TOTL units from yesteryear are not even in the hunt compared with some of what has come out in the last 2 years.
+1 Considering you owning the Flc8s and Lz-A4, I don't you're gonna be itching for other hybrids...that is unless they offer a whole new spectrum. You have like 36 +18 configs up your sleeve. lol. I certainly agree, there's been lots of good outings for the past 2 years regarding iems (and hybrids). Now if Dunu could only re-release their early hybrids a custom cable option...
All this talk of the FLC8S is making me further curious, however the talk of small parts that are easily lost makes it difficult for me to really want to take the plunge. I've been in love with hybrids since the ASG2 which is why I went with these guys, also the MMCX connector that I could pair with my HB1 to make them wireless and the tuning options were a nice addition. Perhaps eventually I'll audition the FLC8S and perhaps buy them, but for now I'm content with my collection of IEMs... Unless I come into some money and can purchase the Vega...
All this talk of the FLC8S is making me further curious, however the talk of small parts that are easily lost makes it difficult for me to really want to take the plunge. I've been in love with hybrids since the ASG2 which is why I went with these guys, also the MMCX connector that I could pair with my HB1 to make them wireless and the tuning options were a nice addition. Perhaps eventually I'll audition the FLC8S and perhaps buy them, but for now I'm content with my collection of IEMs... Unless I come into some money and can purchase the Vega...
It's pretty impressive -- but best do further research if it's meant for you. It's definitely different from the LZ-A4 even if they are customizable. It has strong qualities that makes it a premium audiophile experience. Vis-a-vis the Lz-A4, it proposes a more cerebral approach.
I've got the Swing and while it's an excellent performer in its price range it doesn't a candle compared to the A4. Tbh I don't think you'll find any sub $50 offering that does unless you are looking for something entirely different sounding. This is for today though, with the speed of progress in Chinese budget offerings it may not last for long
All this talk of the FLC8S is making me further curious, however the talk of small parts that are easily lost makes it difficult for me to really want to take the plunge. I've been in love with hybrids since the ASG2 which is why I went with these guys, also the MMCX connector that I could pair with my HB1 to make them wireless and the tuning options were a nice addition. Perhaps eventually I'll audition the FLC8S and perhaps buy them, but for now I'm content with my collection of IEMs... Unless I come into some money and can purchase the Vega...
It's pretty impressive -- but best do further research if it's meant for you. It's definitely different from the LZ-A4 even if they are customizable. It has strong qualities that makes it a premium audiophile experience. Vis-a-vis the Lz-A4, it proposes a more cerebral approach.
The A4s are pretty dang close to totl level. My asg2s have certain special qualities and an addicting warmth that make it a totl contender but not quite there, and I'd assume that the FLC8S is quite the same. My current benchmark for TOTL that I want are the Vega. Much like how I want stax with blue Hawaii for home as my end game. I'd like to audition them because I get the feeling they fill a void that another Iem in my collection (or multiple) already fill in one way or another. My latest two acquisitions, the tennmak pro and the a4 filled a void that i didn't expect that i wanted filled... Bluetooth with a wire backup. And both are so easy to drive they work exceptionally well with the hb1. So now I'm left with a decent collection that fills all my niches. Though 38 configurations does intrigue me, but I get the feeling that, like with the a4 the ultimate limiter is the driver no matter what. Tunable headphones always have that limit...
Ok so today I was listening to LZ A4's and upgrade cable that I bought from HCK store just suddenly detached from the mmcx socket thingy. Wires just fell off of it. Just like that. The other side works normally still. This is a 120 dollar cable. Should I just open dispute?
I dunno If I personally would call the A4 TOTL. They are very Good, and they are Maybe the most versatile for their Price range. For Me, however, It is going to be quite Difficult to top the Pinnacle P1 at the $200 mark.
It Truly verges on Audiophile Quality and plays at many times it's price point.
I agree. Let's be real here: The A4 are very well-performing IEMs and belong to the best of their price class. They may even outperform some more expensive stuff. But they aren't even close to today's TOTL gear. Treble extension, mids in general, bass speed/contour and overall detail leave much space for improvement. There's a reason why LZ is designing a higher-tier IEM
So I love my A4s (Black, Black), but now require greater isolation due to a change in my work environment. Is there a CIEM that would be a natural upgrade to the A4s?
I said they were reaching towards TOTL level (my exact words were "pretty dang close" but that was really an exaggeration based on price to sound ratio). Not that they were TOTL, because they aren't. They aren't there, but they hit way above the price point, to the point of me being able to compare them to my ASG-2s which are considerably more expensive. The ASG-2s while better aren't 3x better which is why I'm saying they are reaching that magical diminishing returns level where I'm not sure I'd spring for a IEM that is 2-3 times the price for a fairly small increase at that price point (of $600-800). Again my dream TOTL is the Campfire Audio Vega. They are, so far, the only IEM that I've demoed (including some universal customs like UE18, some high end 1964 Audio, and others) that just completely blew me away. This even includes the Tralucent 1plus2 with the uber cable. But 1300 is way outside my price range.
Basically what I meant was this... At $200 they are hitting sound I expect at the ~500 price range, rather than the 100-300 price range. I consider that price range "reaching" totl level since after that point diminishing returns becomes a very real issue and it gets harder and harder to justify the price tag increases with the increase in audio and build quality. I am preferring these as my go around IEMs paired with my HB1 cable rather than my Aurisonic Rockets which have been my goto on the go iem for 2 years. They still have a spot in my pocket and will still be my "I want to listen in bed but am worried about falling asleep and being uncomfortable in my ears" IEMs (mainly because the Rockets are so lovably tiny and comfortable), but the ones I reach for on the go now listening are the A4s, which is impressive for a $200 IEM. I definitely prefer them to the SE425s, 215s and while I prefer my ASG-2s for certain reasons, they aren't really an on the go IEM. And I also prefer the sound signature of the Rockets for a few reasons but the A4s have several qualities that I am enjoying over the Rockets, including just having a more fun signature that I can tune to preference depending on what I want and the ability to be converted to wireless for convenience while I'm at work since I work in a warehouse and wires can be dangerous. These are currently the most veritable and among best bang for buck iem I have right now (these and the rockets are tops, since I got the rockets when they were $99 on the kickstarter).
Also: I've never demo'ed the Pinnacle P1 but I am intrigued by them. If I ever have the opportunity, or have an extra $200 I might try them. I got a great deal on the A4s and only ended up paying $170 due to coupons and sales on Ali Express. And at $170 these are pretty dang great.
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