Audeze LCDi4 In-Ear Headphones

Audeze LCD-i4: Best Planar IEM below $2500!



Summary:

Launched in 2017, LCD-i4 is the Flagship IEM release by Audeze. LCD-I4 is a semi open-back planar IEM with a 30mm Planar Magnetic Driver with Fluxor™ magnet array. Despite the bigger size of the LCD-i4 may not be ideal for all ears - the sound performance is absolutely amazing and is likely the "Best Planar IEM" by Audeze till date.



Introduction:

Let's quickly dive into the details without making the introduction very lengthy. The LCD-I4 features 30mm Planar Magnetic Driver with Fluxor™ magnet array. It comes with a regular cable with 3.5mm termination and also a bluetooth cable enabling it to be used as wireless IEM.
The LCD-i4 is priced at $2495.

According to Audeze on their website:

The LCDi4 represents the pinnacle of both audio quality and technological innovation. This groundbreaking in-ear headphone features the same Nano-Scale Uniforce diaphragm found in our LCD-4 and 4z, paired with our powerful Fluxor magnet array to offer one of the most responsive, detailed, engaging, and immersive listening experiences in the world. The i4 will transform everything you thought you knew about in-ear headphones as you hear your favorite music as though for the first time.





Specifications:

The Audeze LCD-i4 comes at $2495 price tag and the specifications are as below:

https://www.audeze.com/products/lcd-i4







The Box & Accessories:

The following are found in the box:

• Audeze LCD-i4 IEM
• 1.2m OCC, premium braided cable
• Bluetooth cypher cable with charging cable
• Nylon travel case
• Selection of ear hooks and tips for a customized fit
• Certificate of authenticity card

Ear Tips:
It is very very difficult to get a good fit and isolation with the LCD-i4, given its larger shells and the size of the ear tubes. Only the proprietary ear-tips can fit those bigger ear tubes. However, I was able to get a good fit with the JVC Spiral Dots ++ and that is the ear-tips I have used mostly.




The Cable:

LCD-i4 comes comes with a premium cable with a 3.5mm connector by default. However, based on the specifications and power requirements, below is the minimum power requirement:



This essentially means that the LCD-i4 requires a lot of power which most DAPs or Dongles are unable to power through single-ended 3.5mm termination.
This has made the default cable useless in most cases - unless it is used with a very powerful source such as the @Cayin N8ii + C9 amplifier combo.
Hence, best to swap the cable with a balanced 4.4mm termination based cable for everyday use with other not-so-powerful sources.

In such cases, I have found @EffectAudio Code-23 & Cadmus 8W cables very useful. The LCD-i4 pairs & performs well with both.











NOW LET'S TALK ABOUT THE SOUND....

Items Used for this Review:

DAC/AMP & Dongles: @Questyle M15 Dongle DAC/AMP, @Cayin C9 Portable Amplifier

Portable Players / Sources : Cayin N8ii & N7, @Questyle QP2R, Lotoo Paw Gold Touch

Streaming Source: QOBUZ



Tracks Used:

The tracks I have used can be found from the below playlist that I have used and generally use for most reviews...







Pairing Performance with different sources:

Dongle DAC/AMPs:

Most Dongles will not be able to power the LCD-i4 to it's full potential. Several will not be able to meet it's minimum power requirements of 50mW+.
Having said that, the @Questyle M15 dongle was able to power it quite decently, though not up to it's full potential even with a 4.4mm balanced connector.





Portable Players (DAPs):

Obviously the LCD-i4 had the best pairing with the LPGT & specially Cayin N8ii as those are TOTL level DAPs! But those are $3500+ range also and out of reach for most people! While pairing with the Cayin N7 was also good - the BEST performance was found with the Cayin N7 + Cayin C9 combo. This combo was able to power the LCD-i4 to it's fullest potential and was an amazing musical experience.




LCD-i4 Sound Impressions in Short:

The BASS:

The LCD-I4 comes with a very detailed and engaging bass performance despite being a planar based IEM. The sub-bass comes with enough details and muscle, and the mid-bass comes with enough texture and power for the slams. Tracks like: "Hotel California (Live on MTV 1994) – Eagles" and "Fluid - Yosi Horikawa" are found to be immensely immersive and enjoyable.


The MIDS:

The midrange of the LCD-i4 is just amazing! Coming from it's semi open-back structure, the midrange comes with ample amount of texture and details. The transients are very very enjoyable. Every instrument feels very natural and real with high accuracy and the separation between them is also great. Vocals of both males and females seem very real and life-like. In tracks like: "Anchor - Trace Bundy", "A dog named Freedom – Kinky Friedman" and "Ruby Tuesday – Franco Battiato" it’s really easy to get lost into the music as it comes with ample detailed transients, texture, excellent vocals and details.


The TREBLE:

The Treble is quite energetic & airy on the LCD-I4 and is very very enjoyable. It has the right amount of details and texture also and the overall treble performance is therefore very enjoyable. Treble in tracks like: "Paradise Circus – Massive Attack", "Mambo for Roy – Roy Hargrove” and "Saints and Angels – Sharon Shannon" feel very immersive and enjoyable from the treble perspective.


The SOUNDSTAGE:

The Staging capabilities of the LCD-i4 is amongst the best i have come across till date. It comes with the right amount of width, height, depth and is well defined and just as much as the track requires. Tracks like: “The Secret Drawer – Bela Fleck and the Flecktones” or “She Don’t know – Melody Gardot” or “Bohemian Rhapsody (live aid) – Queen” sound amazing & enjoyable. This is amongst the strongest trait of this IEM.


Imaging & Timbre:

The Imaging & instrument separation performance on the LCD-i4 is stellar and sense of location is spot on with high accuracy. Tracks like: “Rotterdam (Or Anywhere) - The Beautiful South “or “Hello Again - Howard Carpendale & The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra” just shine through. The Timbre also feels very real.




A Worthy Upgrade from the Euclid?

Needless to say, apart from the fit issue - the LCD i4 beats the Euclid handily in each and every aspect of sound. The Bass experience is richer, the midrange is more immersive, the staging & imaging are significantly better, the treble is more engaging. The overall musical experience is significantly improved on the LCD-i4.





Comparisons:

Audeze LCD-i4 vs Unique Melody MEST MK2:



Coming at $2495, the LCD-i4 needed a worthy opponent. The Unique Melody MEST MK2 was amongst my highest ranked IEMs and though the price-range was not comparable, the price-gap was much shorter than the Euclid. Hence, I had decided to compare the LCD-i4 against the MEST MK2.


Bass: Owing to the very balanced bass experience on the MEST MK2, the LCD-i4 felt equally great, but with a little more power and authoritative slams.


Mids: The midrange of the LCD-i4 is amongst it's key strengths, but having said that - it is the same for the MEST MK2 also. However, the LCD-i4 midrange felt a lot muscular and full and slightly more immersive. However, the instrument separation on the MEST MK2 was found slightly better.


Treble: This is where the LCD-I4 really excels and the overall experience is very enjoyable. mind it that the SA6 is also not lacking behind in treble performance, but just not as good as the LCD-I4.


Soundstage, Imaging and Separation: The staging & Imaging on MEST MK2 are amongst the best I have come across. Having said that, the LCD-i4 was equally good and maybe slightly better in terms of staging. Imaging was great on both. Separation was slightly better better on the MEST MK2




Overall, the LCD-i4 felt like a much better musical experience despite the excellent performance of the MEST MK2.


Conclusion:



The LCD-I4 is a great performer and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. It's amazing & ground-breaking what Audeze have done here.

If it fits well, it can be amongst the "Best Ever Planar IEMs" easily.

This is a review of a friends Audeze LCDi4. The quality is top notch for the Planars, the sound is very good, detailed, airy with good bass and clear top end. The Cipher cable is a great addition and the blue-tooth cable is a good added plus.

However with all the high-end appeal, Audeze dropped the ball on the case...big time! First off the case came damaged with some of the fake leather scrapped off. But I can see how because its so cheap, just a light scratch removes the coating. Also the case is not rigid so yes those expensive ear phones can get easily crushed...that it IF they don't fall out of the case first. Yes the case is open at the bottom with a flap on top. This means anything inside can easily fall out...what were they thinking? I purchased a cheap pair of mono-price planars for $150, even they came with a rigid case that has a zipper.

Here is a pic of the band new case fresh out the box.

INTRODUCTION:
Following the success of their entry into the portable in-ear market, with the introduction of iSine 10 and 20, Audeze has added a flagship IEM to its line-up called the LCD i4. The i4 follows the same form factor as the iSine series, but borrows some of the technology gone into Audeze’s full-size flagship, the LCD-4. This has allowed Audeze to achieve a higher level of performance on the i4 than the iSine series.

BUILD, STOCK CABLE & CASE:
i4’s build feels very solid as its housing is made of metal. The front and back metal casings are glued together to form one sturdy unit. While the build is solid, the finish does not offer a premium quality, as glue marks are visible between seams.

The included cable is well made and follows a design that focuses on utility over looks. It seems sturdily made that it can take a beating or 2. Despite being sturdy, the cable is light, flexible and free of cable memory ensuring very good ergonomics. The cable can tend to tangling if not wound into a small coil for storing or. Having a wider coil should help prevent tangling. The connectors on the i4's end are the 0.78mm 2-pin connectors found on most IEMs. The source end comes with a 3.5mm Single Ended termination.

The included case is made of brown leather that does a decent job for storing and carrying. It fits the i4 comfortably inside it. While the i4 is sturdily built, the leather case doesn’t have sufficient padding nor is hard enough to offer good protection for the i4. I would rather store and carry my i4 in a hard pelican case that provides good protection.

FIT, COMFORT & ISOLATION:
The fit and comfort of the i4 is dependent on an individual's ear anatomy. It should fit the most population but I can also see the solution not fitting ideally for a small crowd. The key to getting a comfortable fit is, to find the right tip and the correct angle of the ear hooks, such that the ear hook actually rests on your ears and helps distribute weight evenly. Else the entire weight of the unit will burdened at the point where the eartip meets the ear. While 12g is not much, it can become uncomfortable over a period of time without an ideal fit.

One other possible comfort issue is, when the rear of the i4 touches/presses against the ear pinna for a prolonged time which can cause soreness at the area of contact. Periodically resetting the position of the i4 in the ear, or taking breaks every 30 mins could also solve this.

As for isolation, i4 offers none. You could wear the i4 and have a normal conversation. Although it lacks isolation, it doesn’t leak sound like open-back, full-size headphones.


SOUND:
If you have read that the i4 doesn’t sound like an IEM, you’ve read it right. It does not fit into the traditional IEM category, as it borrows some design cues and features of full size headphones, such as; the large planar-magnetic driver and the open-back grill design. For these reasons, i4’s presentation actually bears resemblance to that of full-size headphones. For starters, the stage and the presentation of the i4 is very grander and airier than what is found on IEMs. In addition, it is able to adjust its presentation that ranges anywhere between intimate and super spacious. And so, its presentation feels more natural.

The imaging is another specialty of the i4. Making use of a 3D and open-back space, i4 is able to locate instruments at various depths and heights within the stage, giving the impression of unexplored layers in stage (especially for someone coming from IEMs). Separation is done very effortless in the abundant space and leaves no possibility for congestion. But still it maintains a very coherent and focused presentation as the size of the instrument images it presents are quite large.

It is important to know that i4’s stock tuning is not the final intended tuning of Audeze. I will explain why in the next section. But for this section, I will describe the stock tuning. i4's stock tuning can be described as balanced, except for a lack of presence in the upper-midrange (2kHz to 6kHz). While the lower-treble is not a victim of this dip, it is a touch subdued than neutral. As a result, i4’s overall tone is neutral-warm in nature. Despite the upper-midrange dip, what helps restore balance in the top end spectrum is the good treble extension, and a small peak in the mid-treble.

Bass is one of the areas where planar drivers shine and i4 doesn’t shy away to display its talents here. Its a powerful and dynamic bass, despite being neutral in quantity. What helps the i4 achieve this is, its 30mm driver, that extends well into the sub-bass frequencies without roll-off. The bass is linear throughout and so it doesn’t tilt towards excess warmth or darkness. The balance in the bass tuning yields a very accurate tone and timbre in the bass. Having a very low distortion in the bass region helps i4 achieve excellent speed while still maintaining the warmth. Its a very high quality bass, that combines the speed of the BA, but retaining the extension and authority of a DD.

Apart from yielding a solid foundation, the bass also makes sure, it supports the full mid-range with the necessary body and warmth. While the mid-range is neither thin nor thick, it could use a touch more warmth and body from the bass. The lack of the upper-midrange results in the device sound a little dull and lacking in transparency. The main victims of this are the female vocals and instruments whose fundamentals and overtones lie in the upper-midrange frequencies. So female vocals and instruments like piano and acoustic guitar, sound delicate and lack a bit of energy. While the bass and lower-midrange help offer the size and warmth for the instruments, the upper-midrange dip makes these instruments sound flat as they lack density and weight (that is usually provided by the 2-4kHz range).

i4 has a very interesting treble because, it is not an accurate, but its tone is very pleasant even on the stock tuning. Although the treble lacks a touch of presence in the lower treble region, it is quite linear and extends all the way into the upper treble, resulting in very good extension. This extension and a tiny peak around 10kHz make up a tiny bit for restoring articulation that is otherwise lost in the dip. It is not a very sparkly or a bright treble. And so the i4 is quite forgiving of poor recordings. At the same time it may lack some excitement that a sparkly treble might offer. When i4 is paired with a DAP or cable (Leonidas) that have a prominent upper-treble, the phone starts to show a bright tone.

While I cover why DSP/EQ is needed for the i4 in the next section, here is how it sounds with Audeze's Reveal Plugins/Roon Presets. Upon engaging the plug-in, i4 immediately starts to sound more accurate in its signature. The upper-midrange is restored which improves a lot of aspects in the presentation. The mid-range becomes more defined and clear. The vocals and instruments gain density and no longer have flat images. The treble becomes more linear without any sacrifice to the extension. So the overall resolution is retained, while the overall treble is a touch smoother. Bass gets a tiny boost and that results in a tiny bit of warmth. This warmth also makes sure it counters any brightness added by restoring the upper-midrange. Similar results can be achieved using your own EQ settings. See next section for my recommended EQ setting.

REVEAL PLUGINS, ROON PRESENT AND EQ:
As stated in the previous section, the stock tuning of the i4 is not Audeze's final intended tuning for the i4. This is because, i4’s physical design doesn’t allow Audeze to quite achieve a perfect headphone-target-curve. A headphone-target-curve is a frequency response corresponding to how the frequency response of a flat sounding speaker will be perceived at the eardrum. While there are different philosophies and approaches to arriving at a headphone-target-curve, it is essential for a headphone to follow this tuning for it to sound correct.

Besides the design constraints, Audeze managed to get close as possible to a headphone-target-curve. This allows users to enjoy the i4 even without the DSP or EQ. However, the DSP built into the Reveal Plug-Ins and Roon Presets for LCD i4, applies a EQ to the digital signal that it essentially corrects the tuning of the i4 and gets its frequency response to Audeze's version of headphone-target-curve.

The EQ recommendations from KMann at Audeze and other members on the i4 thread, basically tries to mimic the EQ correction in the Reveal Pug-In's or Roon Preset's DSP. While a manual EQ doesn't quite yield the same result as the DSP, it gets close enough. Next best thing to the DSP is using a Parametric EQ. With a 10-Band Graphical EQ, it doesn't give you the necessary frequency bands to make the adjustment. Here are some EQ recommendations for Parametric EQ and simple 10-Band EQ. Please use this as a baseline and adjust the frequencies according to what sounds good to your ears.


To read further on this subject, please read page #2 of Tyll’s iSine 20 review on Innerfidelity. Although, the discussion is on the iSine 20, LCD-i4 shares the same philosophy as the iSine 20 when it comes to its design. Audeze has confirmed that i4’s and iSine20’s tuning are not 100% same.

CIPHER V2 CABLE for LCD i4:
The cipher V2 cable for the i4 is terminated with a lightning connector at the source's end and is purposed to be used with iOS devices only (iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad). It tends to tangle a little bit but not much. The cable's Y split is actually a console, which houses a DAC/Amp. This DAC/Amp console also has 4 buttons: 1) Volume Up, 2) Play/Pause/Answer/Decline, 3) Volume Down and 4) Mute/UnMute.

The purposes of the DAC/Amp in the cipher cable are 2 fold; 1) The DAC applies an EQ correction (similar to the Reveal Plugin and Roon preset) prior to the digital to analog conversion. 2) The amp gives a slight boost to the analog signal, so that the i4 doesn't feel under-powered.

While the DAC in the cipher cable may not be as good as devices such as Mojo or a iDSD, the fact that it helps the i4 achieve a balanced tuning, helps the i4 achieve accurate timbre makes the cable a very compelling accessory, especially if you are someone who values timbre.


POWER REQUIREMENT & SOURCE PAIRING:
One of the wrong message that seems to have been perpetuated in the forums is, that i4 requires a powerful source to sound good. While i4 could totally take advantage of high-end desktop amp's performance, it really doesn’t require a lot of power to be driven well. Rather, what it needs is a, transparent source. With the iPhone or Macbook/PC, you get what you would expect. A decent sound quality that is neither top notch nor too bad.

I mostly used the i4 with my Lotoo Paw Gold and a Sony WM1Z. I engaged High Gain on both devices so that it gave me enough headroom for volume adjustment and also to eliminate any chance of i4 lacking required power in Low Gain. Between the 2 DAPs, I preferred the pairing with the 1Z as it presented a more pleasing tone with some warmth and smoothness. 1Z also helped the stage of the i4 to really shine. 1Z only has a 10-Band EQ, so I couldn't do an extensive EQ correction. I applied the EQ setting that I have shared in the previous section and it did the job quite well. It wasn't necessarily accurate in tone or realistic in timbre, but it was a more pleasing experience.

The pairing with the Lotoo Paw Gold can be a matter of taste. On the one hand it provides PMEQ with which one could arrive at a better EQ correction for i4. Also, the device by default has a very realistic timbre and is very dynamic. On the other hand, LPG's tone is quite bright and the upper mid-range is slightly stressed. So it affects the effortless presentation of the i4 a tiny bit. Because i4 has a space spacious stage, LPG's aggressive presentation doesn't affect the i4's overall presentation like it affects my Zeus. So the i4 doesn't necessarily become aggressive, but does feel a little stressed.

Because of i4’s neutral warm tone and the fact that it doesn't need a whole lot of power to be driven well, the earphone is not picky when it comes to source pairing. But if you are a desktop user, a music application supporting Audeze’s Reveal plug-in or using Roon and using a good DAC in the chain would yield best results, as you would get the benefit of the fidelity of a good DAC, while at the same time, the EQ in the DSP helps achieve a balanced tuning. The most popular DAC pairing for the i4 seems to be the Hugo 2. While I did not have a chance to test the i4 extensively on the Hugo 2, I did try it briefly at a friend's house and reviewed the Hugo 2 back in August. Given Hugo 2's accurate timbre and presentation, it should be a great pairing with the i4.

COMPARISONS:
Please note that, with DSP/EQ, i4’s tuning is more balanced, that it sounds more accurate in tone and timbre than either Zeus or HD800S. The note structure is also generally better on the i4 with good weight and body than the other 2 phones. The following comparisons are to provide an idea on how the stock tuning and the general presentation of the i4, compares with the Zeus and the HD800S.

i4 vs Zeus-XIV-ADEL:
While it is not fair to compare the Zeus to the i4, this comparison is just to give an idea on how the i4 differs from IEMs. i4 sounds considerably large in its soundstage and presentation than the Zeus. The spatial separation of instruments is better on the i4 in accordance to its spacious stage and airiness. Regarding the presentation, i4 sounds more natural than the Zeus. i4’s overall tone is warm while Zeus’ follows a neutral tone with a touch of brightness.

The bass department is i4’s strength while it is Zeus’ weakness. Zeus’ BA bass is technical in nature but it doesn’t stand a chance against the powerful and dynamic bass of the i4. The bass tone is accurate on both while the bass instruments on the i4 have a more natural sense. Zeus’ places the midrange forward, while i4’s is neutral in placement. Zeus’ midrange comes across a bit thin in comparison to the full bodied midrange of the i4.

Zeus’ upper midrange has better clarity and transparency than the withdrawn upper midrange of the i4. One of Zeus’ strengths is its vocals as it presents very powerful vocals. On the i4, while the male vocals sound really good, its female vocals lack some melody in the overtones. Lower treble is sparkly on the Zeus, while it is slightly smoother on the i4 due to its slight lack of presence. While the i4’s treble extension is better, Zeus displays better resolution and detail retrieval in the treble region because of better isolation. While Zeus’ treble is not too bright or harsh, it is not quite as forgiving as the i4.

i4 vs HD800S:
In this comparison, the places have shifted. This time around, it is unfair for the i4 as the HD800S presents a larger and a more natural presentation than the i4. Some members had stated that i4’s stage rivals some of the full size headphones. But 800S certainly does not belong to that list. 800S has a tendency to sound withdrawn on certain tracks as it could pull the presentation all the way back to the rear. But the i4 manages to maintain the required forwardness in the presentation.

Although 800S's tuning is much more complete than the i4’s tuning, the 800S is generally more bright in tone. While i4’s default tuning may not be perfect, its overall tone is more natural because of its warmth. The midrange body is also fuller and natural on the i4 compared to the thinner midrange on the HD800S. Similar to the Zeus, HD800S upper midrange is clearer with better density in the vocals, than the vocals on the i4.

HD800S’s bass sounds equally authoritative due to its larger driver size. But i4’s bass is more cleaner and is free of distortion compared to the slightly mushy bass on the 800S. The 800S bass is not generally wooly but it feels so when in comparison with the i4. In the treble, 800S is considerably brighter and thinner. It is also over-articulated and is not accurate or natural. i4’s treble is more linear and is more natural although it is still not accurate.


GENERAL CONS AND THINGS TO CONSIDER:
- For the premium price, the finish of the unit could be more robust. Especially the may the plates re bound together using glue feels inadequate for a item of this price and stature
- More varieties and shapes and sizes of earhooks and ear tips could be designed and developed to make the earphone more comfortable
- Lacks isolation to be a perfectly portable device
- If you are someone not interested in using DSP/EQ, the stock tuning may not suit your needs

RECOMMENDTIONS:
The i4 is probably one of the best set of portable headphones I have heard until now. So it comes highly recommended from me. But as the facts stand, in order to tap the true potential of the i4, it requires some DSP/EQ and a decent source. And so, it may not be the ideal earphone for everyone. If you are someone who likes to enjoy the default tuning of your gear, there is a possibility that the i4's stock tuning may not work for you.

Also, the i4 needs isolation to make sure the details are not compromised. It may not make sense to accept the i4 as an IEM as it lacks isolation. But it should be seen as open-back headphone in a very portable form. So if isolation is paramount, once again the i4 may not work for you.

On the other hand, if you are looking for a very portable headphone and are willing to engage DSO or EQ, and if isolation is not important, I heartily recommend the Audeze LCD-i4.

CONCLUSION:
With a headphone-like presentation and a warm tuning, i4 presents a very enjoyable listening experience in a tiny form factor, that fits inside a 1010 Pelican case. While the DSP/EQ is not absolutely necessary, engaging it brings balance to the tuning, which in turn makes the timbre very accurate. As a result, the Audeze LCD i4 sounds literally flawless, that this has become my new reference headphone. It is not the type of reference that is clinical or analytical. But the kind of reference that is close to neutral in tuning but with the right timbre of instruments and vocals.

One could argue that engaging the DSP/EQ can be viewed as a hassle. But we audiophiles go to great extents to get the best sound out of gear. In the case of the i4, all it needs is some DSP or EQ to get to perfection. The initial setup may be a bit inconvenient. But once setup, the result is exponentially rewarding.