[LFC_SL]

Agree.  It's a test of their new technology.  Hope it works out for Audez'e, and for us.
Seems similar to the Schiit Audio upgrade of the Gungnir DAC to the technology used in the Yggr.  That was a "win" for the original Gungnir owners.

Prost -

Schiit is however cheaper than the competition

 

[purk]

Audeze really have to thank Astell & Kern on how to price their top of line products.  I hope they sound as good as the HEK1000 and a properly driven Senn HD-800.

 

[MozartMan1201]

I would probably pay that kind of money for a flagship AKG, but a relatively unknown upstart company like Audeze??   No way.
 
I think my K812 is unrivaled in my particular niche music genre (Orchestral/Choral/Chamber/Opera/Lieder).  The breadth and depth of soundstage and the musical details/imaging are simply ASTOUNDING!

 

[potkettleblack]

I would probably pay that kind of money for a flagship AKG, but a relatively unknown upstart company like Audeze??   No way.

I think my K812 is unrivaled in my particular niche music genre (Orchestral/Choral/Chamber/Opera/Lieder).  The breadth and depth of soundstage and the musical details/imaging are simply ASTOUNDING!

Each to their own but I personally believe Audeze make a mockery of any AKG headphone. In the short period Audeze have been around they have made more of an impact on me than many other brands.
I think there's a reason so many people are eager to find out what this sounds like. I don't think the attention would be the same of it were an AKG flagship.

 

[Raika]

Nothing fancy here . same as other company they want a piece of your wallet , it's shame  that Audeze want to be one of these filthy compnies.
I would consider selling my lcd3 f for 1300$ and no one want to buy it . what about lcd 4 if I want to sell them again or cause failure of drivers ,the lcd 4 looks the same  heavy and bulky .
Orpheus ,R10 ,the He 1000 ,stax 009 and lcd 4 : put all of them in stone age and smash them . we are not responsable if someone stole your products and what !! we have to pay the price
feel free to dislike it but it's the truth .
before I don't care for schiit Audio products but I see it the only company that winning our hearts .

 

[vnmslsrbms]

This makes speakers seem like really good deals.  Like I said in another thread, headphones are now jumping the line from "it's cheaper to get a comparable headphone system to sound better than a speaker system" to "it's cheaper to get a comparable speaker system to sound better than a headphone system."  Long live head-fi!

 

[Music Alchemist]

  This makes speakers seem like really good deals.  Like I said in another thread, headphones are now jumping the line from "it's cheaper to get a comparable headphone system to sound better than a speaker system" to "it's cheaper to get a comparable speaker system to sound better than a headphone system."  Long live head-fi!

 
It's interesting you mention that, because in reviews for the STAX SR-009 or Abyss AB-1266, I occasionally see phrases like "You'd have to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a speaker system to get better sound than this." (Not my claim.) For me, it's a moot point, because I simply prefer headphones over speakers, so from my perspective, it's not so bad. But I definitely see your point how many people would want to go for speakers over ultra-high-end headphones.

 

[zolkis]

It's interesting you mention that, because in reviews for the STAX SR-009 or Abyss AB-1266, I occasionally see phrases like "You'd have to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a speaker system to get better sound than this." (Not my claim.) For me, it's a moot point, because I simply prefer headphones over speakers, so from my perspective, it's not so bad. But I definitely see your point how many people would want to go for speakers over ultra-high-end headphones.

 
I enjoy both for what they are good: headphones for the intimacy and pureness of the sound, and speakers for realistic sound stage in a real physical space (short time ago I would have added bass impact here, but not any more). Still speakers have the advantage to produce sound waves crossing your whole body - if that adds to the excitement .
 
About pricing: in high end audio, you pay for the price. It's about perceived value.
 
As with speakers, most of the real cost is coming from R&D, and the limited number of units sold. It's very hard for a small company to estimate pricing so that they are on the safe side. However, prices tend to creep up too much nowadays because the perceived value is bubbling up.
 
When you compare against the HD650, you price accordingly the HD800. When you compare against the Orpheus, you price the Stax 009. Then you price the Abyss against the 009, then the HE1000 against both, and the LCD-4 too. Remember they have been relative all along. If Sennheiser brings out the Orpheus successor with a 5 digit price, all prices will rise, since you compare the diminishing returns against something that costs 5 figures.
 
The sound quality of today will be available for much cheaper tomorrow, and the results are sometimes step- or jump-improvements, but then mostly incremental for a long time. The HD800 made a big difference on technology, sound quality and price level. Today it's a bargain. The Stax 009 is the absolute reference for neutral musicality (for me), i.e. a HD800 done right, but it should not cost much more than the HD800 when judging the build quality, the used materials, and the R&D costs. The HE1000 strikes a good balance between natural sound and musicality, but no way justifies its asking price, even though there is more material and innovation than with the Stax 009. The LCD-3 was pretty much as expensive as money can stretch for a headphone, overpriced on its own, and I bet it's possible to tune it towards a more open sound balance and then how far would it be from the king-to-come LCD-4? As for me, I am happier with my modded Stax 007 Mk1 than with the Stax 009, HE1000 or LCD-3 - so the diminishing returns will more and more frequently hit people's threshold for "good enough to enjoy the music" quality, even with older technology.
 
Much of the improvements/diminishing returns are sunk in the mud created by other audio components: microphones in the big part, then the mastering/authoring chain, sound bearer (noisy channel), pickup/decoding device, amplifier, etc., then your golden ears and your grey brain.
 
IMO a truly ultra high end system should address all the elements of the audio chain, and use synergistic solutions for transferring acoustic information. For instance, I would apply some of the learning done in microphone tech (some really expensive) in headphones as well, use similar materials across the audio elements, etc. These would also bring total cost benefits, making it possible that a relatively mid-price chain would put in shame many high end systems of today with less synergy (it's another question how much of these savings end up visible for the buyer).
 
Since most people have a relatively established threshold for "good enough to enjoy the music", it's a good strategy to find the cheapest chain of old (second hand) tech that causes the much-desired goosebumps, and let the newcomers be roasted a little bit for perceived, and relative value.

 

[harmonix]

  Jalo, The magnetic structure in LCD4 is self-closing. Also the Fluxor magnets are directional. I.e. the Flux density is stronger on one side compared to the other.  So the flux density of 1.5T is in between the magnets and almost nothing outside. 

Would you be able to let me know what the weight of these puppies are?
The weight factor has always been an issue for me on the LCD...

 

[catspaw]

  The price is disgusting. Major thumbs down to Audeze.  They were the first to start the trend of grossly inflated flagships, now they're reinforcing their tradition.
 
I hope the suspension headband gets used on the rest of their LCD line now.  I might actually consider a 2 or X with the new suspension band.

Yeah, Prices have been going nuts for a while now.
We got too many kilobuck + hps.
I can understand something like the HE-1000 costing 1500 dollars, like the HD800, even the LCD-2 at 995 or HE-500, but stuff like ultrasone, abyss and similar... WOW, totally bonkers.

 

[catspaw]

   
It's interesting you mention that, because in reviews for the STAX SR-009 or Abyss AB-1266, I occasionally see phrases like "You'd have to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a speaker system to get better sound than this." (Not my claim.) For me, it's a moot point, because I simply prefer headphones over speakers, so from my perspective, it's not so bad. But I definitely see your point how many people would want to go for speakers over ultra-high-end headphones.

The way I see it is that speakers are far better if room acoustics are well designed.
Hps do not suffer from this so they actually have a huge edge.

 

[Simon T]

It looks like it going to be a great and/or expensive 2015 year end for headphone enthusiasts.
 
Last month Sennheiser announced the rumored Orpheus successor, and, now we have Audeze announcing the LCD 4.
 
Only waiting for Sony to announce the MDR10 successor (wishful thinking)...   

 

[Shembot]

So in a rather funny turn of events...
 
Audeze: New LCD-4 now with more wow! Many music! Such dollar! Wow! *shibe*
 
Me: *swig* Whatever I'll give it a shot, *burp* [clicks Buy Now].
 
Audeze: NOPE! *trollface* The checkout process is down, whether you use Audeze's cart or Paypal. Tried with multiple browsers at multiple times. They simply won't take money in exchange for products.
 
Me: [sobers up] Oh well! Guess it wasn't meant to be.

 

[Happy Hamlet]

The price development in the headphone field is indeed a bit strange, IMO. Current best prices in Switzerland:
 
Audeze entry level headphone (EL-8): 890 USD
 
Beyerdynamic T1 v2 (flagship): 770 USD
 
 
Anyway, I am very curious to test the LCD4. As it is build-to-order, this might be a little tough outside of meetings. But it would have to sound as if angels were singing in my ears before I would be tempted to buy one for that price. A more comfortable, possibly slightly lighter LCD3 I would buy in a heartbeat.

 

[groovyd]

thank god i don't have a family to take care of