[Toolman]

  1- I am looking for a direct and honest comparison between the LCD4 and Utopia.
 
2- I am wondering if the LCD4 has the "veil" thing that affects clarity. 

Have you a chance to read this...?
 

 

[musicman59]

 
Are there any missing details around instruments while listening to the LCD4?
Who has bigger soundstage?
 
I listen to HD800 S and LCD3F, I need a headphones that sits in the middle (in terms of sound signature). 

IMO as pure size probably the LCD4 has a bigger soundstage BUT the Utopia is not small and has much better detail in the presentation.
 
I have no experience with the LCD3F and just a brief listening of the HD800S at CanJam SoCal. 

 

[theorist]

I have both the LCD-4 (200 ohm blue cable) and the Utopia (Nordost Heimdall 2 cable). They are both great HPs, but certainly different. I drive them both with a Moon 430HA balanced using an Auralic Vega DAC with my source an Antipodes DX and a very good cabling loom hooking everything together from dedicated house wiring wall socket (dedicated audio fuse box and ground).
 
I prefer (slightly) the LCD-4 for (alternative) rock and general 'easy' listening. But I prefer the Utopia for jazz, female vocals and especially piano (which sounds amazing nuanced and real on the Utopia).
 
The Utopia also works amazing well and sounds great balanced with my Astell & Kern AK70.

 

[Dillan]

1- I am looking for a direct and honest comparison between the LCD4 and Utopia.

2- I am wondering if the LCD4 has the "veil" thing that affects clarity. 

Here was my comparison -

http://www.head-fi.org/t/817662/focal-utopia-loaner-program/15#post_12854436

 

[jlbrach]

I listen to my Utopia straight from the Dave and my LCD-4 from my Moon Neo 430 and Dave.....to me they are both very different but both fantastic...I am 51/49 in favor of the LCD-4 but ask me tomorrow and it may be the opposite

 

[Sonic Guild]

Quote:

Here was my comparison -

http://www.head-fi.org/t/817662/focal-utopia-loaner-program/15#post_12854436

Thanks man 

 

[Sonic Guild]

I just placed my order 

 for the LCD4
 
As mentioned before, my only concern that I will lose details as I am facing with the LCD3F. The LCD3F is nice and warm but I can't feel the air around instruments. Hopefully the LCD4 has air and enough details. I am just too scared 

 
Ah one more thing, I had the chance to listen to the Utopia very briefly. I approached it with very high expectations, but when I listened to it, it did not make feel happy or anything special. Specially the sound stage, it feels like closed headphones!  

 
But did not have the chance to compare it to the LCD.

 

[Dillan]

I just placed my order   for the LCD4

As mentioned before, my only concern that I will lose details as I am facing with the LCD3F. The LCD3F is nice and warm but I can't feel the air around instruments. Hopefully the LCD4 has air and enough details. I am just too scared 

Ah one more thing, I had the chance to listen to the Utopia very briefly. I approached it with very high expectations, but when I listened to it, it did not make feel happy or anything special. Specially the sound stage, it feels like closed headphones!    
But did not have the chance to compare it to the LCD.

I had the same let down when listening to the Utopia.

You may also like my LCD-4 review. I think it explains exactly the sound signature of the headphone.

http://www.head-fi.org/products/audeze-lcd-4/reviews/16525

 

[Sonic Guild]

I had the same let down when listening to the Utopia.

You may also like my LCD-4 review. I think it explains exactly the sound signature of the headphone.

http://www.head-fi.org/products/audeze-lcd-4/reviews/16525

Thanks for the review.
Looks like that you prefer the LCD4 over the Utopia, but you said "The first thing you'll notice when swapping to other headphones is Wow these feel like a mask has been taken off the music".
So you really don't mind losing the clarity and definition of music? 

 

[Sonic Guild]

I just finished reading Tyll's review. I am confused 

According to him the LCD4 is boring!
Why???
Everyone else say it is musical and makes you sink in music.

 

[Rhamnetin]

  I just finished reading Tyll's review. I am confused 

According to him the LCD4 is boring!
Why???
Everyone else say it is musical and makes you sink in music.

 
Well that's a completely subjective statement.  Maybe it'll bore you, maybe not.  I doubt the LCD-4 will bore most people.

 

[Dillan]

I just finished reading Tyll's review. I am confused 
According to him the LCD4 is boring!
Why???
Everyone else say it is musical and makes you sink in music.

For me personally I have found myself drifting further and further from Tylls opinions on headphones. The LCD4 definitely could be perceived as boring. They're smooth and buttery with a laid back signature that still hints at an authoritative nature with the forward mids and thundering bass.

I just don't like the bass pounding and piercing highs that Tyll is fond of. I'm a midrange kind of guy and the LCD4 is best in that regard.

 

[MacedonianHero]

   
Well that's a completely subjective statement.  Maybe it'll bore you, maybe not.  I doubt the LCD-4 will bore most people.

Unless of course you play really boring music with them! 

 For me they are right there with the top tier of the very best headphones I've had on my head. A select group of less than a handful. 

 

[Rhamnetin]

  Unless of course you play really boring music with them! 

 For me they are right there with the top tier of the very best headphones I've had on my head. A select group of less than a handful. 

 
I agree, and I rank it above every non-electrostatic headphone I've heard based on my two auditions.  No other planar and no dynamic has delivered this level of transparency to my ears, only cream of the crop Stax has.  Mids are... sweet?  Super clear, very pleasant, I felt like I was hearing everything in the mid range just as intended.  Bass was indeed thundering... too thundering I think but it seemed to have better bass extension than any other headphone.  Treble was polite and didn't seem too much or too little for my taste, but sounded more natural than perhaps every other planar and every dynamic headphone I've heard.  I haven't heard the Utopia.

 

[Smazz]

  I just finished reading Tyll's review. I am confused 

According to him the LCD4 is boring!
Why???
Everyone else say it is musical and makes you sink in music.

I bought the Ether Cs and the Utopia after watching and reading Tyll's reviews, both were returned. The LCD-4s are far from boring.