[pippen99]

I have only listened to two other pairs of LCD-4's. I find mine to be very smooth. Mine are a 2016 manufacture item. Honestly I believe the idea of great variance in FR in Audeze models to be somewhat oversold. We all hear different.

 

[Kozwoz]

Reading around shows that lcd4 has varying sound and FR through the years they have made them.

I'd like to find one with the smoothest presentation, with the most dip in the upper mids/lower treble.
Which LCD 4 is more leaning that way? Like... What year or how do I find?

This is very difficult to determine. I have spoken to Audeze about this and they have told me that they are constantly making minor improvements to the construction which causes slight variations in sound. From my experience with the Audeze 4z for example - I tested 3x different pairs which were all manufactured last year and each one sounded slightly different above 1khz. Most notably how big or shallow the dip was around 4/5khz and then exact placement and severity of peaks around 10khz and 16khz and above. All in all I couldn't say one pair was any better than the rest. Your ears get used to it fairly quickly and accept it as a norm. I doubt you would ever get any two pairs that sound exactly the same in terms of frequency response. Eventually I wanted something smoother sounding in the mids and lower treble as you say and settled for the LCD4. However to be honest I miss the 4z and wish I had kept them instead of the LCD4. Although I think the LCD4 is better than the 4z for my personal preference in sound, the ability to take them anywhere and plug them into anything made them very special. The LCD4 is simply very demanding and needs powerful amplification.

I will go further and copy and paste the response I got from Audeze support when I brought up the issue about variance -

"Since the diaphragm thickness is so very small (esp with the LCD-4 series), minute variations in circuit trace thickness can lead to sound variations from batch to batch and unit to unit. We do match the transducers with tight tolerances when building, which is the most important part. Final headphone response depends heavily on positioning and clamping force and can vary a decent amount, mostly in the bass region and above 2KHz."

 

[Slim1970]

This is very difficult to determine. I have spoken to Audeze about this and they have told me that they are constantly making minor improvements to the construction which causes slight variations in sound. From my experience with the Audeze 4z for example - I tested 3x different pairs which were all manufactured last year and each one sounded slightly different above 1khz. Most notably how big or shallow the dip was around 4/5khz and then exact placement and severity of peaks around 10khz and 16khz and above. All in all I couldn't say one pair was any better than the rest. Your ears get used to it fairly quickly and accept it as a norm. I doubt you would ever get any two pairs that sound exactly the same in terms of frequency response. Eventually I wanted something smoother sounding in the mids and lower treble as you say and settled for the LCD4. However to be honest I miss the 4z and wish I had kept them instead of the LCD4. Although I think the LCD4 is better than the 4z for my personal preference in sound, the ability to take them anywhere and plug them into anything made them very special. The LCD4 is simply very demanding and needs powerful amplification.

I will go further and copy and paste the response I got from Audeze support when I brought up the issue about variance -

"Since the diaphragm thickness is so very small (esp with the LCD-4 series), minute variations in circuit trace thickness can lead to sound variations from batch to batch and unit to unit. We do match the transducers with tight tolerances when building, which is the most important part. Final headphone response depends heavily on positioning and clamping force and can vary a decent amount, mostly in the bass region and above 2KHz."

This is why I prefer the LCD-4z's over the LCD-4's too. I can plug them into just about anything and get max performance out of the them. When I had the LCD-4's I had the Pro iCan powering them and I thought they sounded great. The neutral tuning and power of the Pro iCan really pushed and paired well with the LCD-4's. The LCD-4's do have a slightly thicker sound than the LCD-4z's. Also the upper mid/lower treble dip is less pronounced on the LCD-4z's which makes them sound more balanced to my ears. Both are amazing headphones and if you have a good amp to power the LCD-4's they will reward you. You do lose out on being able to pair them with anything and comfort is not as good as it is on the LCD-4z's either.

 

[Kozwoz]

Hindsight is a great thing... I think what annoyed me at the time about the 4z was that they transformed with powerful amplification. You think they sound great using a low output device but when you plug the 4z into the Hugo TT or Violectrics V281 you realise it plays on a different level and actually they can take a lot of power. So when I would then use any of my DAP's with my 4z I really felt like I was missing out on their true potential. My thinking was that if I'm going to use a powerful amp I might as well get the LCD4 but I now realise the 4z was a good compromise because it's as close to the best you will ever achieve using a low output source. Also the 4z takes EQ better than any other headphone I've ever tried, it was just so effortless and responsive. Hope that makes sense and just my experience.

 

[jlbrach]

I have owned both and thought the 4 better than the 4z

 

[InstantSilence]

I have owned both and thought the 4 better than the 4z

Which you throught had the brighter treble and the punchier transients?

 

[JLoud]

I like the mids of the 4. Lusher. On a powerful resolving amp the 4 had the edge in impact.

 

[jlbrach]

on a desktop system I thought the 4 to be the better HP

 

[MacedonianHero]

I have owned both and thought the 4 better than the 4z

I am of the opposite mindset. Both are stellar and far closer to each other than different, but I preferred the more energetic sounding LCD-4z...but I can totally understand why someone would prefer the LCD-4's wider and more laid back sound.

 

[InstantSilence]

For those that have or heard both the lcd4 and abyss 1266 TC, I suppose the TC is far more resolution /clear?

 

[vonBaron]

For those that have or heard both the lcd4 and abyss 1266 TC, I suppose the TC is far more resolution /clear?

Yes

 

[Trance_Gott]

For those that have or heard both the lcd4 and abyss 1266 TC, I suppose the TC is far more resolution /clear?

It seems so because TC has recessed mids and LCD4 mids are a lot meatier and realistic.

 

[Articnoise]

I am of the opposite mindset. Both are stellar and far closer to each other than different, but I preferred the more energetic sounding LCD-4z...but I can totally understand why someone would prefer the LCD-4's wider and more laid back sound.

A bit like the sound difference between LCD3 and LCD-X, if properly powered, but both on a higher SQ level?

 

[mitchb]

The 4’s are beautiful headphones. After listening to my Utopia headphones which are nice headphones for a while I prefer the sound of the LCD4’s.

 

[Kozwoz]

I think Audeze shot themselves in the foot by marketing the 4z as an easier to drive LCD4. Yes there are similarities between the two just as there are similarities between the LCD3 and 4. There is a house sound but they are also different enough that it deserves to stand apart and it's unfortunate that people often think the 4z is inferior. Out of the box I personally prefer the LCD4's lusher and warmer sound with it's slightly larger imaging but the 4z has sharper transients and leading edges in the mids and treble. It is a faster and snappier presentation with a blacker background with a stronger centre image which makes vocals more intimate and in my opinion suits electronic music better. If you plan to EQ I would advice going for the 4z actually as you cannot add what is not already there in the case of the LCD4 but you can make the 4z warmer if you choose to do so.