[KaiSc]

How about these caps We got the output impedance down to 15 ohms on this OTL amp. Power supply is separate (on the bottom in this photo).

Nice built.
Good for driving dynamic ‘phones.

For the frequency-independent 200 Ohm AUDEZE LCD-4, output impedance is of low to no importance.
This makes LCD-4 a good match for tube amps in general, as I already found – see some postings above.

I like my LCD-4 from my tube amp.

 

[TheAbyss2022]

After a while of looking I have bought the schiit lyr + as I wanted a tube amp but one that had the power to drive the LCD 4. It has a power output of 900mW at 300 ohms so it will be well over 1 watt in 200 ohms with the LCD 4.

 

[dfiled]

New LCD-4 owner here. Looking for amp recommendations. What’s the best amp I can get if I prioritize dynamics/slam/impact? Budget roughly 4/5k, though I’d be happy to spend less.

 

[ansel1]

New LCD-4 owner here. Looking for amp recommendations. What’s the best amp I can get if I prioritize dynamics/slam/impact? Budget roughly 4/5k, though I’d be happy to spend less.

I'm interested in others recommendations, as I haven't tried many amps, but I've been very pleased with my gsx mini with the LCD 4. It's punchy and clearly more detailed than my prior amp (jot 1).

 

[AcousticMatt]

My vote would be Ferrum Oor (w/ Hypsos power supply) which would be about $3000 total. I own it and the dynamics are fantastic, and slam and impact are not far behind. The LCD4 is not the slammiest thing out of the other LCD models, so that could be why. Oor's got 8watts of power into 60ohms. I've heard people liking the Holo Bliss though and some prefer it over the Ferrum - may want to look into that,
too! That's also around the same price as the Ferrum amp and power supply combo.

Side note: in your price range, I've also heard the LCD4 on a Burson Conductor and those elements (dynamics, slam, impact) sounded really good on it too. Maybe even more-so than the Ferrum,
if memory serves.

 

[JLoud]

I had a GSX mk2 and it was very fast with all the slam you could ask for. I like tubes so I would throw the Woo WA5LE as another option.

 

[dfiled]

Appreciate these responses. Is anyone in a position to compare the Ferrum stack to the iFi Ican pro Signature, specifically for the LCD-4’s?

 

[AcousticMatt]

Appreciate these responses. Is anyone in a position to compare the Ferrum stack to the iFi Ican pro Signature, specifically for the LCD-4’s?

....why yes, I own both!

I've got some time today so will listen on both amps and get back to you.

 

[dfiled]

....why yes, I own both!

I've got some time today so will listen on both amps and get back to you.

Thank you! As noted, I am chiefly interested in their respective effects on impact and slam.

 

[AcousticMatt]

Thank you! As noted, I am chiefly interested in their respective effects on impact and slam.

Indeed. Will listen for those elements.

 

[dfiled]

I’m very grateful to you.

 

[hikaru12]

Is the Bryston BHA-1 still a good value buy (used or new) for the LCD 4's? I'd like a mixture of bass slam and depth and overall micro-detail retrieval. $2-3K budget. I will say I really liked the Burson 3X when I had it - very good slam and detail but a tiny bit etchy at times.

 

[AcousticMatt]

I’m very grateful to you.

Happy to help where I can, man!

Ok, so... I just listened to the LCD4s on both amps. When I was listening on the Oor, I was using it with the Hypsos power supply and using the iFi as the DAC. Mainly stayed in solid state mode, but I did play around with Tube and Tube+ modes, too. I also went balanced out of both amps, using a 4.4 to XLR adaptor on the iFi. Admittedly, this might have affected the results since I didn't use an adaptor on the Oor.

The iFi definitely sounds better in the slam and impact category. The Oor sounds better in the dynamics category. I used 5 tracks that I know show these elements well. I started on the iFi and then switched to the Oor, listening to each song twice, once on each amp, back-to-back. Overall, the Oor is immediately obvious as the better amp overall. It doesn't have quite the slam and impact that the iFi does, but it's not lacking there, just isn't there as much as the iFi. It's also got a much blacker background than the iFi. There's noise floor happening on the iFi where it's pretty non-existent on the Oor. The Oor sounds like a big step up from the iFi overall. The dynamic swings, clean yet beautiful (I kept thinking of those words when I was listening) sound from the Oor. The iFi sounds really nice, but more clinical in comparison. The dynamics on the iFi also sound a bit more compressed, where the Oor sounds like it can handle low level and higher level signals with more ease.

My guess is that you may like the iFi more for the impact and slam elements you're looking for, but the quality of sound from the Oor might actually win you over if you heard them back to back.

 

[dfiled]

Happy to help where I can, man!

Ok, so... I just listened to the LCD4s on both amps. When I was listening on the Oor, I was using it with the Hypsos power supply and using the iFi as the DAC. Mainly stayed in solid state mode, but I did play around with Tube and Tube+ modes, too. I also went balanced out of both amps, using a 4.4 to XLR adaptor on the iFi. Admittedly, this might have affected the results since I didn't use an adaptor on the Oor.

The iFi definitely sounds better in the slam and impact category. The Oor sounds better in the dynamics category. I used 5 tracks that I know show these elements well. I started on the iFi and then switched to the Oor, listening to each song twice, once on each amp, back-to-back. Overall, the Oor is immediately obvious as the better amp overall. It doesn't have quite the slam and impact that the iFi does, but it's not lacking there, just isn't there as much as the iFi. It's also got a much blacker background than the iFi. There's noise floor happening on the iFi where it's pretty non-existent on the Oor. The Oor sounds like a big step up from the iFi overall. The dynamic swings, clean yet beautiful (I kept thinking of those words when I was listening) sound from the Oor. The iFi sounds really nice, but more clinical in comparison. The dynamics on the iFi also sound a bit more compressed, where the Oor sounds like it can handle low level and higher level signals with more ease.

My guess is that you may like the iFi more for the impact and slam elements you're looking for, but the quality of sound from the Oor might actually win you over if you heard them back to back.

Huge thanks for this. Do you happen to know if the Hypsos actually has an appreciable effect on SQ? Found a good deal in Oor only and wondering if it would be a mistake not to hold out for the combo.

 

[AcousticMatt]

Huge thanks for this. Do you happen to know if the Hypsos actually has an appreciable effect on SQ? Found a good deal in Oor only and wondering if it would be a mistake not to hold out for the combo.

Yes, I do think it has a pretty big impact. Like you, I considered buying just the amp without it at first. Ended up buying it with it based on all the recommendations, and tried it out without Hypsos first (sounded really good), but then with it, and the sound was immediately obviously better. Bigger sound and blacker background. Also sounded more at ease driving harder headphones. I recommend it with Hypsos. The Hype is real, ha!