[Matias]

New Audeze LCD-4 released! 3,995usd built to order.


Nano scale thickness diafragm. Double fluxor magnet array rated at 1.5 tesla.
Tonal balance richer than the more neutral flatter sounding LCD-X, more akin to the LCD-3.

Audeze website: https://www.audeze.com/products/lcd-collection/lcd-4

Style: Open circumaural
Transducer type: Planar magnetic
Magnetic arrays: Double Fluxor magnets
Magnet type: Neodymium
Transducer size: 106mm
Maximum power handling: 15W (for 200ms)
Sound pressure level: >130dB with 15W
Frequency response: 5Hz – 20kHz extended out to 50kHz
Total harmonic distortion: <1% through entire frequency range
Impedance: 100 ohms
Efficiency: 100dB / 1mW
Optimal power requirement: 1 – 4W

AUDEZE TECHNOLOGY
• Fazor elements
• Large ultra-thin Uniforce diaphragms
• Double Fluxor magnetic arrays
• Flux density 1.5 Tesla

PACKAGE INCLUDES
• 1/4in to dual 4-pin mini-XLR Premium LCD Headphone Cable
• Professional travel case

OPTIONS
• 2.5m 1/4in to dual 4-pin mini-XLR cable
• 2.5m 4-pin XLR to dual 4-pin mini-XLR cable

The new carbon fiber suspension headband for all LCDs will be sold separately for 200usd.

 

[mscott58]

This should be a fun ride!

 

[bfreedma]

Will definitely audition them to see if there is enough improvement (IMO) over the 3F to justify the investment.

 

[ufospls2]

Can't wait to hear these! The carbon fibre is cool. 
 
Edit: Just realized the price is in USD. Oh lawd. Looking forward to comparisons to the HE1000, and also the SR-009 as you could have either quite substantially cheaper!

 

[greekgod]

They look absolutely gorgeous! I just hope they don't have the reliability issues that people have been having with the LCD3. 

 

[Mach3]

From the looks of thing this has thicker diafragm vs the HE1000 but stronger magnets. I wonder who will come out on top?

 

[TMRaven]

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.

 

[takato14]

maybe the product variance will be better since it's made to order?
 
also, I echo TMRaven's sentiment, absolutely inexcusable. 

 

[TMoney]

This looks like a total flop in the making. It seems absurd for Audeze to be asking this kind of price when they've had production issues on seemingly every headphone they've done.

 

[mlxx]

In the first pic, it has the existing crappy cable.
I hope that is not the cable it comes with, that cable is a joke.

 

[screwdriver]

and I thought he hifiman he1000 was expensive

 

[bfreedma]

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.

Weren't the SR009, TH900, PS1000, and the HD800 all out before the LCD3? The HE90 and R10 as well, though they are more halo products than flagships.

As has happened with every other type of audio component, as the market has expanded, the cost of flagship products has increased dramatically. Everyone needs to make their own decision in regards to cost/value.

 

[Music Alchemist]

I presume this is the rumored LCD-Z finally manifested. As far as I'm concerned, planar magnetic headphones will never have a chance at competing with electrostats in terms of transparency, regardless of price. I see the LCD-4 as a nice addition to a high-end collection for the sake of variety as opposed to ultimate performance. Looks great too!

 

[takato14]

 

  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.

Weren't the SR009, TH900, PS1000, and the HD800 all out before the LCD3? The HE90 and R10 as well, though they are more halo products than flagships.

Yes, and the 009, TH900, HD800 all have excellent quality control, construction, design, and longetivity. Audeze headphones like to die with no warning and you never know how one will sound compared to the next. The LCD-3 was particularly problematic but it happens with the LCD-2 too.
 
Also, this is not a statement product like the HE90 and R10. If it was, it wouldn't come in the same non-luxurious hard case with the same cheap-ass cable as their lowest end model. I don't think the two should be compared price-wise.

 

[pbui44]

I presume this is the rumored LCD-Z finally manifested. As far as I'm concerned, planar magnetic headphones will never have a chance at competing with electrostats in terms of transparency, regardless of price. I see the LCD-4 as a nice addition to a high-end collection for the sake of variety as opposed to ultimate performance. Looks great too!

When I heard The Abyss, I felt it sounded different from the SR-009, but not better or worse. Let's see how the LCD-4 competes against The Abyss and SR-009.

Edit: Even if an electrostatic is more transparent than a planar magnetic does not make it more realistic. I have heard live symphonies many times and all electrostatic setups, even a SR-009 and BHSE combo, just sound like a ton of robots playing instruments in comparison to many planar-magnetics. Even without treble-perfection planar-magnetic may have, individual tonality techniques is something that cannot be captured well with electrostatics to my ears.