[swjones3]

IMO, a wood stand could possibly make this a way better value than the HE-1000. I would subjectively value the LCD-4 (which I'm still waiting for) over the HE-1000 based on the following:
 
Premium cable: $320
Travel Case: $75
Real, Premium Wood: $200
Carbon Fiber Headband: $150
Build Quality + Other HQ Materials (possibly, given the bespoke manufacturing process): $500
Sound Quality: Who knows

 

[prismstorm]

On the official website it states that the LCD-X comes with:
 

1. 2.5m 1/4in to dual 4-pin mini-XLR cable
2. 2.5m 4-pin XLR to dual 4-pin mini-XLR cable
3. 3.5mm to 1/4in stereo adapter
4. Professional travel case

 
While the LCD-4, costing more than twice the LCD-X, comes with:
 

1. 1/4in to dual 4-pin mini-XLR Premium LCD Headphone Cable
2. Professional travel case

 
Why are there actually less accessories offered by the flagship with a huge premium? Why aren't both balanced and unbalanced cables offered as with the previous offerings, is it because the LCD-4 one is 'Premium'? Where is the stereo adapter in this case? Feels like the accessories are taking a step backwards. 

 

[swjones3]

  On the official website it states that the LCD-X comes with:
 

1. 2.5m 1/4in to dual 4-pin mini-XLR cable
2. 2.5m 4-pin XLR to dual 4-pin mini-XLR cable
3. 3.5mm to 1/4in stereo adapter
4. Professional travel case

 
While the LCD-4, costing more than twice the LCD-X, comes with:
 

1. 1/4in to dual 4-pin mini-XLR Premium LCD Headphone Cable
2. Professional travel case

 
Why are there actually less accessories offered by the flagship with a huge premium? Why aren't both balanced and unbalanced cables offered as with the previous offerings, is it because the LCD-4 one is 'Premium'? Where is the stereo adapter in this case? Feels like the accessories are taking a step backwards. 

Apparently the additional cable is actually "premium" with cyro-treated copper and will sell for $400 by itself. I personally would rather have one premium cable rather than two ****ty ones like the ones that come with the 2, 3, X, and XC

 

[prismstorm]

  Apparently the additional cable is actually "premium" with cyro-treated copper and will sell for $400 by itself. I personally would rather have one premium cable rather than two ****ty ones like the ones that come with the 2, 3, X, and XC

But it is blue and doesn't look so fitting with the LCD-4 lol, and given that a lot of users will eventually want to use their own aftermarket cables with the headphones anyway, maybe they should include one "premium" cable of the buyer's choice (balanced or unbalanced) and then throw in the other cable type in the old make and build just so people can have the flexibility of using it Single-ended or balanced? 

 

[ArthurPower]

Middy you have some good idea's. I know Audeze reads this thread so maybe you will inspire them.
 
Regarding cables: When you order a pair of LCD-4's they give you two choices. A balanced premium cable or an unbalanced premium cable. They just need to update their site to reflect that. 

 

[potkettleblack]

A stark contrast from what Shure provide with their products.

I can't say it would influence my decision that much, but a few extras would certainly be nice. This is essentially the best the company has to offer - extra pads and an alternative headband (the original) wouldn't exactly put them in the red.

The worst company must be Grado; the headphones, a pizza box and some wood shavings.

I spoke to a dealer in Birmingham once that contacted Grado asking about the presentation box they used to do. Their response was - 'we care about the sound and not fancy packaging'.

Nice. There's me thinking it was profit based.

 

[prismstorm]

It's just that at the price point and positioning of the LCD-4 I don't think it can, or should be, justified on sound quality alone. This is clearly about more than just delivering a sound experience, and everything from packaging to accessories included to presentation to build quality / craftsmanship to durability all count towards whether such a Veblen good can exude that hyper high performance luxurious quality that these flagships usually exhibit to distinguish themselves from the rest of the product range.
 
Given that these are built to order and double the price of the current flagship, it's not preposterous to expect everything and the kitchen sink (everything above and beyond the other models) to be thrown alongside the headphones, just to make sure those very selected few customers who chose it feel exclusive and actually getting the 'crown jewel experience' that is only associated with a purchase of the top offering.   

 

[rfan8312]

Perfectly stated. I agree completely @ prismstorm. And this is coming from a Grado fan. I dont care at all about the packaging. But at 4,000 USD, I would expect the packaging and everything else to be over the top in quality and presentation.

 

[kapanak]

Precisely. At $4000, the presentation should at least match that of a $500 Shure SRH-1540, with two sets of earpads and quality cables of different lengths and connectors. Perhaps a presentation box? I really don't think Audeze is selling the LCD4 at a loss (more like 50-60% profit per unit, not counting R&D, loss to theft, future driver failures, etc), so the packaging has to be that of a boutique product. You can't just price something like a Leica and sell it like a Panasonic point and shoot (somebody will get the joke here).

 

[Middy]

Middy you have some good idea's. I know Audeze reads this thread so maybe you will inspire them.

I have some ideas on the go for the wood,and driver design. They may not be any good but like before I said if you can help..

I didn't see any wrist straps on the King picks being assembled.ESD (Electrostatic sensitive Device earth strap) it has a resister to trickle away static build up. Esd coats...

It's a massive pain building by hand, and hand soldering components..

A cheap wave solder could help. Heat the boards in an oven before soldering, to reduce thermal shock. IPC training.
For operators.
Basic stuff but it all helps.

Filtered positive pressure air going into the driver membrane spray MC to reduce FOD foreign object debris.

Air Lines for headphone assembly. Hair nets...

I might put the headphone ideas via Email. Not sure who too though..

Have fun gents back to work for me...

 

[conquerator2]

  IMO, a wood stand could possibly make this a way better value than the HE-1000. I would subjectively value the LCD-4 (which I'm still waiting for) over the HE-1000 based on the following:
 
Premium cable: $320 - The HE-1000 comes with 3 cables worth about 500$ all-together. This obviously depends on what your opinion on cables is. This is a very subjective matter... More 'less premium' choices X One 'more premium' choice... Again, we are talking cables here
Travel Case: $75 - Fair point. Would be neat. The HEK gets a beautiful box at least. What's the LCD4 box btw?
Real, Premium Wood: $200 - Fair point. The veneer strips are nowhere near as impressive. Hopefully the wood will last!
Carbon Fiber Headband: $150 - The HEK comes with a stainless steel headband with a leather suspension strap. Do we know whether the Carbon Fiber headband uses real leather for the strap? It does look nice and durable, so this is a valid point too, just saying the HEK does not fare too badly here.
Build Quality + Other HQ Materials (possibly, given the bespoke manufacturing process): $500 - They do look beautiful and more sturdy/chunky but durability again remains to be seen.
Sound Quality: Who knows - Hard to say. The few impressions that I've seen have been very mixed between the HEK/LCD-4. Look forward to more.

Earpads are a toss-up. The Audeze does use real leather but the attachment system so far has been very impractical...
Valid points, just a few remarks. My opinion. YMMV.

 

 

[rgs9200m]

  It's just that at the price point and positioning of the LCD-4 I don't think it can, or should be, justified on sound quality alone. This is clearly about more than just delivering a sound experience,

That's the problem. I just want to get my money's worth for sound quality, and also comfort, and I suppose durability. I don't want to pay for bling.
As a comparison, look at the fine workmanship on an Oppo PM1 for $1000. (Although I wish the earspace on the Oppo was a little larger as a nit-pick here).
The LCD3 design and comfort is just fine for me and all I need. I which Audeze would offer a no-frills version of the LCD4 in an LCD3 frame for something closer to the 3's price.
Even if the headband is more comfortable, it's not worth such a huge price premium when the LCD3 design is fine.
Maybe the nice headband should be a ~$500 option on all their phones. That would be fair and generous I'd say.
 
(And with the Oppo, you get an over-the-top case -- unlike the Grado cardboard box on $1K+ phones LOL. But I digress here; please excuse that and not get off on too many tangents.)

 

[Middy]

As my manager says..It is what it is..

Does it tick all your boxes? It never will.. or The site would be called "Audeze lcd4 headfi news"..The only headphone to buy..

End game here= tommorows new toy..

It's tough here as there is little objective and huge subjective. Money looks size sound..

I started here and thought on impressions what 3 songs do we judge a piece of kit against? so we all can compare..There isn't. .

What hearing levels/ frequencies does a reviewer cover? Find the HS800 highs to harsh says a 16 year old. To muddy. Old Road worker..

It confuses the hell out of me even though I read the write ups

I digress again, I can't afford the LCD4 but I do enjoy others getting pleasure from it.. A lesser of 2 evils..

Note to self refresh page before posting...Sorry RGS9

 

[atubbs]

I guess I'm the odd one out...
 
Let's see, the case: The hard case is upgraded from the LCD-2/3/X/XC and has better inserts (there's a second shelf with cables beneath the shelf for the cans. I'm glad it didn't come in a fancy lacquered cherry presentation box. You know what I do with presentation boxes? Put them back in their shipping container and forget about them. At least the hard case is functional for transporting and protecting them. I expected the same old case as usual; I wasn't bothered by the, if anything, mild upgrade but continuing to stray true to form.
 
The cable: The blue cable looks a little amateur-hour compared to the fit and finish of the cans, but it's a huge step beyond the old cables in every way except how cheap-looking and black rubber it is.
 
The lack of a stand: I already have stands. I'm glad I didn't have to pay for another one ("get one included") with the LCD-4. I guess Abyss sort of got this formula and they offer one version with a handbag and stand and one version with just the bare essentials. I'm fine with that model as well, but it seems silly to just keep bundling things in to make it more "luxury." Then I'm just paying a higher premium still for things I don't need.
 
So, I guess I'm glad it came with what's necessary (a functional packing case, a pair of solidly implemented (if questionably beautiful) cables, and nothing extra. If there was a change I'd appreciate it would be a "cable delete" option that saves $350 or whatever, but I think most people buying them probably want some sort of cable included.
 
Why aren't we talking about how they sound? Ah, right, because in the absence of the actual headphones we have to nitpick the details that don't actually impact us.

 

[Middy]

Sound is number 1. Unless there is a sister site called Head-box-stand.Org.
8^p

The sound of my wife laughing when ask can I get a pair...Two jokes in one there..
I don't mind the fluff parts too much Atubbs. A great time for head gear isn't a great time for buying more in a recession. Wasn't expecting many reviews yet, Shembots was good.
Anticipation, speculation seems the meat and potatoes of Head fi.
Sounds good
A bit heavy
Expensive...

Hopefully I can go to a CANJAM next year and it's in Birmingham ,halfway house for us Brits and do what you say is true and listen.. Small dreams..
Keep smiling brothers and sisters..