OK, where do I start?
I was yesterday at my friend dan.gheorhe place and listened to LCD-4 in a quiet room for about 90-100 minutes.
Let me preface by saying that I have owned for several years LCD-2 rev2.2 and LCD-3C, and listened many times to LCD-3F and LCD-X (LCD-XC was never my cup of tea, nor EL8), I also owned HD800 since 2009 and 2 weeks ago I reviewed HD800S which I liked a lot.
I was worried that LCD-4 will have the same soft sound, lacking fast transients as HE1000 does, I never heard them but my friends described me HEK as being too soft with no leading edges, so I jumped straight to some fast pagan/folk metal and listened to 3 songs. Not a single hint of softness or slow transients, LCD-4 performed as fast and articulate as I wished for. Lighting fast and very punchy.
I felt that to this day this is the most neutral Audeze to date in a good way, it is slightly less warm than LCD-3 and LCD-X, but much more detailed, airy and effortless up top.
Actually I hear so much more information up top, never thought LCD-4 would be that detailed.
One thing that struck me literally immediately is how DEEP the stereo image is, I actually was walking inside the recording itself. The stage was not as wide as on HD800 but it was very deep. Also the pin point imaging is the best I've heard to date.
Next I moved to Bethoven - Sonata no.14 in C minor - Presto agitato
As a music lover, I got goose bumps many times with LCD-3 but I never cried to any music or interpretation, with LCD-4 and the end of the song I actually wiped my eyes. It was unbelievable real, I never heard Yundi Li so real, not even on good speakers and on top equipment.
I was also very often empty swallowing (don't know how to say it in English sorry) and holding my breath - this was not my intention, but I observed than at the end of the song, I was literally in a deep state of trance.
O moved to some rock (Foo Fighters - All my Life) and started headbanging with a smile reaching my ears, toe taping all along.
Again, I will sound as some BS or cliche, but it was like listening to this song for the first time. So pin point accurate, so fast, so engaging and so fu****g Real !
Actually if I'd choose a single word to describe LCD-4 performance that would be: REAL
Sometime ago a friend tried describing how he feels a 25K DAC he heard, compares to his 10K DAC and told that words as details, soundstage, lows, mids, stereo image, etc do not matter anymore, it was just pure Music and nothing more. I would describe LCD-4 the same, words do not matter anymore, music becomes so real that you just fail at describing it.
LCD-4 is very honest and true to the recording, and it is actually pretty hard to drive (the last version) I was on some songs at 85 volume from 100 from a 9W amplifier - Audio-GD Master 9. LCD-4 needs a top DAC and a top Amp, otherwise you will listen to the weakest chain in your audio setup and not LCD-4 to it's full potential.
Those 90 minutes passed as 5 minutes, and I was on my way home already thinking where to get that sum of cash. Some day, some year I will have an LCD-4.
Thanks Dan for the opportunity and Sankar for letting that happen!