Since these headphones contain the dark "Audeze" sound signature, I prefer the LCD-4 with leather earpads and a silver cable. Doing so helps the overall sound to be more neutral/natural to my ears. That's just me though. Other opinions are welcome.
Those with properly amped LCD-4s..and by properly I mean 1-4W..would you say the 4s have the bass impact and slam of the LCD-Xs but the smooth mids and highs of the 3s? Only reason I ask this way is because I've listened to the 4s multiple times on different amps at Canjam and T.H.E. Newport show and they were kinda boring. The amps were Chord Dave as dac/amp, Audeze King, and Audeze Deckard. All produced a very clean but snoozefest of a sound from the LCD-4s. Very 2 dimensional and dry. I'm coming from the Xs which I swapped out for an LCD-3C due to the Xs upper mid/lower treble harshness. The 3C solves that problem but I miss the Xs slam, soundstage, and imaging. I'll save up for a pair of 4s if I can have it all in one package, but with the amps I've heard them on, they just sounded "ok". I currently use a WA22 and Chord Mojo as dac for the 3Cs and it's lovely. Would use the same system for the 4s but not sure if they have that rich, liquid, 3D magic I heard with the X's or my 3Cs.
I'll gladly answer this one. The 4s take the best of LCD-X and the LCD-3 (Bass and Details) and takes it up a notch. Yes, the LCD-4 has the best bass I have heard on a headphone, and the slam is there. You need an amp that can handle the 4s, and none of those you mentioned can do that. I was very disappointed with the Audeze King amp, it was supposed to have been made specifically for the 4s but lacks the power to bring out the best from it. The Deckard has enough power for the other LCDs, but not the 4s, and the Dave, which I own, pairs very well with less power hungry headphones like the Utopia, but doesn't have enough juice to make the 4s sing. I currently power my 4s with ampsandsound Mogwai, it has more than enough power to get the 4s to shine. If you heard the 4s only on the three you mentioned, it would be a similar experience to taking a super car and driving it in traffic. It will bore you and make you wonder why you wasted your money. When you pair the LCD-4s with a powerful amp, it's like taking that same supercar to the track and unleashing it. You didn't hear the LCD-4's true potential, it's a pretty awesome headphone.
Those with properly amped LCD-4s..and by properly I mean 1-4W..would you say the 4s have the bass impact and slam of the LCD-Xs but the smooth mids and highs of the 3s? Only reason I ask this way is because I've listened to the 4s multiple times on different amps at Canjam and T.H.E. Newport show and they were kinda boring. The amps were Chord Dave as dac/amp, Audeze King, and Audeze Deckard. All produced a very clean but snoozefest of a sound from the LCD-4s. Very 2 dimensional and dry. I'm coming from the Xs which I swapped out for an LCD-3C due to the Xs upper mid/lower treble harshness. The 3C solves that problem but I miss the Xs slam, soundstage, and imaging. I'll save up for a pair of 4s if I can have it all in one package, but with the amps I've heard them on, they just sounded "ok". I currently use a WA22 and Chord Mojo as dac for the 3Cs and it's lovely. Would use the same system for the 4s but not sure if they have that rich, liquid, 3D magic I heard with the X's or my 3Cs.
When you use the term boring to describe the LCD4, are you talking about the same level of boredom of the HE560?
You and Tyll say it is boring, but how?
The LCD-4 is anything but boring,it is a fabulous HP that I have been listening to more than my Utopia....The Dave does a good job with the LCD-4 and there are only scant few musical passages that require my Moon 430....I can most definitely understand people who like the sound better with the amp but the Dave does a fine job with the LCD-4 on its own and is incredibly transparent
Drive them with First watt J2 - Incredible
with Balanced Beta 22 (10X gain) - Excellent (almost touches J2 performance)
with Master 11 - Great
with Hifiman EF-6 - Very good
with MP-301 MK3 - Lifeless, clipping, and almost dead!
Drive them with First watt J2 - Incredible
with Balanced Beta 22 (10X gain) - Excellent (almost touches J2 performance)
with Master 11 - Great
with Hifiman EF-6 - Very good
with MP-301 MK3 - Lifeless, clipping, and almost dead!
Those with properly amped LCD-4s..and by properly I mean 1-4W..would you say the 4s have the bass impact and slam of the LCD-Xs but the smooth mids and highs of the 3s? Only reason I ask this way is because I've listened to the 4s multiple times on different amps at Canjam and T.H.E. Newport show and they were kinda boring. The amps were Chord Dave as dac/amp, Audeze King, and Audeze Deckard. All produced a very clean but snoozefest of a sound from the LCD-4s. Very 2 dimensional and dry. I'm coming from the Xs which I swapped out for an LCD-3C due to the Xs upper mid/lower treble harshness. The 3C solves that problem but I miss the Xs slam, soundstage, and imaging. I'll save up for a pair of 4s if I can have it all in one package, but with the amps I've heard them on, they just sounded "ok". I currently use a WA22 and Chord Mojo as dac for the 3Cs and it's lovely. Would use the same system for the 4s but not sure if they have that rich, liquid, 3D magic I heard with the X's or my 3Cs.
If you heard it for yourself and didn't like it, why on earth would you buy it?
Many people love the Dave on it's own for LCD-4 / Abyss etc, even though output power is low and they are power hungry headphones.
And even if the amps you heard were to blame, how much would an LCD-4 + your ideal amp cost, and how much better would it be than what you already have?
More expensive does not necessarily mean more suited to your taste. I have found this time and time again personally, especially with speakers. It sounds like you have opportunities to hear the 4's every now and again, so why don't you just wait until you hear a combo that really wows you first, rather than buy the headphone, take a guess on the amp, and try and convince yourself that you like it...
My LCD 4's are on the way and I have the Mjolnir 2. Are they good enough to drive them?
I'm currently dead broke and have no plans for an amp upgrade in near future.
EDIT: A quick calculation shows 1.3 W at 200 ohms. Audeze says 1 - 4 W. So I'm guessing the Mjolnir 2 is only OK to drive them?
I also calculated the ragnarok and it comes to 2.4 W which is also just decent for double the price? Any thoughts?
EDIT 2: Seems like the Mjolnir 2 is powerful than the First watt j2? Are my calculations are wrong?
Very initial impressions:
- Much much more resolving compared to the LCD3 F.
- Less boxy compared to the LCD3 F.
- Less forward compared to the LCD3 F.
- I have mixed feelings about the musicality, for some reason I miss the warmth of LCD3 F.
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