[up late]

Would you guys suggest possibly saving for the Aybyss? The ratings on here have been amazing for it. I know its another jump $$ wise but it seems like they blow both the HEK and the 800S out of the water. I do understand though there is diminishing returns at this point.

i wish the the answer to your question was as simple as that but it isn't ime

As a side bar I have the susvara on loan for a week and own 800S, in my limited and humble opinion at this refrence level of 2000-6000$ hp, no one can blows anyone out of the water. Some cans have a bit more this to a bit more that and this or that my be more to your liking. If $ are of no concern get em all. While I'm not finished my listening that I'll post in the susvara thread, the 800S is an amazing can and if you are concerned about $ is hard to beat, but it does have a particular sig. the susvara like a fine borollo tho just gets better in the decanter the longer you listen.
I would love to home test lcd4, that will be next.

it's more a matter of this ^

Personally I think there's no contest between HEK LCD4 HD800 etc vs Abyss. I would say that the Abyss are on another level and I generally don't overstate differences. Can't really hear much difference (if at all) between DACs, I think amps (provided the specs are suitable) play a fairly small part in the overall sound of a headphone. But I would say the gap between Abyss and everything else (that I have tried so far) is significant.

I mean, I'm not just blindly in love with them to the point where I would still sing their praises if something better came out. If someone comes out with a better headphone, I won't even be mad - I'll just buy it. If something better comes along I will happily make the switch. For me, personally, not only has nothing beat it yet, but nothing has even come close to equalling it.

IMO IMO

...IMO

I don't want to cause any arguments but I think people should have a variety of opinions before forming a decision.

Wait, scratch that.

I don't think anyone should spend this much money on gear without hearing it for themselves. It is so much a matter of personal taste it's impossible to tell what is best for you from reading about what other people like.

and not this ^

i do agree with the last sentence, however. i think it's also worth mentioning that both the lcd4 and abyss are two of the heaviest headphones on the market. so if long-term comfort is important to you, then you owe it to yourself to factor that in to your criteria for consideration.

 

[nickosiris]

"I don't think anyone should spend this much money on gear without hearing it for themselves. It is so much a matter of personal taste it's impossible to tell what is best for you from reading about what other people like."

This. Strong opinions are fine and entertaining but I want to reply to about half of all the opinions on Head Fi that the strong opinions voiced are those of ONE person and are neither 'right' or 'wrong'. I'm a huge LCD-4 fan, but I would never tell a huge Abyss fan that they are wrong. At the end of the day when you're spending this much money you owe it to yourself to test drive the equipment yourself.

 

[pav13]

i wish the the answer to your question was as simple as that but it isn't ime


it's more a matter of this ^




and not this ^

i do agree with the last sentence, however. i think it's also worth mentioning that both the lcd4 and abyss are two of the heaviest headphones on the market. so if long-term comfort is important to you, then you owe it to yourself to factor that in to your criteria for consideration.

"I don't think anyone should spend this much money on gear without hearing it for themselves. It is so much a matter of personal taste it's impossible to tell what is best for you from reading about what other people like."

This. Strong opinions are fine and entertaining but I want to reply to about half of all the opinions on Head Fi that the strong opinions voiced are those of ONE person and are neither 'right' or 'wrong'. I'm a huge LCD-4 fan, but I would never tell a huge Abyss fan that they are wrong. At the end of the day when you're spending this much money you owe it to yourself to test drive the equipment yourself.

Thanks to both of you. Makes sense. I think I am still too new in this game for big jumps. Might try the 800S first, see how they compare with the 6XX and go slow. I know you probably just gave me the most repeated advice on these sites, but it helps to hear it again.

 

[Gondwana]

Soundtracks are amazing on these. Earth 2077, from the oblivion soundtrack is breathtaking.

 

[Sweetmeat]

"I don't think anyone should spend this much money on gear without hearing it for themselves. It is so much a matter of personal taste it's impossible to tell what is best for you from reading about what other people like."

That's great advice if you live near a big city or know someone with TOTL headphones. For the rest of us, we are buying our headphones based on reviews and opinions we read on sites like this and Innerfidelity. So far it's served me well.

 

[mulder01]

That's great advice if you live near a big city or know someone with TOTL headphones. For the rest of us, we are buying our headphones based on reviews and opinions we read on sites like this and Innerfidelity. So far it's served me well.

That's a fair enough excuse if you're buying reasonably priced stuff, but with the climbing cost of summit fi gear, it's becoming more and more worthwhile to get yourself to a store where you can hear these things. If you were in the market for an LCD-4 and wanted to make 100% sure that it was the summit-fi headphone for you, you would have to buy LCD-4, Abyss, HEK, HD800/S, Susvara, Utopia and maybe even more without even including Stax. So you buy $24k worth of headphones and decide to keep the LCD-4 and sell the other $20k worth of headphones for, say, 60% of retail value and you're out of pocket $8k to be 100% sure you've made the right TOTL choice. And that's just headphones - you need a whole system.
I don't live near a store where I can hear this stuff, but whenever a few new flagship items catch my interest I get on a plane and go have a listen. My last $300 flight saved me buying a number of items with 4 figure price tags. Even if I had to take an international flight to find that out, it would have been well worth my while.
Sure you can buy a pair of headphones and like it, but do you know 100% that it was the right choice for you? Unless you listen to the rest of the products on the market, no.

 

[HanyTheo]

Some dsp i did for my 100z lcd4 w/ hugo2 pairing. Sounds fantastic. The H2 is still able to drive em with lots of headroom left even though i lose 4db of gain on compensation

 

[jlbrach]

you have a month to audition the LCD-4 i believe so one could buy them and get a pretty good idea if they are right for them in that month

 

[Eduardo C]

After much hesitation I decided to trust John Atkinson and bought the PassLabs PHA-1 to drive my LCD-4s.

In a word WOW!!!

I was afraid the power would be lacking, but that is not the case at all. The volume knob is at 9 most of the time for my listening levels. Rarely do I feel I need to turn it up a notch.

But the sound, omg the sound. The PHA-1 is simply wonderful with the LCD-4s. What I have is strong, full, effortless sound. I was already in love with these HPs, but this is simply another level altogether. Compared with my previous Sennheiser HDVA600 the Audezes are now much more clear and transparent. Bass is even better much to my surprise since I used to think that could not be improved, but it is! Mids are wonderful and the treble opened up quite a bit.

What a wonderful combo. If someone is considering this amp and have reservations due to some conflicting reports, fear not. THIS is what the LCD-4s deserve!

Sonos connect -> Chord 2qute -> PassLabs HPA-1 -> LCD-4

 

[seamon]

I am thinking of getting a LCD 4 soon as I liked them a lot during Axpona. I am thinking of getting a Questyle CMA600i to pair them with, do you guys think that the CMA600i will be enough for the LCD 4?

 

[jlbrach]

the lcd-4 is fabulous you wont be disappointed...i use my chord dave with them but also have a moon 430 that i can use as well if necessary...they do require serious power to shine

 

[rgs9200m]

You might also try a ZMF Eikon. I have the LCD4 too and they are both way up there in sonics (musicality, bass, insight, sweetness, speed).

 

[seamon]

You might also try a ZMF Eikon. I have the LCD4 too and they are both way up there in sonics (musicality, bass, insight, sweetness, speed).

Tried it. Too much Treble, mids are very average, almost no air and bass does not have that planar texture and definition(courtesy of them being dynamic).
Pretty much my worst purchase in headfi

 

[rgs9200m]

OK then. Thanks for the forthright impressions. If you do get the LCD4 I strongly suggest you try to get your hands on a Norne Draug cable for it. It's a magic cable; removes fatigue in the upper mids/highs and tightens up bass at the same time.

You always have to be a little careful with Audeze since they can exhibit some glare if you don't treat them right upstream (including the cable). The LCD4 is no exception. It is very clear and does not conceal things at any frequency. It does not sugarcoat digital glare in vocals.

(My 2 cents: it also is transformative with the Eikon the more I listen to it, sweetening the highs.)

 

[seamon]

OK then. Thanks for the forthright impressions. If you do get the LCD4 I strongly suggest you try to get your hands on a Norne Draug cable for it. It's a magic cable; removes fatigue in the upper mids/highs and tightens up bass at the same time.
(My 2 cents: it also is transformative with the Eikon the more I listen to it, sweetening the highs.)

What do you use to drive the LCD 4?