[mlxx]

Im quite happy with my rig. But It would be Nice to try something Else. The 430had is the best i have tried. But i havent tried cavalli or violectric or any schiit products. Anyone compared the 430had to any of these?

Schitt amps would be a backward step, Violectric 281 is more of a side step.
The LAu is an option if you can find one, very good but is a bit too coloured for me. Forget the massdrop/monoprice ones.
In the same price range, there are not that many options as the 430 is already very good.
I would look at Hugo TT2, I have not heard it yet with the LCD4 though.
Or stick with the 430 and try a better dac like Hugo2 or Yggy, probably the dac is your weakest link.

I'm running the 4s out of a benchmark DAC 3 HGC. Sadly I can't really compare it to other dac/amp combos as it relates to "opening up", but it certainly seems to work quite well for my tastes. Until some magic headphone comes along that is what i'd call "holographic" I cant really see myself needed or wanting any other headphone.

Did your new LCD4 come with the head strap with the holes in it like on the 4z?
If not, they should change to using that one, it is better.

 

[801evan]

Oh, just got to see this review that explains better the technology of Bakoon and I just realized Audeze partnered up in the design of the amp.

"Speaker and headphone drivers produce sound by emitting vibration caused by electrical current flowing through a magnetic voice coil. Here the drive force of the voice coil F can be represented by this formula: F = I x B (force = current x magnetic field). As we see, the driving force is generated by current, not voltage. However, when driven by a voltage source with an impedance of Z, we use Ohm’s Law and substitute the above formula with this: I = E/Z (current = voltage/impedance) and F = E/Z x B.When driven by a voltage source, now impedance affects the driving force. The value of Z is comprised of voice coil reactance, capacitance, DC resistance and contact resistance all of which exhibit non-linear behavior to cause distortion errors in the driving force."



https://www.headfonia.com/bakoon-hpa-21-the-current-amp/

 

[Zurakx]

Did your new LCD4 come with the head strap with the holes in it like on the 4z?
If not, they should change to using that one, it is better.

No there are no holes in it. This strap does not really bother me, probably because im used to it at this point. At first i did feel quite a bit of pressure on the center of my head like the weight was not evenly distributed. Maybe it just caved in the top of my head or numbed the nerves. Either way I'm good now!

 

[F208Frank]

I'm running the 4s out of a benchmark DAC 3 HGC. Sadly I can't really compare it to other dac/amp combos as it relates to "opening up", but it certainly seems to work quite well for my tastes. Until some magic headphone comes along that is what i'd call "holographic" I cant really see myself needed or wanting any other headphone.

-ninja edit- Almost for got. Poor Relic, I know electrical theory pretty well. I just chose to stay out of the voltage, current, impedance, gigawatts debate

I actually had the HGC DAC3 as well for the 4z. I got that unit because the 4z was easier to drive. Then I went to CanJam and tried the 4 and I liked the 4 little more. So now I have the DAC3 B with the HPA4 AMP from Benchmark. I initially decided to get the 4z so that I can get away with not upgrading my source/amp but to trick myself into justifying the purchase of the 4, I told myself well.... getting the HPA4 amp would allow me to never really needing to upgrade amp anymore. Yeah stupid decisions I know. That is not to say that the 4z is not good, it is a VERY VERY good headphone and honestly I would be happy with either. Scary thing about Audeze is that I feel every time they release a new flagship, it is hard not to not want to upgrade to that flagship. I hope I can stay put because this hobby is getting really expensive. For the IEM section, I got customs so I am "forced" to stay put, haha, but with that said I really do like the customs I got and see myself being happy with them for a long time.

For the people who tried both the 4z and the 4, which is your favorite? The 4z is easier to drive and is more comfortable to wear but I was surprised to see that some people actually prefer the sound sig of the 4z over the 4. I guess people just have preferences but to me, I think the 4 was clearly better. (but not by much)

To sum it up, if someone has the gear to drive the LCD4, get the LCD4. If you do not have gear to drive LCD4, LCD4z was made for that reason and they are no slouch whatsoever and come very very close neck and neck... anyone disagree feel free to discuss.

 

[Dinrog]

Personally prefer the 4z but thats more because it sounds a bit less laid back to me. Has more trebleenergy and the lowend seems to differ too, but i cant really put my finger on it..Could live with both easily as well, the 4 has better pads to me because they arent as stiff but weighs 100g more, however i never had comfort issues with any Audeze so...

 

[jlbrach]

the 4z is every bit as good as the 4.....simply the more efficient version any differences are marginal

 

[MacedonianHero]

the 4z is every bit as good as the 4.....simply the more efficient version any differences are marginal

I tend to agree with this. I found the LCD-4 a tad wider sounding, but the upper mids/treble presentation was a tad more refined on the 4z. Six of one, half a dozen of the other IMO. I do have a slight preference for the 4z FWIW, but love both!

 

[jlbrach]

i found the 4z a bit wider sounding so go figure we all hear things differently which is why so much of this is subjective...we all have different levels of hearing....are different ages etc....

 

[MacedonianHero]

i found the 4z a bit wider sounding so go figure we all hear things differently which is why so much of this is subjective...we all have different levels of hearing....are different ages etc....

Could very well be as they were certainly closer to each other not.

 

[marcan]

And what about the sub/bass 4z vs 4?

 

[wdh777]

When did the LCD-4s first get introduced. What is the average audeze life cycle. When will the LCD-5s be introduced?

 

[erik701]

LCD-4 headphones have been released back in autumn 2015.

 

[erik701]

LCD-3 back in 2011, so yeah, if it's 4 years cycle, we should get LCD-5 this year

 

[F208Frank]

Hi guys, do the owners of LCD4 or 4z here use balanced XLR or unbalanced single ended headphone cables connected to your amp? What exactly is the difference between unbalanced single ended vs balanced XLR when it specifically comes to headphone cables?

Thanks in advance!

 

[sahmen]

Hi guys, do the owners of LCD4 or 4z here use balanced XLR or unbalanced single ended headphone cables connected to your amp? What exactly is the difference between unbalanced single ended vs balanced XLR when it specifically comes to headphone cables?

Thanks in advance!

I'd say it depends on the architecture of the amp. In amps that are designed with both SE and balanced circuitries, the balanced outputs tend to deliver a more robust, enhanced, and arguably noise-freer sound than the SE output. In amps that are designed this way, balanced XLR is the way to go. On my Violectric V281, for example, the difference between the balanced XLR and the SE connection is readily audible, and quite substantial.

On the other hand, there are some amps that are only designed with a single-ended circuitry, even though they may also have both SE and XLR balanced outputs. In such cases, both single-ended and XLR (balanced) connectors will sound the same, and there will be no real advantage in going balanced, unless you like the cosmetics of balanced connectors.