[pippen99]

WA5 and WA33 could be two of my most favourite amps to powered LCD4 (Along with Cavali liquid gold for SS amplification). They come with the higher price though.

Currently enjoying my LCD-4 through the WA33 EE or Cavalli Lau. Both are sublime. Good luck with finding a Lau. One comes up for sale about once a year. I am prejudiced but maybe the best SS headphone amp ever.

 

[jepblep]

I have heard 3 out of 5. I have not heard the Hugo TT2 but am skeptical of its ability to properly run the 4. If it was anything but a 4 or an Abyss it would probably be at the top of the list. I have no knowledge at all of the RME. Never heard one, never seen one. I have heard the V281 and the GS-X MkII and was not overly impressed with either though if it came down to a choice I would prefer the Headamp signature to the V281. The Bryston is a fine piece of equipment. A friend has run his 4 with a BHA-1 for years and loves it. I found it to be very good with the 4. The one other I would be put on your list is the Wells Audio Milo. A truly powerful piece of kit that can drive anything and is available in various levels of configuration.

I notice everything on your list is SS. I do not subscribe to the line of thought that Planars don't work well on tube amps. You don't specifically mention a budget or if you are considering used but I ran my 4 off a Woo WA5 for years and loved it. A WA5 of any vintage would sound great with the 4. Good luck in your search!

Thanks so much for your response and sharing of your experience - noted on the BHA-1 and Wells Audio Milo. In terms of budget, which I should have specified, I'm trying to contain everything within 3-4K GBP, so that looks like a WA5 might just squeeze in, although leaving very little for a TOTL DAC. I can't find any used either, anywhere. Might be worth the hunt...

In terms of your skepticism towards the TT2, would you mind elaborating on that? I was under the impression that with the new version, it had a significant amount more power behind it, compared to say the TT or the Hugo 2. Happy to concede to your experience, but just curious what makes you say this?

the WA5le and the HeadAmp GSX mk2. Both have plenty of power and control of the LCD4. I have used them for about 2 years with my LCD4. Of the two I prefer the Woo. The GSX is very neutral. So if you are looking for a V shaped amp that isn't it. But it has good staging and is very fast. It lets the LCD4 shine for what it is. No coloring the sound. The Woo highlights the beautiful mid-range of the LCD4.

Noted on those two, thanks so much! Another vote for the WA5...

If you’ve got Chord TT2 money and you’re considering the V281 then you should look at it’s successor from Violectric, the V590. It’s got a much better built in dac than the one that featured in the V281 and it sounds better too—with more texture and better dynamics. The V281 is now retired actually so you can probably only pick one up on the used market anyway. I only heard the V590 at CanJam and then with the LCD-X, but I have it’s older brother the Niimbus US4+ and I owned the V281 for years, so I feel confident saying the V590 will sound real good with the LCD-4.

Thanks so much for those suggestions - I must have a look into the V590 and US4+ - admittedly, I've completely missed the introduction of the V590 and—at least on paper—it seems to be ticking a lot of boxes, for sure!

I have the BHA-1 and ADI-2 pro. They both drive the LCD-4 nicely. Purely as an amp, I prefer the BHA-1, but would be happy with the ADI-2 pro.

How would you describe the sound signature of the ADI-2 in comparison to the BHA-1, which seems a strong favourite? In everything that I'm reading about the ADI-2, it is positioned as a piece of pro audio equipment and, as such, is super neutral (some may say lifeless), but then with the addition of a live EQ, I'm guessing it can model whatever you want? Or is that too shortsighted?

Benchmark DAC3 + HPA4. Compact end game desktop friendly stack.

Can't deny that looks sexy as hell. How would you describe the sound signature of the HPA4?

GSX Mk 2 audition I enjoyed recently was superb with the LCD4. That hp needs a little more attack and articulation supplied by its amp if you ask me and GSX2 provides that nicely.

Thanks for that insight!

I’ve been using the Mytek Brooklyn Bridge and it’s a phenomenal all around that sounds phenomenal with lcd-4. You can get the Brooklyn dac + without streamer for much cheaper through a reputable dealer.

Have completely missed that - will definitely be looking into Mytek and their offerings. Thanks so much!

For more fun, my SET amp is that in spades and the bass is to die for..very holographic and 3D . It is nice to have options.

Apologies for not recognising the terminology, but what SET amp would that be? You're describing things I like, very much.

My Moon 430 HA works well with my LCD4 headphones. The Moon is a nice upgrade from my Taurus Mk2 which I still have but only keep as a spare amp just in case.

Having just read a couple of reviews on the Simaudio Moon, it does read like it ticks a lot of boxes! Pardon the frankness, but not the most beautiful piece of kit and seems to be quite large, very much at home in a hifi system, but perhaps less so on top of a desk. Very interesting though, thanks for sharing!

I have a dac3 and like it.

Straight and to the point, I like it.

V281 would be a solid choice based on your "request" sound: warm, fun, and bass punch. No. it's not a dark sounding amp, in fact TT2 would produce less treble quantity.

TT2 has kind of balance sound with super smooth transition from treble to midrange to bass, so no aggressive impact or wild bass punch here.

RME (as dac + amp) provide neutral-balance sound type, that perhaps produce a little lifeless feeling, so no lively impact here.

GSX MkII has linear character, big soundstage, good clarity of sound, with speedy tight bass. It could sound fun because of the transient, soundstage, and micro detail that clearly pick up. However, it won't adding any warmness to LCD4.

Never heard Bryston.

WA5 and WA33 could be two of my most favourite amps to powered LCD4 (Along with Cavali liquid gold for SS amplification). They come with the higher price though.

Additional note: All good amps mention here have high level of transparency too, so your dac choice may affect the sound significantly.

Another vote for the Woo-family then. Thanks so much for the notes on the amps I mentioned, that's super helpful, particularly to hear how you may have experienced them in reference to each other. You wouldn't happen to have auditioned the V590 yet, would you?

 

[pippen99]

In terms of your skepticism towards the TT2, would you mind elaborating on that? I was under the impression that with the new version, it had a significant amount more power behind it, compared to say the TT or the Hugo 2. Happy to concede to your experience, but just curious what makes you say this?

As I said I have never heard it. Mostly going by statements on both sides of the question. Enough on each side to think that it would be a very personal decision if it worked for you.

 

[jambaj0e]

As I said I have never heard it. Mostly going by statements on both sides of the question. Enough on each side to think that it would be a very personal decision if it worked for you.

@kyle1010 can answer that. He owns the LCD-4 and Hugo TT2. In my opinion,the TT2 can run the LCD-4 just fine, though.

 

[Senndo]

Thanks so much for your response and sharing of your experience - noted on the BHA-1 and Wells Audio Milo. In terms of budget, which I should have specified, I'm trying to contain everything within 3-4K GBP, so that looks like a WA5 might just squeeze in, although leaving very little for a TOTL DAC. I can't find any used either, anywhere. Might be worth the hunt...

In terms of your skepticism towards the TT2, would you mind elaborating on that? I was under the impression that with the new version, it had a significant amount more power behind it, compared to say the TT or the Hugo 2. Happy to concede to your experience, but just curious what makes you say this?




Noted on those two, thanks so much! Another vote for the WA5...




Thanks so much for those suggestions - I must have a look into the V590 and US4+ - admittedly, I've completely missed the introduction of the V590 and—at least on paper—it seems to be ticking a lot of boxes, for sure!




How would you describe the sound signature of the ADI-2 in comparison to the BHA-1, which seems a strong favourite? In everything that I'm reading about the ADI-2, it is positioned as a piece of pro audio equipment and, as such, is super neutral (some may say lifeless), but then with the addition of a live EQ, I'm guessing it can model whatever you want? Or is that too shortsighted?




Can't deny that looks sexy as hell. How would you describe the sound signature of the HPA4?




Thanks for that insight!




Have completely missed that - will definitely be looking into Mytek and their offerings. Thanks so much!




Apologies for not recognising the terminology, but what SET amp would that be? You're describing things I like, very much.




Having just read a couple of reviews on the Simaudio Moon, it does read like it ticks a lot of boxes! Pardon the frankness, but not the most beautiful piece of kit and seems to be quite large, very much at home in a hifi system, but perhaps less so on top of a desk. Very interesting though, thanks for sharing!




Straight and to the point, I like it.




Another vote for the Woo-family then. Thanks so much for the notes on the amps I mentioned, that's super helpful, particularly to hear how you may have experienced them in reference to each other. You wouldn't happen to have auditioned the V590 yet, would you?

I myself have the LCD4/430HA combo. It’s a little unengaging, just because the LCD4’s sound is dark and the amp is soft (though not unresolving: it just lacks sufficiently forward-sounding articulation). That said, at my local dealer the combo sounded much better: their LCD4 sounds much less dark and more neutral.

The GSX MK2 solves this problem, I think. On the other hand, if you have a neutral HP that’s excellent for critical listening, like the HD800S, the expansive soundstage and large sounding yet slightly softened presentation of the 430HA is utterly mesmerizing.

At this level you gotta match gear.

 

[jepblep]

@kyle1010 can answer that. He owns the LCD-4 and Hugo TT2. In my opinion,the TT2 can run the LCD-4 just fine, though.

That would be super helpful to hear about!

 

[jepblep]

I myself have the LCD4/430HA combo. It’s a little unengaging, just because the LCD4’s sound is dark and the amp is soft (though not unresolving: it just lacks sufficiently forward-sounding articulation). That said, at my local dealer the combo sounded much better: their LCD4 sounds much less dark and more neutral.

The GSX MK2 solves this problem, I think. On the other hand, if you have a neutral HP that’s excellent for critical listening, like the HD800S, the expansive soundstage and large sounding yet slightly softened presentation of the 430HA is utterly mesmerizing.

At this level you gotta match gear.

That's actually really interesting to hear about - I always assumed that the consistency from HP to HP for the same model at this tier would be pretty strong. Having said that, I've been surprised by the lack of warmth and depth of my pair of LCD-4, in comparison to, say, my Fostex TH-X00. I've always contributed this to the fact that the LCD-4 are being "underdriven", if that's a thing, reading about many cases where people haven't gotten the best out of their LCD-4 until they got something more powerful to drive them, resulting in a bit of an "a-ha" moment.

 

[Senndo]

That's actually really interesting to hear about - I always assumed that the consistency from HP to HP for the same model at this tier would be pretty strong. Having said that, I've been surprised by the lack of warmth and depth of my pair of LCD-4, in comparison to, say, my Fostex TH-X00. I've always contributed this to the fact that the LCD-4 are being "underdriven", if that's a thing, reading about many cases where people haven't gotten the best out of their LCD-4 until they got something more powerful to drive them, resulting in a bit of an "a-ha" moment.

There’s no question a lack of power will produce those kinds of symptoms: my comments would apply after power is accounted for, comparing amp to amp. In this particular case, my LCD4 and the one in the store sounded different on the same powerful amp. Theirs is admittedly well worn, so perhaps there’s more burn in or simply looser pads at play!

 

[TheMiddleSky]

Another vote for the Woo-family then. Thanks so much for the notes on the amps I mentioned, that's super helpful, particularly to hear how you may have experienced them in reference to each other. You wouldn't happen to have auditioned the V590 yet, would you?

yeah, currently no experience with newer model from lake people (included nimbus)

That's actually really interesting to hear about - I always assumed that the consistency from HP to HP for the same model at this tier would be pretty strong. Having said that, I've been surprised by the lack of warmth and depth of my pair of LCD-4, in comparison to, say, my Fostex TH-X00. I've always contributed this to the fact that the LCD-4 are being "underdriven", if that's a thing, reading about many cases where people haven't gotten the best out of their LCD-4 until they got something more powerful to drive them, resulting in a bit of an "a-ha" moment.

it's been more than a year I heard TH-X00, I couldn't really remember exactly the sound. What I still remember is they are a bit muffled sounding compare to TOTL headphones. Perhaps "warmness" you mentioned was about this muddy effect.

No, higher power amp wouldn't provide warmer/thicker sound. Lets say more neutral sounding and powerful amplifier like GSX mkII prove this theory well.

 

[Swisshead]

Short question to the LCD-4 experts! I've been dreaming of an LCD-4 for a long time, but now it's too expensive, not because of the price, but the price/performance ratio doesn't fit for me.

Now I would have the opportunity to buy a used one. The price would be 2000 USD. It should be a 2015 model. He also writes that it is the Pre-Fazor model. That made me a little bit suspicious.

Hence my question, was the LCD-4 even available as a Pre-Fazor? He also has the carbon headband. Probably retrofitted. What year did Audeze start shipping this one? If it is a Pre-Fazor, is it worth buying? How does the sound differ? I know many questions, but I would be grateful for expert advice. He also sent me a video. It should be in very good condition, a few micro-scratches on the chrome grill, nothing more. Technically it should be flawless. But the Audeze aren't so fussy about that either. So, is the price OK?

 

[Jvincent]

Short question to the LCD-4 experts! I've been dreaming of an LCD-4 for a long time, but now it's too expensive, not because of the price, but the price/performance ratio doesn't fit for me.

Now I would have the opportunity to buy a used one. The price would be 2000 USD. It should be a 2015 model. He also writes that it is the Pre-Fazor model. That made me a little bit suspicious.

Hence my question, was the LCD-4 even available as a Pre-Fazor? He also has the carbon headband. Probably retrofitted. What year did Audeze start shipping this one? If it is a Pre-Fazor, is it worth buying? How does the sound differ? I know many questions, but I would be grateful for expert advice. He also sent me a video. It should be in very good condition, a few micro-scratches on the chrome grill, nothing more. Technically it should be flawless. But the Audeze aren't so fussy about that either. So, is the price OK?

If you are suspicious at all I would wait. Used LCD-4's at the 2k price come around pretty often. A good LCD-4 is well worth 2k though.

 

[koven]

Short question to the LCD-4 experts! I've been dreaming of an LCD-4 for a long time, but now it's too expensive, not because of the price, but the price/performance ratio doesn't fit for me.

Now I would have the opportunity to buy a used one. The price would be 2000 USD. It should be a 2015 model. He also writes that it is the Pre-Fazor model. That made me a little bit suspicious.

Hence my question, was the LCD-4 even available as a Pre-Fazor? He also has the carbon headband. Probably retrofitted. What year did Audeze start shipping this one? If it is a Pre-Fazor, is it worth buying? How does the sound differ? I know many questions, but I would be grateful for expert advice. He also sent me a video. It should be in very good condition, a few micro-scratches on the chrome grill, nothing more. Technically it should be flawless. But the Audeze aren't so fussy about that either. So, is the price OK?

He probably means it's the original 100 ohm drivers, which it would be if it was a 2015 unit because they switched to 200 ohm early 2016.
2000 USD is a fair price, but I would wait for a 200 ohm version because it is less prone to failure and most people feel it sounds better.

 

[pippen99]

The price is about right. The lowest I have seen an LCD-4 is $1800. One thing you need to make sure is that it is a 200 ohm model. The first (2015) shipped were 100 ohm models. Though some preferred the sound of the 100 ohm to the 200 ohm the first models were basically hand grenades looking for a place to explode. Remember also that a 2015 model is long out of warranty. To the best of my knowledge LCD-4 had fazors from the get go. I have had my LCD-4 since 2016 and they were on my head when your post popped up.

 

[Swisshead]

Yes then I already assume that it is a 100Ohm model. In Switzerland the LCD-4 are extremely rare and sell very badly. There are also only very few Audeze dealers here. At that time anyway, today there are a few more, since Audeze is much more known. Therefore I think, is a 100Ohm. Means if a dealer has a model in stock, it could stay there longer. And if he writes, Pre Fazor it's certainly a 100 Ohm.

But is it true that Fazor was only introduced with the 200Ohm drivers?

Thanks for the warning about driver defects with the 100 ohms. I wasn't aware of that either. I just bought the LCD-X new in 2018. I'm very happy with it, but the charm of the LCD-4. I have the i4 and am absolutely thrilled with it. For me one of the very best Audeze models!

 

[Swisshead]

How long has the LCD-4 been around?