[TheAbyss2022]

@TheAbyss2022 any suggest great cable for the lcd 4? thank you

This will do the job for a good price - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Balanced-C...-2-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1

If you want something more flashy then I would recommend something like the Arctic Cables Magnus - https://www.arcticcables.com/ac-store/Magnus-Elite-Series-p468978913

 

[Kozwoz]

what do u guys think about single ended stock vs 4 pin balance? should i get the aftermarket xlr cable or the stock audeze good enough? i have the lcd 4 coming soon and cant wait to hear it

I would get the termination you plan to use most. There’s plenty of powerful single ended amps that sound superior to balanced amps.

Personally I don’t like using balanced to single ended adapters. In my opinion the single ended cable sounds better than the one converted from balanced to single ended using an adaptor. I don’t have any proof for this but just how I hear it. It might be because the adaptor cable is adding or subtracting something. This is, if you believe cables make a difference. Each to their own.

 

[Derek Dean]

what do u guys think about single ended stock vs 4 pin balance? should i get the aftermarket xlr cable or the stock audeze good enough? i have the lcd 4 coming soon and cant wait to hear it

I think it depends on what you're going to be using as an amp. I'm using a Topping A30 Pro, which has about the same output for either single ended or balanced, and I've found the included Audeze single ended cable to be fantastic, both in build quality and sound, and even better than a nice custom made balanced cable that I had on hand, giving me just a little tighter and fuller low end.

So, I'd say wait and try the included single ended cable first. By the way, congratulations, I think you're in for a real treat. I will say this, though, don't be afraid to use EQ to adjust them to your own personal taste. Sometimes I listen without EQ, and depending on the source, they can sound great, but for me, 95% of my listening is with substantial EQ, and WOW, these are just super headphones. Have fun : )

 

[briantrinh86]

guys i think i will try the stock single ended to see how its sound first. If i like the sound signature i will get the aftermarket balance one.

 

[briantrinh86]

Really excited to try the lcd 4 to find out how its sound compared to ab1266 phi. I feel the phi’s low end it is not enough for some of my specific tracks. But the phi soundstage is incredibly wide and realism for live music

 

[Derek Dean]

Really excited to try the lcd 4 to find out how its sound compared to ab1266 phi. I feel the phi’s low end it is not enough for some of my specific tracks. But the phi soundstage is incredibly wide and realism for live music

I'll be very interested to hear your thoughts on how those two compare, as I've read many interesting reviews of the ab1266 phi.

 

[briantrinh86]

Yep, will have some impressive when i receive the 4

 

[TheAbyss2022]

Really excited to try the lcd 4 to find out how its sound compared to ab1266 phi. I feel the phi’s low end it is not enough for some of my specific tracks. But the phi soundstage is incredibly wide and realism for live music

Instrumental timbre, vocals, sub-bass, midrange is better on the LCD 4. The soundstage is probably the best out there on the AB1266 and more bass quantity.

 

[Tchoupitoulas]

Really excited to try the lcd 4 to find out how its sound compared to ab1266 phi. I feel the phi’s low end it is not enough for some of my specific tracks. But the phi soundstage is incredibly wide and realism for live music

The two headphones make for a good, complementary collection. I've got the 1266 Phi with CC pads and it's faster than the LCD-4, has a lighter, brighter sound, has snappier transients, more sub-bass rumble and depth, and a tighter, more precise bass presentation. The LCD-4 has a richer, darker, slightly wet or liquid quality to its sound and is wonderful for its midrange whereas the 1266 has slightly recessed mids. The bass of the LCD-4 is lovely in a more bloomy, textured, full way, with more mid-bass punch. The LCD-4 makes for a more intimate presentation with its narrower, smaller staging while the 1266 is open, spacious, and expansive. For me, the 1266 is about sheer excitement; the LCD-4 is for an immersive, more atmospheric experience. The LCD-4 is also more resolving through the mids; the 1266 seems more resolving in the bass and the treble, though.

 

[briantrinh86]

Yep i agreed about the phi ( i have it with the new pad and it much better than the old one) the phi is great on classical , rock or live music but i think i will appreciate the lcd 4 for vocal and more resolving midrange. The part i want to try the most is the bass to see how it stack up against the ab1266 tc (i did owned the tc last year but sold it , tc version have better bass response and texture than older versions), i also have the ee raven coming next month. It’s one of the bass monster as well. I just got a really good deal on the lcd 4 that I always keep my eyes on classicfied.

 

[jlbrach]

This will do the job for a good price - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Balanced-Compatible-Headphone-Replacement-upgrade/dp/B07M64P2DT/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=17W1RKMJJ63AX&keywords=audeze+lcd+4+cable&qid=1695930291&sprefix=audeze+lcd+4+cable,aps,67&sr=8-2-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1

If you want something more flashy then I would recommend something like the Arctic Cables Magnus - https://www.arcticcables.com/ac-store/Magnus-Elite-Series-p468978913

nothing at all wrong with the stock..have to spend a lot more to improve on it IMHO

 

[Lokust]

Using the stock single-ended and quite happy with it. I remember asking the same question a while back.

 

[thefitz]

I would get the termination you plan to use most. There’s plenty of powerful single ended amps that sound superior to balanced amps.

Personally I don’t like using balanced to single ended adapters. In my opinion the single ended cable sounds better than the one converted from balanced to single ended using an adaptor. I don’t have any proof for this but just how I hear it. It might be because the adaptor cable is adding or subtracting something. This is, if you believe cables make a difference. Each to their own.

My understanding is that balanced outputs offer twice the current as single ended outputs - and if this is the case, hard to drive planars like the LCD-4 would absolutely, positively benefit from a balanced connection.

However, a secret sauce there is that the amount of gain used definitely has an impact on the sound of a headphone, so you may want to consider that as well. Schiit stuff is twice the gain in balanced mode relative to the same gain settings single-ended.

 

[KaiSc]

I think the new pads bring a lot of improvements - reduced weight, improved comfort, more linear mids and treble. I think the improvements are substantial. However I still miss the bass. Bass is tighter but has lost grit and slam like it’s being tamed. Bass doesn’t resonate the same way as before.

Would I go back - probably not. The withdrawn upper mid range and the crazy peaks past 7khz and beyond have been ironed out a bit.

I guess people should know that the new pads change the flavour of the bass. I don’t think this has been covered adequately in reviews. I don’t see this particular aspect as a positive change.

The other thing to note is that the ear sits much closer to the driver. In fact some people find their ears now touch the mesh. If you have big ears I guess this could be an issue. Due to increased proximity the soundstage is more intimate and the sound literally feels closer to you so depth of field is different. Can’t say yet if this is good or bad.

Edit: i don’t mean the soundstage is smaller. In fact the sound feels less congested and instruments have more air to breathe but it still feels like the sound is closer to your ear.

AUDEZE earpads overview:
Maybe other can add some information too.

• Pre LCD-4: my LCD-2-revision-2 is all original, has relatively stiff foam, and is significantly more angled, almost twice as much - front part is thinner.


Earpads on the LCD-4:

• The 1st version LCD-4 ones on the 100 Ohm first LCD-4.

• Added an underlying foam ring, to allow a tiny bit of air pressure to escape, to remedy the high driver failure rate.

The foam ring was continued being used when AUDEZE switched to the 200 Ohm driver version.

• Somewhere during this period there might have been a change in height, as reports say the older ones had been higher.

• Current (2022/23) version without foam ring, same height and angling like the last foam ring version, but slightly softer foam - where the difference might even origin from aging.

• I‘m not sure if there was a vegan, non-leather offering for the LCD-4?

 

[KaiSc]

My understanding is that balanced outputs offer twice the current as single ended outputs - and if this is the case, hard to drive planars like the LCD-4 would absolutely, positively benefit from a balanced connection.

However, a secret sauce there is that the amount of gain used definitely has an impact on the sound of a headphone, so you may want to consider that as well. Schiit stuff is twice the gain in balanced mode relative to the same gain settings single-ended.

Balanced offers the same Current, but twice the Voltage = 6 dB more.
Voltage is the more important factor anyway on the relatively high 200 Ohm impedance LCD-4.

Due to the high impedance LCD-4 draws almost negligible Current (Ohms Law).
This makes it a good pairing with OTL tube amps, something I can confirm here.


Low Current, for an solid state- or tube-amp, even means less and softer distortions.
With low Current an amp can stay in Class-A-Mode, avoiding crossover distortions.