[geoffalter11]

The 4Z’s are warm, slow and flubby headphones. My HE-6SE’s driven well leave everything from Audeze well behind. They are tight, with great speed and slam, and go deep. Only downside is they’re hard to drive and the 4Z’s are extremely easy to drive.

I still have my Code X. It is the only headphone I will never let go.

The HE-6 is a picky bugger. But feed it properly and it will reward you with impeccable sonics. The sub bass is insane when driven to full power. My CFA3 loves that headphone. My Code X and CFA3 combo is the stuff of audio dreams. At least mine…

 

[rsbrsvp]

The 4Z’s are warm, slow and flubby headphones. My HE-6SE’s driven well leave everything from Audeze well behind. They are tight, with great speed and slam, and go deep. Only downside is they’re hard to drive and the 4Z’s are extremely easy to drive.

Not sure I'd use "flubby", but perhaps mellow. I love them..... Thick, rich, mellow- yet punchy with the right amp... Not slow at all with proper electronics behind them.....

 

[swedishpat]

The LCD-4 is materially heavier. It is well padded thus it doesn’t bother me at all but it is weighty. I like the Rögnir bass but prefer the Final’s texture. You could try a Final D8K non-pro as those are supposedly even more bassy or a used (don’t pay new pair price) Solitaire P as they have wider staging than the Final and more like the Rögnir, better mids, and very full bass.

Yes I tried all finals and the non-pro is very different with a ton of bass. I love that headphone. I sold my rognir planar because it had almost no bass but I probably had the neutral version. I don’t know. Would like to try the bass version if it’s any different.

 

[geoffalter11]

Not sure I'd use "flubby", but perhaps mellow. I love them..... Thick, rich, mellow- yet punchy with the right amp... Not slow at all with proper electronics behind them.....

I never found them to be slow either. I thought they were one of the great headphones no one ever talks about. Especially on my CFA3. They sounded so good... I guess we all like different things... I never used them as the end all in any certain way, I just thought they sounded good...

 

[rattler]

Considering LCD-4z, and want some advice.
I'm a metalhead and I like HPs that can really bring it in the bass department, otherwise I'm just not interested, I'm not flat FR or analytical sound.

I own the LCD-X, but I barely use it anymore, as they are really lacking in vocals compared to my other HPs and they are just not as good in general.

I was wondering if the LCD-4z is really like the LCD-4 (which I never tried but read about), or is it something else?
Can someone compare the LCD-4z with the LCD-X or with any other HPs I own - Rognir, D8000 Pro?

I have LCD X 2021, LCD 4Z from Feb 2023 & have heard the LCD 4 just once. LCD 4 seemed more bassy than the 4Z. While the LCD 4 is lush and rich sounding, 4Z is more resolving, to my ears
For metal, LCD 4 would be more enjoyable, in my opinion

 

[rsbrsvp]

4z is a cleaner sounding, more linear, more energetic, less lush (and less fuzzy) version of the 4. The 4 has more weight and more bass and more bloom, but the 4z is still considered a "thick" sounding headphone. I know "thick" is kind of a bad word in audiophile circles- but that would be my description- and I personally love "thick- when done properly.

 

[Alzberger]

I wanted to order the Audeze LCD-4z from a dealer. He replied that it is no longer manufactured, the LCD-5 is the successor, is that true?
Thanks!

 

[Articnoise]

I wanted to order the Audeze LCD-4z from a dealer. He replied that it is no longer manufactured, the LCD-5 is the successor, is that true?
Thanks!

I don't know but you can still buy it from Audeze and some other dealers.

https://www.audeze.com/products/lcd-4z

 

[polyexit]

Considering LCD-4z, and want some advice.
I'm a metalhead and I like HPs that can really bring it in the bass department, otherwise I'm just not interested, I'm not flat FR or analytical sound.

I own the LCD-X, but I barely use it anymore, as they are really lacking in vocals compared to my other HPs and they are just not as good in general.

I was wondering if the LCD-4z is really like the LCD-4 (which I never tried but read about), or is it something else?
Can someone compare the LCD-4z with the LCD-X or with any other HPs I own - Rognir, D8000 Pro?

I recently had a chance to compare the old LCD-X, the 2021 LCD-X, and the 4z.

The 2021 LCD-X and 4z are surprisingly similar. The 2021 X has a slightly wider sound stage, and has a slightly harsher sounding treble. It sounds ever so slightly more aggressive than the 4z.

Although minor, I prefer the 4z sound in every way. It has slightly more resolution across the frequency range. Even though the sound stage is slightly less wide, it seems to present classical music more accurately. Vocals are a bit more forward in mixes. The most important difference for me was in the treble. The 4z has the best treble I've ever heard in a headphone. It might be the only headphone with treble I like. I was doing some mixing on the 2021 X and ended up removing too much treble from the vocals. I could easily identify this with the 4z and correct it. Those corrections translated to my speakers. The 4z is as close to perfection as I've heard.

That said, the 2021 LCD-X was very close to the 4z, especially considering the price difference. If I learned to compensate for the minor issues I had with their treble, and never heard the 4z, I could happily live with the 2021 X. Also, the 4z is less comfortable on my head, and I personally prefer the look of the X.

As for the pre-2021 X, the copy I used were quite different than the 4z and 2021 X. There was more difference between the old X and new X in terms of frequency response than the 2021 X and the 4z. The old X had the widest sound stage of the three. Its mids sounded recessed compared to the other two. It had less detail than the other two. It had a more relaxed, mildly flabby sound, which I still really enjoy compared to most other headphones. Compared to most other headphones, I certainly wouldn't describe them as lacking detail or flabby, that's just compared to the 2021 X and 4z.

If you have the 2021 X and really dislike the sound, you'll probably dislike the 4z too.

 

[commtrd]

I love my 4z, when I can keep ads on them. Usualy takes about 3 months for the adhesive to start gumming up then the pads slip and then fall off. I replaced the pads several times myself and then sent them to Audeze so they replaced the pads, and about three months later same thing. So they sit in the box, I am using my Meze Elites and they sound just as good as my 4z, and lighter + more comfortable. It's a shame Audeze can't come up with a better way to mount pads, I may never use my 4z again but I love the way they sound. Oh well... prolly never buy Audeze again as long as they use adhesive tape rings to secure the pads. As expensive as they are it seems they could use a magnetic system or do like ZMF does their pads.

 

[senseitedj]

I love my 4z, when I can keep ads on them. Usualy takes about 3 months for the adhesive to start gumming up then the pads slip and then fall off. I replaced the pads several times myself and then sent them to Audeze so they replaced the pads, and about three months later same thing. So they sit in the box, I am using my Meze Elites and they sound just as good as my 4z, and lighter + more comfortable. It's a shame Audeze can't come up with a better way to mount pads, I may never use my 4z again but I love the way they sound. Oh well... prolly never buy Audeze again as long as they use adhesive tape rings to secure the pads. As expensive as they are it seems they could use a magnetic system or do like ZMF does their pads.

I’ve been using the same pads since 2022… not sure what’s going on there

 

[maggie17fan]

My LCD-3s I bought direct from Audeze in late 2022 has had one of the pads fall off (luckily it’s stayed on since), but my LCD-4s which were made in 2016 still have the original pads on them with no issues.

 

[Audeze]

I love my 4z, when I can keep ads on them. Usualy takes about 3 months for the adhesive to start gumming up then the pads slip and then fall off. I replaced the pads several times myself and then sent them to Audeze so they replaced the pads, and about three months later same thing. So they sit in the box, I am using my Meze Elites and they sound just as good as my 4z, and lighter + more comfortable. It's a shame Audeze can't come up with a better way to mount pads, I may never use my 4z again but I love the way they sound. Oh well... prolly never buy Audeze again as long as they use adhesive tape rings to secure the pads. As expensive as they are it seems they could use a magnetic system or do like ZMF does their pads.

Please email us at support@audeze.com for direct assistance.

 

[senseitedj]

how are fellow LCD-4z owners doing these days? I was just wondering if you tried pairing the 4z with a tube amp and how you found it?

It might sound silly to pair a 15-ohm headphone with a tube amp, but it actually has worked out quite well for me.

 

[ThanatosVI]

how are fellow LCD-4z owners doing these days? I was just wondering if you tried pairing the 4z with a tube amp and how you found it?

It might sound silly to pair a 15-ohm headphone with a tube amp, but it actually has worked out quite well for me.

As long as it's a transformer coupled tube amp it's fine.

OTLs might be less suited for a 15 Ohm load