[commtrd]

My set have become uber bass monsters -but- super tightly controlled clean and did I say hard hitting? These things are sick. They passed 200 hours many moons ago and I think they are pretty much where they are going to be.

I cannot fathom at all how some say the upper mids and vocals fall into a hole. Violins and cymbals both are reproduced faithfully and complex passages are duck soup for these cans.

Frankly I cant hardly imagine anything other than extreme high dollar loudspeaker systems sounding a whole lot better. Just my opinion though...

 

[terminatetrails]

Finally joined the club today thanks to a great deal from another head-fi'er! The 4z's are just amazing hp's, just like I remember from extensive auditioning sessions in a hot room this summer. Personally I wouldn't want to have to choose between these and Utopia. They are certainly different but I love both. Looking forward to some long listening sessions in the next few days. Norne balanced cable inbound (sometime!). However, these already are excellent with the SE cable they came with.

 

[terminatetrails]

Now, just fighting the urge to buy that Hugo 2 to reproduce the precise sound I got during auditions....uhhh….when will the urge to upgrade end...

 

[commtrd]

Now, just fighting the urge to buy that Hugo 2 to reproduce the precise sound I got during auditions....uhhh….when will the urge to upgrade end...

Ah go ahead. You know you want one. The pairing is exquisite. However would be single ended only. I am extremely happy with my little setup.

 

[johnzz4]

I just wanted to reiterate what someone has already noticed before me.
These do have a very long burn-in period.
I've listened to mine now for an estimate of ~200 hours and there is still a definite improvement over the last couple of days.
That's especially true in the low end where the bass gets more and more growling and visceral.

Or it may all be just psycho-acoustics, but I doubt that as that is something I've never noticed with my previous cans.

Guy

I noticed this pretty clearly with the LCD4s as well.

 

[terminatetrails]

WOW- it gets better? Hard to imagine anything improving them besides sources and maybe cables.

 

[guyben]

WOW- it gets better? Hard to imagine anything improving them besides sources and maybe cables.

Oh yeah, they will open up to be wider and deeper and they will get thunderous (for lack of a better word).

 

[Mediahound]

My apologies if this has been answered before, but has anyone compared this to the Utopia?

The main thing with the LCD-4z is the real lack of distortion/driver resonance (at all frequencies). Focal Utopia's cannot compare.

 

[x RELIC x]

The main thing with the LCD-4z is the real lack of distortion/driver resonance (at all frequencies). Focal Utopia's cannot compare.

Wow, the 4z must be absolutely stunning in this regard. Never had a complaint with my Utopia with resonance or distortion.

Is the 4z better than the LCD-4 in this regard as I’ve only demo’d the LCD-4 and I own the i4?

 

[Mediahound]

Wow, the 4z must be absolutely stunning in this regard. Never had a complaint with my Utopia with resonance or distortion.

Is the 4z better than the LCD-4 in this regard as I’ve only demo’d the LCD-4 and I own the i4?

I don't know in terms of distortion/resonance, but I do think the 4z sounds better than the 4 in terms of better treble performance and more probably bass impact.

In general terms a planar driver will be less distortion prone than a dynamic driver. Dynamic drivers often have resonances that are difficult to control at certain frequencies.

 

[x RELIC x]

I don't know in terms of distortion/resonance, but I do think the 4z sounds better than the 4 in terms of better treble performance and more probably bass impact.

In general terms a planar driver will be less distortion prone than a dynamic driver. Dynamic drivers often have resonances that are difficult to control at certain frequencies.

Not to blindly defend the Utopia here, but I disagree with your generalization in this instance. My LCD-2 and ETHER Flow headphones generally have more distortion than the Utopia and the LCDi4 is just slightly behind.

I'm interested in the 4z so that's why I asked. Carry on...

 

[Mediahound]

Not to blindly defend the Utopia here, but I disagree with your generalization in this instance. My LCD-2 and ETHER Flow headphones generally have more distortion than the Utopia and the LCDi4 is just slightly behind.

I'm interested in the 4z so that's why I asked. Carry on...

It will depend on what frequencies you're talking about but again in general overall terms the planars have less THD.

From the respective manufacturers websites:

LCD-2:
THD <0.1% @ 100dB (LCD-4z is same)

Utopia:
<0.2% @ 100dB

You can feel free to disagree with the specs, if you want.

 

[Dinrog]

True dat, but he probably hints more towards resolution, which a lcd2 lacks greatly compared to either a utopia or lcd4 i do think the 4z has a better resolution (for me means; clarity/lack of grain and speed) to the sound than the focal but its not much IMO. Sadly i only compared them for 2 or 3 hours all in all and thats not enough to really get to the bottom of it. I threw some really fast death metal at both (really good to judge a headphones capability to give you a clear representation of that gigantic messy wall of sound lol) and the 4z was insane at handling it cleanly.

 

[ajreynol]

Hi folks!

I don't suppose there is any sort of exchange/trade program to go from LCD-4 -> LCD-4z?

I love my LCD-4's but I'd really like something that isn't quite as heavy for my needs, which I would describe as "all-day listening". I wear my LCD-4's about 10 hours/day, so the prospect of keeping my LCD-4's sound quality but in a lighter package with the LCD-4z is really, really attractive to me. Like, realllly attractive.

 

[Mediahound]

Hi folks!

I don't suppose there is any sort of exchange/trade program to go from LCD-4 -> LCD-4z?

I love my LCD-4's but I'd really like something that isn't quite as heavy for my needs, which I would describe as "all-day listening". I wear my LCD-4's about 10 hours/day, so the prospect of keeping my LCD-4's sound quality but in a lighter package with the LCD-4z is really, really attractive to me. Like, realllly attractive.

Just FYI- Regarding the weight, the 4z's are still pretty heavy. Yes, they're a bit lighter, but still darn heavy as headphones go.