[LeoKane]

That line could mean: "Don't think you're gonna get us to replace your 200 ohms drivers with 15 ohm ones. Different ballpark, friends."

I contacted Audeze support about the possibility of changing my 200 Ohm drivers for the new 15 ohm ones and was told very politely that they have no plans for an upgrade program form 4 to 4z drivers.

I hope their use of the word 'upgrade' does not imply they feel the new drivers are superior!

Anyways I'd be very interested to hear any impressions of the differences between 4 and 4z, despite Audeze stating they have the same sound signature.....I cannot believe they would sound identical.

 

[m17xr2b]

Then what's the point of the 4 now? I want the exact same sound quality but make it really hard to drive.

 

[Rowethren]

If you already have high power gear in might not work so well with the 4Z I guess due to the high sensitivity? Most modern gear wouldn't be a problem though I would imagine. Certainly my Mjolnir 2 can work fine with CIEMs and more power demanding headphones fine.

 

[llamaluv]

Then what's the point of the 4 now? I want the exact same sound quality but make it really hard to drive.

I'm assuming the 4Z won't respond as well to a tube amp, though I'd be receptive to being disabused of this notion.

 

[KMann]

Then what's the point of the 4 now? I want the exact same sound quality but make it really hard to drive.

That is a good question. The 4Z driver with the 15 ohm impedance in the Magnesium housing is our answer to many requests/feedback for a lighter and easier to drive LCD-4. It is designed to be transportable and one you could easily plug in to portable setups where headroom could be an issue and you do not have to turn the volume knob all the way up.

But there is also a question of synergy with amplifiers. Some desktop amps may not work as well with low impedance loads and also depends on how clean your amp sounds at lower gain. If you have a good desktop amp, and do not plan to use them for travel LCD-4 may be the right choice for you.

We wanted to provide choices, hence the option of choosing Magnesium or Wood for both the 200 ohm and 15 ohm drivers.

Personally, I have been using LCD-4 200 ohms with desktop setup and continue to use them that way. The LCD-4z has now become my travel companion as I can easily plug it into my Hugo 2 when I travel.

 

[514077]

I contacted Audeze support about the possibility of changing my 200 Ohm drivers for the new 15 ohm ones and was told very politely that they have no plans for an upgrade program form 4 to 4z drivers.

I hope their use of the word 'upgrade' does not imply they feel the new drivers are superior!

Anyways I'd be very interested to hear any impressions of the differences between 4 and 4z, despite Audeze stating they have the same sound signature.....I cannot believe they would sound identical.

Well, at least, we should be able to drive them from our Hugo2s without an intervening, sound-altering amp. At least, that's my understanding of the low-Z version.

 

[514077]

That is a good question. The 4Z driver with the 15 ohm impedance in the Magnesium housing is our answer to many requests/feedback for a lighter and easier to drive LCD-4. It is designed to be transportable and one you could easily plug in to portable setups where headroom could be an issue and you do not have to turn the volume knob all the way up.

But there is also a question of synergy with amplifiers. Some desktop amps may not work as well with low impedance loads and also depends on how clean your amp sounds at lower gain. If you have a good desktop amp, and do not plan to use them for travel LCD-4 may be the right choice for you.

We wanted to provide choices, hence the option of choosing Magnesium or Wood for both the 200 ohm and 15 ohm drivers.

Personally, I have been using LCD-4 200 ohms with desktop setup and continue to use them that way. The LCD-4z has now become my travel companion as I can easily plug it into my Hugo 2 when I travel.

I run a Hugo2 as my desktop setup, and therefore welcome the choice you guys have given.

 

[davidimdpt]

The LCD-4Z page on the Audeze website is up!

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

That is a good question. The 4Z driver with the 15 ohm impedance in the Magnesium housing is our answer to many requests/feedback for a lighter and easier to drive LCD-4. It is designed to be transportable and one you could easily plug in to portable setups where headroom could be an issue and you do not have to turn the volume knob all the way up.

But there is also a question of synergy with amplifiers. Some desktop amps may not work as well with low impedance loads and also depends on how clean your amp sounds at lower gain. If you have a good desktop amp, and do not plan to use them for travel LCD-4 may be the right choice for you.

We wanted to provide choices, hence the option of choosing Magnesium or Wood for both the 200 ohm and 15 ohm drivers.

Personally, I have been using LCD-4 200 ohms with desktop setup and continue to use them that way. The LCD-4z has now become my travel companion as I can easily plug it into my Hugo 2 when I travel.

Do you have a FR graph of the new 4z compared to the 4? That would be very informative.

 

[johnzz4]

My understanding is that higher headphone impedance results in increased damping factor which should provide better driver control.

It may be overly simplistic, but I'm thinking that if your gear has no issue running the LCD4, it may have that benefit.

Also, I would think the traces would be heavier for the lower impedance creating more moving mass.

So, perhaps get the LCD4 unless you need the headroom and flexibility to drive from lower power amplifiers.

@KMann ??

 

[514077]

My understanding is that higher headphone impedance results in increased damping factor which should provide better driver control.

It may be overly simplistic, but I'm thinking that if your gear has no issue running the LCD4, it may have that benefit.

Also, I would think the traces would be heavier for the lower impedance creating more moving mass.

So, perhaps get the LCD4 unless you need the headroom and flexibility to drive from lower power amplifiers.

@KMann ??

For some reason, I thought it was lower impedance which allowed for better damping control. Am I wrong?

 

[KMann]

Also, I would think the traces would be heavier for the lower impedance creating more moving mass.

No the drivers retain the same mass.

For some reason, I thought it was lower impedance which allowed for better damping control. Am I wrong?

Damping factor = HP Impedance/ Output impedance of amp. But damping is usually less of a factor with planar due to their purely restive nature.

 

[erik701]

Audeze will unveil LCD-MX4Z on High end show in Munich. The upgraded version of the MX4, now with an easy-to-drive impedance of merely 15 Ohms.

 

[514077]

No the drivers retain the same mass.


Damping factor = HP Impedance/ Output impedance of amp. But damping is usually less of a factor with planar due to their purely restive nature.

Plus, would they be easier to drive becaus the planars don't have that huge coil of wire in normal drivers causing reflected energy back to the amp? I'm trying to understand the contents of PSAudio's Paul McGowan's podcasts about impedance, damping factor etc. Which is why I'm asking stupid questions, here.

 

[2thfixr]

Changing impedence is more than a toggle switch so there’s no way the 4 sounds exactly the same as the 4Z. As it was pointed out... the only reason to get a 4Z is if you need low impedence and/or portability. It’s not something to be seen as a “upgrade”. If you have enough amp and you’re keeping them on a stand at home stick with the 4. I changed my order from the 4Z to 4 because my 4s won’t be leaving the house and I plan to use them with a PrimaLuna Dialogue HP so power isn’t a concern.

I also have a feeling the ear to driver distance between the thinner pads on the magnesium body vs thicker pads on wood body could affect soundstage and bass presentation. Not to mention the possibility the magnesium ring vs wood ring could affect sound signature like grado wood vs metal cups. Who knows... we’re a community of gearheads that claim to hear the difference between one cable vs another, monoblock amps sitting on spikes vs acrylic blocks or the sound signature between one tonearm vs another. Point being any variable is a variable.

4/4z uses a ported design vs sealed on the 2, 3, and X due to the necessary gap between pad and ring for air to vent and prevent damage to the diaphragm. Without the gap, squeezing the headphones on your head to snugly fit them would damage the diaphragm. A small change in volume between thin pad and thick pad should affect bass response in any ported design. Whether that’s perceptible or not I can’t say because I wasn’t looking at bass response when I compared 4 to 4Z it’s just a thought given the change in size of the ported chamber. However in this thread alone some have reported differences in bass quality between the 2.

What I did perceive is the 4 has better resolution than the 4Z probably due to the greater distance between diaphragm and magnetic panels on the higher impedence LCD-4. In one specific guitar riff that I played over and over again I could hear more detail, a warmer less forward sound, and more holographic imaging on the LCD-4 vs 4Z. At that moment the 4Z sounded more like my LCD-X than anything else and guess what??? My LCD-X is a low impedence 25ohm headphone designed to be easier to drive and more neutral. Just my .02 but I spent a lot of time on that one riff going back and forth. YMMV

 

[2thfixr]

Audeze will unveil LCD-MX4Z on High end show in Munich. The upgraded version of the MX4, now with an easy-to-drive impedance of merely 15 Ohms.

Now THIS makes a lot of sense. Maybe the Z was meant to be a upgraded MX4 all along.