[cangle]

Can you briefly describe what the bass is like using the Flux Lab FA-12? Is it powerful enough or do you still find yourself wanting more?

The bass to me has plenty of quantity with good impact. It's very strong sounding but doesn't drown out the mids. Before I was using a 789 and compared to that the bass is fuller. The 789 might be faster but I prefer the sound of this amp much more. With the FA-12 I find myself actually enjoying the music whereas before I found myself picking up on the flaws of the recording which was very distracting. I've also played around with the audeze preset eq through roon which seems to give a bit more impact to the bass if that's something you wanting more of.

 

[InstantSilence]

The bass to me has plenty of quantity with good impact. It's very strong sounding but doesn't drown out the mids. Before I was using a 789 and compared to that the bass is fuller. The 789 might be faster but I prefer the sound of this amp much more. With the FA-12 I find myself actually enjoying the music whereas before I found myself picking up on the flaws of the recording which was very distracting. I've also played around with the audeze preset eq through roon which seems to give a bit more impact to the bass if that's something you wanting more of.

Would you say the FA amps are smooth and laid back?

 

[cangle]

Would you say the FA amps are smooth and laid back?

Yeah guess it depends on what amp your coming from. It's not like I'm losing out on resolution. It's just more of an organic or natural sound as opposed to the THX 789 amp that I used in the past which sounded very clinical. So yeah I would definitely say they are smooth but I'm not sure about laid back

 

[InstantSilence]

Has anyone tried the 4z from a Hiby portable player? Looking for soemthing I can enjoy on the back porch, but it must be portable and it must be a Hiby (because of the mseb dsp)

But I wonder which is strongest for this HP

 

[Spawn300Z]

I haven’t used a Hiby but the 4Z is really effluent and scales well. I’ve used mine on a mojo with good results.

 

[InstantSilence]

I guess guys, what I should of asked is.
I understand tube amps are better with higher ohm headphones.
But to get some tube goodness and to stay away from hybrid amps simultaneously...

What pure tube amp can power the Lcd4z with lots of current and strength?

 

[pshumway]

I guess guys, what I should of asked is.
I understand tube amps are better with higher ohm headphones.
But to get some tube goodness and to stay away from hybrid amps simultaneously...

What pure tube amp can power the Lcd4z with lots of current and strength?

I would take a look at any transformer-coupled tube amp, with a low z (or resistance) output. Avoid OTL's, or tube amps that are specifically designed around high voltage demands (high - z output only), as those will not match well with lower impedance planars. I previously had the schiit valhalla 2 (otl design), and it did not work at all with the 4z, or planars in general, as clipping occurred very quickly. Despite the low resistance, the LCD - 4z's are not extremely efficient, and will need a decent amount of current to be driven well. And with tubes, nice amps are expensive, typically more so than ss amps, so budget will be the biggest factor here. From power ratings and reviews, amps and sound makes fantastic transformer coupled tube amps, with plenty of power for planars, and low impedance outputs (8 ohms) that pair well. Their Mogwai SE is continuously held in high regard, and will drive pretty much any headphone. Cayin is another brand that makes some interesting tube amps with similar abilities (Ha - 6A and 300b amps). The only tube amp I currently have is the Cayin Ha-1A mk2, which is a decent entry-level tube amp, and it works with the 4z, however, I prefer to use it as a pre-amp for my more powerful ss amps. I don't have enough experience to point you to a specific amp (sorry!), but the general knowledge of which tube amp designs pair best with the 4z is hopefully helpful!

 

[ValentineLuke]

I guess guys, what I should of asked is.
I understand tube amps are better with higher ohm headphones.
But to get some tube goodness and to stay away from hybrid amps simultaneously...

What pure tube amp can power the Lcd4z with lots of current and strength?

This may sound like an odd recommendation, but the Schiit Vali 2+ is a very capable, high-current bipolar design for only $150. It’s great with low Z planars, and most low Z headphones. I don’t own the 4z, but have tried it with a few headphones (Fostex, Sennheiser, and Focal). I’ve tried a few tubes with it, as it’s fairly transparent to tube used. I have a friend who loves his with his LCD-X (I sold mine due to the treble peaks, that why I’m following this thread).

The only real criticism I have for it is the bass isn’t as resolving as I’d like (slightly lacking in bass textures), but it’s $150 and the tubes I’ve used actually cost more (BEL, Telefunken, Brymar).

 

[TheMiddleSky]

Has anyone tried the 4z from a Hiby portable player? Looking for soemthing I can enjoy on the back porch, but it must be portable and it must be a Hiby (because of the mseb dsp)

But I wonder which is strongest for this HP

I haven't tried Hiby R8, but I can vouch for ibasso dx300 to drive 4Z as good pairing for transportable set up.

 

[TheMiddleSky]

Kudos for Audeze to give update (improvement) for 4Z !!

New grill, new colour scheme (ok, not that different though), and apparently come with slight different sound tuning.

I truly hope the new mesh won't easily get degradation in colour when get aging.

Sound wise, I think technically still the same as before. Overall character wise still 4Z, but now with smoother upper mid to treble response, thicker (still same agility) bass section, and more spacious soundstage.

Dare I say, its tuning now getting closer to LCD-4 in some degrees, even though still not as dark, mellow or beefy. Personally, this is the ultimate Audeze in term of sound tuning. Perfect blend between want to a bit reference but also pleasing to ears. Love it!

 

[InstantSilence]

Kudos for Audeze to give update (improvement) for 4Z !!

New grill, new colour scheme (ok, not that different though), and apparently come with slight different sound tuning.

I truly hope the new mesh won't easily get degradation in colour when get aging.

Sound wise, I think technically still the same as before. Overall character wise still 4Z, but now with smoother upper mid to treble response, thicker (still same agility) bass section, and more spacious soundstage.

Dare I say, its tuning now getting closer to LCD-4 in some degrees, even though still not as dark, mellow or beefy. Personally, this is the ultimate Audeze in term of sound tuning. Perfect blend between want to a bit reference but also pleasing to ears. Love it!

Oh wow, so this is why my new 4z is better than the first older one I had... It truly is better to me, especially with mid-range clarity

 

[Slim1970]

Kudos for Audeze to give update (improvement) for 4Z !!

New grill, new colour scheme (ok, not that different though), and apparently come with slight different sound tuning.

I truly hope the new mesh won't easily get degradation in colour when get aging.

Sound wise, I think technically still the same as before. Overall character wise still 4Z, but now with smoother upper mid to treble response, thicker (still same agility) bass section, and more spacious soundstage.

Dare I say, its tuning now getting closer to LCD-4 in some degrees, even though still not as dark, mellow or beefy. Personally, this is the ultimate Audeze in term of sound tuning. Perfect blend between want to a bit reference but also pleasing to ears. Love it!

Was this announced somewhere?

 

[InstantSilence]

Was this announced somewhere?

Mine too is very bright copper looking and the sound is quite a bit more alive and has that mid-range clarity the first generation 4z (yellow grille) fixed.
I found thr 1st gen 4z to have a mid-range without much clarity, but now this thing sings... Been rocking the stock cable and really don't need more resolution or clarity as it's got plenty.
Also the top end is silky smoother

 

[cangle]

Was this announced somewhere?

I believe this is referring to the second iteration (or most recent one) that came out in the past couple of year. This iteration changed the grill color and some other cosmetic things but I wasn't aware of the tuning change. I don't see any news anywhere about a recent update to the 4z so I'm pretty sure this is just the iteration that came out in the past couple years. However, please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Slim1970]

Mine too is very bright copper looking and the sound is quite a bit more alive and has that mid-range clarity the first generation 4z (yellow grille) fixed.
I found thr 1st gen 4z to have a mid-range without much clarity, but now this thing sings... Been rocking the stock cable and really don't need more resolution or clarity as it's got plenty.
Also the top end is silky smoother

Yeah, mine don’t look like that and I got mine last year. My set sounds a lot closer to yours.