[Lohb]

I have and enjoy both depending on my mood. I don’t think I would let either go out of my collection.

4Z more heft/muscularity in its presentation over HeKse I'd imagine ?

Edit : Everything was so large in imaged size / extended both ends of FR and spaced out in its position with HeKse...and only thing I thought it had missing was that 'grunt' that most of the LCD line have.

 

[TheMiddleSky]

4Z more heft/muscularity in its presentation over HeKse I'd imagine ?

Absolutely. 4Z is even has more heft compare to something like ZMF Verite, which is also thicker sounding than HE1000 SE.

 

[Spawn300Z]

Remember all headphones have different strengths and weaknesses depending on what genre your listening to. The LCD 4Z is the Darker of the two. For instance for my what I mean by depending on my mood.

LCD-4Z: Jazz focus on brass instruments and drums, Jazz Funk, Funk, Rock, Reggae, Jazz Bass is also real good

HEKSE: Classical, Jazz with a focus on strings, horns (aka Trumpet) and piano, Latin, Folk, Soca

 

[TheMiddleSky]

For me HE1000 SE trump 4Z when comes to asian vocal songs (mandarin, japanese, korean). Hifiman present airier and spacious soundstage, with more mellow character that really nail the emotion. The soundstage advantage, combine with leaner midbass also great for classical.

For the other type of songs, I prefer 4Z though.

 

[tjwb84]

Today, I tried Oratory1990's EQ curve on the 4z, and the result was nothing short of astounding. I can't recommend this enough. I also checked out Sonarworks' SoundID (which includes an EQ curve for the 4z as well) but it pales in comparison to Oratory's work. (Haven't checked out Audeze's Reveal yet.)

Keep in mind that the intent of this EQ curve is to make the headphones 'flat' and neutral, as good a reference as they can be.

As dark and bassy as these headphones may seem (because the bass SOUNDS so good, I guess), they are actually significantly bass-light, which is why Oratory's EQ curve includes a massive bass boost. This alone makes an insane difference in how these headphones sound and how accurately they tell me what's going on in a bass-heavy mix.

The curve significantly boosts the treble frequencies (in that range, the 4z is indeed dark) and takes a chunk out of the mids. This obviously also has a dramatic effect (and may not be to your liking in terms of hi-fi playback), but it makes the headphones even more revealing when it comes to musical details, and it also takes out a huge amount of mud from the mix.

The EQ curve uses 10 bands; my DAC is an RME ADI-2 Pro FS R, which has a 5-band EQ. I've implemented the 10-band version in Fabfilter's Pro-Q3 EQ (a VST) and constructed an approximation of the Oratory curve that uses only 5 bands for the ADI-2 (see second pic). The two curves sounded virtually identical to me in my brief round of testing (happy to share the ADI-2 settings if anyone is interested). I'm really thrilled with this and consider it a big upgrade.

 

[InTune321]

Today, I tried Oratory1990's EQ curve on the 4z, and the result was nothing short of astounding. I can't recommend this enough. I also checked out Sonarworks' SoundID (which includes an EQ curve for the 4z as well) but it pales in comparison to Oratory's work. (Haven't checked out Audeze's Reveal yet.)

Keep in mind that the intent of this EQ curve is to make the headphones 'flat' and neutral, as good a reference as they can be.

As dark and bassy as these headphones may seem (because the bass SOUNDS so good, I guess), they are actually significantly bass-light, which is why Oratory's EQ curve includes a massive bass boost. This alone makes an insane difference in how these headphones sound and how accurately they tell me what's going on in a bass-heavy mix.

The curve significantly boosts the treble frequencies (in that range, the 4z is indeed dark) and takes a chunk out of the mids. This obviously also has a dramatic effect (and may not be to your liking in terms of hi-fi playback), but it makes the headphones even more revealing when it comes to musical details, and it also takes out a huge amount of mud from the mix.

The EQ curve uses 10 bands; my DAC is an RME ADI-2 Pro FS R, which has a 5-band EQ. I've implemented the 10-band version in Fabfilter's Pro-Q3 EQ (a VST) and constructed an approximation of the Oratory curve that uses only 5 bands for the ADI-2 (see second pic). The two curves sounded virtually identical to me in my brief round of testing (happy to share the ADI-2 settings if anyone is interested). I'm really thrilled with this and consider it a big upgrade.

Please share the ADI-2 setting

 

[tjwb84]

Happy to! Here's how I've configured it:

(Edit: keep in mind this curve is for the 4z only - curves for correcting other headphones can be found here.)

Band 1
Type: shelf, G: +5.5, F: 105, Q: 0.7

Band 2:
Type: notch, G: -3.5, F: 1.19k, Q: 1.6

Band 3:
Type: notch, G: +7.0, F: 4.8k, Q: 0.7

Band 4:
Type: notch, G: -2.5, F: 7.8k, Q: 5.0

Band 5:
Type: notch, G: -5.5, F: 5.7k, Q: 4.5

 

[Lohb]

Are the yoke rods on 4z brass or just some kind of treatment on the sliders (regarding wear) ?

 

[Marshall95]

Hey y'all, can I use the 4z with JUST my A&K SE180 DAP and get a great performance out of the headphones? Since my setup is portable, do I need something like the ifi diablo? And also has anyone experienced any issues with the drivers?

 

[Dinrog]

Hey y'all, can I use the 4z with JUST my A&K SE180 DAP and get a great performance out of the headphones? Since my setup is portable, do I need something like the ifi diablo? And also has anyone experienced any issues with the drivers?

I can run the 4z off my Note10 with no issues and it gets decently loud so... might just scratching its potential with a DAP but its more than enjoyable IMO

 

[Marshall95]

Has anyone paired the 4z with the C9? Curious about the synergy between these two

 

[levap]

Added Audeze LCD-4z to Headphones starmap (https://www.head-fi.org/threads/headphones-starmap.953011/post-16485460)

 

[nrbatista]

Is there any comparison between the lcd-4z and diana v2 you can point me to? Main differences in sound signature between the two is what I’m after.

 

[Slim1970]

Is there any comparison between the lcd-4z and diana v2 you can point me to? Main differences in sound signature between the two is what I’m after.

I have them both. The biggest difference is the 4z's have more resolution and clarity. Bass quality is on par with each other with the 4z's being more impactful and deeper. The 4z's is also cleaner throughout the midrange with a slightly meatier overall sound. Both are musical and with a slight edge in speed going to the Diana V2's. The 4z's have a little more sparkle in the treble region, but the V2's treble presentation is pretty darn good. At higher volumes the Diana V2's come alive nearly matching the sound quality of the 4z's.

 

[Tachyon88]

I have them both. The biggest difference is the 4z's have more resolution and clarity. Bass quality is on par with each other with the 4z's being more impactful and deeper. The 4z's is also cleaner throughout the midrange with a slightly meatier overall sound. Both are musical and with a slight edge in speed going to the Diana V2's. The 4z's have a little more sparkle in the treble region, but the V2's treble presentation is pretty darn good. At higher volumes the Diana V2's come alive nearly matching the sound quality of the 4z's.

What is the detail like when you apply oratory1990 EQ ?