[etc6849]

A FREE software DSP plugin for other Audeze newbies to download and use with macOS or Windows, with any DAC and most applications.

I had no idea about this until now, but it seems to really work well in JRiver (using Audeze's 64 bit VST plugin there).

In JRiver, I can turn DSP on/off in real time and I am willing to bet most of you are going to like this:
https://www.audeze.com/audeze-reveal-plugin

Support thread is here:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/reveal-plugins-dsp-for-audeze-headphones.864146/

 

[AlwaysForward]

Just got my i4 today. Paired with the Hugo 2, I tried all of the tips, and my initial impression is that there's a significant lack of bass (I'm not a basshead, and the LCD-3 is my benchmark). Even when I press them into my ears to tighten the seal, the bass doesn't improve much. I'm wondering if none of the tips is a good fit for me. Has anyone else run into this issue? I don't know if burn-in is a real thing, but has anyone found that at least the impression of bass improves with time?

On the positive side, the clarity and detail are quite good, with vocals and acoustic instruments coming across in a natural way. The size of the stage is decent for headgear, but nothing special IMO so far (but I generally find that perceived stage generally increase with more perceived bass).

Try the Symbio Mandarin-E tips. Large bore. Large size. I love what they do to the tambre of the bass on my iSine.

 

[sorrick]

Just got my i4 today. Paired with the Hugo 2, I tried all of the tips, and my initial impression is that there's a significant lack of bass (I'm not a basshead, and the LCD-3 is my benchmark). Even when I press them into my ears to tighten the seal, the bass doesn't improve much. I'm wondering if none of the tips is a good fit for me. Has anyone else run into this issue? I don't know if burn-in is a real thing, but has anyone found that at least the impression of bass improves with time?

On the positive side, the clarity and detail are quite good, with vocals and acoustic instruments coming across in a natural way. The size of the stage is decent for headgear, but nothing special IMO so far (but I generally find that perceived stage generally increase with more perceived bass).

Yeah, while not basshead headphones, the i4s definitely have strong impactful, but clean and controlled bass. If you haven’t used one of the iSine’s previously, it can take a little bit of fiddling to get the sound bore aligned with your ear correctly. Like @UNOE said above, you shouldn’t need to put the ear tips in very far and the i4s don’t really seal in the same way that other iems do because they are open iems. It’s more about the angle that the sound bore is pointing relative to your ears than about how deep into your ears it goes (it should be aligned, not coming in at an angle, but does not need to be inserted deeply). The other thing you might try is to make sure that the i4 cable is pushed in all the way to the Hugo2. With my Hugo2 and i4, I’ve had times where I though the cable was all the way in (felt one click/detent), but I actually needed to push it in a little harder to get it fully seated.

 

[Phronesis]

Should should be more bass with no seal at all. You can have them pretty far out. Try resting them on bottom of the outer cannel.

Try the Symbio Mandarin-E tips. Large bore. Large size. I love what they do to the tambre of the bass on my iSine.

Yeah, while not basshead headphones, the i4s definitely have strong impactful, but clean and controlled bass. If you haven’t used one of the iSine’s previously, it can take a little bit of fiddling to get the sound bore aligned with your ear correctly. Like @UNOE said above, you shouldn’t need to put the ear tips in very far and the i4s don’t really seal in the same way that other iems do because they are open iems. It’s more about the angle that the sound bore is pointing relative to your ears than about how deep into your ears it goes (it should be aligned, not coming in at an angle, but does not need to be inserted deeply). The other thing you might try is to make sure that the i4 cable is pushed in all the way to the Hugo2. With my Hugo2 and i4, I’ve had times where I though the cable was all the way in (felt one click/detent), but I actually needed to push it in a little harder to get it fully seated.

Thanks for the "tips" (pun intended!). It does seem to come down to the angle of sound bore relatively to my ear canal. If I force the angle of earphones such that the bottom is closer in to my head, the bass and overall sound improve. The problem is that the ear hooks prevent that, and cause the angle to be suboptimal.

I'll keep fiddling around with it. I hope I can get it sorted, because I can already sense that these have the potential to be the best headgear I own. The clarity and realism does seem to be a notch above the LCD-3. In that regard, based on my brief comparison of the Hugo 2 vs the Cipher cable, I'm finding that the Hugo 2 generally sounds better, even though the Cipher cable offers the EQ option (probably not needed if the geometric fit is good).

 

[EagleWings]

Due to constraints of physics, a small planar driver cannot recereate the same authority and power of a large size planar. And then there is also the aspect of, how sound is delivered to your ears. i4 shoots it directly into your ear canal. Whereas, the LCD 3 moves a larger volume of air, that is felt by your pinna, which again contributes to our brain perceiving sub-bass and in turn, increasing the perception of authority and power.

If you are feeding your Hugo 2 from your Mac/PC, you could try using a music application that supports Audeze’s Reveal Plugin or could use Roon that has the Audeze DSP preset for the i4. These DSPs add some bottom end, which improve the bass power.

Another option is, if you have access to desktop amps, you could try putting a decent one in between the Hugo 2 and the i4. Hugo 2 has a very neutral bass. Desktop amps proved better macro dynamics.

 

[davehutch]

'Macro dynamics'? Can you explain please @EagleWings?
I only know 'macro' to relate to photography and it means anything between life-size and 10 x lifesize magnification

 

[EagleWings]

It’s just one of those many words, that we have adopted to describe the sound characteristics, when talking about a gear. Macro dynamics is typically used to refer to either a) the ability of the gear to recreate notes of high dynamic range or b) the dynamics in bass such as; power, authority, reverb and punch.

In this case, I was referring to the latter.

 

[Phronesis]

Due to constraints of physics, a small planar driver cannot recereate the same authority and power of a large size planar. And then there is also the aspect of, how sound is delivered to your ears. i4 shoots it directly into your ear canal. Whereas, the LCD 3 moves a larger volume of air, that is felt by your pinna, which again contributes to our brain perceiving sub-bass and in turn, increasing the perception of authority and power.

If you are feeding your Hugo 2 from your Mac/PC, you could try using a music application that supports Audeze’s Reveal Plugin or could use Roon that has the Audeze DSP preset for the i4. These DSPs add some bottom end, which improve the bass power.

Another option is, if you have access to desktop amps, you could try putting a decent one in between the Hugo 2 and the i4. Hugo 2 has a very neutral bass. Desktop amps proved better macro dynamics.

I recognize that the i4 can't have the same bass character as say the LCD-3, but the issue I'm having is with overall bass quantity. If I get the orientation of sound bore right, the sound of the i4 is the best I've heard, there's good bass, and I don't actually see any need for EQ. I never thought I'd say it, but when I go back to the LCD-3, it sounds more than a little muddy/veiled by comparison, so I really want the i4 to work for me. I'm mainly using my iPhone and Tidal, so DSP doesn't seem to be an option right now. I'll keep fiddling with the fit.

 

[edwardsean]

Thanks for the "tips" (pun intended!). It does seem to come down to the angle of sound bore relatively to my ear canal. If I force the angle of earphones such that the bottom is closer in to my head, the bass and overall sound improve. The problem is that the ear hooks prevent that, and cause the angle to be suboptimal.

Perhaps I shouldn't suggest this but if you gently heat up the ear hooks with a hair dryer you can reshape them. I hesitate to share that only because if you're not extremely careful you can deform the hooks and make the situation worse. However, if you work slowly and very conservatively it could help. I also needed to bring the bore openings down and especially alter the angle. If you try it and worst comes to worst you can buy a groovy kit from Audeze though it will cost you a little.

 

[Phronesis]

Perhaps I shouldn't suggest this but if you gently heat up the ear hooks with a hair dryer you can reshape them. I hesitate to share that only because if you're not extremely careful you can deform the hooks and make the situation worse. However, if you work slowly and very conservatively it could help. I also needed to bring the bore openings down and especially alter the angle. If you try it and worst comes to worst you can buy a groovy kit from Audeze though it will cost you a little.

Thanks, I'll keep that option in mind. I'm in the 30-day trial period, so I may order extra hooks to experiment with. Is the kit you refer to just extra hooks, or something else?

 

[edwardsean]

Thanks, I'll keep that option in mind. I'm in the 30-day trial period, so I may order extra hooks to experiment with. Is the kit you refer to just extra hooks, or something else?

It also has the tips, but is a bit pricey.

https://www.audeze.com/products/accessories/ear-groovy-kit

 

[Phronesis]

It also has the tips, but is a bit pricey.

https://www.audeze.com/products/accessories/ear-groovy-kit

Dang, pricey is right! I just tried the larger hooks, and that actually helped a lot.

Couple other things:

- Is it normal for them to hum when you touch them?

- The provided cable is a bit short. I'd appreciate recommendations for an extension cable.

 

[etc6849]

Says:

"$40 DISCOUNT for REGISTERED AUDEZE Headphone Owners. To receive your discount, enter the code “OWNER” during checkout?"

It's even in caps guys . Come on now $10 and free first class shipping isn't breaking the bank.

 

[edwardsean]

Good catch etc. I didn't look at the description.

As for the hum, that isn't normal. You may have a grounding issue somewhere.

 

[peter1480]

Dang, pricey is right! I just tried the larger hooks, and that actually helped a lot.

Couple other things:

- Is it normal for them to hum when you touch them?

- The provided cable is a bit short. I'd appreciate recommendations for an extension cable.

They hum if you have a bad earth loop. Isolate whatever you are using them with from the mains. USB power supplies are the worst for this.