[lithiumnk]

I've received cipher cable today, after waiting 3 months for my dealer to import it, then buying it myself from Audeze.com and waiting another 3 weeks till it cleared through customs.

At last! Now LCD-i4 sounds as it's supposed to. No longer it's etheric and a bit ghostly, as it was. Now it sounds full bodied, warmer, with a strong bass and beautiful mids. The sense of space and holography is also much better now. Only the highs are not as good as on my Forza Noir cable, which is 8 times thicker than this cipher thing and unfortunately has no digital signal processing for them, and they really need it.

It really is a proper TOTL flagship sound straight from my iPhone and that's amazing! That's exactly what I've bought them for in the beginning, and waited for it for 4 months...

On the contrary... the Audeze logo fell off from one side today. Audeze should really work on quality focused design. Hopefully it wasn't something I couldn't repair with a little drop of super glue so it's good now

Thats a lot of waiting.
I only have superlatives for the cipher v2 cable. I feel one needs only iPhone>Tidal>lcdi4 with cipher v2 cable. This setup sounds really good. I agree with your description. It competes with few mid-fi/low fi DAPs in the market imo.
The ability to tweak the sound even more without any distortion is amazing. I wish Audeze makes an android counterpart based on USB 'C'.

Check out this video by Stereophile on lcd i4. It shows the golden audeze logo being pasted with the help of a glue. (4:19 secs)

 

[Phronesis]

For i4 owners who also have a Campfire Audio Andromeda, I'd be interested in your comparisons. I'm thinking of adding an Andromeda as a step up from the SE535 to complement the i4, Focal Clear, and LCD-3.

 

[Cognacbrown]

For i4 owners who also have a Campfire Audio Andromeda, I'd be interested in your comparisons. I'm thinking of adding an Andromeda as a step up from the SE535 to complement the i4, Focal Clear, and LCD-3.

I don’t have the Andromeda but I do have Beyerdynamic Xelentos to complement my i4. I’ve heard the Andromedas but I prefer Xelentos which is a single dynamic. The soundstage, vocals, mids, bass on these are amazing. Hardly feel like I’m wearing them. Highly recommended. Plus it provides some additional isolation when I do need it.

 

[cj3209]

...Check out this video by Stereophile on lcd i4. It shows the golden audeze logo being pasted with the help of a glue. (4:19 secs)

Yah, my logo came off too. Had to use crazy glue to get it back on. Not sure why a $2,500 in-ear uses glue to keep the logo on...I would have used a logo built-in but I know that would have added to costs. I do appreciate that these are built in the US.

 

[acia]

Yah, my logo came off too. Had to use crazy glue to get it back on. Not sure why a $2,500 in-ear uses glue to keep the logo on...I would have used a logo built-in but I know that would have added to costs. I do appreciate that these are built in the US.

if you find a better solution for fixing the logo, i am sure Sankar would be happy to hear!

 

[cj3209]

if you find a better solution for fixing the logo, i am sure Sankar would be happy to hear!

I'm sure I'm not the only one whose logo has come off. The logo has come off on BOTH sides, BTW.

If you embed the logo into the plastic or even use a glossy film to overlay a logo, laser-etched on the plastic, that would work too, I think. But I'm no speaker engineer and, like I said, I don't want to increase costs.

Cheers!

CJ

 

[Piotr Michalak]

For a $2500 earphone, LCD-i4 surely could be built better.

Also the cipher cable should definitely be included, as it was in the much cheaper - and probably much more expensive in manufacturing costs - EL8 Ti, which I also had, and also had to return recently because a driver broke...

By buying LCD-i4 we mainly pay for not what it has, but what it has NOT. We pay for all the engineering and design costs of creating a 0.5 micrometer membrane, and the aerial sound that it produces. That's all folks!

It's like a portable version of Stax SR-009 to me.

 

[Piotr Michalak]

Guys, look at this.
Here's a comparison of LCD i4 with Final Lab2, PianoForte X-G and VIII with a custom cable. Both pianofortes where custom terminated with mmcx connectors.
By the way, PF VIII is astoundingly good with an upgraded cable, dangerously near Lab2, which is considered by me as one of the greatest headphones ever made by man. X-G costs three times as much and is nowhere near, unfortunately. Recabling doesn't help.
Audeze is "perfect" in comparison with most things, while retaining some level of euphonics through it's ethereal character. Still, could be prettier and much better well made. On the contrary, it's like an open version of custom shelled KSE1500. Which are the-most-perfect-headphones in the world that I know of.
(BTW #2, how do you upload photos to head-fi? Does everyone here has a hosting server as I do, to upload any photo, or is there an easier way?)

 

[lithiumnk]

Guys, look at this.
Here's a comparison of LCD i4 with Final Lab2, PianoForte X-G and VIII with a custom cable. Both pianofortes where custom terminated with mmcx connectors.
By the way, PF VIII is astoundingly good with an upgraded cable, dangerously near Lab2, which is considered by me as one of the greatest headphones ever made by man. X-G costs three times as much and is nowhere near, unfortunately. Recabling doesn't help.
Audeze is "perfect" in comparison with most things, while retaining some level of euphonics through it's ethereal character. Still, could be prettier and much better well made. On the contrary, it's like an open version of custom shelled KSE1500. Which are the-most-perfect-headphones in the world that I know of.
(BTW #2, how do you upload photos to head-fi? Does everyone here has a hosting server as I do, to upload any photo, or is there an easier way?)

It really simple ... you can upload photos by clicking the upload file option. It is next to "post reply" option when you are typing a post.
There was a video by jude on lcd i4 & kse 1500 a year back...it was an introduction i guess....they never posted any detailed review/comparison video though..
waiting for your impressions

 

[cj3209]

...Audeze is "perfect" in comparison with most things, while retaining some level of euphonics through it's ethereal character. Still, could be prettier and much better well made. On the contrary, it's like an open version of custom shelled KSE1500. Which are the-most-perfect-headphones in the world that I know of.
(BTW #2, how do you upload photos to head-fi? Does everyone here has a hosting server as I do, to upload any photo, or is there an easier way?)

Click on the "Upload a File" button from your compiter or phone...

 

[acia]

I'm sure I'm not the only one whose logo has come off. The logo has come off on BOTH sides, BTW.

If you embed the logo into the plastic or even use a glossy film to overlay a logo, laser-etched on the plastic, that would work too, I think. But I'm no speaker engineer and, like I said, I don't want to increase costs.

Cheers!

CJ

it's more like magnesium alloy to me. paint chipped on mine. the pin got loose. dropped, and chipped.

yep, i am bit surprised why Audeze won't laser edged the serial number. printed serial got wiped away soooo easily.

 

[cj3209]

it's more like magnesium alloy to me. paint chipped on mine. the pin got loose. dropped, and chipped.

yep, i am bit surprised why Audeze won't laser edged the serial number. printed serial got wiped away soooo easily.

These are the small details that a company needs to pay attention to...if they want to continue to be in business.

 

[cj3209]

Anybody know which Effect Audio 2-pin connector works with the i4; there are like 4 different connectors? Thinking of getting another cable for my i4.

 

[acia]

Anybody know which Effect Audio 2-pin connector works with the i4; there are like 4 different connectors? Thinking of getting another cable for my i4.

cm 0.78

 

[lithiumnk]

Anybody know which Effect Audio 2-pin connector works with the i4; there are like 4 different connectors? Thinking of getting another cable for my i4.

Official page for specification of lcd i4 & isine 2-pin connector:

https://audeze.zendesk.com/hc/en-us...Connector-info-for-iSINE-and-LCDi4-Headphones