[farout]

I don't know your system, but if you're missing low-end impact from kick drums, it's your seal. You can try different amps, DACs, EQ, etc. but nothing will make up for a poor seal. Once you get the seal right it will not only give you the proper bass response, you'll notice better SQ across the board: dynamics, soundstage, timbral fullness, etc.

I could be totally off in your. case, but to my mind, getting the right seal/placement is a first priority before a new DAC/amp.

I edited to add that it's percussion too that's missing impact. When I move to the large tips, the fit is fine and the dynamics improve and the bass is actually noticeably fuller but a bit boomy too and there's some air and openness sacrificed. I think maybe you are right and this is the way it should be and the Hugo will improve from here.

 

[commtrd]

Really the only thing I'm missing is impact that I know should be there from kicks and percussion. They're flat. No punchiness, no life. Do you think the Chord Mojo or Hugo 2 will bring that punch with transients and dynamics? It must be the Sabre DACs because there's plenty of juice. LCD-X does much better in this regard from the same gear but that's well known to be its strong suit.

Hmmm I dunno mine will kick like a mule if/when supposed to.

Listen to this Daft Punk and crank the sh** out of it. You will know if it sounds flat. Because it should get the toes tapping for sure.

OK this Evanescence should put some test on system punchiness. And just go ahead and crank that biotch up. It should NOT sound flat.
On my little setup these just sound interesting. =) Yeah right they rock.

 

[farout]

With the large tips, they're quite punchy with the the Cipher cable! And there's too much bass, actually. I had to use the EQ app to dial back 32 - 250Hz a few db to clean things up. The first time I tried the large tips was with the Cipher cable and it was way too boomy, emphasized by the wrong position with the hooks that I explained before. This led me to think the large tips with a better seal were too large since the SQ was much worse than with the medium tips with these factors. With the large tips seal, everything is brought forward. I went from halfway back in the hall to front row. I'm much more optimistic that the Hugo 2 pairing may bring what I'm missing for reference monitoring.

 

[commtrd]

Uncanny how these i4 manage to put most full size cans to shame for SQ.

 

[commtrd]

Should give this a listen, Amy Lee hits set to orchestral arrangements. Really beautiful sound on i4, will demo range capabilities etc.
Vocals well placed within compositions, very nicely done. Great selections to try out i4. Want bass and timber and sweet sweet treble, it's in there.

Edit: in some spots not the best recording (youtube) and of course i4 / 4z expose that brutally.

 

[AudioDwebe]

Indeed the Hugo 2 makes both the i4 and the 4z sing. For real, the bass is hard hitting when it is supposed to, mids to die for, the whole enchilada. Listening to Emancipator Live In Athens right now and it's just totally sick.
And sounds equally kick ass on both i4 or 4z out of Hugo 2. Good news: H2 can drive both without external amplification just fine. The whole musical range is reproduced so wonderfully it is purely amazing. I love dissecting the
instrumentals as they weave in and out and thru the bass line, the aggressive attack and just as graceful technical decay of percussion, total blackness that notes appear out of and fade into oblivion, separation and air within timbre
that if you never heard it on either of these two headphones then you are surely in for a major shocking surprise. I shudder to imagine what these two would sound like on DAVE. There is major synergy between Chord products
and Audeze i4 / 4z for sure. Really it is just amazing just how fine the SQ is with Hugo 2 and i4 / 4z. Worth every last cent to build this assembly of fine audio gear. One could quite conceivably put the wraps to looking any
further as H2 and i4 or 4z are so good together. Having said that, I do plan on SOMEDAY getting Yggy and GSX Mk2 and going full balanced. Glory be that may drive me to ear-gasm...

Curiosity got ahold and checked out Emancipator. Pretty awesome tunes (listening to "soon it will be cold enough").

 

[Frankster010]

Should give this a listen, Amy Lee hits set to orchestral arrangements. Really beautiful sound on i4, will demo range capabilities etc.
Vocals well placed within compositions, very nicely done. Great selections to try out i4. Want bass and timber and sweet sweet treble, it's in there.

Thank you, great album. Listening it through my friends LCDi4. Stunning!

 

[dpwolfordMD]

well needless to say my experience with the i4 has been short lived. so I just got them today: beautiful packaging and flawless finish, however the issue lies in the Rt side planar driver. It produces a distracting crinkle with small motions such as walking or head movement. also I remember my isine10 (with cipher cable) sounding much more dynamic, punchy and vivid than the i4’s. source is iphone X to an ifi nano black label.

 

[UNOE]

well needless to say my experience with the i4 has been short lived. so I just got them today: beautiful packaging and flawless finish, however the issue lies in the Rt side planar driver. It produces a distracting crinkle with small motions such as walking or head movement. also I remember my isine10 (with cipher cable) sounding much more dynamic, punchy and vivid than the i4’s. source is iphone X to an ifi nano black label.

Crinkling on one side should be covered under warranty. My 20’s were replaced for this issue. One driver crinkled out of box.

 

[dpwolfordMD]

Crinkling on one side should be covered under warranty. My 20’s were replaced for this issue. One driver crinkled out of box.

I don’t know if I can get a full refund on the b stock unit, but I’m gonna ask. I do love how u can turn down the volume and hold a conversation

 

[McMadface]

I don’t know if I can get a full refund on the b stock unit, but I’m gonna ask. I do love how u can turn down the volume and hold a conversation

I had crinkling in the right earpiece on the B-stock i4 that I picked up from Audeze last Monday. On Wednesday, that driver failed. No sound. Nothing. I called up Audeze and was able to pick up a brand new A-stock replacement 30 minutes later.

Audeze's customer service is excellent. I would not hesitate to purchase anything from them. They really know how to take care of their customers.

 

[acia]

I don’t know if I can get a full refund on the b stock unit, but I’m gonna ask. I do love how u can turn down the volume and hold a conversation

anyone NOT going to snap the b stock?

 

[sahmen]

So my B-stocks arrived today... I've got a decently good and comfortable fit with the small ear tips, and the earhooks are nicely installed in place. So far i have been playing on my computer (Mac book pro) using my Amarra Luxe software, which accesses my Tidal account, and my local files. I'm using the stock cable, and haven't tried this on my regular rigs using any form of external DACs or amplifications yet. I'm still waiting for my Cipher V2 cable, so we shall see how that will impact the picture when it arrives. However, even with this modest set up, I can easily understand why these bad boys are often compared to bigger TOTL cans... On the levels of detail extraction, soundstage, airiness, imaging, separation of instruments, bass and treble extension, it is already at a level that is easily comparable, in some respects, to the LCD-X connected in balanced to my regular violectric/Yggy2 rig (if not outright better than LCD-X)... I'm consciously and deliberately resisting the urge to say it is flooring the LCD-X, because I do not want my initial new toy syndrome excitement to get the better of me, and lead into unwarranted exaggerations. I want to be careful and conscious about this and do a level-headed comparison, under the right circumstances before pronouncing final judgements... However, I have got to confess the performance of these LCDi4s are making any kind of self-restraint extremely difficult, if not outright impossible... I have an idea who is going to come out the winner... The only factor remaining to find out is how big the delta is going to be..

The bottomline, for now, is that, this is an extremely impressive performer, and an unqualified winner, even under these modest hook-up circumstances, with the LCDi4 simply connected to a MacBook pro with Amarra software, with stock cable, and with no further enhancements. It is scary to imagine how it is going to scale or change with the Cipher V2 cable, or with a Norne Audio Silvergarde S cable hooked in balanced mode to my Ultrarendu/Roon/ ==>>ygg2/Violectric v281 rig or the Metrum Ambre/Roon ==>> Metrum Onyx/Cavalli Liquid Carbon v1 (or the liquid platinum when it arrives)....

But let us not get ahead of ourselves yet... Remember, today is the day we're trying to not get carried away... and overstate anything... however difficult it is turning out to be

I can only confirm with confidence what many people on this thread know already... This LCDi4 is a winner, and that is putting it mildly.

PS... Okay, enough with the charade. I still love my LCD-X, and it is not going anywhere any time soon. However, I am going to stop pretending there is some contest going on here, because there is really none. The LCDi4 wins the contest quite easily. And yes, I am still only on my Macbook pro, playing and listening to music on Amarra 4 Luxe. I have not listened to the LCDi4 anywhere else, as yet. And yes, they are that good... It is undeniable. Period.

 

[lithiumnk]

So my B-stocks arrived today... I've got a decently good and comfortable fit with the small ear tips, and the earhooks are nicely installed in place. So far i have been playing on my computer (Mac book pro) using my Amarra Luxe software, which accesses my Tidal account, and my local files. I'm using the stock cable, and haven't tried this on my regular rigs using any form of external DACs or amplifications yet. I'm still waiting for my Cipher V2 cable, so we shall see how that will impact the picture when it arrives. However, even with this modest set up, I can easily understand why these bad boys are often compared to bigger TOTL cans... On the levels of detail extraction, soundstage, airiness, imaging, separation of instruments, bass and treble extension, it is already at a level that is easily comparable, in some respects, to the LCD-X connected in balanced to my regular violectric/Yggy2 rig (if not outright better than LCD-X)... I'm consciously and deliberately resisting the urge to say it is flooring the LCD-X, because I do not want my initial new toy syndrome excitement to get the better of me, and lead into unwarranted exaggerations. I want to be careful and conscious about this and do a level-headed comparison, under the right circumstances before pronouncing final judgements... However, I have got to confess the performance of these LCDi4s are making any kind of self-restraint extremely difficult, if not outright impossible... I have an idea who is going to come out the winner... The only factor remaining to find out is how big the delta is going to be..

The bottomline, for now, is that, this is an extremely impressive performer, and an unqualified winner, even under these modest hook-up circumstances, with the LCDi4 simply connected to a MacBook pro with Amarra software, with stock cable, and with no further enhancements. It is scary to imagine how it is going to scale or change with the Cipher V2 cable, or with a Norne Audio Silvergarde S cable hooked in balanced mode to my Ultrarendu/Roon/ ==>>ygg2/Violectric v281 rig or the Metrum Ambre/Roon ==>> Metrum Onyx/Cavalli Liquid Carbon v1 (or the liquid platinum when it arrives)....

But let us not get ahead of ourselves yet... Remember, today is the day we're trying to not get carried away... and overstate anything... however difficult it is turning out to be

I can only confirm with confidence what many people on this thread know already... This LCDi4 is a winner, and that is putting it mildly.

PS... Okay, enough with the charade. I still love my LCD-X, and it is not going anywhere any time soon. However, I am going to stop pretending there is some contest going on here, because there is really none. The LCDi4 wins the contest quite easily. And yes, I am still only on my Macbook pro, playing and listening to music on Amarra 4 Luxe. I have not listened to the LCDi4 anywhere else, as yet. And yes, they are that good... It is undeniable. Period.

Congrats @sahmen.
Just wait and watch or listen, lcd i4 will grow on you and after few days your LCD X will be gathering dust. I am listening to balanced lcd i4 on onyx(borrowed)/v281 rig & the sound is simply sublime. My mind can finally relax & listen to pure music. I don't know what will happen after my pavane level 3 & ambre arrives in few days.I'll probably go in a state of trance.LOL.
Cheers!

 

[jlbrach]

as one who owns both the abyss phi and susvara ,i do not feel i miss all that much when i listen to my i4's with my hugo 2 when i am on the road...a truly fantastic product for those of us who like to have access to our music when on the go in a portable package