Audeze LCD i4 TOTL In-Ear Monitor Discussion

[edwardsean]

The downside of the i4s is, of course, their great advantage over other IEMs: the open design. It is what allows for that great big spacious sound, but at the cost of sound leakage. For this reason I've always used the i4s indoors in quiet spaces. This way I could retain all the micro-detail prowess the engineers worked so hard to achieve.

Well, the weather's been so nice I've been taking the i4s outside. it's kinda wonderful. You radically compromise the sound, no question. You don't have the conventional sealed chamber to mitigate all the ambient noise from wind, birds, cars, people, etc. I've read how some users like this, but didn't really come to this for myself until this season.

It's almost a rhapsodic experience of having the world around you mix with the music like you've walked into your own person soundtrack. I remix all my tracks into multichannel Realizer convolution mixes so it really is like a kind of aural augmented reality. One more reason that the i4s are the best portable transducer in the world bar none.

O' and, as a bonus, being able to hear cars coming at you might just, you know, save your life.

 

[jlbrach]

surprisingly despite the open design I have asked people around me if they hear the music when I listen to the i4 and they said no so it appears the biggest downside is the lack of isolation...personally I do not regard the i4 as an IEM...I think of them as a small portable planar HP that I can bring anywhere with me and pair with the hugo 2....I also have the shure 1200 which I break out when isolation is important...

 

[SilverEars]

The downside of the i4s is, of course, their great advantage over other IEMs: the open design. It is what allows for that great big spacious sound, but at the cost of sound leakage. For this reason I've always used the i4s indoors in quiet spaces. This way I could retain all the micro-detail prowess the engineers worked so hard to achieve.

Well, the weather's been so nice I've been taking the i4s outside. it's kinda wonderful. You radically compromise the sound, no question. You don't have the conventional sealed chamber to mitigate all the ambient noise from wind, birds, cars, people, etc. I've read how some users like this, but didn't really come to this for myself until this season.

It's almost a rhapsodic experience of having the world around you mix with the music like you've walked into your own person soundtrack. I remix all my tracks into multichannel Realizer convolution mixes so it really is like a kind of aural augmented reality. One more reason that the i4s are the best portable transducer in the world bar none.

O' and, as a bonus, being able to hear cars coming at you might just, you know, save your life.

You mix with i4? I bet your mixes comes out with upper-mids spiked the hell up. lol Probably the last iem I think for mixing. Tonally, it's broke.

 

[edwardsean]

You mix with i4? I bet your mixes comes out with upper-mids spiked the hell up. lol Probably the last iem I think for mixing. Tonally, it's broke.

The re-mixing is upmixing through Nugen Halo.

 

[Slim1970]

surprisingly despite the open design I have asked people around me if they hear the music when I listen to the i4 and they said no so it appears the biggest downside is the lack of isolation...personally I do not regard the i4 as an IEM...I think of them as a small portable planar HP that I can bring anywhere with me and pair with the hugo 2....I also have the shure 1200 which I break out when isolation is important...

How is the sound of the Shure 1200’s compared to the i4’s. I’m interested in the Shure 1200 estat IEM’s as well

 

[jlbrach]

very different...the soundstage is not as wide...the sound is more precise...the bass is not quite as good but overall the 1200 is IMHO fantastic, I love it when I need the isolation

 

[MIR05LAV]

Hi all!
Really loving mine I4's, I would say they're simply the best headphones I've had a pleasure to listen and soo convenient!
I was mostly using it just with the cipher cable + anker adapter connected ether to my android phone or my pc. Preffered it to my revealed Mojo.
The only slight complain I had was the soundstage size/depth. It is good with the cipher but not the best I have heard (comparing to the full size cans). I thought I will try a cheap method to try a ballanced amp and see how it'll be. Decided to reterminate my original cable to 2,5mm ballanced and have bought a rather cheap dongle - Hidizs s9 Pro.
It arrived yesterday. Connected it right away to my PC (that'll be my stationary setup lol), installed Apo and reveal at 90% and BOOM, it is much better than the cipher in my oppinion!
With reveal the spatial effects are incredible!
Soundstage is as big as with Abyss Diana with Burson C3X performance... Incredible. The DAC in this little thing is really good, analitycal but not harsh or piercing, not so laid back as with the cipher, but I feel that there is more details, more air, layering is better. Sound is more energetic and lively. Just LOVING IT! That thing is a steal! Need to compare it to some more expensive ballanced combo but I am really happy with the sound.
Now I need to experiment with different eq presets
YMMV of course

 

[EMINENT]

Hi all!
Really loving mine I4's, I would say they're simply the best headphones I've had a pleasure to listen and soo convenient!
I was mostly using it just with the cipher cable + anker adapter connected ether to my android phone or my pc. Preffered it to my revealed Mojo.
The only slight complain I had was the soundstage size/depth. It is good with the cipher but not the best I have heard (comparing to the full size cans). I thought I will try a cheap method to try a ballanced amp and see how it'll be. Decided to reterminate my original cable to 2,5mm ballanced and have bought a rather cheap dongle - Hidizs s9 Pro.
It arrived yesterday. Connected it right away to my PC (that'll be my stationary setup lol), installed Apo and reveal at 90% and BOOM, it is much better than the cipher in my oppinion!
With reveal the spatial effects are incredible!
Soundstage is as big as with Abyss Diana with Burson C3X performance... Incredible. The DAC in this little thing is really good, analitycal but not harsh or piercing, not so laid back as with the cipher, but I feel that there is more details, more air, layering is better. Sound is more energetic and lively. Just LOVING IT! That thing is a steal! Need to compare it to some more expensive ballanced combo but I am really happy with the sound.
Now I need to experiment with different eq presets
YMMV of course

I prefer the Auto EQ vs. Reveal after much testing. But, not sure which is more accurate.

 

[dasadab]

B&H has the LCDi4 on sale--$500 off. Just bought them. Always wanted to try them with my Hugo 2. Can't wait.

 

[jlbrach]

excellent combo, you will be pleased

 

[wasupdog]

I found a new way to use these. I'm running Tidal on my laptop with the lighting cable and Anker USB-C adapter straight into one of my USB-C ports. You'll be limited to the default eq in the lighting cable so you won't be able to further eq but it sounds pretty good for quick and easy listening.

 

[normie610]

I found a new way to use these. I'm running Tidal on my laptop with the lighting cable and Anker USB-C adapter straight into one of my USB-C ports. You'll be limited to the default eq in the lighting cable so you won't be able to further eq but it sounds pretty good for quick and easy listening.

I’ve been using this way since quite a while. You can use iPad Pro too.

 

[wasupdog]

I originally bought the USB-C adapter to use it out of my ipad. Audeze HQ app used to work on the ipad but I don't think they updated it to the current ipad OS.

 

[normie610]

I originally bought the USB-C adapter to use it out of my ipad. Audeze HQ app used to work on the ipad but I don't think they updated it to the current ipad OS.

Correct, it will only read preset 1 so you need to adjust the EQ on iPhone for preset 1 and then plug it into iPad. If you want to adjust the EQ again, just repeat the steps.

 

[dasadab]

I love all Audeze In-Ear! Got it all! And no one would ever leave.

If you're interested, I can give you more info on setup and comparison!

i4 is of course Top of Hifi! Just balanced with iCan a dream!

Hi,
I also evolved from the i3 to the i4. I use both—the i3 mostly for outside via the cipher cable to my iphone and the new i4 hopefully without the cipher cable to my Lotoo Paw 6000 dap and my Chord Hugo 2.
I am using the Hugo 2 in the house with Roon, which has a Audeze supplied equalizer setting of the i4. Sound great.
But for a more portable solution, I also want to tweak the i4 with the Lotoo DAP. But…the Lotoo 5 band PMEQ equalizer has for me a steep learning curve. I’m wondering if you have any starting PMEQ settings for the i4 that I might be able to try out on the Lotoo.
Much appreciated.