[ciukas]

due to the packaging’s air-tight seal and the pressurization and de-pressurization during shipping, there is a possibility of damage to the headphones

@Audeze Is this a concern of those of us who travel often? Do we need a specialized travel case like a pelican case or smth like audeze's own 'automatic ambient pressure equalization valve' feature?

Also, will the new Eidolic 2-pin PEEK Insulator, Locking barrel connector work for the LCDi4?

 

[edwardsean]

I respectfully disagree. Ambient background noise will always be an issue for any open/semi-open phone like the i4. The more noise the more you will lose of low-level detail. Consider how much cost and technical expertise goes into preserving and extracting that low-level detail from DACs to amps to cables to transducers like the i4. This detail will get proportionally masked by noise bleeding in. There is a reason Jude brought the i4s into an (excuse me, freaking) anechoic chamber, which is not really a sustainable solution for most people.

If you are considering these as your only IEM and you travel a lot to and through noisy environments I would caution against getting swept up in the euphoria here. At the same time... the i4 is... euphoric.

Especially if you have other IEMs for noisy environments a certain amount of loss of detail is a worthwhile tradeoff for the sound of the i4s in tolerable situations. However, just like all open phones, the i4 shines in silence. The i4 is worth getting to quieter places and I would think most headfiers have a room where at least a door can temporally separate them from screaming children, animals, heavy machinery, barbarians at the gate, zombie hordes, you know, the rest of life outside of headfi. Mine is soundproofed.

 

[KMann]

@pinciukas
I have traveled with the pelican case (1060) and pick-a-foam, I have also traveled just slipping them into a small headphone case. You need not worry as long as they are secure. The issue was very specific to the very tight fit within the foam packaging we had. Unless you plan to travel with our original packaging (before we made the change to packaging), i.e. without taking the rectangular frame with foam out and using the leather book case packaging as is, you need not be concerned.

Regarding the connector, could you post a picture?

 

[Fafner]

@pinciukas
I have traveled with the pelican case (1060) and pick-a-foam, I have also traveled just slipping them into a small headphone case. You need not worry as long as they are secure. The issue was very specific to the very tight fit within the foam packaging we had. Unless you plan to travel with our original packaging (before we made the change to packaging), i.e. without taking the rectangular frame with foam out and using the leather book case packaging as is, you need not be concerned.

Regarding the connector, could you post a picture?

How to know if we got the revised one?

 

[OrpheusIV]

How to know if we got the revised one?

I like to know that to, and if we have original one can we get a replacement? (improved packaging)

 

[KMann]

When did you get yours? We started shipping the revised packaging starting first week of July. If you are uncertain of the exact ship date, contact CS with your serial number.
If you determine you have older packaging, yes we will replace it. All that needs to change is the rectangular frame with foam that holds the i4s.

I like to know that to, and if we have original one can we get a replacement? (improved packaging)

How to know if we got the revised one?

 

[OrpheusIV]

When did you get yours? We started shipping the revised packaging starting first week of July. If you are uncertain of the exact ship date, contact CS with your serial number.
If you determine you have older packaging, yes we will replace it. All that needs to change is the rectangular frame with foam that holds the i4s.

Got mine mid June so assume original packaging

 

[Fafner]

When did you get yours? We started shipping the revised packaging starting first week of July. If you are uncertain of the exact ship date, contact CS with your serial number.
If you determine you have older packaging, yes we will replace it. All that needs to change is the rectangular frame with foam that holds the i4s.

Still waiting for mine to arrive, looks like it takes a bit more in Switzerland. Wouldn't it be easier to specify from which SN you applied the change?

 

[Audeze]

How to know if we got the revised one?

It is very easy to identify from the packaging. The plastic holders for the LCDi4 has two small holes on either side to ensure there is no seal inside it. We will post some pictures tomorrow.

 

[james444]

Here's a question for those who heard (or maybe even measured) both, do the LCD-i4 have the same upper mids emphasis as the iSINE 20?

Reason for asking, I had a chance to audition the iSINE 10 & 20 and came away very impressed with their openness and soundstage. As a classical listener, these strike me as perfect for orchestral music... however, they have an upper mids emphasis that makes them sound a little too reedy for my taste. To illustrate what I'm talking about, this piece with the iSINE, when the brass comes in at 0:30, makes me cringe:



Bottom line, if the i4 had more neutral tonailty / timbre than the iSINE, I'd seriously consider them. However, with no chance to audition them locally, I'd rather not make a blind purchase at their price point.

 

[EndGameSearch]

Here's a question for those who heard (or maybe even measured) both, do the LCD-i4 have the same upper mids emphasis as the iSINE 20?

Reason for asking, I had a chance to audition the iSINE 10 & 20 and came away very impressed with their openness and soundstage. As a classical listener, these strike me as perfect for orchestral music... however, they have an upper mids emphasis that makes them sound a little too reedy for my taste. To illustrate what I'm talking about, this piece with the iSINE, when the brass comes in at 0:30, makes me cringe:



Bottom line, if the i4 had more neutral tonailty / timbre than the iSINE, I'd seriously consider them. However, with no chance to audition them locally, I'd rather not make a blind purchase at their price point.

I primarily listen to classical as well and have both the iSINE 20 and LCDi4. Both take eq very well without any detectable distortion. They are very easy to tune to your own personal taste and I find the LCDi4 exceptional for classical. They are both fantastic though. My primary over the ears are HD800S for a sound/tone reference point.

 

[edwardsean]

I'm also a strong believer in eq., provided you have a high grade transparent eq. I used two resonance filters with the Isine20 which evened them out nicely. I can't really find anything to equalize on the i4 and find they perform the best without it.

 

[EndGameSearch]

This is the one I primarily use from KMann w/ Audeze. I assume his link will work for you too but agree they do not require EQ. For my taste I feel the iSINE's do require EQ to sound their best. With the i4's it's simply icing on the cake and/or personalization.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/pmft7bmlp13go5q/Roon-i4-V4.zip?dl=0p

 

[35FLE]

I respectfully disagree. Ambient background noise will always be an issue for any open/semi-open phone like the i4. The more noise the more you will lose of low-level detail. Consider how much cost and technical expertise goes into preserving and extracting that low-level detail from DACs to amps to cables to transducers like the i4. This detail will get proportionally masked by noise bleeding in. There is a reason Jude brought the i4s into an (excuse me, freaking) anechoic chamber, which is not really a sustainable solution for most people.

If you are considering these as your only IEM and you travel a lot to and through noisy environments I would caution against getting swept up in the euphoria here. At the same time... the i4 is... euphoric.

Especially if you have other IEMs for noisy environments a certain amount of loss of detail is a worthwhile tradeoff for the sound of the i4s in tolerable situations. However, just like all open phones, the i4 shines in silence. The i4 is worth getting to quieter places and I would think most headfiers have a room where at least a door can temporally separate them from screaming children, animals, heavy machinery, barbarians at the gate, zombie hordes, you know, the rest of life outside of headfi. Mine is soundproofed.

Thanks for your input in this. I was considering using them in a office environment, might have to rethink my plans.

 

[jwbrent]

Perhaps this has been brought up before, but has anyone done an extensive comparison between the i4 and the tia Fourte? I realize different driver technologies are employed, but I haven't heard any other IEM that is so captivating as the tFs.