[commtrd]

My i4 don't sound lifeless without EQ at all. They sound awesome and accurately neutral. Still fail to understand how someone could say they sound "lifeless" when these headphones are some of the best sounding instruments I have personally ever heard.

 

[lithiumnk]

Reading this thread ignites my curiosity for these... I've always wanted LCD's as headphones but they were way too heavy for my neck. My neck pain doesn't even allow me to use HD800's anymore, which were my long time favorites. I absolutely loved planar magnetics before when I tried the Hifiman HE400's back when they first came out, but of course I had to sell them because they were too heavy. Now I can only use IEM's for my desktop due to the weight, I don't even use them for isolation. In fact I would actually prefer the open back design for a better soundstage. I'm currently using Noble Encores which I love, but would love to try out these too for the planar magnetic sound. I've read some comparisons between the Encore's and the LCDi4's, would anyone be willing to provide some more detailed comparisons?

Also, more importantly, how do you guys feel about the comfort of these? Comfort of the Encore's has been a big issue for me. Even if I get the right fit with the right sound, they tend to hurt my ears after an hour or so. My SE846's were great, I can wear them 8 hours straight. My previous Westone UM Pro 50's were even better, they were in fact the most comfortable IEM's I've ever had the pleasure of wearing. I put them on and they disappear and I can literally have them on 24/7. I just don't want to shell out $2k+ for IEM's that I have to resell after finding that they don't fit me well.

One thing you have to consider is the open back nature of Lcd i4. The IEMs in your arsenal are all closed. I suggest you to audition them before buying & compare with your existing rig. I had a good listen to noble encore & Roxanne. First of all its not fair to compare them with lcd i4. Lcd i4 is a completely different in ear "headphone".The lcd i4 are a definite step up in all departments (except isolation) as compared to encore & Roxanne. They are super comfortable with ear hooks. They are very light weight. I think they are well worth the price.

 

[kubig123]

My i4 don't sound lifeless without EQ at all. They sound awesome and accurately neutral. Still fail to understand how someone could say they sound "lifeless" when these headphones are some of the best sounding instruments I have personally ever heard.

Me too, I use mine without EQ and I still think it sounds amazing.
I'll definitely will try to use some EQ, but I already very happy buying them.

 

[lithiumnk]

My i4 don't sound lifeless without EQ at all. They sound awesome and accurately neutral. Still fail to understand how someone could say they sound "lifeless" when these headphones are some of the best sounding instruments I have personally ever heard.

I am using Roon presets with Hugo 2. Personally, I feel that lcd i4 are perfect without dsp. The sound is neutral & more transparent. 'Lifeless' is a very harsh description imho.

 

[EagleWings]

Well written, thank you.
Now if someone doesn't mind the lack of noise isolation of i4 , we can assume this is the best IEM/in ear universal headphone for it's size, correct?

If not the best, definitely one of the best. I haven't listened to the KSE1500, but from what I hear it is very accurate. From a presentation perspective though I doubt if the KSE1500 can take on the i4.

 

[EagleWings]

Thank you for the comparison, really helpful.

Based on your listening, which one, between the U18 and the Fourte has the best midrange and treble?

U18's mid-range and and treble are more natural compared to the Fourte. But I see you already own a couple of other IEMs. Given the situation, I'd recommend the Fourte to you as long as you are tolerant to treble. If not, U18 may be the better option.

U18 would also be the better option for those looking to own single high-end IEM as it is more versatile and easier to listen to than the Fourte.

 

[EagleWings]

My i4 don't sound lifeless without EQ at all. They sound awesome and accurately neutral. Still fail to understand how someone could say they sound "lifeless" when these headphones are some of the best sounding instruments I have personally ever heard.

I stand by what I said. If you think its not lifeless, good for you. Lifeless is a subjective expression and we can go on and on without ever reaching a conclusion. But the i4, out of the box, is definitely not neutral, let alone 'accurately neutral'.

 

[kubig123]

U18's mid-range and and treble are more natural compared to the Fourte. But I see you already own a couple of other IEMs. Given the situation, I'd recommend the Fourte to you as long as you are tolerant to treble. If not, U18 may be the better option.

Thanks,
I'll consider that, but I'm going to wait for the custom version, I really don't like the design off they have for the universal.

 

[Solarium]

One thing you have to consider is the open back nature of Lcd i4. The IEMs in your arsenal are all closed. I suggest you to audition them before buying & compare with your existing rig. I had a good listen to noble encore & Roxanne. First of all its not fair to compare them with lcd i4. Lcd i4 is a completely different in ear "headphone".The lcd i4 are a definite step up in all departments (except isolation) as compared to encore & Roxanne. They are super comfortable with ear hooks. They are very light weight. I think they are well worth the price.

I only use these TOTL IEM's on my desktop in a room that does not require sound isolation. In fact, I prefer open backs as they allow for better soundstage and imaging. I'm only using IEM's for the weight of them.

By the way, if I can go either IEM route of speakers route, has anyone done any comparisons with the LCDi4's to desktop speakers like the KEF LS50 Wireless? They would be approximately the same cost, but I would just want the better quality sound.

 

[EagleWings]

@commtrd , @lithiumnk and @kubig123 , I guess you guys do have a case and point about the word 'lifeless' being a bit harsh. I switched it to 'dull'.

 

[commtrd]

Well OK but my i4 don't sound dull either. At least to my un-educated ears...

 

[commtrd]

I stand by what I said. If you think its not lifeless, good for you. Lifeless is a subjective expression and we can go on and on without ever reaching a conclusion. But the i4, out of the box, is definitely not neutral, let alone 'accurately neutral'.

Whatever. Someone can get pissy and say this or that but they sound good enough for me. It is a blessing to actually be able to be satisfied with "good enough". I will be over here tying flies for salt water, slumming with my Mojo, Therium cable, and lowly crummy sounding LCDi4 phones. And no EQ on my flac lossless files.

Sonic bliss: listening to my twin Garrett water cooled ball bearing turbos screaming on my old rattling 5.9 cummins as they slam 60 psi in a heartbeat... =)

 

[Cognacbrown]

After acquiring the Woo WA8 recently, started to find find the Chord sound (Mojo and Hugo2) slightly “dark”. Decided the WA8 is best as a desktop amp - not very convenient to transport.

Tried the Ifi IDSD micro Black Label briefly yesterday and I preferred it’s sound signature after some tweaking of settings. What I do like it’s its a very powerful amp - churning up to 4W. I managed to test them with my Hifiman Edition x and they sounded wonderful. The Chord still has splendid resolution though and I don’t think the BL Beats it. But as a package I thought the BL is an incredible buy. I especially like it’s form factor. It loooks big on first sight (compared with Mojo) but it pairs with my DAP and IPhone 7+ very well. The implementation of the male USB A connector is excellent - you just need to buy the Apple CCK or the Micro USB OTG and you are good. No need for expensive and sometimes unreliable third party cables. Keeps the form factor compact too. Preferred this much better than the wires to Mojo.

Still charging the unit (recommended 24 hours). Look forward to drive the LCDi4 once it’s fully charged.

 

[Cognacbrown]

Well OK but my i4 don't sound dull either. At least to my un-educated ears...

The LCDi4 are very transparent. I wonder if the “fullness” is imparted from particular DAC/amps. They certainly don’t sound dull with the WA8. Very live sounding. Will be using the IFI BL soon. I find the 3 D boost can give a good lift on some tracks eg classical or vocals to give more presence and feel. On the poorly recorded pop tracks, you can turn this off to reduce listening fatigue.

 

[jlbrach]

dull sounding?No way...through my Hugo2 they sound wonderful...