normie610
Headphoneus Supremus
Hello
I have not tried z1r.
But, I am concerned about recessed midrange (lower) on z1r.
Btw, lcdi4 scales up with a desktop amp like crazy.
I recently got benchmark hpa4 to pair with Metrum Pavane and lcdi4 and i simply cannot believe what i am hearing.
It's like listening to new version of lcdi4.
In the past 2yrs I have tried i4 with TOTL SS amps (gsmk2,v281 etc.) DAC/AMPS(including ,hugo2, mDave) but never heard such refinement, tonal balance, richness and naturalness.
The treble clarity, articulation & extension is superb. Sounds more natural to me.There is a near perfect balance between the attack, decay and body of transients. They are never thin.
The mids are more bodied without congestion or loss of transparency.
Vocal density on both male and female is so damn natural and gives a life like presentation. Best mids I have ever heard on lcdi4.
Special mention about bass.
I am listening to "extra" bass.lol. The tracks have more bass definition, outstanding layering, extension right till the very end. Strikes an excellent balance b/w quality and quantity. Imagine the speed of BA and decay of dynamics but refined to another level. I am listening to more bass notes in b/w notes. Resolution is breathtaking.
The background is devoid of any kind of noise. The blackness extracts so much more information from the track..it's like listening to heavily mixed track.
This is why I am still hunting for a closed iem which comes close to the level of performance and scalability that lcdi4 delivers.
Due credit should be given to Metrum NOS DACs and the super transparent Benchmark HPA4 which never sounds like a SS amp as it lacks signature of its own. It will amplify without any coloration.i.e. true to source.
YMMV
Cheers
Wow that’s a killer setup!