[Grayven]

Could you share a screen shot of you Roon eq? I'd never thought of using that when I use the i4 an the main home rig.

you can use the Audeze reveal in Roon as well, its under DSP.

 

[soundperfection]

Can anyone explain why i4 wasnt tuned to the the best eq setting from the start.

 

[Infoseeker]

Probably they really wanted to keep the casing and look as it is now. Convenient, as well as open-back.

 

[Wyville]

Can anyone explain why i4 wasnt tuned to the the best eq setting from the start.

Don't know if there is a more extensive, technical explanation, but a friend of mine touched on this briefly in his review. I will quote:

"Audeze’s increasing experience with planar technology drove them to a new challenge: fitting a planar driver into an in-ear format – an LCD headphone in ‘fun-size’, if you will. An ambitious project, resulting in some long overdue innovation in the in-ear market. Even so, resizing the driver came with challenges of its own, especially when tuning the sound. Traditional BA designs consist of specific drivers that are chosen for their sonic properties, and subsequently linked together with a crossover to achieve the desired sound.

But due to the i4’s novel technology, the tuning process, and following end result, was a little bit different. Specifically, the i4 wasn’t tuned for either low distortion or a certain signature, but to simply optimize the performance of the driver. For instance, by varying the width of the traces in the diaphragm, Audeze managed to achieve a uniform electro-magnetic force across the diaphragm, which is deemed important for absolute control and a linear response.

So in a way, the signature followed from its physical design, rather than the other way around. In addition, an over-ear headphone uses human anatomy (the curvature of the outer ear) to boost the midrange frequencies, which is not possible with an in-ear design. Therefore, Audeze experimented with the shape of the ear port and size of the opening, as well as different materials for the golden mesh, while using using wave guides inside the sound port to fine tune the sound. But they also sought out an alternative angle: providing DSP correction via plugin or their Cipher cable to modify the frequency response without using EQ."

Original review can be found here.

 

[zzfaithlezz]

To the folks that were quick enough to get on the B-stock sale, were you notified by newsletter in advance or something?

Btw, anyone who ended up not liking their B stock i4, please sell to me .

 

[DaddyWhale]

To the folks that were quick enough to get on the B-stock sale, were you notified by newsletter in advance or something?

Btw, anyone who ended up not liking their B stock i4, please sell to me .

I was one of the lucky ones. I didn't get any notifications. I just kept a track of the headfi deals thread (www.head-fi.org/threads/the-deals-discussion-thread-read-the-first-post.692119/page-1969) and was fortunate enough. Even do, by the time I got to Audeze's website, products like the ldc-4z were already gone.

 

[cj3209]

Could you share a screen shot of you Roon eq? I'd never thought of using that when I use the i4 an the main home rig.

Here's one:

I have to credit @lithiumnk

 

[peter1480]

Here's one:



I have to credit @lithiumnk

Many thanks, normally I've not use EQ but that adds a certain something.

 

[boxster233]

What are the default EQ presets for i4 with hq app? I hit reset and lost the ones it came with in the app.

 

[DonChuy]

Care the share those settings?

@Devodonaldson
If you could please share the settings on your monolith with the i4s, I’m very curious about this portable amp in general and even better if it works well with the i4s. Thanks!

 

[Devodonaldson]

@Devodonaldson
If you could please share the settings on your monolith with the i4s, I’m very curious about this portable amp in general and even better if it works well with the i4s. Thanks!

Low shelf eq 130hz +4 (anything between +2 and +4 should be good. I like a little extra oomph, cuz I listen to a lot of hip hop and r&b) PEQ1 FREQ 2.9K GAIN +6 Q1.9. PEQ2 FREQ 10K GAIN -6 Q3.2 (REMOVES THat hard treble peak, but doesn't remove the treble sparkle or clarity) PEQ3 FREQ 1.3K GAIN -6 (ANYWHERE FROM -2 TO -6. I LIKE MY MIDS RECESSED. MIDS ON i4 are forward. So start at -2 and make more negative if you desire.) Q1.5. Again, this is with Monolith portable DAC amp. No use for high shelf eq.

 

[DonChuy]

Low shelf eq 130hz +4 (anything between +2 and +4 should be good. I like a little extra oomph, cuz I listen to a lot of hip hop and r&b) PEQ1 FREQ 2.9K GAIN +6 Q1.9. PEQ2 FREQ 10K GAIN -6 Q3.2 (REMOVES THat hard treble peak, but doesn't remove the treble sparkle or clarity) PEQ3 FREQ 1.3K GAIN -6 (ANYWHERE FROM -2 TO -6. I LIKE MY MIDS RECESSED. MIDS ON i4 are forward. So start at -2 and make more negative if you desire.) Q1.5. Again, this is with Monolith portable DAC amp. No use for high shelf eq.

Excellent! Thanks for the info and luckily it looks like we have similar taste on the sound signature! Thanks!

 

[Audioscope]

For those who received their B-stock units, did you find any cosmetic flaws? Mine has a small chip in the paint, but the performance is stellar for the price of course. Just curious.

 

[Audioscope]

Also, for those who tried both, how do these compare to the IER-Z1R?

 

[cj3209]

Also, for those who tried both, how do these compare to the IER-Z1R?

I have both and they are very different but share some similar qualitities.

The IER is one of the most non-IEM-sounding IEMs I've ever heard; they have the spaciousness of an over-the-ear headphone with very deep bass but some find them a bit physically heavy on the ear. They are closed, obviously, so I use them when I don't want to bother anyone or hear anyone or anything in the environment. Stock, the highs seemed a bit recessed for me so I replaced the inner foam using tweezers and now they sound very open and engaging for my ears.

The i4s are like mini Audeze LCD 4s from what I've been told who have both. With a good amp, they scale well over their price range and compete with expensive over-the-ear headphones. They leak sound, and you can't use them in public places like libraries.

For portable use with my DAP, I generally reach for my IERs. At home when I'm moving around, I use my i4s with a transportable amp.

Both are incredible performing IEM and in-ear monitors; I'm fortunate to own both.

Cheers!