Unless something was wrong with my Cipher cable, I am surprised how much better it sounds not using it. And, it is labeled for i3/i4 as it came with my unit straight from Audeze when new last year.
Cipher cable is good in the sense that you get proper tuning. As a Dac/amp it is thoroughly lacking, but it's quick plug and play with your iOS device. If you connect i3/i4 to a device with a great dac/amp as well as ability to eq, you will get sound leaps and bounds beyond the capabilities of cipher cable. I use Sony ZX507 DAP, and with 10band eq, i4 is amazing, through Sony's components. Now with work off the i4 has more detail and clarity with the Sony, but is missing a lot as well. At that point I prefer the lesser proficient sound of cipher to non-eq'd i4.
Mine came with the bluetooth cipher cable. It is a subjective thing, but if you ask me personally the i4 has one of the worst tonalities in stock form that you definitely should at least use the cipher cable. But as @Devodonaldson stated, with a decent dac and eq (e.g.https://github.com/jaakkopasanen/AutoEq/blob/master/results/crinacle/harman_in-ear_2019v2/Audeze%20LCD-i4/Audeze%20LCD-i4%20ParametricEQ.txt) it will really sound much much better. And it's technicalities are stunning.
As such, I did my extensive research and settled on the Audeze LCDX matched up with an Astell&Kern Kann. I needed a headphone that could simulate my system at home. It needed to be good “Jack of all trades” in terms of music genres, easy to drive, and matched with a DAP that had a great DAC, Amp, and capable of large sized storage for music. I tried those back to back DAP and amps combo, but it just looked ugly and I couldn’t get behind it. Back then this was the only combo available that worked. This was years ago. I had tried not to look at headphones and DAPs since I would just get tempted. Fast forward to late 2020, I didn’t realize that Audeze came out with the 4z, or that Astell&Kern had the SP1000+amp or the SP2000 that also ticked all the boxes I required. But even then, I was so happy with my LCDX and Kann, I was interested in the 4z and the SP1000, but at that time I didn’t feel the need to upgrade.
Bye bye LCD4Z. 
A week later, I home auditioned the Astell&Kern SP2000. Again, that was a done deal too. I was screwed!! Down the rabbit hole I go. Upon arrival of the LCDi4, I remember the first 20 minutes I had with it. I felt my face turn white while listening to the first two songs. Those YouTube reviewers who bashed the LCDi4 suddenly flashed in my head and I thought to myself “I am soooo screwed 
.” It sounded damn awful. It was nasal, and everything seemed all over the place. But after 15 minutes, it started to improve. Veil upon veil where slowly being stripped out. I’m guessing the cables or what have you started to get those electrons flowing in them. They just got better and better after that. 
Congrats and welcome to the club. They need EQ to sound good. Without EQ, they’re the worst in terms of tonality. You can do EQ by way of cipher cable, EQ from the DAP, or using Reveal plugin in desktop sources.Hello everyone. It took several days but I finally caught up in this thread. I am one of those who has been very late to the party, as I got my LCDi4 just two weeks ago. I hope I am welcome here.
I have a pretty good two channel audio set up at home. My system is composed of the much awarded Von Schweikert Audio VR55 Aktives for speakers / Monoblock amps and pre-amp swapping between the Lamm ML2.1 and LL De Luxe tube pre amp and the CH Precision i1 / Light Harmonic Da Vinci DAC / Lampizator Superkomputer, Aurender X100L and Synology as my music servers. No vinyl or open reel tapes for me, as I live in a condo. Because of this set up, I never really felt the need for headphones. But I did however want to be able to decompress while at work if/when I’m having an awful day, or even when having a great day.
But a message from my friend who was selling his Astell&Kern Kann Cube, triggered everything earlier this year. Within minutes of finding out it was for sale, I swooped up his Kann Cube. Days after, I sold my old Kann LCDX and went straight to the Audeze distributor here in the Philippines. I listened to the LCD24, LCD4, LCD4Z and the Sennheiser HD800S. I fell in love instantly with the 4Z and was about to order it on indent and make a down payment. But then the sales lady asked if I was interested, they had, available on hand, the HD800S Anniversary, and I could choose my serial number. It took me two minutes to think about it and I decided I didn’t want to go home empty handed. I took home the HD800S Anniversary with the serial number I wanted, 055 which matched my speaker model.
Seriously, I’ve been using the HD800S and A&K SP2000 at home in the bedroom, and in the office, but I still had the 4Zs in my sights as a second headphone. But then the IEM question came up. I was thinking of something I could take with me when I travel for business. Something to pair with the SP2K. I tried and bought the Sennheiser ie800S, which are great by the way. But I realized that I still craved that open back sound. So three weeks ago, I pulled the trigger and ordered my LCDi4 from the US without even listening to it. Bye bye ie800S, as it is now with my daughter.
Fast forward to today, I haven’t listened much to the HD800S (although I still do listen to them from time to time), as it has been mostly the LCDi4. Every so often I message my-buddy-in-Head-Fi-crime to tell him what I’m hearing and enjoying. He told me, I haven’t heard you gush on about a piece of equipment in a very long time. And I realized, I actually hadn’t indeed. That is probably the highest compliment I can give the LCDi4.
So congratulations Audeze. These LCDi4 are just amazing. They aren’t perfect mind you … but heck, I can live with these for a very very long time.
Thank you. I have used a lil EQ in my A&K SP2K, but A&K’s EQ doesn’t really work much. I haven’t had an issue with tonality and balance though. I’ve kept EQ off and with good effect. Then again, my curated music are all HiRes files. The type of files that make a system sound good. So I’ve really had no issues with EQ.
Well my library consists of lots of DSD512, 256 and DXDs, and still the i4 needs EQ to sound right. But again, everyone hears things differently so YMMV.
i now feel the same way, but didn't always. when i first got them, i thought the sound was very good. they weren't bass heavy, but everything was present. I listened with several different DACs. I then got the cipher cable, and the the resolution and details were not as crisp, the overall presentation showed me what i had been missing. with a good DAP, you can get close enough to cipher tuning with a 10 band eq and get all the extra details and resolution that you cannot from cipher. I LOVE THE i4. My favorite headphone that I own. (also my most expensive)
Glad you're enjoying them and thanks for the comparisons! I have the isine 10s and I liked them so I have the i4's coming in tomorrow. I really recommend EQ with these. They were designed to use a specific EQ curve from Audeze and I would argue it is a component of the headphone. Try them with the Audeze Reveal plugin(plus version not necessary) or cypher cable.Hello everyone. It took several days but I finally caught up in this thread. I am one of those who has been very late to the party, as I got my LCDi4 just two weeks ago. I hope I am welcome here.
I have a pretty good two channel audio set up at home. My system is composed of the much awarded Von Schweikert Audio VR55 Aktives for speakers / Monoblock amps and pre-amp swapping between the Lamm ML2.1 and LL De Luxe tube pre amp and the CH Precision i1 / Light Harmonic Da Vinci DAC / Lampizator Superkomputer, Aurender X100L and Synology as my music servers. No vinyl or open reel tapes for me, as I live in a condo. Because of this set up, I never really felt the need for headphones. But I did however want to be able to decompress while at work if/when I’m having an awful day, or even when having a great day.
But a message from my friend who was selling his Astell&Kern Kann Cube, triggered everything earlier this year. Within minutes of finding out it was for sale, I swooped up his Kann Cube. Days after, I sold my old Kann LCDX and went straight to the Audeze distributor here in the Philippines. I listened to the LCD24, LCD4, LCD4Z and the Sennheiser HD800S. I fell in love instantly with the 4Z and was about to order it on indent and make a down payment. But then the sales lady asked if I was interested, they had, available on hand, the HD800S Anniversary, and I could choose my serial number. It took me two minutes to think about it and I decided I didn’t want to go home empty handed. I took home the HD800S Anniversary with the serial number I wanted, 055 which matched my speaker model.
Seriously, I’ve been using the HD800S and A&K SP2000 at home in the bedroom, and in the office, but I still had the 4Zs in my sights as a second headphone. But then the IEM question came up. I was thinking of something I could take with me when I travel for business. Something to pair with the SP2K. I tried and bought the Sennheiser ie800S, which are great by the way. But I realized that I still craved that open back sound. So three weeks ago, I pulled the trigger and ordered my LCDi4 from the US without even listening to it. Bye bye ie800S, as it is now with my daughter.
Fast forward to today, I haven’t listened much to the HD800S (although I still do listen to them from time to time), as it has been mostly the LCDi4. Every so often I message my-buddy-in-Head-Fi-crime to tell him what I’m hearing and enjoying. He told me, I haven’t heard you gush on about a piece of equipment in a very long time. And I realized, I actually hadn’t indeed. That is probably the highest compliment I can give the LCDi4.
So congratulations Audeze. These LCDi4 are just amazing. They aren’t perfect mind you … but heck, I can live with these for a very very long time.
To me the i4 is still the best sounding IEM out there. However, it’s not really a fair comparison to a well-driven Susvara. A properly EQ’d i4 would probably get you 70-80% of Susvara’s performance.
