[groovyd]

yeah their spec is way off or at least they are quoting the latest X weight vs the early version X weight of my unit. Their spec might very well be with the old style (non carbon fiber) headband too. My X weighs exactly 585g with the older upgraded carbon fiber headband without holes in the leather and with velour pads.

I swapped out the MX4 leather pads with an identical pair of old style velour pads which are significantly more comfortable and imho sound better in that they remove the sibilance and provide less recessed high-mids (something the MX4 is missing vs the X) since they are closer to the ear and sealed better then the MX4 style leather pads anyway. A bit 'smoother' sound top to bottom with the velour and the creaking of the leather when moving your head with the original pads is gone. To be honest I couldn't listen to the MX4 very long with the stock pads but the velour is making it much better and the weight actually dropped from 600g to 570g so as it turns out the pads themselves make up an unexpected 30g difference and bring the MX4 to 15g lighter than my X. Still I would have expected these to be much lighter overall. at least that was my hope, however I really can't argue for the price as long as the sound beats the X.

hard to tell by comparing the X and MX4 by using the Sonarworks custom calibration for the X but the overall sound appears more bass linear and cleaner but with less bass punch. highs feel extended but it is missing some of the midrange passion especially for female voices. have to continue to burn these in with the new pads and then send them off to Sonarworks for custom calibration before drawing any final opinions about the sound.

as far as looks are concerned I sort of favor the X to be honest. Is a bit more modest with less graphics and looks more like a professional tool while the MX4 looks more consumer headphone.

Here are both FR graphs per Audeze and also the measured custom calibration FR from Sonarworks for the X for reference. Totally an uneducated guess here but the MX4 profile looks like it would be a lighter and easier correction to reference flat especially in the highs. The X has some strange peaks in its response.

LCD-X Sonarworks

LCD-X Audeze

LCD-MX4 Audeze

 

[groovyd]

If anyone has any insight into the rather odd situation, kindly share your thoughts.

Totally understandable however I would highly recommend having them custom calibrated with Sonarworks which will drastically put them ahead of an uncalibrated X. That's my next step. I also recommend swapping the leather pads out for old style velour and before you have them calibrated.

 

[llamaluv]

Nik Bartsch

+1 for Nik Bartsch!

When I get the chance, I am going to try both them on my Yggdrasil ==>> Violectric V281 rig too, and see whether those will produce more marked differences between the two cans.

I didn't own the LCD-X and LCD-MX4 at the same time, nor with the same DAC and amp even, but I found the MX4 to be notably more satisfying particularly with jazz. I loved the way it rendered percussion and transients generally. This was with a Spring L3 and GS-X mk2. I would bet that with more burn-in and head time on the Yggy/Violectric, meaning [edit: meaningful!] differences will start to reveal themselves.

 

[Hifiearspeakers]

I have got my LCD-MX4, and have been listening to it for a few hours now (only 6 hours or less), and so far, I am experiencing a sort of "good news"/"not so good news" kind of result.

Good news : I like the headphone a lot, aesthetically, build-wise, and most importantly of all, SQ-wise. Oh, and they are brand new, not B-stock, and that is great.

Not so good news : I have been comparing them with my LCD-X playing both on my nearfield rig, and they seem to sound too much alike to my ears, to the point where, I am already thinking of letting one of them go. From what I can tell, the MX4 seems to be edging the X slightly in the clarity of the mids, in imaging, and overall refinement. However, the bass of the X seems to hit slightly harder than the MX4, very slightly. The differences are subtle, and not pronounced enough (at this point) to create a big enough delta of preference between the two cans to my ears, and that is precisely the issue.

The rig is:

Metrum Acoustics Ambre/Roon ==>> Metrum Acoustics Onyx ==>> Cavalli/Monolith Liquid Platinum (with "Holy Grail" Reflektor tubes)...I am also using a Norne Audio Silvergarde S aftermarket cable with both cans, and playing them in balanced mode...

I am wondering whether the similarity has something to do with the MX4 being too new and not "broken" in or "burnt" in enough, or whether there is something in my chain of components, which is blurring or erasing the differences between these two cans... Strangely, it was relatively easier for me to tell the difference between the sound of my LCDi4, when it arrived, and the LCD-X... I am very fond of my LCD-X, for sonic, as well as sentimental reasons (it was my first Audeze headphone), but I knew within the first 5 minutes of using the LCDi4, that I would prefer many SQ aspects of the latter over those of the former (notably, soundstagive, instrument separation, air, and a sense of overall refinement), at least for some types of music...

Again I like how the MX4 sounds, and would easily consider it to be a keeper under normal circumstances. What I do not like is the redundancy of having two Audeze cans sounding so seeming alike on my rigs. When I get the chance, I am going to try both them on my Yggdrasil ==>> Violectric V281 rig too, and see whether those will produce more marked differences between the two cans. If not, then I might have to consider selling one of them (maybe the MX4) or trading it up for another pair of cans that would provide me with a more different flavor (A used LCD-4, or Susvara, or something from the ZMF range of new releases, which I have only read about so far, but never experienced)...

The sad thing is I have the MX4 on my head now, listening to Nik Bartsch & his Ronin's Randori album, and I am absolutely digging the way the MX4 is resolving and presenting the entire sound-field. The way it is positioning each instrument in its own place, within that field, --and the coherence of the whole ...Quiet a thing of beauty... This is good! Maybe, it is my own head that needs some "burn-in" time with the MX4.... Maybe I just need a little more time to get used to these new cans in order to really discern and pick out its subtle SQ differences, in order to appreciate what really makes it different from the X? I do not really know.

If anyone has any insight into the rather odd situation, kindly share your thoughts.

I would return the MX4 and keep your X. The LCD X is a better headphone.

 

[groovyd]

I would not compare dynamics to Planars, is it possible? ...I think I like the Holographic Planar presentation.

Planars blow away dynamics for presentation and spatial accuracy and realism. I keep some Senns around but just for historic perspective

 

[groovyd]

I would return the MX4 and keep your X. The LCD X is a better headphone.

Based on the FRs between my X and MX4 I do believe the MX4 will be the better reference headphone after calibration. We shall see. The X is certainly no slouch and has earned more headtime in all the years i've owned it then any other headphone in the stable including the totl senns and beyers. Guessing my only step up form here is truly the HE-1s I am saving up for.

 

[Hifiearspeakers]

Based on the FRs between my X and MX4 I do believe the MX4 will be the better reference headphone after calibration. We shall see. The X is certainly no slouch and has earned more headtime in all the years i've owned it then any other headphone in the stable including the totl senns and beyers. Guessing my only step up form here is truly the HE-1s I am saving up for.

If you have to calibrate them, you can get either to sound reference. In stock form, the X is definitely closer to neutral. The MX4 has no upper mids and very rolled-off treble and a weird bump at 1K.

 

[CaptainFantastic]

This is really interesting. I asked Audeze customer service whether they will reduce the price of the units they have on amazon.de (3 left at 2550 EUR each) to what they had on amazon.com. They said no, because the sale that they had in the U.S. was for B-stock. I asked them if they are sure, since the audeze.com website itself (https://www.audeze.com/products/audeze-holiday-special-2018) shows them as new for 1499 USD and certainly amazon.com and Woo and the others showed them as new for 1499 USD. I was just told by e-mail by Audeze that it must be a website error, that the sale was for B-stock and in any case they are out of stock now. What do you, the people who bought and received these discounted headphones think? Are they new or B-stock?

A little bit of background: I bought mine in the EU in September at full price. When I opened the box, one of the cups was inside the other, unlike all other unboxings (but one) that I saw in videos on the internet. Also, the leather looked a little less than new. See my posts from September in this very thread. I asked Audeze when these headphones were first purchased using the serial number, and they said in July 2018. I responded that I had bought them in September, so asked if that meant that I was not the first owner. The response was that by July they meant that that is when they "sold" them to the Amazon fulfillment center in the UK. I am very, very happy with the headphones, but what I am wondering is if some B-Stock is making it to customers as new units. I could be awfully wrong. What do you think? I know that this sounds like a crazy practice and no respectable company like Audeze would engage in it... and I hadn't thought about it anymore since October until today's response from Audeze that the U.S. sale was for B-stock.

 

[omniweltall]

This is idiotic. Audeze should clearly state it as B-stock if this is indeed true. Come on, Audeze.

 

[Hifiearspeakers]

Agreed. I hope this is a misunderstanding because of it isn’t, this will be a public relations disaster for Audeze. and they may even get sued for advertisement fraud.

 

[CaptainFantastic]

I am sure that they will say it was a misstatement by the Audeze employee that e-mailed me today. This is why I am asking if you, the people that received these sale units, can take a look and see if they seem brand new to you. Also e-mail Tony at tony@audeze.com and ask him about the serial number history. He is the one who told me in September that my particular unit was sold on 5 July 2018 and then corrected this by saying that that was the date they sent it to Amazon.

 

[groovyd]

If you have to calibrate them, you can get either to sound reference. In stock form, the X is definitely closer to neutral. The MX4 has no upper mids and very rolled-off treble and a weird bump at 1K.

That isn't what my FR shows but we will see what happens once they are calibrated. It shows them being more linear from the bottom up to 1k and then a linear drop to 4k and relatively linearly ramping back up again. The drop is larger but smoother and appears easy to correct for with one parametric setting. The X does appear to be a better tuned headphone for uncorrected fun-side-of-neutral listening. It looks like the MX4 really needs correction to shine while the X might be an easier listen out of the box.

Don't get me wrong, I love my X early edition but i'm willing to give the MX4 a chance. Let's wait and see.

 

[groovyd]

I am sure that they will say it was a misstatement by the Audeze employee that e-mailed me today. This is why I am asking if you, the people that received these sale units, can take a look and see if they seem brand new to you. Also e-mail Tony at tony@audeze.com and ask him about the serial number history. He is the one who told me in September that my particular unit was sold on 5 July 2018 and then corrected this by saying that that was the date they sent it to Amazon.

mine seemed brand new.

 

[groovyd]

one thing i don't like is how they give you an FR average across both left and right channels and it appears they no longer specifically match drivers like they used to when I got my X. It would be much more telling to see separate left and right on the FR.

 

[mangler]

If mine are B-stock, I sure can't tell. Leather earpads have 0 signs of wear and no scratches anywhere. The box was still sealed with the Audeze tape, so I don't think it was a return item from Amazon. But to be honest, if they are B-stock, I would'd be able to deny that Audeze was deceptive, but I would still feel like I got a screaming deal on these. Guess we'll have to see what actually happened.

On another note, I was fortunate enough to have participated in the loaner tour organized by TSAV (thanks @TSAVJason and @TSAVAlan !). I loved them then, and do so now after having got one during this holiday sale. Honestly, I like these even more than I remember! Warm and smooth sound, rich mids, seriously punchy bass, non-fatiguing treble, all of which suit my personal tastes perfectly. I have an LCD-X (original drivers) and Sony Z1R, and while I think those are both fantastic, I enjoy the MX4 more. Not perfect (what headphone is?), but no outstanding flaws that are true deal breakers. I know these didn't sell well, but I feel that has more to do with pricing and maybe not so great marketing, not due to issues with the sound quality. My 2 cents