[148124]

you guys should try it with some nice vinyl rig with nice cartridge and pre, you might be shocked what it is capable of even with some budget amp like emo x-mini, bass is out of this world, no ear piercing, ultra saturated mids and endless depth, everything just has some 'balls' and impact but that's vinyl ...
 
you know what ? even realtek alc on my motherboard gave me really interesting results ;]
 
once you get proper synergy with he-4 there is no other HP
 
I had many amps to drive it and every one gave me completely different sonic signature so you all should check out at least a few HP amps like Lyr, EF-5, audio-gd and at least one speaker amp driving he-4 directly from the taps to know what kind of beast is he-4 on something really powerful to feel the differences and choose the best combo
 
I am not hypeing it ;] this is just truly amazing HP once you find best dac and amp for your preferences, definately it has many different faces
 
In my opinion comparing he-4 to lcd-2 is super silly in every aspect although on some recording it can be really 'hot' but try some quality recordings - pure heaven, it just shows how bad or great your recording is, actually in time I got used to it so now I absolutely don't care anymore if it is 'hot' on some recordings, there are too many more important aspects
 
Unfortunately it is not in production anymore, you can grab last pieces now which are still on the stock in some shops

 

[Ron12]

Comparing my ultramodded Hifiman HE-4 and Audeze LCD-2 rev1, I can tell you that both headphones are roughly in the same league soundwise... They both sound different but complement each other nicely. The old style headband and old style cable fits the headphone better than current leather headband and ADZ-6 cable. Comfort is actually good with the old foam headband... Weight is passable but not ideal, of course... Fortunately, the headband helps to make the headphone comfortable for longer listening sessions. Clamp is not very good... Not tragic but far from optimal.
 
I really encourage anyone to mod the HE-4 the way I did... HE-4's treble is now very smooth and absolutely comparable to smoothness of LCD-2 rev1. Vocals of both headphones are smooth as well. The difference is now primarily:
 
1) Soundstage + sense of openness which is significantly better with modded HE-4. Imaging is also very slightly more accurate on the HE-4.
2) Tonal balance: Both headphones are now smooth but LCD-2 rev1 is just darker than neutral from 1khz up while HE-4 is brighter than neutral. So while vocals on both headphones are smooth and non-sibilant (again, only when modded in case of HE-4), they just sound different - brighter on HE-4, warmer on LCD-2. Drums are better on LCD-2, no contest but the majority of instruments can be enjoyed on both well.
 
Speed is similar on both headphones. I suspect there MAY BE some slight resonances with the LCD-2 rev1 which makes LCD-2 very very slightly muddy-sounding (however, it could go away if you mod them... will see). However, this is definitely minor and far from HD650's veil or something like this... I dislike HD650 while I enjoy LCD-2 rev1 (as I enjoyed rev2). LCD-2's are just miles away technically... They are dark-sounding but capable enough not to bother listener with veiled and muddied sound.
 
Will see in upcoming days... But yeah, HE-4 are fully on the level of LCD-2 and HE-500. Especially when modded.
 
EDIT: The very slight muddiness/resonant nature I spot was most probably caused by Audeze grills... I removed them and used double-sided tape wisely to attach the felt underneath grills to the headphones. Without the grills, LCD-2 sound cleaner, vocals are almost perfect. Openness and soundstage is also slightly better... Though I didn't want to remove the felt underneath as it make the headphone sound better when in place IMHO.

 

[DefectiveAudioComponent]

If you want a touch more air to your LCD2 rev1, I suggest you check the dust protector on the ear pads (might be hard to do without taking them off though, to avoid damage to the drivers) - are they easy to breathe through, or a bit dense? If they are of the dense kind, a pad swap could give you a subtle shift in tonal balance, toward more air / less emphasized lows.

 

[Ron12]

  If you want a touch more air to your LCD2 rev1, I suggest you check the dust protector on the ear pads (might be hard to do without taking them off though, to avoid damage to the drivers) - are they easy to breathe through, or a bit dense? If they are of the dense kind, a pad swap could give you a subtle shift in tonal balance, toward more air / less emphasized lows.

 
I already considered everything... As I said, removing grills really helps to clean up the sound a bit (not to make it brighter but to clean it up - no reflections). As a side effect, you get a slightly better sense of openness and soundstaging.
 
When I tried to remove felt underneath, the sound started to be too diffused... The felt definitely has its place there and works well. I may experiment with felt in a similar manner I did with HE-4 (to create a ring-shaped filling) but for now, I don't want the LCD-2 to be more airy or open. It quite ruins what is great about Audezes IMHO.

 

[hemipowered007]

reunited, and it feeeeeeels so goooooood. Never want to be without these again...

 

[Thujone]

The jaggedness that is shown in the measurements after removing the felt can be mitigated by placing felt in front of the driver. I wanted to add felt to drop the 8k area but I found that it also smoothed out the 200-2000k region. Currently I got 2 layers of felt in front of the driver (placed under the pad) with the 1540 pads and the star felt removed from the back. I almost always have to have EQ on in order to drop the treble but I listened for quite a while last night without issues. Not saying that adding felt is ZE BEST MOD EVAR but it may work for you. At the very least it will help with treble spike around 8k.
 
If anyone wants to see measurements, let me know. I think I'm rather content with the HE-4 right now

 

[Ron12]

  The jaggedness that is shown in the measurements after removing the felt can be mitigated by placing felt in front of the driver. I wanted to add felt to drop the 8k area but I found that it also smoothed out the 200-2000k region. Currently I got 2 layers of felt in front of the driver (placed under the pad) with the 1540 pads and the star felt removed from the back. I almost always have to have EQ on in order to drop the treble but I listened for quite a while last night without issues. Not saying that adding felt is ZE BEST MOD EVAR but it may work for you. At the very least it will help with treble spike around 8k.
 
If anyone wants to see measurements, let me know. I think I'm rather content with the HE-4 right now

 
Well, I am doing this for quite a some time... I call it a 'pad felt mod' and even though I prefer to apply the felt in a slightly different manner, I can confirm that it really works.
 
Too bad I cannot measure the headphone... But as I said, it's smooth-sounding right now, on par with LCD-2 rev1 in smoothness, just brighter and less mellow (there is no stridency, it's just clearer, more focused on presenting microdetail). There is no EQ needed with my modifications... It's a great performing headphone that is tonally a bit on the brighter side of neutral. The last mod really helped - thank you for inspiring me

 

[Soundsgoodtome]

I haven't shipped the pads yet, Mshenay could you pm me.

 

[latimerfripp]

Anyone can compare the HE4 to the HE560? I can drive both of them with a great amp and dac, so source is no trouble. Also thinking about the HE500.. I listen to progressive rock\metal\classical music. I love big sound stage(but not huge like hd800) and big punchy bass (like hd650 or better) I had the Audeze LCD2 Rev2 before, And I didn't like it at all.. it just was not 'musical' to my ears

 

[stang]

  I had the Audeze LCD2 Rev2 before, And I didn't like it at all.. it just was not 'musical' to my ears

 
Now that I have spent some more time with the HE-4, I must say the same. The LCD-2 are fantastic for the fact they are in no way fatiguing and you can turn them up louder than HE-4 due to the lack of treble and treble spikes. I could listen to them for many, many hours straight without trouble. Having said this, they weren't as engaging or as 'fun' as the HE-4 have been (once I find a record that isn't awfully bright). I think perhaps the LCD-X would be end-game for me, but I don't feel like spending that kind of money on headphones anywhere in the near future. 

 

[mrscotchguy]

Anyone can compare the HE4 to the HE560? I can drive both of them with a great amp and dac, so source is no trouble. Also thinking about the HE500.. I listen to progressive rock\metal\classical music. I love big sound stage(but not huge like hd800) and big punchy bass (like hd650 or better) I had the Audeze LCD2 Rev2 before, And I didn't like it at all.. it just was not 'musical' to my ears

The HE-500 is intimate, liquid, thumpy, and personally a bit too congested for my taste. Granted, I have never heard it with a synergistic pairing, nor with any mods... So take what I say with a grain of salt.

If you want soundstage that comes close to that of e Hd800 but different, but a slightly laid back sound, with a smidge more warmth... And you already own the HE-4, just pick up the NVX angled pads.

Having a bit of time with this mod/pad roll, I'd have to say the only real downside is the slight loss of sub bass due to distance and spacers to let the drivers "breath". The vocals become more pronounced, which could be a drawback to some. With the comfort and the slightly laid back sound. I'd say is flavor is a winner when HE-4 owners get tempted by an Audeze LCD...

 

[hemipowered007]

Anyone can compare the HE4 to the HE560? I can drive both of them with a great amp and dac, so source is no trouble. Also thinking about the HE500.. I listen to progressive rock\metal\classical music. I love big sound stage(but not huge like hd800) and big punchy bass (like hd650 or better) I had the Audeze LCD2 Rev2 before, And I didn't like it at all.. it just was not 'musical' to my ears

No idea what hps you have/ have had. But I started this journey looking for the perfect prog rock/metal can, and I found it in the he4. It took the insane realism in strings and detail that my magnum v5 had, and combined it with air, speed, detail and great instrument seperation that planars can only do. Not sure what exact music you listen to, but these will show every flaw in the recordings, so some metal, will sound rough, but, that's how poorly it was recorded/mastered, and I've honestly learned to appreciate the he4 revealing all those nuances to me. It may not be the be all end all hp for me, but, for the time being, it is my favorite hp and I dont really know what more I'd want, besides electrostatic hps.

 

[Soundsgoodtome]

If anyone sees that dude around, I need to speak to him.

I haven't shipped the pads yet, Mshenay could you pm me.

 

[stang]

I think I might go down to a store near me to try out the HE-500 in a couple of weeks (after mid-semester exams). I just want to confirm whether or not the HE-500 would have suited me better. I can bring in all my own equipment as well (thought I am hesitant about bring in a turntable and LPs haha). They cost $50 more than what my HE-4 cost me from head-direct so that will be really disappointing if I prefer them to my HE-4 (since I will have to sell he HE-4 and take quite a loss I imagine). I probably should have just kept the LCD-2 but I still felt after all the hours of use they were lacking something. They sounded extremely pleasing but lacked a 'wow' factor of some sort (think: lack of details or similar). I think it was lack of treble which is where a lot of detail was lost (or at least mostly hidden). 

 

[Thujone]

If anyone sees that dude around, I need to speak to him.

 
Looks like he hasn't been around in a while... and he has my pads...