[datka3]

Also interested in SQ settings

 

[datka3]

I wonder how much if any would following sound like :
Take audioquest cinnamon lightning cable cut off usb connector part and re solder it with stock audeze cifer DAC and to take it to another level change cables going from audeze dac/dsp to the headphones with some silver cable . In other words upgrade stock Cifer cable and only retain Dac/Dsp part of.

 

[Sean_MR]

I tried BT on ACTIVO CT10 because it supports AptX HD. I do not know if this profile was active during my listening session. It was OK for on the go listening (gym etc) but definitely worse than with cipher cable. I will try iPhone today and will let you know.

Sounds, good thank you!

 

[Docharsha89]

Hello all,
I need a bit of purchasing advice from owners. I'm thinking of buying the LCD i3 to replace my Audioquest Nighthawk headphones. I've not been much into IEM until now, so just going to make a blind jump, based on the glowing reviews. I will be using it with a Hugo 2. Some questions --
> Will the Scale of Sound be equal to an open back headphone ?
> Compared to the LCD X, which is preferred, when purely focusing on SQ
> LCD X is priced similar to the LCD i3 in my country, So I want to chose one, which serves me better ie. Listening to music indoors, mostly for country, acoustic and classic music.
--- Thank you

 

[Sean_MR]

Has anyone who also has the iSine 10 or 20's found that these stay in the ear better? I have the 20's but they constantly fall out of my ear

 

[Pcppps]

I dont. but for me, only the ear fins coming with i3 works. The ear hooks dont work for me at all. did u try the isine20 with ear fins?

Has anyone who also has the iSine 10 or 20's found that these stay in the ear better? I have the 20's but they constantly fall out of my ear

 

[Sean_MR]

I dont. but for me, only the ear fins coming with i3 works. The ear hooks dont work for me at all. did u try the isine20 with ear fins?

Sorry, you don’t as in you don’t have the 10’s or 20’s you mean? And I don’t have any ear fins unfortunately. They only come with the LCD i3’s right?

 

[keithmarsh]

Sorry, you don’t as in you don’t have the 10’s or 20’s you mean? And I don’t have any ear fins unfortunately. They only come with the LCD i3’s right?

you can get then separately in a set with extra tips and the new angled ear hooks.

 

[Pcppps]

O. I mean I dont have isine20. But to me, the ear fins make a huge difference. Basically, my i3 keeps falling off with the ear hooks.

Sorry, you don’t as in you don’t have the 10’s or 20’s you mean? And I don’t have any ear fins unfortunately. They only come with the LCD i3’s right?

 

[gazzington]

Really like hearing from people like you that are musicians with knowledge & interest in recording and post production too. Bug thumbs-up on the knowledge and opinions imparted to us.

A lot to cover! Haha. I'll try. I'm an iSine 20 owner, but my experience with eq / dsp / Reveal plugin / portable / fixed settings, parallels your interest.

For fixed, at home settings -- either outputting analog audio to a soundsystem or headphone amp, thru a Raspberry Pi endpoint running RoonBridge either to a DAC HAT (my favorites are the ApplePi or Katana or Boss) or USB out (only when using a Raspberry Pi 4's USB 3 out) -- I bought into the Roon ecosystem. In that case the 'heavy lifting' of the Audeze Reveal plugin DSP processing is done by the Roon Core server. And I dont need the limitations of the wired or wireless Cipher cable.

But, I do also have the option of using my phone as an endpoint (I use Android) and use the BT cable. I bought the Anker adapter. But dont have a wired Cipher cable yet. So, so many people have felt that is the best sounding option, when I get the i3 (it is a question of when, not if) I will either use the wired Cipher with Anker adapter or -- what I've read many people do -- start using an old outdated iPhone (or iPod) simply as a music streamer without an phone plan. (My wife recently got a new battery replaced on her iPhone 6 by Apple for a very affordable $49, so will probably take that over).

The big negative to me, using a phone either to a cipher option, or to a portable DAC, is battery life and an inability to charge while listening using a portable battery pack. (At least with Android. I have seen an option on the iPhone, but not sure if that plays well with the Audeze Cipher cable)

I wish there was a great portable DAP option that did the same as Roon plus the Reveal plugin, all in the DAP. My Opus #1 EQ did sound very good. And did a pretty convincing job replicating the "Cipher sound". But it's not quite as good.

An interesting solution is a DAP that includes the Viper DSP (is that what its called?). One has to pay a nominal fee to unlock the Convolution engine. But when you do so, you can make use of the DSP convolution filters Audeze supplied that replicates the Cipher DSP, and apply it to all the playback on the DAP. MASSIVE caveat however is, the convolution filter is tied to / specific to the sampling rate of the recording. I have music of every bit depth and sampling rate that exists. Listening to HD music with the 16-bit / 44.1kHz convolutions filter enabled (which doesnt switch automatically to follow the music that is playing) sounds horrible. And switching out the convolution filter used to match the music playing is both cumbersome and a pita. The only way I see using this is if everything is Redbook on the player. ... and now that i just finished making a mirror of my music that is above Redbook nitrates, to Redbook, I may give this a try again.

.... now... here is a freaky wild crazy option for you! Get yourself a DAP-sized micro-PC like the one pictured below, Intel x86 based, run Windows 10 Home on it with Foobar 2000 as the music player with the Audeze Reveal plugin installed. This "PC" then outputs music via USB to a high quality and powerful external DAC (I use a Mojo), with the DSP already applied (no Roon, no Cipher cable; though one could use the RoonBridge like I do too instead of a local player like Foobar which I'll admit I have not tried [yet]). AND there are enough free USB plugs to power it with an external battery pack at the same time; and I power the Mojo with it too). Pictured here is my Kangaroo Plus (tho you can use a Compute Stick too) with a Dragon Fly Red as the DAC. Drop it all in the Fanny Pack and go! This is the best sounding, non Cipher enabled, portable option I have ever found.

P.s. I control any software running on the "PC" using Remote Desktop from my phone or tablet. It (the server software) is disabled by default in Windows Home. But there are many instruction on the web that describe how to enable it.

What is the set up in the picture, phone to to amp to dragonfly? Looks cool

 

[m8o]

What is the set up in the picture, phone to to amp to dragonfly? Looks cool

No phone. Kangaroo Plus micro PC [powered by an Anker Powerblock Slim] streaming over USB to the Dragonfly.

 

[gazzington]

No phone. Kangaroo Plus micro PC [powered by an Anker Powerblock Slim] streaming over USB to the Dragonfly.

Wow that's genius. So do you use a different device to tell the pc what tracks to play?

 

[m8o]

Wow that's genius. So do you use a different device to tell the pc what tracks to play?

Well, I just use this "in home", with Roon. Nothing but RoonBridge runs on the PC controlled by RoonRemote on my phone or tablet. The iSine# / i# EQ is done in the RoonCore server by the Reveal plugin.

That was then. I have a way way better method now.

- USB Audio Source; either my Note 8 phone with USB Audio Player Pro or a Fiio M6 DAP. In both cases tho source is from an Android, the OS audio is bypassed and music streamed up to 24/192 without 48kHz resampling. Plus, the FiiO M6 can be remote controlled from your phone via the FiiO Music app so remain tucked away in a pack.

- to the $60 or $80 (depending if you buy direct from China dealer or Amazon) E1DA PowerDAC V2 [PDV2] DAC+AMP+DSP which gives way way more clean audio power than the Cipher cable, and with its DSP can be programmed to run the Cipher curve. And is remote controlled over bluetooth from your phone via the HPToy app for hardware volume, treble/bass tone, EQ, and compression if you wish.

- amp must be powered by a 5V power bank. (just as you see pictured with the Kangaroo PC). Some phones may power it, but then expect your phone to be dead in an hour or two.

This link shows the EQ curve I run in the PDV2 amp. Programmed wirelessly over bluetooth from the phone app.
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/e1d...8x-hifitoy-hptoy.915835/page-42#post-15461311

 

[gazzington]

Well, I just use this "in home", with Roon. Nothing but RoonBridge runs on the PC controlled by RoonRemote on my phone or tablet. The iSine# / i# EQ is done in the RoonCore server by the Reveal plugin.

That was then. I have a way way better method now.

- USB Audio Source; either my Note 8 phone with USB Audio Player Pro or a Fiio M6 DAP. In both cases tho source is from an Android, the OS audio is bypassed and music streamed up to 24/192 without 48kHz resampling. Plus, the FiiO M6 can be remote controlled from your phone via the FiiO Music app so remain tucked away in a pack.

- to the $60 or $80 (depending if you buy direct from China dealer or Amazon) E1DA PowerDAC V2 [PDV2] DAC+AMP+DSP which gives way way more clean audio power than the Cipher cable, and with its DSP can be programmed to run the Cipher curve. And is remote controlled over bluetooth from your phone via the HPToy app for hardware volume, treble/bass tone, EQ, and compression if you wish.

- amp must be powered by a 5V power bank. (just as you see pictured with the Kangaroo PC). Some phones may power it, but then expect your phone to be dead in an hour or two.

This link shows the EQ curve I run in the PDV2 amp. Programmed wirelessly over bluetooth from the phone app.
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/e1d...8x-hifitoy-hptoy.915835/page-42#post-15461311

Wow can you take a picture so that I can visualise this. I'm thinking of buying an i3 and working on a set up to go with it

 

[mancpg]

Sorry to jump in here, but I was wondering if anyone’s compared the lcdi3s to any full sized Audeze headphones. Which full-sized are they most like? I’ve had the i3s for about a month now and I’m astonished by them.