Introducing the LCD-i3
Aug 31, 2020 at 5:17 PM Post #751 of 1,036
Does anyone notices any change in sound after using it for like 50 hrs or so?

The mids used to be hollow when I started out last week and I was planning for a return. I gave another shot and play some youtube bass track design for headhpones burn in for 50 hrs follow by another few days of pink noise (at 80% vol on iphone with cipher). which is really loud.

The sound seems to change... Hmmm. I am pretty sure this is not brain burn in cause I compare with my Audio 64 CIEM, the i3 lower and upper mids suddenly came out as strong as my CIEM. It was recessed before and the tonality sound off. Now it sound great-- what in the world?

Anyone has any insight to share...
 
Sep 2, 2020 at 7:02 PM Post #755 of 1,036
I am trying very hard to dislike the LCD i3. My very best to find faults and tonality I dont like. To cheat my own feelings and save money and that I have given a shot and does't work. But have problems finding fault.

The technical abilities is out of this world. - ok checked.
The convenient to bring this around the world - checked.
The openess to let sound in - In case my wife talk to me - checked - Sound flow thru 100% (oh boy the sound stage for IEM is out of this world).
The stock cable sucks - but they provide the Cipher and fixed it. - checked
The tonality balance is off - But they provide an EQ apps and I can change the sound to HD650 or Audio 64 CIEM or Noble K10 but with a better technical ability - Checked.

I am still finding the ear hook clip get fatigue after 8 hrs of continous listen.. - So I may return because of the hook. but after my ear get used to it, i dont even feel it after that. - so check the dammn check again.

I needed a reason to return but I cant find any.. last thing is to blast the LCd i3 to crazy levels for 100 hrs and see if the sound change as a sign of deterioration over time - But the sound stay solid and unchanging.. - checked again.

I guess I am check mate. lol.
 
Sep 2, 2020 at 10:45 PM Post #756 of 1,036
The stock cable sucks - but they provide the Cipher and fixed it. - checked

Yes, and it sucks hard. But surprisingly the Cipher is not the go-to-only choice. By the last few days I am testing LCD-i3 with my own premium 4-core rhodium/silver cable. The amount of attack, definition, resolution, speed, clarity, openess is amazing. And with additional help of 40% Reveal the Cipher was left on table unused. I am strongly advice anyone to pair them with PROPER cable which is suited and designed especially for this headphones. My goal was to create such a thing and LCD-i3 responded very well. I did not knew that stock cable have such strong grain, or maybe I will say, I did not know how much the potential these earphone holds.
 
Sep 3, 2020 at 12:27 AM Post #757 of 1,036
Yes, and it sucks hard. But surprisingly the Cipher is not the go-to-only choice. By the last few days I am testing LCD-i3 with my own premium 4-core rhodium/silver cable. The amount of attack, definition, resolution, speed, clarity, openess is amazing. And with additional help of 40% Reveal the Cipher was left on table unused. I am strongly advice anyone to pair them with PROPER cable which is suited and designed especially for this headphones. My goal was to create such a thing and LCD-i3 responded very well. I did not knew that stock cable have such strong grain, or maybe I will say, I did not know how much the potential these earphone holds.
Lol. It Sounds reveal is the most important thing
 
Sep 3, 2020 at 10:35 AM Post #758 of 1,036
No. I am using it only as a preferred fine-tuning on some genres when switched from other, less specific headphones. With stock cable I wasn't using it at all and didn't like how it worked on sound. With new cable it suit my taste much better.
 
Sep 15, 2020 at 1:17 AM Post #760 of 1,036
Use the provided foam with your pouch. It fit well and protect the I3. but very troublesome. I ended up using the ultimate ears case for CIEM.

1600147324374.png
 
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Oct 6, 2020 at 9:14 PM Post #761 of 1,036
Whole day spent at comparing LCD-i3 with i4. i4 wins hands down. Better bass response, more extention in treble, more air, better tonality out of the box, excellent performance with Cipher and even with only Reveal at 50% sounds very well balanced. i3 in comparison sounds like distasteful joke, seriously. You can adapt to them easily, but comparing will reveal everything anyway.

LCD-i3 on the other hand wins only in price to performance ratio. Every other aspect is worse or much worse than i4 out of the box...

i4-avrg-1080-01.jpg


... until you will try to mimic i4 stock tonality with APO:

i4-apo-1080-01.jpg


It is still not perfect, but there is:
  • much better timbre
  • much more natural tonality
  • much better fitting for working with Cipher
  • much better performance with Reveal
Both pairs are now much closer with their tonality. Unfortunately, i4 are still executing better treble resolution, better soundstage and overall quality. You can't turn i3 into i4. You can at least simulate them. Maybe if I could translate i3 exaclty into i4 tonality, the gap would narrow further, so I will be playing with them for the time being.

For those interested, you can find txt with parametriq EQ for trying it out with LCD-i3. As for now, my favourite setting is to combine it with Reveal at 50-80% (i3 and i4 profiles are the same, so even legacy Reveal version can be used).

i3-to-i4-apo.jpg
 

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Oct 18, 2020 at 1:50 PM Post #762 of 1,036
Hi. I just finished reading this entire thread and in the middle of it watching YouTube reviews have pulled the trigger. 😄

Before they arrive in an agonizing 3 days, I would like to inquire from you a few things still misunderstood.

1. Cypher BT. As I bought these for the BT functionality, am I understanding correctly that CBT has no unique DAC or DSP or possible EQ like Cypher?

2. If not, because of the many downsides to BT and not knowing which codecs those who tested used, is it possible that a DAP such as my M11 with Aptx HD is a big difference and closer to Cypher than those who have tested on iPhone with just AAC?

3. If on the rare occasion I want to go wired, which is better? Cypher with Anker adapter to DAP like an M11 vs. 3.5 to DAP and if this is bad without EQ, what can be done about it as I am unfamiliar with parametric EQ.

4. Has anyone tried to pair Fostex TM2 to their iSine/LCDi3/i4 because I have seen the dangly ear dildos of Cypher BT"s look on a video and can't unsee them now.
 
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Oct 19, 2020 at 9:38 AM Post #763 of 1,036
Hi. I just finished reading this entire thread and in the middle of it watching YouTube reviews have pulled the trigger. 😄

Before they arrive in an agonizing 3 days, I would like to inquire from you a few things still misunderstood.

1. Cypher BT. As I bought these for the BT functionality, am I understanding correctly that CBT has no unique DAC or DSP or possible EQ like Cypher?

2. If not, because of the many downsides to BT and not knowing which codecs those who tested used, is it possible that a DAP such as my M11 with Aptx HD is a big difference and closer to Cypher than those who have tested on iPhone with just AAC?

3. If on the rare occasion I want to go wired, which is better? Cypher with Anker adapter to DAP like an M11 vs. 3.5 to DAP and if this is bad without EQ, what can be done about it as I am unfamiliar with parametric EQ.

4. Has anyone tried to pair Fostex TM2 to their iSine/LCDi3/i4 because I have seen the dangly ear dildos of Cypher BT"s look on a video and can't unsee them now.

3 - I use the Cipher cable witht he Anker adaptor on my Samsung S20 Ultra and it works great. However when I use the I3 with my Fiio M15 I use the 3.5mm cable and have set up a parametric EQ profile in the UAPP app which I got form Audeze
 
Oct 19, 2020 at 3:15 PM Post #764 of 1,036
3 - I use the Cipher cable witht he Anker adaptor on my Samsung S20 Ultra and it works great. However when I use the I3 with my Fiio M15 I use the 3.5mm cable and have set up a parametric EQ profile in the UAPP app which I got form Audeze

Hmm.. So you think the M15 sounds better than Cypher dsp? I wonder if my M11 is up there or the same as Cypher or would I need an upgrade...
 
Oct 23, 2020 at 9:02 PM Post #765 of 1,036
So after a couple times listening between all the cables and also a Linsoul balanced from Amazon, in my brief testing I have found the Cypher cable really strange. Sounds like the left channel is out of phase or just lower? Hard to describe. Used my iPhone X and boosting the lower frequencies helps with the bass and fullness. Tried it on my Z Fold 2 and Anker adapter and it sounds the same. The best I have heard so far is with the cheap balanced cable using UAPP and Kman's para eq settings. Really nice.

I am going to do more listening, but I think my Cypher cable may be not working correctly.
 
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