[4lx]

Buyer beware... And advice if possible

I have a faulty i3 that makes a popping noise in the right earpiece whenever I move the earpiece in my ear, when I move my jaw and even when walking, I believe this is due to a pressure differential making the driver pop, this only happens in the right earpiece. The popping sound is loud enough to hear even when listening to music, so makes the earphones unlistenable, as I am hearing these pops unless I sit absolutely still...

Is anyone else experiencing this??

I have contacted the UK distributor for Audeze who confirmed the set under warranty, sent them the set and after testing have told me they can only hear the fault when they push the earpiece in hard. This is completely different to my experience and I can only assume that the tester is not getting a good seal that would achieve the pressure required to evidence the fault. I explained this to them but they are unwilling to do anything further.

As a long time Audeze customer I have never had an issue with any of the Audeze models I have owned, and I find it concerning that, although faults can and do happen, Audeze are refusing to do anything about this. This is forcing me to question what I thought was a brand I could trust based on my previous purchases, and is extremely disappointing.

Update.. After emailing Audeze US, they stepped in and after some internal discussion, someone else at the UK facility conducted further testing and was able to experience the issue as i described. A replacement pair is on its way to me. All's well that ends well.

 

[4lx]

Another question for owners, specifically to do with the cipher BT module. I've noticed when using it there is some crackling noise at certain frequencies, especially around 7.5khz and 13khz. This completely disappears when using my external DAC/Amp.

Any idea what causes this? is it to do with driving power? Bluetooth quality? (I use aptX from a MacBook, I don't have any aptX HD or LDAC capable devices. Any insight would be appreciated.

Alex

 

[4lx]

Another question for owners, specifically to do with the cipher BT module. I've noticed when using it there is some crackling noise at certain frequencies, especially around 7.5khz and 13khz. This completely disappears when using my external DAC/Amp.

Any idea what causes this? is it to do with driving power? Bluetooth quality? (I use aptX from a MacBook, I don't have any aptX HD or LDAC capable devices. Any insight would be appreciated.

Alex

After some testing this doesn't happen when connected to my iPhone, so NOT a cipher issue. Will have to figure out why my laptop is making this noise happen.

EDIT: After more testing, I managed to fix the issue by changing the BT codec on my laptop back to AAC from aptX. Impossible to tell what the issue is, but it seems aptX doesn't play nice with the BT module, whether it's an issue with the module or my device is unclear.

 

[Nullify]

What case are you using with your LCD-i3? I am deciding on whether to get a pelican case with foam cutouts for my LCD-i3 such that I can leave the ear hooks on them. I am afraid that the paint near the nozzle rings will eventually wear out when I keep putting the ear hooks on and taking them off.

 

[Gene4797]

Hey, I think not fare compare i3 to i4 which one twice more expensive, it’s like compare lcd2 to lcd4 and got disappointed on lcd2 because lcd4 better across all aspects, of course, it must be like that

 

[EvilKillaruna]

It is your choice to think like that:

Despite obvious gap in sound quality, as I already said many times, i3 can be considered as demo version of i4 when properly EQed.

 

[McCol]

Sorry only looking to sell

 

[obende63]

Hello.The standard cable is not very convenient.I would like to replace it.What cables do you use?

 

[rgnrk87]

I am afraid there is no chance to convert such complicated measurements into only 10 band fixed EQ. At least if the goal is to make straight tonal conversion from one model to another. You probably have to experiment yourself with the best settings that suit your taste.

Here is latest custom, 66 band, parametric EQ for LCD-i3 that makes their sound signature pretty much like 90% of LCD-i4:

Sounds best with i3 Cipher v2 and analog jack. For i3 Cipher BT I recommend using EQ v8 from my previous post.

The differences versus i4 will still be there, especially with overall quality, midrange position, highs timbre and lowest bass. Nevertheless, it is still very good LCD-i4 emulation with ~90% tonal similarity and about 70% quality of i4. What is more, with this you can actually at last use both Ciphers and Reveal properly with i3. I still cannot understand why Audeze just copy-pasted i4 DSP settings for i3 instead of making a proper ones from the start.

After applying such EQs, you should probably get the best chance to check and decide if LCD-i4 is a way to go for you and valid upgrade option. The only really better choice is to rent normal LCD-i4 for personal listening session.

After applying the i4 eq does the i3's soundstage get any wider or stays the same?

 

[Chill iLL]

Another approach is to try to adapt the fixed band AutoEQ settings for Crinicle's measurement of the CipherBT to the CipherV2 - https://github.com/jaakkopasanen/AutoEq/tree/master/results/crinacle/harman_in-ear_2019v2/Audeze LCD-i3 (Cipher bluetooth)

If we assume based on AF's measurements that the CipherV2 is pretty much the same as the CipherBT except for more bass in 30-250hz and more treble from 2k-10k we can make the following adjustments:

1) leave the bass alone - the improved bass quantity and slope in AF's measurements look like they are right on target

2) make the same adjustments to the mids 250-1000k

3) lower the adjustments to the treble in the 2k-10k range by -2

Peaking​	31 Hz​	1.41​	0 dB​
Peaking​	62 Hz​	1.41​	0 dB​
Peaking​	125 Hz​	1.41​	0 dB​
Peaking​	250 Hz​	1.41​	-3 dB​
Peaking​	500 Hz​	1.41​	-3 dB​
Peaking​	1000 Hz​	1.41​	-6 dB​
Peaking​	2000 Hz​	1.41​	-2 dB​
Peaking​	4000 Hz​	1.41​	4 dB​
Peaking​	8000 Hz​	1.41​	4 dB​
Peaking​	16000 Hz​	1.41​	1 dB​

One thing to consider is that Crinicle measured a pretty big peak at 1k on the CipherBT and AF did not.

This sounds pretty good to me and an improvement on my first attempt. Let me know what you think.

Just tested right now and I'm really enjoying these settings.

 

[EvilKillaruna]

@rgnrk87 Try it yourself. I think there was an improvement in soundstage depth, but you can boost your soundstage significantly with much better quality cable (if you are using analog connection).

 

[Matias]

deleted

 

[Smugsie]

I have been perfecting my EQ of the LCDi3. This is meant to be run directly from a DAC+amp without Cipher or Reveal.
Attached is the Equalizer APO config. Just load it into your PC and let me know what you guys think?

oh boy, I'm going to stick to my isine 20's if the i3's are another EQ nightmare lol.

 

[Matias]

oh boy, I'm going to stick to my isine 20's if the i3's are another EQ nightmare lol.

What makes you think your iSine 20 also does not benefit from EQ? And what makes it a nightmare exactly?

 

[Smugsie]

What makes you think your iSine 20 also does not benefit from EQ? And what makes it a nightmare exactly?

The isine 20 does indeed benefit from EQ. Although the sad part is that a $10 aliexpress earbud has better tonality than a $600 earphone lol. It's a love and hate relationship with these planar earphones.
You'd also think they would provide a better cable than the dollar store sphagetti noodle.