LZ-A4 Impressions and Discussion Thread

[ustinj]

$200 is the right price. They are a nice iem for that price, but $300 is too high now that ibasso has shown us in the it03 what they can do for $259. The a4 are a really nice iem, but for another $60 the it03 punches to nearly totl level.

Well fwiw I was sorely disappointed with the IT03. The hollowness of the mids was a huge turnoff, but I am starting to think I got a lemon. However, the bass was fantastic.

 

[Lurk650]

 
Search google with these terms to get to Ali-X
 
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Even though he is the only seller i go to on AE, he is banned on this forum

 

[Lohb]

  Even though he is the only seller i go to on AE, he is banned on this forum

That is why I never put the actual sticky URL links within the forum.
I mostly have bought from NiceHCKexin myself in this IEMs journey.
 
Edit : I've removed the reference to his brand name in second google search term.

 

[CoiL]

 

My thoughts after using these for 2 months is that there isn't a reason to upgrade except for better ergonomics. They aren't uncomfortable at all, as the entire shell sticks out and none of it touches your ears. But God their combination of weight and shape make them feel clunky if you're on the move and hard to handle when you're in a rush.

If they could lock in the black/black doing signature into a beautiful universal shell (like the IT-03), these could easily fetch $300. Nonetheless I'm still amazed at what LZ has achieved being a 1 man shop, and am eagerly looking forward to support his future creations.

$200 is the right price. They are a nice iem for that price, but $300 is too high now that ibasso has shown us in the it03 what they can do for $259. The a4 are a really nice iem, but for another $60 the it03 punches to nearly totl level.

That`s why I`ve been holding myself back from buying A4 so far. Their ergonomics look not so good for me, subjectively. Also their price is too close to IT03 (which make me drool every time I look at them). If A4 price would fall into K3PRO/M1221 league, I would get it. Until then, holding myself back and rather thinking about K3PRO / M1221 vs. IT03.

 

[Cat In Boots]

Greetings!
 
Guys who are going to take measurements for all of the filters, please do not abandon PINK nuzzles. It happens that they are the only ones that give me no headache because of high frequencies. I was trying Meizu Pro 5 and HiFiMAN HM-601 (modified) as a source and get same result - too much high frequencies. Asus Xonar DS and iPad Air gave much more comfortable and balanced sound, but overall detail quality is worse. Seems I have to change a DAP 

 

[demo-to]

Just a quick comfort recommendation. I wear them down by laying the wire behind my neck. Fortunately the stock cable is long enough. Behind ears was uncomfortable for me due to pain from the sharp edges. Front worn down was too lose fit.

 

[crabdog]

Using large tips and shallow insertion I have no problem wearing them either way. I usually wear them down just for convenience but if I'm mobile I go over-ear to reduce microphonics. The A4 is so versatile, not just sound-wise but also able to choose to wear up or down. Just brilliant.

 

[bavinck]

Well fwiw I was sorely disappointed with the IT03. The hollowness of the mids was a huge turnoff, but I am starting to think I got a lemon. However, the bass was fantastic.

I don't hear the mids as hollow, but spacious and clear. However, you obviously prefer a thicker midrange that the a4 deliver on. Just preferences. Technically, though, the a4 is just good and the it03 is exceptional for the price.

 

[1TrickPony]

Well fwiw I was sorely disappointed with the IT03. The hollowness of the mids was a huge turnoff, but I am starting to think I got a lemon. However, the bass was fantastic.

Though a part of me is slightly curious in hearing the IT03, I just can't deal with hollow mids -- hence why I'm cautious and grateful of reviewers. Certain reviewers tend to bring a big bag of salt with them which is always nice.

Initially reading upon the A4, I was totally impressed as to how previous aurisonic owners/critics found strong favor with the A4 mids. That sold me instantly. Sure, it's always welcome to have women add a little extra to their vocals, but I am fond of accapella quartets so yeah, I require a healthy balance within the mids and the rest of the spectrum.

Beyond resolution, a lot of iem and hybrids may overlook that balance -- I'm glad that I can dial that in with the A4. Done deal.

 

[1TrickPony]

Well fwiw I was sorely disappointed with the IT03. The hollowness of the mids was a huge turnoff, but I am starting to think I got a lemon. However, the bass was fantastic.

Aside the LZ-A4, have you heard/considered the Dunu Dn2000? It possesses superb weight in mids and proposes a bit more resolution.Subbass reaches deeper and presents excellent control. Drum kicks, toms and snares are presented convincingly well.

A4 is rather more expressive with long sustained notes.Guitar feedbacks come more alive (not diffuse hollow); think laser beams if anything. The balance between male/female is good. I listen to Ron Sexsmith and I get sweetness with male vocals, and obvious sweetness in female vocals (more so than dn2k)

Hm... I should just write a review at this point!

edit #500: as another reference...the LZ-A4 makes the Pinnacle P1 sound more hollow in the mids, and you can configure the mids to be more forward or laid back or evenly emphasized as the rest (relatively speaking)

 

[nealh]

The E17k and the Q1 also sound similar to the K1 which has the same DAC chip and I believe one of the same op-amps as the E17k (not 100% sure on that though).

I have a K1 and it sounds great with low impedance phones, obviously you have "steps" based on what you are feeding it with.
Which in my case is a windows machine so I have 100 steps of volume.

I recently purchased the E17k based on Brooko's review. I use it with iPhone 7 +and a$13 micro USB-lightning cable with the A4
I'm impressed with SQ at the low volumes I enjoy listening.
The only downside is how to keep E17k and phone together so I can still use my screen on the phone(I found a way, the combo has little weight)

So everything should be bliss...right but no. I'm wondering now if the Dragonfly black at $100 price point would really be a better option since it's so small and it could just dangle and not need to wrapped together with the phone.
But I love some of the options of gain/treble/bass adjustments)
Jeez I'm never happy.

 

[nealh]

$200 is the right price. They are a nice iem for that price, but $300 is too high now that ibasso has shown us in the it03 what they can do for $259. The a4 are a really nice iem, but for another $60 the it03 punches to nearly totl level.

I have read several members find the ergonomics on the it03 not to be comfortable. Any IEM may have that issue due to anatomy. The A4 is comfortable but the Fidue A73 is most comfortable I ever had for example.

I hear really nice things about the it03 but it does not have tunability. Many here have found that crucial. Small adjustment to get the Sound signature they want.

I really thing the price point is perfect but even at $300 it's a great value for the options. Not many choices at that price where you can change bass and higher frequencies separately.

At $200 it's a steal given build quality and sound performance. My 2 cents and by the way I love to hear to compared well to pricier IEM just proves the performance /cost ratio is fantastic.

 

[mashuto]

I have read several members find the ergonomics on the it03 not to be comfortable. Any IEM may have that issue due to anatomy. The A4 is comfortable but the Fidue A73 is most comfortable I ever had for example.

I hear really nice things about the it03 but it does not have tunability. Many here have found that crucial. Small adjustment to get the Sound signature they want.

I really thing the price point is perfect but even at $300 it's a great value for the options. Not many choices at that price where you can change bass and higher frequencies separately.

At $200 it's a steal given build quality and sound performance. My 2 cents and by the way I love to hear to compared well to pricier IEM just proves the performance /cost ratio is fantastic.

Yea I was one of those who found the it03 uncomfortable. It was super comfortable putting it in, and what I imagine is similar to a ciem, but for me, there were a few pressure points that over a relatively short amount of time started causing pain. I ended up having to put a spiral dot tip over the outer flange of a small triple flange tip to extend them far enough away from my ears to eliminate the pressure points... which also negated the whole point of the "custom" shape anyways.
 
@ustinj I get what you are saying about the mids. But they never quite felt hollow to me. I think it maybe a slight coherence issue between the dd and the mid ba and maybe a slight dip in the lower mids. But to me I still preferred the sound I got out of them over any combination of filters I tried with the A4, which I think is at least in part to the excellent sub bass extension and bass balance and the more airy and crisp treble, that I just couldnt quite reproduce on the A4.
 
However, I have mostly moved on as I picked up some CA vegas that I absolutely love. So I havent put them on in a while, and certainly can't tell you if there is a combo that comes close to the sig of the andromeda, mainly because I havent heard them. However, it is my understanding that the andromeda is fairly neutral and nice and sparkly and airy up top, the A4 just doesnt have that same sparkle that I found even on the it03. And the A4 is not really neutral. It is a bit V shaped and the mids are somehwat recessed using the bassier and more treble-y filters. You can certainly tune it to the bring the mids up quite a bit, but I found that really bringing the mids up was too much at the expense of the bass and treble extension and quality. Of course, that was my personal experience, and others seem to adore the filters that I couldnt stand, so obviously ymmv.

 

[trumpethead]

I Love the Black/F Black/B Combo so much that I Don't even want to try any other combos because I know I will just be obsessing for the black/black...for now I am HIGHLY CONTENT!!

 

[crabdog]

I Love the Black/F Black/B Combo so much that I Don't even want to try any other combos because I know I will just be obsessing for the black/black...for now I am HIGHLY CONTENT!!

I've been using the same combination for a few weeks. Have no intention to change except just to try a couple that I haven't tested, like the recent Red/B Grey/F that some people were praising.