[nealh]

Jackpot77
I'm very impressed you are comparing a $200 IEM so positively to an $800-1000 IEM.
Amazing the LZ-A4 stands up so well to a CampFire audio product.

 

[audio123]

Jackpot77
I'm very impressed you are comparing a $200 IEM so positively to an $800-1000 IEM.
Amazing the LZ-A4 stands up so well to a CampFire audio product.

that is because the dorado is overpriced to start off with.

 

[1TrickPony]

that is because the dorado is overpriced to start off with.

Conversely, lots of things are overpriced.

 

[strawed]

This sub-bass hack is for you LZ-A4 owners that don't mind a little bit of wear discomfort and perhaps looking a little bit ridiculous...
 
...but I was trying to avoid some room noise the other day, so I put my 3M X5A earmuffs over the A4's (foam tips, open back, blue nozzle) and gained a fantastic jump in the sub/bass while losing none of the balance in the mids/his.
 
YMMV, but I've found it really pleasant with some of my favorite jazz records (kind of blue, etc). Worth trying if you want a bit more rumble/thump in your listening.  Probably just something I'll do now and then as it can be a bit uncomfortable for long-term listening.

 

[SeeSax]

I am still laughing at the "going commando" comment. Sheesh, what's next you guys? Remove the front filters and use no tips? 

 
-Collin-

 

[audio123]

Conversely, lots of things are overpriced.

yea true. Market is very saturated now. They priced it higher so consumers think it is better but not generally the case.

 

[yangian]

Conversely, lots of things are overpriced.

As I said, many people just try to compare a4 with those overpriced products. But the real benefit for our customers from those Chinese diy products is that the price of international earphones market has been pulled down. So I support any cost effective products. Cheers

 

[Lohb]

No backs now, green filter ascends the front filter list, and road works muffs.
A lot changes in 3 days !
 
HARDCORE dialers in here. 

 

[Jackpot77]

Jackpot77
I'm very impressed you are comparing a $200 IEM so positively to an $800-1000 IEM.
Amazing the LZ-A4 stands up so well to a CampFire audio product.

It's the law of diminishing returns at work. I don't have a set of golden ears unfortunately, so I can't hear the sound of a feather settling on the grass a free miles away in turkey plucking season, so just going on what I hear.

The differential between "good" and. "great" gets a massive amount smaller with gear over $200-300 judging by the stuff I have been able to hear so far, so like with sportscars or gaming PCs (both of which I'm not rich enough to own either!) it is the last few MPH or %age in performance that you pay the big money for. If you never drive over the speed limit, 90% of the time you won't notice the "missing" power anyway.

Random analogy, but hope it makes sense - Dorado are excellent (and priced in line with similar "TOTL" gear), but the A4 would fit the needs of most audiophile listeners without any glaring holes or issues. Beautifully engineered piece of gear.

 

[menuki]

Its hard to not up the Red / Back - Green / Fronts to a dangerous listening level because the bass and treble is so unobtrusive and the mids just scream for more volume and once they get it they just become magical

 
 
Warning: Don't turn them up too much and don't listen to emotional songs with them or you might cry uncontrollably...
 
Sitting at work just having them turned up while listening to the new bassnecter album crying at almost every song because it just sounds so darn dare i say perfect. The album is supposed to be emotional and the Green / Fronts bring out every single bit of emotion in the songs. I think i can never go back to any other filter besides green. Its always Christmas from now on... (geddit, because of the Red and Green comb)
 
EDIT: If someone has experience with acoustics, i'd love to know how a simple decrease in nozzle size which lets through the sound changes the signature completely.. 
 
Blue unfiltered: About 4mm nozzle size, imo peaky treble, V-shaped signature, tinier soundimage compared to the greens, recessed mids
Geen unfiltered: About 2mm nozzle size, forward or present mids, smooth silky treble with no peaks at all (to my ears), big soundimage

 

[menuki]

(made a post, maybe too offtopic, was about meditation and breathing exercises in combination with music | maybe too off-topic, just ignore it or Pm me if you want the post)

 

[nealh]

It's the law of diminishing returns at work. I don't have a set of golden ears unfortunately, so I can't hear the sound of a feather settling on the grass a free miles away in turkey plucking season, so just going on what I hear.

The differential between "good" and. "great" gets a massive amount smaller with gear over $200-300 judging by the stuff I have been able to hear so far, so like with sportscars or gaming PCs (both of which I'm not rich enough to own either!) it is the last few MPH or %age in performance that you pay the big money for. If you never drive over the speed limit, 90% of the time you won't notice the "missing" power anyway.

Random analogy, but hope it makes sense - Dorado are excellent (and priced in line with similar "TOTL" gear), but the A4 would fit the needs of most audiophile listeners without any glaring holes or issues. Beautifully engineered piece of gear.

Great post. I am coming to learn the law diminishing returns. My are only becoming golden since I'm 52.
The fact you can hear some difference between them is impressive doubt I could.

I'm grateful the comparison as it reinforces my thoughts on how well done the A4 are.

@menuki, so your not going NO BACK filter and Green/Front anymore?

 

[willowbrook]

  No backs now, green filter ascends the front filter list, and road works muffs.
A lot changes in 3 days !
 
HARDCORE dialers in here. 

That is some huge a** muffs. 

 

[Jackpot77]

Great post. I am coming to learn the law diminishing returns. My are only becoming golden since I'm 52.
The fact you can hear some difference between them is impressive doubt I could.

I'm grateful the comparison as it reinforces my thoughts on how well done the A4 are.

@menuki, so your not going NO BACK filter and Green/Front anymore?

​For me, I usually "feel" the difference before I can objectively listen out and spot what it is. To use another analogy (it's just the way my brain works), It is like watching the same move on DVD and Bluray. The same stuff goes on, most of the time your attention is focused on whatever is going on centre-screen so the finer details pass you by, but when the occasional bit of shrapnel flies across the background in an action movie, you find your brain reading the serial number on it without noticing on the Bluray version. I "hear" a little scuff or line of acoustic guitar clearer on one IEM than on another, then go back and listen to the passage again to try and work out why I'm processing the sounds differently.
 
@warrior1975 wrote some interesting stuff on how he listens "critically" on the Campfire Vega thread a few weeks back if you can find it - he uses a Pink Floyd track with some PA style announcement in the background noise to test resolution on IEMs. It's little nuances like that in tracks you know well that make the difference - at the end of the day, if the overall experience is fun, the other stuff is just the final 5% anyway!

 

[nealh]

​For me, I usually "feel" the difference before I can objectively listen out and spot what it is. To use another analogy (it's just the way my brain works), It is like watching the same move on DVD and Bluray. The same stuff goes on, most of the time your attention is focused on whatever is going on centre-screen so the finer details pass you by, but when the occasional bit of shrapnel flies across the background in an action movie, you find your brain reading the serial number on it without noticing on the Bluray version. I "hear" a little scuff or line of acoustic guitar clearer on one IEM than on another, then go back and listen to the passage again to try and work out why I'm processing the sounds differently.

@warrior1975
 wrote some interesting stuff on how he listens "critically" on the Campfire Vega thread a few weeks back if you can find it - he uses a Pink Floyd track with some PA style announcement in the background noise to test resolution on IEMs. It's little nuances like that in tracks you know well that make the difference - at the end of the day, if the overall experience is fun, the other stuff is just the final 5% anyway!

So true. I don't have a lot to compare and no TOTL but when using the A73 vs A4 it's the finer details, the sharper clarity and I guess the term is the tighter defined bass and no part seems to intrude another that makes it a step up.
The extra $75 in that comparison makes a nice value difference in my eyes...oops, ears