[Indigo Bob]

With lower gain tubes like a 12au7, I don't get any noticeable noise. A 12ax7 there is a slight hiss with IEMs but not headphones usually. It's a really fun setup, you should check out their website. The owner is a really cool guy in Arizona, Jeremy. Never heard of the Martin but I'll check it out!

-Collin-

I'll check this one out likewise.
 
Yah, when I spoke to martin he was really nice.  He's been working on a couple of new versions that are supposed to come out soon.
 
The background was black on the Martin HVA.  I like it's small portable size.  I wouldn't be able to tube roll with it, but I wouldn't mind.

 

[bhazard]

I noticed foam tips calm the brightness of the Magaosi K3, so I'm wondering if the same would apply to the black back, blue front combo. Not around this weekend to test.
 
Blue front is most revealing with the best soundstage by far for me.

 

[1TrickPony]

I noticed foam tips calm the brightness of the Magaosi K3, so I'm wondering if the same would apply to the black back, blue front combo. Not around this weekend to test.

Blue front is most revealing with the best soundstage by far for me.

With a bit of patience, you might catch yourself enjoying a new configuration and saying "yup this is better than the last one...". How often? Ymmv. I think everyone's sources may influence that for sure.

 

[Ahmad313]

Anybody here have experience with this 8 core crystal cooper cable with A4 , 
I am interested in this cable and want some impressions  from someone before ordering . 

 

[mashuto]

  Anybody here have experience with this 8 core crystal cooper cable with A4 , 
I am interested in this cable and want some impressions  from someone before ordering . 

I have the white version from Penon. I notice no change in audio with it, so if you were hoping for any differences in sound you will be disappointed.
 
Other than that, I find it less tangly than the included a4 cable and it has relatively minimal microphonics. The braid is very loose and its a bit strange because from the plug up to the split, it is actually kind of a flat ribbon, instead of circular. Its not really a compact cable. The texture of the cable I find slightly strange. The plug is pretty massive, so if that bothers you, something to keep in mind. There is no chin slider either.
 
I like it, better than the stock cable that came with the a4, but then again, I just didn't really like the stock cable that much to begin with.

 

[Vatican]

Anybody here have experience with this 8 core crystal cooper cable with A4 , 
I am interested in this cable and want some impressions  from someone before ordering . 

If it's the same one off Aliexpress then I can say it was perfectly fine chord, nice & sturdy cord. It's not ideal for over the ear & what I perceived as added brightness may not be for everyone, but I'm sure most will appreciate the slightly increased detail they seem to provide. Depending how much you manage to snag em for I'd say go for it.

 

[Jazzkammer]

I have been following this thread pretty closely.  After one of my Trinity Audio PM4 earpieces failed (sent back to UK for repairs), I have decided to try another tuneable hybrid IEM.  FLC8S are a bit more than I want to spend right now, so I have my sights set on the LZ A4, which looks like it might even be better than the Trinity PM4 (which I love the sound of).   Before I pull the trigger on these, are there any other short-list IEM candidates I should consider?

 

[Rhythmy]

Does anyone have both LZ A4 and SHOCKWAVE III(MusicMaker)? Since I looked up reviews of a bunch of Chinese earbuds online, these two seem really nice for me, but I can't decide which to buy.. So I'd like to know how they are different by comparing each other.
I have some earbuds, IE80(Senheiser) and UM Pro30(Westone) are two of my favorite so I'd also like to know which would fit my preference more.
Thanks

 

[1TrickPony]

I have been following this thread pretty closely.  After one of my Trinity Audio PM4 earpieces failed (sent back to UK for repairs), I have decided to try another tuneable hybrid IEM.  FLC8S are a bit more than I want to spend right now, so I have my sights set on the LZ A4, which looks like it might even be better than the Trinity PM4 (which I love the sound of).   Before I pull the trigger on these, are there any other short-list IEM candidates I should consider?

Ibasso It-03, two members here have both and each other prefers one or the other. The big advantage regarding the A4 is that it's still the cost effective iem where you tick lots of boxes and also tune the iem to your liking.

Pinnacle P1 which was well lauded, but you get more bass with the A4.

I also considered the titan 5 because of its singing vocals but rest assured that the A4 answers really well to that too.

The A4 is very different from the flc8s, a fair number of us have written a lot about how they compare or where they part similarities. A4 once purchased and tried makes you question if you need to spend any further. So yeah, that's my take on it.


Edit: I did own the Pm4. Returned it in a week. Read up on this and bought it. The coherence of the low all the way up high is pretty good. I only like the pm4 with specific jazz and totally loved the aluminum look of the enclosure. But you will not worry about build and connection loss on the A4. I believe Indigo Bob owned the pm4 too.

I did enjoy my pm4 with silver and purple filters (not necessarily a treble head) because I enjoy the relaxed treble on the A4. The resolution here is better and you really get to tune your sound more efficiently with the A4.

 

[mashuto]

  I have been following this thread pretty closely.  After one of my Trinity Audio PM4 earpieces failed (sent back to UK for repairs), I have decided to try another tuneable hybrid IEM.  FLC8S are a bit more than I want to spend right now, so I have my sights set on the LZ A4, which looks like it might even be better than the Trinity PM4 (which I love the sound of).   Before I pull the trigger on these, are there any other short-list IEM candidates I should consider?

If you want tuneable, you can't go wrong with the A4. In my opinion, the one spot where the PM4 shines is the bass. The push-pull drivers there really seem to create a very nice tight bass. However, I really couldn't stand the mids and highs on the PM4, they kind of had a weird ringing, and were just hard to listen to on certain tracks for me. The A4 is much smoother and has more tuning options. Its an easy listen and can really be tuned more than the PM4.
 
Others in the price range to consider. The IT03. As @1TrickPony said, there are a few of us here that own it, I am one of them. I prefer it over the A4 based on sound signature. Its a more neutral sound, which comes across as brighter than the A4, but still has nice bass and really wonderful (for me) sub bass extension. The A4 comes close to me, but isn't quite there. The IT03 also has a very hit or miss fit. Some people say its the most comfortable iem they have ever used, others (like me) have a really hard time getting it comfortable, and was in fact painful until I did a lot of messing with tips. The A4 is also tuneable, and the IT03 is not. The A4 is also only about 75% of the price and is a much better value in my opinion, unless you absolutely want the sound of the IT03.
 
I also own the pinnacle P1. Another more neutral sound, but if you like bass (not even to basshead levels) you might find the P1 lacking. The bass is there, and its nice, its just doesnt have a lot of quantity, so the P1 sounds quite a bit brighter, and less full.
 
Good luck choosing, you really can't go wrong with the A4 though.

 

[Jazzkammer]

Thankyou for the prompt responses!  I just placed my order with Penon Audio.  

 

[Lurk650]

I noticed foam tips calm the brightness of the Magaosi K3, so I'm wondering if the same would apply to the black back, blue front combo. Not around this weekend to test.

Blue front is most revealing with the best soundstage by far for me.

I find the K3 vivid but not really bright, source does seem to matter a bit though.

Does anyone have both LZ A4 and SHOCKWAVE III(MusicMaker)? Since I looked up reviews of a bunch of Chinese earbuds online, these two seem really nice for me, but I can't decide which to buy.. So I'd like to know how they are different by comparing each other.
I have some earbuds, IE80(Senheiser) and UM Pro30(Westone) are two of my favorite so I'd also like to know which would fit my preference more.
Thanks

TwinACStacks has the SW3. I reviewed his pair but of course don't have it anymore so can't give a direct AB, other than the SW3 is more 3D sounding and its def way brighter than the A4 even with Blue nozzles

 

[Indigo Bob]

  I have been following this thread pretty closely.  After one of my Trinity Audio PM4 earpieces failed (sent back to UK for repairs), I have decided to try another tuneable hybrid IEM.  FLC8S are a bit more than I want to spend right now, so I have my sights set on the LZ A4, which looks like it might even be better than the Trinity PM4 (which I love the sound of).   Before I pull the trigger on these, are there any other short-list IEM candidates I should consider?

 
 

Ibasso It-03, two members here have both and each other prefers one or the other. The big advantage regarding the A4 is that it's still the cost effective iem where you tick lots of boxes and also tune the iem to your liking.

Pinnacle P1 which was well lauded, but you get more bass with the A4.

I also considered the titan 5 because of its singing vocals but rest assured that the A4 answers really well to that too.

The A4 is very different from the flc8s, a fair number of us have written a lot about how they compare or where they part similarities. A4 once purchased and tried makes you question if you need to spend any further. So yeah, that's my take on it.


Edit: I did own the Pm4. Returned it in a week. Read up on this and bought it. The coherence of the low all the way up high is pretty good. I only like the pm4 with specific jazz and totally loved the aluminum look of the enclosure. But you will not worry about build and connection loss on the A4. I believe @Indigo Bob owned the pm4 too.

I did enjoy my pm4 with silver and purple filters (not necessarily a treble head) because I enjoy the relaxed treble on the A4. The resolution here is better and you really get to tune your sound more efficiently with the A4.

 
@1TrickPony said it very well.  There are a few key noticeable differences between the A4 and the pm4 that are apparent in the listening experience.  
 
1)  The balance of the lower frequencies  The low end of the pm4 was one of the few qualities I really enjoyed. It could satisfy up to basshead level in my opinion with the silver filters, especially the silver undamped.  The A4 has a better extension of the subbass, which is quite favorable and tunable.  The A4 has a controlled midbass (overall more balanced lower frequencies), which still has a nice punch to the sound.  But the quality that this controlled midbass adds to is the open and natural sound signature of the A4 that opens up the soundstage in a way that the A4 outshines the pm4.
 
2)  Soundstage  The soundstage of the A4 is the hallmark characteristic of this IEM and is highly praised here in the thread.  I could hype it up and it would still be an accurate assessment, but to be more analytical, it offers width and depth that provides a spatial/3D presentation the pm4 simply does not.  I don't think the pm4 could offer this type of presentation because of the way the detail was presented.
 
3)  Detail  The detail of the A4 is much smoother and has a more natural presentation.  I say natural because you still get about the same detail as the pm4, but it's not all upfront and at full magnitude, but more at the intended magnitude that the sound actually occurred.  The detail is what set me off from the pm4, which had an overall detail that was just too forward for me and kind of made the bass, which was balanced well, a little too punchy and the upper frequencies simply too bright.
 
4) Brightness  With the black front filters of the A4, you simply have no brightness whatsoever.  The other front filters of the A4 can and do emphasize the upper frequencies at different point points/intervals along the spectrum, but they are also much kinder in terms of brightness and don't have any upper frequency peaks like the pm4 did.

 

[peter123]

I agree that the PM4 does bass very well but that's also all it does well imo. Today I used them again (I use them as Bluetooth IEM's connected to the Lanyard) and the peaky upper midrange and lower treble makes them sound almost raw and unfinished to my ears. The total lack of 3D presentation and timbre does not help either, they're one of the most two dimensional IEM's I've ever heard. But yeah, bass quality/quantity (gunmetal filters) is really good.

If anyone is looking for balanced cables for the A4 I got a good pair earlier this week (2.5mm trrs termination). They cost $36 and is of much better build quality compared to the terrible FiiO ones I've used before.

I also got a mic cable that as far as I can tell uses the same cable type as the stock one (which I like a lot) and cost me only $7.

If anyone is interested I'll post the links later when I'm on my laptop.

 

[SeeSax]

Does anyone have both LZ A4 and SHOCKWAVE III(MusicMaker)? Since I looked up reviews of a bunch of Chinese earbuds online, these two seem really nice for me, but I can't decide which to buy.. So I'd like to know how they are different by comparing each other.
I have some earbuds, IE80(Senheiser) and UM Pro30(Westone) are two of my favorite so I'd also like to know which would fit my preference more.
Thanks

 
I also have both and posted a short comparison in my review of the A4. 
 
http://www.head-fi.org/products/lz-a4/reviews/17579
 
To make a long story short: choose whether you like a very bright treble presence and overall V-shape sound, or a more relaxed, smoother sound that is more versatile. For me, I prefer the A4. The SW3 has its merits and it does a lot right, but if you are at all sensitive to treble that I strongly recommend the A4. 
 
-Collin-