[Jazzkammer]

Thanks everyone for the feedback to my comparison!   Please take my PM4 comparison with a grain of salt:  I don't even have them anymore, and I only had them for a month or less before they broke.  So I haven't compared them side by side to A4, just by memory.  Given such fierce criticism of the PM4, I will definitely give them a more critical listen when I get them back from Trinity.

 

[mashuto]

  Thanks everyone for the feedback to my comparison!   Please take my PM4 comparison with a grain of salt:  I don't even have them anymore, and I only had them for a month or less before they broke.  So I haven't compared them side by side to A4, just by memory.  Given such fierce criticism of the PM4, I will definitely give them a more critical listen when I get them back from Trinity.

Hey I wasn't trying to knock you down for liking them. Its great that you do. It was more to highlight that the PM4 seems divisive at best, while the A4, while certainly not perfect, seems to be pretty well liked by most that have them.

 

[nealh]

  Thanks everyone for the feedback to my comparison!   Please take my PM4 comparison with a grain of salt:  I don't even have them anymore, and I only had them for a month or less before they broke.  So I haven't compared them side by side to A4, just by memory.  Given such fierce criticism of the PM4, I will definitely give them a more critical listen when I get them back from Trinity.

If you enjoyed the Master 4 thats great and I am really glad it provided a sound you desired.  Music is so subjective, there is no right or wrong.  We each have our own perceptions of the various frequencies and finding a nice IEM is a satisfyingexperience.  That's what counts.
 
I always find it interesting when people compare one IEM to another to learn the differences to better understand what I might enjoy and desire in the future.
 
Hearing a given IEM performs well compared to a more expensive competitor that is consider a standard just allows us to get more bang for our dollar and that is always a good thing

 

[Jazzkammer]

  Hey I wasn't trying to knock you down for liking them. Its great that you do. It was more to highlight that the PM4 seems divisive at best, while the A4, while certainly not perfect, seems to be pretty well liked by most that have them.

Amen. I am really glad I bought the A4.  Such value in the head-fi world is something to be cherished. Sometimes these days I don't even know what is what anymore. Case in point, when Campfire Audio first came out, I balked at their high prices (in keeping with ALO Audio's similarly high prices), but now, on another headphone message board, Campfire's Andromeda is being praised as being inexpensive because it's not thousands of dollars like so many other TOTL iems these days.   Having heard JH Audio Roxanne and Angie, as well as V8 and Shure SE846, I am not exaggerating when I say that A4 is easily competing in that echelon.   I know that may see ludicrous, but the key point is that all the aforementioned TOTL are BA-only, which means their bass will never be as great as a hybrid like A4.  And the other problem they suffer from, is the myth that more BA=better sound.   I used to subscribe to that concept as well, but the A4 has disabused me of it.  

 

[Vatican]

Just wanted to hop in here to let anyone who may be looking for an aftermarket mic cable or balanced cable that the offerings from fidue are fantastic. The A83 series of items has given me even more to love about the A4. Spiral dot, Custom Back filter & the fidue balanced cable have just about taken a monopoly on my ears.

 

[nealh]

Just wanted to hop in here to let anyone who may be looking for an aftermarket mic cable or balanced cable that the offerings from fidue are fantastic. The A83 series of items has given me even more to love about the A4. Spiral dot, Custom Back filter & the fidue balanced cable have just about taken a monopoly on my ears.

Custom back filter? A stock filter - red, black or blue or something else?

 

[Indigo Bob]

  Thanks everyone for the feedback to my comparison!   Please take my PM4 comparison with a grain of salt:  I don't even have them anymore, and I only had them for a month or less before they broke.  So I haven't compared them side by side to A4, just by memory.  Given such fierce criticism of the PM4, I will definitely give them a more critical listen when I get them back from Trinity.

My apologies.  The passion spilt over from the trinity thread on that topic.  
 
I truly think trinity has a lot to offer with future products, but that whole shenanigans had red flags for quite some time.  
 
I am very happy you were able to come across something that worked better, whether it be the A4 or not.  
 
If you do like the pm4 and it suits you, then I am happy for you.  
 
Please take my own A4 comparison with a grain of salt.  It was unpleasant being on the 'disliking' side of it and I'm sorry to make you feel unpleasant for bing on the 'liking' side of it.  
 
I would have bought you a beer to celebrate your new acquisition and or suffering through my passion against that finicky IEM.
 
Cheers

 

 

[bhazard]

Just wanted to hop in here to let anyone who may be looking for an aftermarket mic cable or balanced cable that the offerings from fidue are fantastic. The A83 series of items has given me even more to love about the A4. Spiral dot, Custom Back filter & the fidue balanced cable have just about taken a monopoly on my ears.

I use the Fidue Balanced Cable too on the A4, and yes it is pretty great.
 
There may be higher core silver plated models on AE now though, but the Fidue was best when I got it awhile ago.

 

[nealh]

I'm not going say anything that has not been expressed before BUT...I'm a truly amazed at the filters on the A4. Mr. LZ really worked magic with the filter system. Having a 2 filter system adds such versatility without being overwhelming except when trying to decide what's best to given person's ear or music preferences.

I swapped back to Red/b and Black/f from Black/b and Black/f. I had to convince myself again that the filters really change the sound. WOW. Yes they do.
Red/b-Black/front has real nice deep low and crosspiece high end. the soundstage is less spatial to my ears. Listened for good 30-45 min.
Then said now let's go back to Black/Black. Yes there was a significant sound difference. The low end was a bit more subdued but not lacking. The mid/highs crisp, detailed and soundstage really seems more open spatial and engulfing.

The differences are real even to someone like me who can't seaparate all the technical qualities of the sound. If I can hear the filters make the sound change, I promise anyone would and will.

While I'm not sure how someone would describe the house A4 sound, there is a real ability to customize it to one's preferences.

I don't know how Mr. LZ developed the filter choices but it's truly incredible what he designed.

Are there other IEM that have filters that offers similar adjustments and qualities? I know the FLC8S has filter system but do they really allow SQ changes like the A4?

I am still shocked I could really appreciate the SQ differences as compared to my go to IEM Fidue A73, which I now gave to my son.

 

[1TrickPony]

I'm not going say anything that has not been expressed before BUT...I'm a truly amazed at the filters on the A4. Mr. LZ really worked magic with the filter system. Having a 2 filter system adds such versatility without being overwhelming except when trying to decide what's best to given person's ear or music preferences.

I swapped back to Red/b and Black/f from Black/b and Black/f. I had to convince myself again that the filters really change the sound. WOW. Yes they do.
Red/b-Black/front has real nice deep low and crosspiece high end. the soundstage is less spatial to my ears. Listened for good 30-45 min.
Then said now let's go back to Black/Black. Yes there was a significant sound difference. The low end was a bit more subdued but not lacking. The mid/highs crisp, detailed and soundstage really seems more open spatial and engulfing.

The differences are real even to someone like me who can't seaparate all the technical qualities of the sound. If I can hear the filters make the sound change, I promise anyone would and will.

While I'm not sure how someone would describe the house A4 sound, there is a real ability to customize it to one's preferences.

I don't know how Mr. LZ developed the filter choices but it's truly incredible what he designed.

Are there other IEM that have filters that offers similar adjustments and qualities? I know the FLC8S has filter system but do they really allow SQ changes like the A4?

I am still shocked I could really appreciate the SQ differences as compared to my go to IEM Fidue A73, which I now gave to my son.

 
dunu dn2000 (and brielfly the highly resolving J version) - these had ring add-ons along the stem which added more bass quantity. I preferred none;they sounded more open.
trinity pm4 - liked the silver and purple. yes, a closet treble junkie but I only accept bright iems when done right! I did not enjoy the other filters.
flc8s - out of the 36...I enjoyed a couple. loved the treble of the greens (only at low volume) filters. Even with the custom setups, I couldn't find a cohesiveness that felt right - it had really good mids but could not enjoy overall picture with the rest of the freq. One of my favorite trebles but again, didn't know what to make of the cohesiveness.Perhaps the fit did not do my experience justice so take that with a grain of salt. I wouldn't fork the 350$, but I got to admit, the holographic presentation, layering, and resolution shows for the price tag. I just couldn't find or say how the presentation came together. It was like good 5 star chef making the best lasagna, pancakes,couscous, and tacos and serving them on your table.I just didn't know what to make of it... you dig what I'm saying??? lol

I don't think the A4 totally dishes them out, but when you're looking at what a well implemented filter system can do: The LZ-A4 is a new standard for me!!! Oh and it sounds really good!

 

[Lurk650]

Well, that cable I posted earlier is pretty darn solid. Sounds good, just as good as stock cable. I do really want a balanced cable for this, I guess once Chinese new year is over I'll look on AE and see about getting a good price.

On that note, decided to give the Pink a go with the Black rear. These are not useless. Gotta turn the volume up but these I'm really digging it so far but on Hi gain and high volume it will kill my battery.

Swapped front Pink for Gray, same roll off at 60hz....umm yeah these sound goooood. Mids really shine but still get plenty of bass and enough top sparkle. Good separation and enough air remains.

 

[Radec]

Quick impressions of using the blue bass filter all day.
 
Blue/Blue - it hurts, please stop
 
Blue/Black - Light bass quantity but good quality, slightly recessed mids, slightly enhanced highs.  Details are crisp, sound is airy and can be slightly too bright up top at times.  I'd rate this #2
 
Blue/Green - This is good.  Similar to Blue/Black but w/ less bass quality and quantity, highs are less harsh but less detailed and soundstage is smaller but not congested.  Pretty neutral but not boring.  
 
Blue/Red - Not very enjoyable.  Not unpleasant but there's just nothing special about this.  More bass but worse texture.  Not congested but pretty close to that.  Highs roll off a bit more but still kinda spikey.  Mids are not recessed but those spikes I'm hearing in female vocals kinda sucks.  Really shouty combo.  Have to keep volume lower than usual.
 
Blue/Grey - Now we're talkin.  I'm not sure if it's the tamed treble and tamed bass or what... but this combo is smooth and very enjoyable.  Kind of bass-lite.  I want to call this A shaped but the bass and treble aren't that tame.  Bass and treble are there, but the mids are the highlight of the show.  Vocal heavy tracks are super fun this way.  There's some peaks but nowhere near as bad as the red nozzles.  Lots of details.  Slightly closed in soundstage but still not congested.  Shout out to 1TrickPony for pointing out how good this combo is!  #1 by far
 
Blue/Pink - this isn't fun anymore

 

[Lurk650]

Quick impressions of using the blue bass filter all day.

Blue/Blue - it hurts, please stop

Blue/Black - Light bass quantity but good quality, slightly recessed mids, slightly enhanced highs.  Details are crisp, sound is airy and can be slightly too bright up top at times.  I'd rate this #2

Blue/Green - This is good.  Similar to Blue/Black but w/ less bass quality and quantity, highs are less harsh but less detailed and soundstage is smaller but not congested.  Pretty neutral but not boring.  

Blue/Red - Not very enjoyable.  Not unpleasant but there's just nothing special about this.  More bass but worse texture.  Not congested but pretty close to that.  Highs roll off a bit more but still kinda spikey.  Mids are not recessed but those spikes I'm hearing in female vocals kinda sucks.  Really shouty combo.  Have to keep volume lower than usual.

Blue/Grey - Now we're talkin.  I'm not sure if it's the tamed treble and tamed bass or what... but this combo is smooth and very enjoyable.  Kind of bass-lite.  I want to call this A shaped but the bass and treble aren't that tame.  Bass and treble are there, but the mids are the highlight of the show.  Vocal heavy tracks are super fun this way.  There's some peaks but nowhere near as bad as the red nozzles.  Lots of details.  Slightly closed in soundstage but still not congested.  Shout out to 1TrickPony for pointing out how good this combo is!  #1 by far

Blue/Pink - this isn't fun anymore

Try black back with the Grey, you gain bass while remaining midcentric. Sounds more natural than Blue Back sounded

Yeah Blue Red I eventually did notice the Bass didn't sound that great and did prefer Black Back lately. You do indeed lower volume.

 

[nealh]

Well, that cable I posted earlier is pretty darn solid. Sounds good, just as good as stock cable. I do really want a balanced cable for this, I guess once Chinese new year is over I'll look on AE and see about getting a good price.

 

How is the memory portion of the cable?  I usually do not like that, since wearing over the ear is trickier to get the cable to lay correctly.  Any down side to the cable?  At the price yesterday, $13 might be a worthwhile back up.
Are stock replacement cables being sold? cost?
 

  dunu dn2000 (and brielfly the highly resolving J version) - these had ring add-ons along the stem which added more bass quantity. I preferred none;they sounded more open.
trinity pm4 - liked the silver and purple. yes, a closet treble junkie but I only accept bright iems when done right! I did not enjoy the other filters.
flc8s - out of the 36...I enjoyed a couple. loved the treble of the greens (only at low volume) filters. Even with the custom setups, I couldn't find a cohesiveness that felt right - it had really good mids but could not enjoy overall picture with the rest of the freq. One of my favorite trebles but again, didn't know what to make of the cohesiveness.Perhaps the fit did not do my experience justice so take that with a grain of salt. I wouldn't fork the 350$, but I got to admit, the holographic presentation, layering, and resolution shows for the price tag. I just couldn't find or say how the presentation came together. It was like good 5 star chef making the best lasagna, pancakes,couscous, and tacos and serving them on your table.I just didn't know what to make of it... you dig what I'm saying??? lol

Right forgot the DUNU 2000(J).  Master 4- while the filters did alter the sound you really not tweak it to in a balance fashion...I felt to get more bass you had to give up higher frequency clarity and vice versa.  Could no have both.  There was no mid freq adjustment to my ears
FLC8S- wanted to buy this really did but 36 combos, I figured I would never get it correct. Also heard there was cable microphonics and one could beasily lose or get a "filter" stuck/trapped

 

[Vatican]

Custom back filter? A stock filter - red, black or blue or something else?

I've taken it upon myself to create a couple of back filters at my place of employment using an in house modded version of 123D Design. I have been crafting carbon fiber filters with various designs for a chance to increase aesthetic & achieve a sound I like, which is essentially a tighter version of no back, it's still very much a prototype as I've encountered a few hiccups along the way, but I'm pretty content with them. 3D printing is amazing!