[TimeSnow]

I usually can only buy my stuff online due to geographical and other factors, but just before Xmas I had the good fortune of being able to visit my usual dealer of online gear, in their shop about 250km away. I spend an hour or 2 in there trying out various IEMs in the hope of getting a "wow" upgrade for the LZ A4's which I have been using for the last year or so almost exclusively.

Nothing wowed me in the least, and I tried about 4 or 5 of the raved-about IEMs around the 3-500usd range; it was only when I said to the guy, "let's forget this and go top end...shock me" that things got vaguely interesting. He scurried off into the back room and brought out a pair of Campfire Andromedas. I can honestly say that they were better than the A4's but not by a shocking amount. They were smoother and disappeared a bit more than the A4's but otherwise I left the place really quite confused. I'd never heard of Campfire or the Andromeda, but I did do some research subsequently and it's an end game IEM for many people. For the A4's to stand up so well against such elite brethren says something.

Incidentally I also have a pair of AKG K3003's and prefer the overall sound of the A4's.

What I'm trying to say is that the A4's punch WAY above their class, and so I don't think you can expect too much of a wow! even when considering IEM's at multiple times their price.

For the A5's to incrementally improve generally on the A4's and improve comfort, is way enough for me. I'm saving surplus cash now!

It just makes me wonder where it leaves the Big Dipper; wonder if LZ have just shot themselves in the foot viz that model?

Wow!

That's nuts!

I was considering the Dorados at some point as welll.. And the Big Dippers...

It wouldn't be the first time I was left un-blown away by wildly expensive gear....

 

[salla45]

Wow!

That's nuts!

I was considering the Dorados at some point as welll.. And the Big Dippers...

It wouldn't be the first time I was left un-blown away by wildly expensive gear....

I think the Big Dippers are probably better than either, but by how much? Worth the extra? There's something vaguely insincere about those switches also. Anyone who buys them without switches will always be left wondering! Imho, put the switches on and sell 1 product and be done with it. I'm sure they lose sales as people just can't be sure of which one to go for

 

[Brooko]

Dipper was worth it to me. I ended up buying a pair after the review. I always do that with anything i really enjoy.

 

[salla45]

Nice! But that was before the A5's came out eh?

I'd love to hear your opinion of the Dipper against the A5's and A5 against the A4's for that matter

I always respect your reviews!

 

[Brooko]

Thanks - seems I'm no longer in vogue though. I can't seem to make a front page no matter what I do anymore. Seems to be that you need more noise than signal nowadays to feature. Pretty pictures and excessive prose seem to help ....

(don't mind me - just a little negative toward where the site seems to be going lately)

I'l try to remember to include both when I make the critical comparisons

 

[TimeSnow]

I think the Big Dippers are probably better than either, but by how much? Worth the extra? There's something vaguely insincere about those switches also. Anyone who buys them without switches will always be left wondering! Imho, put the switches on and sell 1 product and be done with it. I'm sure they lose sales as people just can't be sure of which one to go for

I feel pretty much exactly the same as you do about the switches. Especially as it's not like people can listen before they buy.

I'd much rather a higher priced version with the switches as standard... Or a lower priced version with the switches... Lol.

One thing I learned from my experience with TOTL headphones as well is that at some point you trade all around quality for extreme quality in one specific area.

e g. Here's my $3000 headphones for jazz, and here's my $3000 headphones for rap, and here's my $3000 headphones for classical.

I'm worried if I go totl with IEMs I'll end up with someone that does one thing brilliantly, but leaves me frustrated if I go beyond that.

Ironically cheaper monitors seem to be more designed for all around listening.

The opposite btw is true of monitoring systems for MAKING music. The more you spend in that realm the better they tend to be for everything.

 

[TimeSnow]

Dipper was worth it to me. I ended up buying a pair after the review. I always do that with anything i really enjoy.

Your review of the Dipper always stuck with me.

Which isn't helpful when I don't want to spend money. Lol..

Also looking forward to any 4/5/dipper comparisons!

 

[salla45]

Thanks - seems I'm no longer in vogue though. I can't seem to make a front page no matter what I do anymore. Seems to be that you need more noise than signal nowadays to feature. Pretty pictures and excessive prose seem to help ....

(don't mind me - just a little negative toward where the site seems to be going lately)

I'l try to remember to include both when I make the critical comparisons

Thanks a million. I was also seriously considering the BD's until I spotted the A5's last week. Now I'm really fired to know more. 260usd is somewhat easier to justify mentally than 600-800+!

PS... I do miss the old style site! It's just not very easy to navigate or find things anymore - maybe why you're not getting so much of a following!

 

[peter123]

I agree with @Brooko that the Big Dipper is a solid step up from the A4. As for the A5 my pair is in custom clearance now some it should be with me before the weekend.

The Big Dipper doesn't have have massive deep bass though so if that's the major concern (which it seem to be for quite a lot of people) they may not be the obvious choices. Overall fidelity is extremely high though and I consider it to be a bigger step up from my other IEM's than the HD800S is from my other headphones.

 

[audio123]

The blue filter does female vocals justice and it is presented with good engagement. With the black filter, at times, I feel female vocals sound slightly restrained.Treble on the blue filter is more energetic.
Moving on to the red filter, it has less body than the grey filter but maintains a higher level of cleanliness. These 2 filters present more control at the top end. I prefer the more full-bodied grey filter and the engaging blue filter.

 

[griff06]

Thanks - seems I'm no longer in vogue though. I can't seem to make a front page no matter what I do anymore. Seems to be that you need more noise than signal nowadays to feature. Pretty pictures and excessive prose seem to help ....

(don't mind me - just a little negative toward where the site seems to be going lately)

I'l try to remember to include both when I make the critical comparisons

Well i always look for your reviews before i go buy anything!! You are up with the top straight talking reviewers in my opinion

 

[MyPants]

Thanks - seems I'm no longer in vogue though. I can't seem to make a front page no matter what I do anymore. Seems to be that you need more noise than signal nowadays to feature. Pretty pictures and excessive prose seem to help ....

(don't mind me - just a little negative toward where the site seems to be going lately)

I'l try to remember to include both when I make the critical comparisons

Well i always look for your reviews before i go buy anything!! You are up with the top straight talking reviewers in my opinion

I have to jump in and agree. Your reviews are always light on bullsh*t and clearly strive to convey a fair impression of the product.

On the point, I too am excited to hear impressions of the A5. In a perfect world, I'd hope they sound like Primo8's plus bass depth and sophistication reminiscent of the A4.

 

[1TrickPony]

I usually can only buy my stuff online due to geographical and other factors, but just before Xmas I had the good fortune of being able to visit my usual dealer of online gear, in their shop about 250km away. I spend an hour or 2 in there trying out various IEMs in the hope of getting a "wow" upgrade for the LZ A4's which I have been using for the last year or so almost exclusively.

Nothing wowed me in the least, and I tried about 4 or 5 of the raved-about IEMs around the 3-500usd range; it was only when I said to the guy, "let's forget this and go top end...shock me" that things got vaguely interesting. He scurried off into the back room and brought out a pair of Campfire Andromedas. I can honestly say that they were better than the A4's but not by a shocking amount. They were smoother, more natural, and disappeared a bit more than the A4's but otherwise I left the place really quite confused. I'd never heard of Campfire or the Andromeda, but I did do some research subsequently and it's an end game IEM for many people. For the A4's to stand up so well against such elite brethren says something.

Incidentally I also have a pair of AKG K3003's and prefer the overall sound of the A4's.

What I'm trying to say is that the A4's punch WAY above their class, and so I don't think you can expect too much of a wow! even when considering IEM's at multiple times their price.

For the A5's to incrementally improve generally on the A4's and improve comfort, is way enough for me. I'm saving surplus cash now!

It just makes me wonder where it leaves the Big Dipper; wonder if LZ have just shot themselves in the foot viz that model?

Ditto. I was considering the dipper or the newest dunu hybrid and told myself: if you're gonna make me cough out money might as well go big and bought an Oriolus v2.

Still when I think about the LZ-A4, it's probably one my favorite tuning(s) of all time I've been into this hobby.

 

[1TrickPony]

More impressions, thanks for useful input folks.

 

[meringo]

I've been rolling with the black filters the past couple of days. At first, I thought treble felt a bit disconnected from the rest of the sound, but now I feel as if that creates a sense of air that I can really appreciate. It's like flying around an open sky with pinkish/red Honda wings!

My next stop will be the grey filter.