LZ A5

[Astonish]

Thanks Astonish, could well be you are extra sensitive. Did we get a response for the Comply tips? There are also ones with wax-guards in them which should tame them further. I had treble issues with my K3003s when I got them, the Comply's sorted them out very nicely.

Could be, but I have Grados that are treble cannons that I love, so I’m not too sure. Plus the cymbals sounding the way they do isn’t sensitivity, they just sound off.

Haven’t tried complys, just the blue foam tips that come with the a5s. I have Audeze isines coming later today, so I’m going to try them out before I put any more money into the a5s,which might be going back or being sold on here

 

[salla45]

Could be, but I have Grados that are treble cannons that I love, so I’m not too sure. Plus the cymbals sounding the way they do isn’t sensitivity, they just sound off.

Haven’t tried complys, just the blue foam tips that come with the a5s. I have Audeze isines coming later today, so I’m going to try them out before I put any more money into the a5s,which might be going back or being sold on here

Thats more worrying, that the treble sounds "off". Though SteveKiwi said that the treble on the A5's is still better than A4's. I can't hear much wrong with the A4's treble. I little impure but nothing awful. Jury's out still!

 

[SteveKiwi]

Thats more worrying, that the treble sounds "off". Though SteveKiwi said that the treble on the A5's is still better than A4's. I can't hear much wrong with the A4's treble. I little impure but nothing awful. Jury's out still!

As always it's a matter of opinion but to me the cymbals don't sound off and I've been to a fair few concerts. Though to be fair they have been rock concerts.
Equally to be fair I am 63 so although I have good hearing perhaps my appreciation of the very upper end of the frequencies may not be the same as other people.

 

[salla45]

As always it's a matter of opinion but to me the cymbals don't sound off and I've been to a fair few concerts. Though to be fair they have been rock concerts.
Equally to be fair I am 63 so although I have good hearing perhaps my appreciation of the very upper end of the frequencies may not be the same as other people.

ok thanks for this extra clarification, Steve.

 

[SteveKiwi]

ok thanks for this extra clarification, Steve.

As an aside I'm expecting some Campfire Audio Andromedas and some LZ Big Dippers to be delivered in the next few days so I will have some different comparisons to make regarding the treble

 

[salla45]

As an aside I'm expecting some Campfire Audio Andromedas and some LZ Big Dippers to be delivered in the next few days so I will have some different comparisons to make regarding the treble

Cool!

I auditioned the Andromedas (along with a load of midrange IEMs which left me completely underwhelmed) before xmas and they were really creamy smooth. Would need to get used to the top end, much less prominent than the A4's. Such great air and space though. I really would take a pair of those and could live with them happily!

Big dippers,I don't know, would be really pleased to hear direct compares to the A4's and A5's from your perspective. Brooko speaks very highly of them. (What switch config did you go for?)

 

[SteveKiwi]

Cool!

I auditioned the Andromedas (along with a load of midrange IEMs which left me completely underwhelmed) before xmas and they were really creamy smooth. Would need to get used to the top end, much less prominent than the A4's. Such great air and space though. I really would take a pair of those and could live with them happily!

Big dippers,I don't know, would be really pleased to hear direct compares to the A4's and A5's from your perspective. Brooko speaks very highly of them. (What switch config did you go for?)

Thanks for that.

With the Big Dipper I went with the no switch version from Massdrop. To be completely honest I am a compulsive fiddler with anything that is adjustable! So I end up spending more time changing filters than I do listening to music, which from my perspective defeats the purpose

 

[salla45]

Thanks for that.

With the Big Dipper I went with the no switch version from Massdrop. To be completely honest I am a compulsive fiddler with anything that is adjustable! So I end up spending more time changing filters than I do listening to music, which from my perspective defeats the purpose

No worries. Ive not fiddled at all with my filters on the A4's, well once only, to tame the bass a bit.

That's quite a haul, both andromedas and big dippers in one go, lol. You've really got bad "gas" m8!

 

[Nezzad1]

Reading some of the comments about treble, I can also agree to a certain extent.

There are some songs that indeed do sound a bit harsh on A5, King by Years and Years for an example, whole song is a bit harsh. Female vocals can be on the edge on some tracks as well. I don't mind cymbals, they do sound a bit accentruated, but I like it that way, sounds lively.

It would be really good if LZ could develop a filter that tones down high treble, along with some fiddling with overall bright tonality. Just to cover everyone's tastes.

 

[tienbasse]

It would be really good if LZ could develop a filter that tones down high treble, along with some fiddling with overall bright tonality. Just to cover everyone's tastes.

Should be fairly easy, treble are the easiest frequencies to decrease with very common materials without affecting mids and bass (cotton wool anyone ?).
In their former glory, guys from Aurisonics had managed this using very little terminal filters to tame the ASG 1.0 into a much more bearable ASG 1.5.

Regarding cymbals, it's a little more tricky, because with 99% of the IEMs I tested, treble are now handled with a BA driver, with a decay set up quite fast to push extension a bit further, so cymbals tend to sound quite dry. It is usually less of an issue with dynamic drivers since they have slower decay by design. It tends to get better when several BA drivers are used to manage treble. In what I tested so far, A&K Angies had extremely well made treble, with very realistic cymbals, along with other models in the same range (Laylas). A&K T8iE treble is also relatively relaxed, although still a tiny bit too fast.

Last thing: before concluding, always test different sources before claiming brightness / harshness. Sometimes pairing makes things worse (bright + bright or warm + warm...), sometimes better, especially if you're after a relatively balanced sound.

 

[Brooko]

Would help when people are talking generally about the A5 and treble - if they name the filter they're using. Just saying

 

[Nezzad1]

I am using relatevily balanced source, maybe leaning towards bright. Tried it on old galaxy s5 which is darker by nature, it is a bit better there but still a bit bright. It is very odd since some songs are so relaxing to listen to.

A5 blows me away with instrument separation and resolution.
And then the next song comes and sounds on the edge of being harsh. But I am getting used to it, nothing too bad.

I am using red filters only.

 

[originalsnuffy]

I think it would also be helpful to know what kinds of tips people are using. I am not using stock (supplied) tips. I use JVC Spiral Dots.

 

[asian23]

I prefer a fun sound signature much like the IT01, would the A5 fit that description?

 

[expatriot]

Since they are both hybrids, how does the A5 compare with Fiio F9, which also has troublesome treble to mostpeople (not me) ?