[F208Frank]

I wish the TC and the LCD4 were easier to compare as to which is "better" lol.

After reading some of the previous posts on head-fi some have had it really easy to be able to say that the TC is much better, but to me it isn't that easy to say.

It does seem that the TC is overall a more balanced all around type of headphone though.

The LCD-4 mids are just so unique though.

The beauty of this game, lol.

 

[JLoud]

I love the mids on my LCD-4. It's why I can't/won't part with it. It hangs right next to my TC, within easy reach, so whichever one strikes my mood.

 

[CreditingKarma]

I love the miss on my LCD-4. It's why I can't/won't part with it. It hangs right next to my TC, within easy reach, so whichever one strikes my mood.

You can always try to add some of the mids in with eq on the ABYSS. I don't miss my lcd 4z at all though. I borrowed the entire lcd 4 line including the 24 and found them to sound veiled. For me there is no going back.

 

[JLoud]

I agree. I won't be parting with either of my LCD-4 or TC anytime soon. But everyone hears/enjoys things differently. I personally like how both sound. Although I will say I do use the Reveal Audeze plugin.

 

[jlbrach]

So there is an audible hum with the TC when using high gain with the formula/powerman combo?

none that I have ever heard with either the tc or susvara

 

[tholt]

I actually have a formula s and powerman at my house currently. I am auditioning against the liquid platinum.

How is this comparison? I briefly auditioned the LP out of curiosity knowing I could return (which I did). I thought it was surprisingly good with the 1266 considering cost and horrible build quality, but at best a stopgap before finding a better amp. Is the Formula S and Powerman not significantly better? How do they compare?

 

[Àedhàn Cassiel]

How plausible would it be to grab an Abyss, as a complement to an HD800 and Verite Closed, mostly for extreme tech death / black-influenced metal?

 

[Ciggavelli]

How plausible would it be to grab an Abyss, as a complement to an HD800 and Verite Closed, mostly for extreme tech death / black-influenced metal?

I’m a big, big extreme metal fan. I listen to death, doom, grind, and black nearly every day.

I haven’t heard the Verite Cs, but I had the HD800s in the past. The TCs murder the HD800s.

The TCs are absolutely the best headphones I’ve ever heard for extreme metal. They are almost perfect. I can’t recommend them enough for metal (and hip-hop, my other favorite genre)

Try them out on the new Blood Incantation, some Tomb Mold, and the latest Cerebral Rot and the new Gatecreeper

 

[Àedhàn Cassiel]

The part that threw me off is that previously the LCD-4 was my favorite for this stuff. The dark treble meant I could blast the guitars and guttural vocals without my ears being murdered by the treble at those volumes. And... everyone talks about the mids on the LCD-4, but the Abyss is described as U-shaped.

 

[NZtechfreak]

The TC tonal balance is different than the OG where some people felt there was some suckout in the mids. I listen to lots of metal, cannot speak highly enough of the Abyss for metal.

 

[Àedhàn Cassiel]

The TC tonal balance is different than the OG where some people felt there was some suckout in the mids. I listen to lots of metal, cannot speak highly enough of the Abyss for metal.

I see. Is it just the TC that changed that, or did the other revisions at least start addressing it earlier? I'll be studying the revisions and watching the used market closely...

 

[NZtechfreak]

Not sure, I believe the Phi went some of the way towards this, but no doubt others can confirm this one way or the other.

 

[JLoud]

I had the Phi before the TC. The Phi had decent midrange but it was still the weakest point. Not bad or anything, just not it’s strength. I feel the TC pretty much fixed it. While the bass and treble details are still it’s greatest strength, the midrange can hold its own. But they are not as sweet as the LCD4.

 

[matthewhypolite]

The phi fixed alot of what I thought was wrong with the OG, and the phi with cc pads cleaned things up even more.

I feel like I'd be happy with phi cc or tc. They are both great.

 

[tholt]

I see. Is it just the TC that changed that, or did the other revisions at least start addressing it earlier? I'll be studying the revisions and watching the used market closely...

I had the OG w/ CC pads and upgraded to Phi CC. From the very first second I put on the Phi CC I noticed a marked improvement. It was smoother and more refined, less grain and less bite at the top, and the mids -- which I felt were the weakest point with the OG (too thin) -- were much improved. I still think the Phi CC mids can sound a bit thin sounding and the top a tad bright at times, which is why I love tubes with it. Have not heard the TC so can't vouch for improvement vs Phi CC.