Audeze LCDi4 open-back planar magnetic in-ear Headphone - Official Thread

Friends whose tastes I am familiar with do rate the LCD-5 well, so I expect you’ll like it a lot. I expect it will be better than the LCD-i4, based on the opinion of a friend who tried both at CanJam.

Personally, I value portability too much to the point where I ignored the LCD-5 and the other 4K USD flagships since I didn’t want to know what I was missing. Plus, I can’t walk outside with any of them, nor would I want to transport one. The Aeon 2 Noire is already at the limits of transportability for me, and I don’t value isolation enough to want to own a Stealth, plus its increased weight is a massive turn-off for me. I might be interested in an LCD-i5, but we’ll see by then if it’ll be worth the inevitable price jump. But that 7,500 USD 150-400mm Olympus pro lens won’t be paying itself off lol. I had Apple earbuds for years, and I expect to be able to say as much for the i4: I’ll consider upgrading it when reliability becomes an issue.

In any case, may your listening experience be elevated in due time.

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I tried them both recently on the WA7 and it is interesting how close they are. i4 is just as detailed, only slightly less and not as rumbly in deep sub bass of course. Soundstage and imaging are not as spread out. I found them not as easy to drive and lower volume than LCD-5. I use Equalizer APO, Foobar and Replaygain and at the same volume level on the amp, I found the i4 about 5 db lower and had to increase Foobar’s preamp to match. I need to get an adapter for the i4 to hook it to the GS-X Mini to see what it sounds like.

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Hi Eminent, did you end up trying the i4 with the GS-X Mini? If so, a couple follow-up questions:
-what kind of adapter were you referring to?
-Did you run the i4 from the SE output? Are there balanced cables that fit the i4?

I’m going to have to switch to IEMs from headphones for a while due to a neck issue (hopefully this will be solved by surgery later this year). I’ll be selling the LCD-5 that I just got (not happy about this, haha), and I’m considering getting an i4 and GS-X Mini instead. Thanks for any advice!

Edit: I found some of your posts over on head-fi, and it looks like you’re running a custom balanced cable for your i4. I’m guessing the adapter you were referring to was a 4-pin XLR to either 2.5mm or 4.4mm. Out of curiosity, how far do you need to turn up the pot to get to listenable levels running the i4 off the balanced output?

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Oh, they get plenty loud with the GSX Mini with headroom and eq in Roon. Switched from Foobar and not using Replaygain. I don’t remember where, but I think 2 o’clock with mini but I use a combo of amp and dac volume control.

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Did you take the jump up to the LCDi4?
As I am equally are interested in the question if the step up in price would result in being as blown away as with the LCDi3 I have tried. Currently contemplating if I should “just” take the LCDi3 or shell out for the LCDi4 right way.

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Hello and Welcome @C4PPY I guess the guy to ask would be @pennstac. He an the owner of an LCDi4 and very much likes them. I have listened but not owned a pair. I loved them to be honest. But having not heard the LCDi3 cannot comment on the steup in quality.

Being a predominantly Iem user I have found that at the higher end of iem’s its very small increments generally in quality and it comes down to personal choice in the end.

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No, I have the i3, can’t bring myself to spend the money on i4

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@prfallon69 Thanks! and yes was meaning to write to pennstac just replied to the wrong post.
@pennstac Understand - it really is a huge step up in price. Right now I have the Gold Planar Gl20’s which I bought on a limp a few years back and really really enjoy. They quickly turned into the only “headphone” being used. So was really thinking if the LCDi3 or i4 would be the next step as I like the design principle of in-ear-out-side-the-head planar. :wink:
Have you heard the LCDi4? and maybe enough to compare them to the your LCDi3’s?

I have not heard the LCDi4. The LCDi3 is good enough for my ears. Sure I’d like better, but the price…. The other thing is that while I love the soundstage and how the series physically sits on/in ear, I’m not convinced that this method is right for me for the next step up. I like the comfort better than a traditional IEM, but you become aware of the trade offs too. If I liked IEMs better in general, it would be a different story.

Since putting in the EgglestonWorks Nico Evo speakers in my office, and listening to them even for background, I find myself listening less on headphones. Not that I will ever want to give up my Nectar Hive eStats, or the Grado RS1e, or for that matter most of my headphones or IEMs, but good quality speakers play my tune, quite literally.

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Sorry, I can’t add any more to the i3 vs. i4 as I didn’t have them at the same time or using the same source.
All I remember is when I had the i3, it was paired with an M11 and it sounded good but I was always wondering how much better the next step up was and took the plunge. Went all in on i4 and M15 and no regrets.
Still holding onto them, but haven’t used them in a while so the M15 is up for sale on the HF classifieds.

One thing for sure is the Cipher cable does not do them justice. Detail and clarity is much better without it. Whether that was from M15, silver cable or both, I don’t know. There was clearly a difference. As most reviews are with Cipher only, they are really missing the best they can be.

Did you EQ them at a all?

Always with Crinicle Autoeq.

I can believe that. Having satisfactory EQ that you like better than Audeze’s Cipher EQ choices deserves a mentioning all by itself, don’t you think?

Yes, sorry. I should have mentioned it as I believe all impressions should as well. It wasn’t just the tonality. It was the detail and clarity for certain sounds and tones. Like hihats or cymbals weren’t as crisp or they sounded soft in comparison.

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Maybe if @Resolve ever does an i4 review, we can get a better sense of the difference. Although, I would encourage him to try with a real source and cable.

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Sorry about that Error @pennstac.

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Micro Review and First impressions of LCDi4

I’ve had them for all of a day now. Enough to provide some actual feedback and justify my dubious clutch on the “Core Team” tag by my user ID.

Got these as “B-Stock” on the annual Audeze sale in a moment of weakness. No idea why they are B-Stock, the packaging seems A and I can’t see any imperfections. The serial number does show B however.

I have the iSINE 20 and the LCDi3 so I did have a pretty good idea as to what I was ordering with the LCDi3.

First note what’s included in the box. This has changed over the years. The wired Cipher V2 is no longer included. In fact, it looks as if this cable has been essentially discontinued, perhaps because in order to use it with the new USB-3 ports on iPads and coming on iPhones you need to buy the $20 ANKER Lightning to USB-3 Audio adapter. That works great with them on my iPad Pro

The box still includes the Bluetooth (5.0) Cipher cable and the braided single-ended OCC silver plated copper cable. And the ear hooks, fins, cleaning tool, etc. The carry case is upgraded to leather from nylon.

A few months ago I determined that for me the best eartip for the LCDi3 was an aftermarket slightly long memory foam small to medium small size. I have a few of these on hand and didn’t even bother trying to get a good fit with something else. I’d been through the SpinFit 145, 155 and other tips, the Audeze grooved ones, etc. Despite what others say, I think this style IEM needs a proper inserted fit, but not a tight one. This gives superior bass. With the right tips the ear hooks are less bothersome than glasses and everything is secure.

I have not yet tried the single ended cable - I’ll do that in a few days, I’m sure. I have found out some things about the Cipher cable through experimentation. First impression using Cipher and my Chameleons Qobuz playlist from my iPhone. Superb soundstage, slightly deeper bass than the LCDi3. More detail, a bit of good shimmer on the cymbals. I noted that they are harder to drive than either the iSINE 20 or the LCDi3, and I was running the Cipher at 85% of flat out.

So I took them to work and am using them on the iPad Pro (M chip) with the ANKER adapter. The iPad is plugged into power through the port on the magic keyboard. I’m convinced that this is supplying a better electrical base for the Cipher cable than the iPhone. Lightning has limitations that USB-C may not. All I know is that I hear more authority and am not at the higher levels (Indicated) that came off the iPhone. I think the Cipher is an adequate mobile DAC/AMP solution if it is getting plenty of power.

That said, and given the added depth and clarity of the LCDi3 when attached to a desktop DAC/AMP (I’ve tried the Sabaj a20d 2022 and the FiiO K9 Pro ESS) the LCDi4 will likely be improved also.

Listening to the aforesaid Qobuz list, I felt the bass improvement. In Trentemoller’s Chameleon, the sub bass comes in strong not only at :27 but at :50 and 1:06. The Elton John Chameleon has a sweetness that I had not heard before, and the high res Credence Chameleon is cleaner than the vinyl ever was.

Listening to Beethoven for Three I had the experience of just listening, and not even thinking about the IEMs for some time. I’ve experienced this on other cuts today and it feels good. Forgetting the system and living for the music. Doesn’t happen that often.

So that means these are worth it.

Finally, these IEMs also exhibit the same issue I had with the LCDi3 when playing while being powered through an AC connected iPhone or iPad source. Touch the IEM case and there is a slight hum. Must be the magnesium construction. IDK. I solved it by either running from battery or using a large external battery. I have not experienced this with the standard cable, just the Cipher.

LATER NOTE: Others here have done more detailed reviews and may even have actually measured something. I was just trying to be narrative. It should go without saying that I like the sound signature and style of the iSine 20, (I bought the LCDi3). I like the LCDi3 - I was i4 curious and bought them when the sale opportunity arose. I’d buy them again at the sale price. I’d have just as hard a time buying them unheard at the full price. I do think they’re worth it if you don’t have the i3 at full price. I also think that the i3 represents a better value for most people and is 90% of the way there. But that 10% is bass and general smoothness. Effortless detail and clarity. Somewhat better soundstage, but the i3 has incredible soundstage for an IEM, as does the iSINE 20.

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I had the LCDi4s before. I loved the sound, but the ear hooks were so painful after a while, that I had to find the LCDi4s another home.

Since starting this hobby, the comfort factor has dramatically risen in importance for me. The headphone or IEM may feel great for the first 20 minutes or so, but long-term comfort is an essential requirement, for over-ear and in-ear as well.

I wonder if you had the ear hooks wrong, or the old style ones. I can hardly feel them

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I tried every version. Must be my hypersensitive ears, LOL.

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