This is one of two now infamous Inner Fidelity reviews. First there was Tyll's, here, in which he preferred the Focal Utopia to the LCD-4 and declined to put the LCD-4 on his so-called 'wall of fame'. Then there was a subsequent "A vs B" test involving six other Inner Fidelity reviewers - and 5 of the six had a clear preference for the LCD-4 over the Utopia. Afterward, when inquiries were made by the manufacturers and others, it turned out that at least one of the LCD-4s and Focals (including the Focal used by Tyll) were defective. After replacements were furnished, Tyll issued a follow-up and retracted his decision not to place the LCD-4 on to his 'Wall of Fame'. I appreciate Tyll's expertise and commitment as an audiophile, but nobody listening to these posts should treat them as a more valuable determinant than their own ears. There simply is no definitive and objective 'better' or 'best' at this level and anyone who suggests otherwise is just plain wrong. The mix-up at Inner Fidelity here should be proof positive of this point.
Unfortunately the damage to their credibility is done. I prefer them to any other headphone and that says a lot just as Bob katz and his music team. Just look at all the comments from people who haven't heard them, lynching them to hell and back. Then you have Z reviews sucking the stax's ass. The music experience of the lcd4 is a 10/10 and the hd800 which may measure better in some aspects are a 3/10
Spot on pal, I did listen to these recently and I couldnt definitively say these were better than the Final d8000. I will need more time with them. But if im honest i would buy them just for their build quality and looks. so stunning, best looking headphones currently on the market.
1) Finally, there is person who has straight forward opinion about some audio products, especially on expensive and even extra expensive one. Usually,reviews in the internet (ARE PAID) contains lots of bs and vainglorious praises for expensive stuff, but never clear statement on whether the product is worth price,really negative elements or something is better than the "X". Thank you so much, buddy) 2) I'm the owner of LCD-3. Sincerely speaking, they do not worth double of price in comparison with LCD-2. I guess the same mistake Audeze makes with the price policy on LCD-4. Theoretically, the next product would be LCD-5 which will cost 8k... 3) Suggest them to make IEMS. IEMS from Audeze - this is what the world is waiting for :D
Thanks for bringing the honesty, even if critical to a great company like Audeze. Inspire manufactures for us with reliable feedback. Especially at this price point.
Interesting vid, even though I doubt I will ever be spending more than 1k on a pair of headphones. I really appreciate that you included all those technical details about the workings of the diaphragm.
Probably the most trustworthy and technically versed reviewer out there. your blunt honesty is incredibly rare in the reviewer world. Loads of respect to you, Tyll.
Tyll, been following your channel for quite sometime! Looking into getting some Audeze headphones. Need a recommendation though. Primarily looking into something thats easy to drive. I hear the EL-8 open back sound amazing or would it be worth it to get something like the LCD X? What type of amp would pair nicely with this. Any advice would be awesome! -George
George Barrera I have the EL-8 and LOVE them. I will upgrade to the LCD4's in 2017. I game with them primarily whilst listening to music and it is unbelievable in its sound and build
I've heard it, it's probably the most transparent headphone you'll ever hear in your life. The Detail retrieval is the best i've ever heard, it's the closest to an actual high end speaker system playing in a well treated room. Although i personally didn't like the sound signature, way too warm sounding. I prefer completely neutral. But it's not worth 55,000$ I'd pay 10,000$ for it and nothing more, Headphone manufactures need to stop over pricing their products because it's getting out of control. If i were being honest the only thing that i really liked about the sennheiser Orpheus he 1 was the ultra realistic detail it was capable of and the fact that no matter how much you turned up the sound it never became distorted or muddy, the sound simply just came to life with amazing dynamics and energy that most headphones seem to struggle to produce. Electrostats seem to be the best there is i guess.
@@waterdragonsage8460 electrostats dont give good bass for electronic and metal music,so fuck the headphones which give you possibility to listen only several styles! I prefer more universality!
Audeze needs to go back to the drawing board of the original Classic LCD-3 with the amazing bass before they did all the tweaking and introducing fazors and increasing the treble. If they could strengthen those drivers so it doesnt fail so much and maybe get a little soundstage, that would be the best headphones out there. Sometimes newer technology is not so good. Those classics are hard to come but I dont remember being blown away by a headphone quite as much as I did with that one.
A few years ago we couldn't resist calling out Beats for being over priced junk. Look at us now! We look like a bunch of clowns! LOL. The fun part about head-fi was that an average Joe could own close to the best there was without too much sacrifice and as prices got higher, the audio quality generally ensued. TOTL was within reach, and you could even have a variety of TOTL cans to suit your preferences at any given day. Now they price gear ridiculously high to cater to the rich and keep the average Joes already invested in the hobby stretching for the top by putting out flawed products.
Any company releasing v2's that are "correcting" what should have been working in the first place. HiFiman, Audeze, and even Sennheiser might be guilty of it with the HD800s
looking forward to hearing this headphones. Going by what Tyll's review it seems this headphones are overpriced: I enjoy the LCD3s. I hope Audeze keeps working on this technology because I value their effort.
you're a legend. I was testing the LCD3 and HD800 with the chord hugo today and I felt the drop off of the LCD3 in the 4 to 8k when listening to princes voice... I could hear all the details with the HD800 but it was notched out with the LCD3 but when you use DSD quality it transformed and the LCD3 sounded better but again I felt the highs and lows were separated. I'm confused because I felt the LCD3 was more musical over the HD800 ... I think I just need to get good speakers or get some elecrostatics.
Excellent review Tyll. I myself don't really understand all the technical stuff when you talk about certain higher frequencies, yet ;) So I was pleasantly surprised you explained the issue in a non-technical way for me to understand. Thanks for that! Btw I'm working on my tech knowledge, so someday... ;)
Excellent & useful review, Tyll. Were I shopping in the price range, I'd really appreciate the detailed explanations of the deficiencies/imperfections and how they translate to the listening experience. You touched all those bases. Great work!
i bought myself similar headphones, theyre great. but i used them too much and now my hearing is fucked. since then ive learned that headphones = hearing loss in most people due percieved volume and the direct impact on the inner ear
LCDs always had that treble dips problem, nothing new here. personally i don't think that as a problem, more as a part of their signature 'house sound' all their headphones possess, and in the real world, i think that recessed upper mids-low treble do help make their lineup 'easier' and less fatiguing to listen in exchange for true 'accuracy' which i like. what do u say tyll?
Hany Theo lcd yes. But on the other hand most headphones which labeled accurate are not accurate. Any headphones or earphones brighter than er4s are too bright, any of those harsher than er4s are too harsh. Namely the worse example is hd800 whcih is extremely bullshit in the highs but as well as k812 etc.
John Yang but hd800s still is regarded as one of the most accurate headphones on the market. i kinda agree with that statement when its fed with legit acoustic recordings
Hany Theo hd800s has less accurate bass compared to hd800. But hd800 has super annoying 6k peak which is a disaster for this headphones. Hd800s improved a bit but it is still there. Still sounds like shit. The imaging of hd800 is fake, it is actually rather small but adding artificial soundstage. People should know better. It kind of like vegans , feminism. Some people don't actually think about it. They just talking shit about what they heard. Not saying you btw. But it actually tilts the things. In comparison dt880 may not has as tight bass, but overall is much more accurate and pleasing. Shp9500 as well has incredible balanced sound and wide soundstage. Even though they are cheap they are actually better than hd800 in many regards.(as we all know all these headphones except utopia only cost less than 100 dollars to make.) Anyway i highly recommend you to demo er4sr. These are incredibly good. When you are used to these you will immediately notice the flaws of other earphones and headphones.
I'm still so confused when you say "dynamic punch of a planar headphone" because to date most planars I've heard have completely lacked any form of actual punch or impact, short of the LCD-X which has a bit (the HE-6 i think had some too). Something like the Fostex TH900 has a ton of punch by comparison. This has generally been whats ruined my general experience with them other than the LCD-2 and to a lesser extent X's very poor detail retrieval and generally somewhat muffled sound. I loved the LCD-3s sound, but it lacked the energy or excitement of the HD800 or Fostex. And of course somewhat lacked the soundstage of the Sennheiser, but it was decent. So a cross between those headphones would be my dream :)
Definitely, if Audeze had kept the price point at 1-1,5k $ (where it really should be) this would be an allover praised headphone and we would hear Tyll saying "it has some problems with the treble, but apart from that, this is a terrific headphone worth the money". But since it costs insane amount, people start to look for the reason for that price... they keep looking very, very thoroughly, much more than they would with a 1,5k $ cans, and as we see... it doesn't end up very well to manufacturer. Long story short - for one third of the price this would be an outstanding headphone, but for its price it comes out to be pretty bad. Just an example of marketing gone wrong... and thanks to Tyll, that he has the guts to tell that straight!
If you like the sine it would be interesting if you went back and checked out a newer example of the el-8 which you weren't a fan of, it seems they may have been quietly improving that one over time. also I think this was a missed opportunity to call out Audeze for their poor quality control on their headphones.
+Grant Johnson Completely agree, my open EL-8s sound incredible and with a few amateur measurements, I could not find the massive dip that Tyll measured. I really think they need to be revisited.
+Fotis Gimian I think he's referring to the new 2016 EL8 series. In fact, every Audeze headphone has been re-voiced and updated, excluding Sine, EL8 Titanium, and LCD-4 that naturally have the improvements. So last year's EL8 and EL8 CB are different to the new versions of each. EL8 Ti is the same as new EL8 CB but not the older ones. Audeze have spoken to audio enthusiasts about this, three major articles have been published, and Audeze has confirmed the above with me via Twitter (go check if you like). The biggest update has been on the LCD-XC headphones ^^
+PHOTOTRISTAN The HD800S is not planar though, and in some cases, the punch and speed of a planar is better than a dynamic. Not saying that the LCD-4s are better, but we really need a blind test with some badass amps to be able to tell the difference.
***** I just think it is kinda weird how he likes audiophile phones and beats. I don't hate beats but there are other headphones I'd spend my hard earned money on
It was asked during the Jonathan Scull interview on the LCD-4 why it was such a high price. Perhaps the A of the Diaphram Shield (an inverse V) could be gold-plated, as could the raising-and-lowering headband-earcup connector units to tell you that "your unit is golden as is the vagina." On first sight, the carbon fibre headband pattern, thinness and shinyness (with a vaginal slit, on top) does not match the matte cast iron look of the ear-cup holder half-circles. Once you have seen the LCD-3 wood you do not like the look of the LCD-4 wood, but one may collect a collection. They have great ear-cups. Much nicer than the LCD-2. I'm not sure if the black of the LCD-4 look better, especially with the width / bump (felt you said, inserted, given the separation).
On whole, the look is not good, but is reminiscent of the Hi Fi Man HE 1000 on quality. Hmm, on whole I'd disagree with you on it (LCD-4) not being speaker-like. Have you seen it vibrate? Does that not remind you of a speaker-cone, - particularly bass driver? Hmm there's nothing to change, but it (like the HF1000) does deserve a whole re-do. ;)
Thanks love your reviews. You're the headphone whisperer. I like all the Hifiman better than Audeze because they they are more musical and fun to listen to
Hello, My Audeze LCD-4 also has felt around the wood ring. That's a thin gap. Do you think that replacing the pads should go without any problems in this case? My Audeze is from 2017 and has original faux leather pads. I would eventually replace them. Thanks for your help in advance.
That show me alot the audeze is amazin at bass and mid but they struggle at treble , I sold my lcd 3 Fazor long ago because the heavy weight but the sound is the best I ever heard to this day , I kept Beyer T1 .I can say in imaging and 3d sound it's still better than lcd3. I wish he stay so I can see him review the new Maze flagship I have my eyes on it .
is not like audeze develop there own drivers, these drivers are developed by dedicated manufacturers and companies buy these from them. same principle of most speakers company , then they build and play with the cabinets and directionality.
I have Shure SH840 headphones and they sound good but the weight and heat bothers me with those so doubt I would buy these. I like headphones with velour padding such as Sennheiser and beyerdynamic use and not pleather because pleather gets sweaty. Well, I wouldn't spend 4k on headphones anyway.
nice review as always! LCD-4 is not really fo audiophiles. The price point is way out of line compared to a LCD-3. What a funny story to hear one of the most expansive headphone at the time (HD800) still kick ass at a third of the price of the LCD'$ flagship from Audeze.
+RagnaroX You are mistaken. HD800S is not the same as HD800. Tyll actually hates the HD800. It's the Schwarz model which he appraises. It costs about half of what the LCD4 costs.
+LancerFIN yes I know it's not 100% the same as its a engineer tweaked version of the original 800. And you must not have seen his video about the HD800s. He prefers the HD800 with the diy tweak. Anyways both are terrific versions and are not for everyone.
They just know that most "audiophiles" don't give a fuck about the sound but about materials something is made of. Put all "luxury" materials in one product = 4000$ sells easily
shingnosis I wouldn't even be surprised, it's a complete disaster what audiophile hobbies have turned into. Higher the price and more the wood better the sales are while it should be sound -> comfort -> design & build quality -> luxury. Nowadays luxury comes before everything. Look at Hi-Fi Insiders channel for example, guy is amazed by package of headphones more so than with sound (literally)
Можно, постепенно копи, 2 года не покупай новую технику, не ходи по ресторанам, отказывай себе во всех удовольствиях, на праздники у всех друзей проси деньги в копилку, открой пополняемый депозит на несколько процентов, С рук в идеальном неиспользовании состоянии за 200000 можно купить. 8 тысяч откладывать в месяц в течение 2 лет можно вполне. Зато радости потом будет на всю жизнь :)
Wow, recommended the HD800S over these. Glad I didn't buy them and got the HD800S. Audeze must be so salty right now haha. Headfi must be crying as well.
Headphone prices are just getting ridiculous, in 10yrs you will get this technology for $500. must be a lot of profit put on them, do you see 4 k in them little things, I don't. unless their gold plated and can wank me daily I only see $500 max in materials.
Yeah yeah it's about the sound. But I never liked the Audeze design. Looks very unrefined, like a DIY project gone wrong. This one is particularly hideous. Even the case is ugly.
Why all those Audeze headphones look so ugly? I don't expect from such a classy brand to design flashy, "beats-look-like" headphones, but... Really? Is that what you can offer for four thousand bucks? Using the best possible materials, having the probably the best sound quality but those design... :sigh:
Spoke to the founder of Audeze and at this point the LCD4 has to follow the LCD look. The EL8s are some of the best looking headphones I've ever seen. I think all future phones from Audeze will be designed by BMW or other design houses.
+Marlon Urias the Sine headphones look great for example. Aesthetic is not the top priority for me. Function and durability come in the first and second place respectively. However it'd be better to have something beautiful :) I know, it's mostly subjective, as Mr. Eastman also mentioned.
I don't like them either. Beats is the company, which brought mirrors to the headphone shells in electronic stores :) That's my point. I don't mean that it's the most importan thing at all, however the good sounding headphones can also look good.
