[AlwaysForward]

I try to avoid assigning arbitrary numbers like that when comparing different pieces. For example, with a rig that properly showcases the LCD-i4's dexterity, the gap between it and an iSINE 20 is immense. I can't say that's true for every single combo available, so saying that it's 50% better than an iSINE 20 doesn't make sense to me.

The iSINE 10 and 20 were created using the ideas behind the LCD-i4, but they're very different beasts. I wouldn't say that the LCD-i4 is anything like the iSINE series. That's probably why Audeze decided to give the iSINEs a different name. The LCD-i4 is absolutely not an iSINE.

What's different outside of the driver material and housing material? It sure looks like an iSine with better materials very similar to the Focal Elear/Utopia differences from what I've seen.

Design & many specs are the same. Clearly Utopia and LCD-i4 are a class above but let's be realistic about how different they actually are.

 

[jaredjcrandall8]

I have had astell and kern layla, and 64 audio a12, and other iems, but I sold my a12s because I enjoyed the isine 20 so much. The a12s were more "intimate" in being "more inside the head", but my overall enjoyment was much higher in the isine 20. My excitement for the isine 20s have compelled me to consider the LCD-i4, but i too wonder if the sound differences is noticeable enough to justify the 5 times increase. I know the decision to buy is personal but I am not an audiophile but an amateur of a few years, so the difference in sound must be readily apparent for me to be interested in upgrading. Slickdeals always has audeze deals, so maybe that 2.5k price will come down below the 2k mark which would make this purchase more suitable in the price category. Looking forward to reviews!

 

[AxelCloris]

What's different outside of the driver material and housing material? It sure looks like an iSine with better materials very similar to the Focal Elear/Utopia differences from what I've seen.

Design & many specs are the same. Clearly Utopia and LCD-i4 are a class above but let's be realistic about how different they actually are.

Looks can be very deceiving. The only thing that I know of that's the same between the iSINEs and the LCD-i4 is the magnet itself, and that's because the magnet was designed for the LCD-i4 but then used in the iSINEs as well. The driver's film material is different, as you mentioned. The material is an order of magnitude smaller than that used in the iSINES, roughly 1/10th the thickness if I remember correctly. The traces are completely different. There’s different dampening material used inside. The housing is magnesium, yes, and it uses a different venting pattern than the iSINE housing.

That's just the differences on the physical materials side of things. Audeze had to develop the driver material themselves because nobody manufactured material like it. They also had to develop a way to produce the film consistently. They had to come up with a special way to store the film once they've been made. If I'm not mistaken it takes somewhere around a week for them to make a single roll of the film material. They also had to create entirely new tools to work with the materials. The LCD-i4 can't even be assembled the same way the iSINEs are.

The design and some of the specs will feel similar because the iSINEs were modeled after the LCD-i4 and use trickle-down technology from it; the iSINEs just happened to make it to market first.

i too wonder if the sound differences is noticeable enough to justify the 5 times increase. I know the decision to buy is personal but I am not an audiophile but an amateur of a few years, so the difference in sound must be readily apparent for me to be interested in upgrading.

This is my personal opinion, obviously, but I think the LCD-i4 smashes the iSINE 20. Whether or not the differences in sound is worth the price difference isn't something I can answer for anyone apart from myself. For me: absolutely. For me, the iSINE 20 is excellent, but it's not something I'd consider a replacement for any of my full-size headphones. On the other hand, the LCD-i4 does have me thinking. It sounds like you already have the iSINE 20, which is a great headphone IMO, so I'd say continue enjoying it until you get a chance to demo the LCD-i4. If the difference between the two isn't enough then you're not out a cent.

 

[jamato8]

These look very interesting and a nice complement to unobtrusive monitors. Great stuff!

 

[AlwaysForward]

I mean, yeah, all the differences explained above are true but sound like a more nuanced version of what I described. I really don't see how any of that negates the points I made. I have no doubt that the LCDi4 is absolutely state of the art and will outperform it's economic brethren but it looks a lot like the LCD line where the top end is justified by it's performance and yet people still love the more economic models. It's probably more likely that the iSine has the same driver material one might find in the Sine/El8 and/or perhaps LCD2.

Based on everything seen and listed, I think the Utopia/Elear analogy probably holds water. The LCD-2 vs LCD-4 is another similar analogy that probably holds water. Two headphones from the same manufacturer with the same core design. The higher end version's design drove trickle-down for a more economic model which uses less expensive parts and honestly the less expensive model's volume will help fund the next round of research more than the higher end model.

The Utopia is worth 4x to many buyers just as the LCD-4 is worth 4X to many over the LCD-2. Not taking anything away from any of the above models but they're more alike than different. All of the above share the same core fundamental design but vary on materials and subtle nuances which do absolutely impact the sonic performance and is justifiable for hardcore enthusiasts with cash to spend on their hobby.

 

[Cagin]

At Munich's show, Audeze had the LCD-i4 connected to a Mojo, and volume was far enough. . .

Haha I was about to ping you for feedback about this and the Munich High-End show. But I just saw your impressions were on the main page, congrats! I'll read em once I get back from a work seminar tonight. I kinda already knew it'd be hard to get good impressions from any open back in loud environments like audio shows but I guess 2017 won't be the day we get private rooms for in-ears haha x-D

To my ears the LCD-i4 absolutely spanks the iSINE 20 when you have the right gear in front of it. I'll say that more than once I found myself taking off my Ether FLOW and reaching for the LCD-i4.


Yep, they pair nicely.


The LCD-i4 will work with the Cipher cable, but it won't be reaching its potential. Same goes for using the LCD-i4 with Apple's 3.5mm dongle. IMO if you plan to use the Cipher cable exclusively, you're better off going with one of the iSINEs.

Spoiler: AxelCloris' other posts

Looks can be very deceiving. The only thing that I know of that's the same between the iSINEs and the LCD-i4 is the magnet itself, and that's because the magnet was designed for the LCD-i4 but then used in the iSINEs as well. The driver's film material is different, as you mentioned. The material is an order of magnitude smaller than that used in the iSINES, roughly 1/10th the thickness if I remember correctly. The traces are completely different. There’s different dampening material used inside. The housing is magnesium, yes, and it uses a different venting pattern than the iSINE housing.

That's just the differences on the physical materials side of things. Audeze had to develop the driver material themselves because nobody manufactured material like it. They also had to develop a way to produce the film consistently. They had to come up with a special way to store the film once they've been made. If I'm not mistaken it takes somewhere around a week for them to make a single roll of the film material. They also had to create entirely new tools to work with the materials. The LCD-i4 can't even be assembled the same way the iSINEs are.

The design and some of the specs will feel similar because the iSINEs were modeled after the LCD-i4 and use trickle-down technology from it; the iSINEs just happened to make it to market first.



This is my personal opinion, obviously, but I think the LCD-i4 smashes the iSINE 20. Whether or not the differences in sound is worth the price difference isn't something I can answer for anyone apart from myself. For me: absolutely. For me, the iSINE 20 is excellent, but it's not something I'd consider a replacement for any of my full-size headphones. On the other hand, the LCD-i4 does have me thinking. It sounds like you already have the iSINE 20, which is a great headphone IMO, so I'd say continue enjoying it until you get a chance to demo the LCD-i4. If the difference between the two isn't enough then you're not out a cent.

Honestly I haven't listened to the iSINE 20 much since receiving the LCD-i4 prototype before CanJam SoCal. Going from memory, the LCD-i4 is closer to the LCD-4 than it is the iSINE 20. The iSINE 20 has an unexpectedly large soundstage for an IEM, but because the technology is completely different inside the LCD-i4 is in a completely different league. For example, soundstage and instrument placement is better on some tracks with the LCD-i4 than they are on my Ether FLOW. Once I'm back in the office next week I'll spend some time with the LCD-4 and iSINE 20 again and do some quick comparisons.

I listen to it primarily from a Chord Mojo or Sony TA-ZH1ES. I don't own any tube amps and my current DAP doesn't do the LCD-i4 justice.

I try to avoid assigning arbitrary numbers like that when comparing different pieces. For example, with a rig that properly showcases the LCD-i4's dexterity, the gap between it and an iSINE 20 is immense. I can't say that's true for every single combo available, so saying that it's 50% better than an iSINE 20 doesn't make sense to me.

The iSINE 10 and 20 were created using the ideas behind the LCD-i4, but they're very different beasts. I wouldn't say that the LCD-i4 is anything like the iSINE series. That's probably why Audeze decided to give the iSINEs a different name. The LCD-i4 is absolutely not an iSINE.

Oh boy I was so curious and still ever since I first got info of this. Thing is, I'm not one that likes to have a collection nor do I have the money.
Here's my dilemma:
I just got back from FedEx, I got my brand new pre-ordered sealed box with the MrSpeakers Aeon Flow. Yeah! Except I'm having doubts now. Because I know I'll get to audition the LCD-i4 as soon as my store receives the one they ordered. Tomorrow I'll go to the store to listen to the iSine 10 and 20 and compare to my Empire Zeus R ciems.
Thing is I can't pre-order the LCD-i4 from Audeze.com as I'd have to pay a good 800euro just for customs. (185eur for the Aeon fees x-D) So I can't benefit from the 30day trial Audeze.com offers.

I know myself, if I like the LCD-i4, I'll sell off my Zeus R and the Aeon. Axel's post make me not wanna open the Aeon box in fear of devaluating it :-s

ps: despite being on the mailing list, I never got an info about the LCD-i4. I'd have thought they'd at least share the new product page of it.

 

[martyp87]

Hi Cagin,

I'm also from the UK and just wondering what distributer has ordered a set of these IEMs in and could be a UK supplier for them. Buying direct just isn't economical due to taxes as you mentioned.

I just got the iSine 20s and am blown away at how good these are, almost HD800S level which is making me consider selling my iSine 20s, Oppa HA-1 and HD800S to buy a set of the LCD-i4s.

Currently I have a Mojo (looking at the Hugo 2) and SE846 for portable sound isolating IEMs and if the i4s are as good as they sound I think these could replace a set of headphones - even the HD800S give me some pain on my skull after a few hours which makes listening to them somewhat limiting and I don't have that issue with the i20s which I wear for hours at a time.

As much as I'd like to make it to CanJam London I don't think thats going to be possible with work although on a show floor I doubt I'd experience the best out of them anyway...

 

[raypin]

Ot: mm..best show conditions for auditioning during CanJams is the last few hours of the 2nd day. It was the time that I utilized to audition the Tia Fourte. I spent a good 30 minutes with almost zero distractions. Preordered it soon after that. Nice show discount offered. If you think that the i4 is in your future, audition it and take advantage of the show discount (almost all the exhibitors offer it for on the spot buyers).

 

[Audeze]

ps: despite being on the mailing list, I never got an info about the LCD-i4. I'd have thought they'd at least share the new product page of it.

We sent emails, but it is possible it went to the spam folder. Can you PM us your email id, we would like to check if the email was sent.

 

[davehutch]

These are interesting times (and expensive times). I realise that there are no full reviews for this unit, but based on the facts that:

1. It uses trickle-down technology so R&D costs are already being recouped largely by sales of the LCD-4
2. The magnets and membrane are roughly 15% of the size of the LCD-4 and are not new technology
3. Titanium is no longer an 'exotic' material as it's so widespread and we're not looking at huge amounts of it here either.

I really struggle to see why the LCD-i4s should cost 60% of a pair of LCD-4s which, don't forget, also have a fair amount of leather and carbon fibre in their manufacture.

Not trolling here at all because if I had wads of cash, I might be seriously interested in hearing them too, but more looking for a reasonable explanation about the cost of these things.
I'm familiar with the law of diminishing returns but it certainly seems that headphones, IEMs, IEHs are a prime example of this.
How do you squish $2,500 of 'stuff' into such a small space without using gold or diamonds somewhere?

That all said, I'll still be in the queue at CanJam London to hear what all the fuss is about

 

[Ricky64]

Can the Sony WM1Z drive these adequately?
Also, based on the i20, how much sound leakage is there? I'm hoping to wear these in bed without disturbing my wife....

 

[stacey]

I wonder how these compare to the JH Layla? I really liked the iSine20 and I'm thinking that these would be a big step up.

And would these work with Cipher well? If I'm paying this much for an IEM, I'd think it should work and sound great without the need of a huge amp.

 

[Mimouille]

Do these these have the same fit with no seal as the isines, I dislike this lack of seal.

 

[Iron-Buddha]

Well, I have to say these look better than the iSines. Hope they make an iSine with the metal casing. The plastic doesn't inspire much confidence, from me at least.

 

[AxelCloris]

Can the Sony WM1Z drive these adequately?

I'll borrow Jude's later and see. I would expect the WM1Z should be able to.

Do these these have the same fit with no seal as the isines, I dislike this lack of seal.

The LCD-i4 seals in my ear, as did the iSINE 20 before it. I'm using the groovy tips only, no ear hooks or loops. If the iSINE didn't seal for you before, perhaps the groovy tips will help.