[Drumonron]

Particularly interested in your experience coming from a Z1R, because I'm looking at maybe complementing my beloved Z1Rs with some open flagship-- not that it is a necessity because I find the Z1R surprisingly open and good at every music genre I throw at them. Still, always been curious about the Audeze sound since I remember liking the LCD-X after trying them. That Audeze Holiday sale would make getting a LCD-3 or LCD-MX4 a good open HP option, though, going through the threads-- both Audezes and the Z1Rs seem to have somewhat similar sound signatures. Wonder if getting either of them would be redundant as I'm not getting rid of the Z1Rs.

@phototristan, who posts here, finally conceded that the latest Audeze flaghship LCD-4z is better than his Z1R, though at over twice the price-- while the Z1Rs still remain a great pair of hp. He has similar taste in HP and long preferred the Z1Rs over any other headphones.



Wondering how the LCD-MX4s fare in a head-to-head... esp. soundstage. LCD-3 may sound even darker than Z1Rs, lush, not as detailed, and with a surprisingly frontal presentation, not much soundstage, so the MX4 have to be better-- though again, response to the MX4s has been mixed and muted as it doesn't seem to be as lush as other Audezes... and also, price.

Remember, I’ve no reference to the Audeze LCDX sound as this was my first ever listen to an Audeze offering.

Well, haven’t had nearly enough time, they are making me smile. The thing is, I have to go through a number of songs in my list and then try different volumes, then I started playing with the Audeze plug in on the jriver and i’m Gonna tell you, nowhere near time enough to compare to other headphones. Burned in for about 26 hours using my Walkman WM1A via usb On the Sony TA-ZH1ES then tried combination of settings. It will be a cold day in hell when I get rid of my beloved Z1R’s but I do not buy a headphone to be an all rounder or to replace another. Listening to Rush, YYZ and Vital Signs Flac ripped from a cd and offered from the WM1A to the TA-ZH1ES was amazing and reminded me of youthful days gone by and on a day shortly after Rush released Moving Pictures, while driving in my brothers chevy Malibu and hearing it from his newly installed speakers, ah so sweet.

Heck, I have lotS Of love still for my Grados and HD800s, different days bring desire for different presentation. I feel that it’s nice to clean the ear pallete sometimes with a Stax and then maybe go contrast this presentation with the Z1R then the HD800 and maybe the MX4s. It’s these presentation differences that fulfill my senses. I am a low volume listener and never tax my hearing. I will say, the MX4s are definitely quite efficient and will not be spinning the electric meter much.

Getting back to the MX4s - very lifelike / speakerlike presentation. I will continue to let them bloom and return. I can tell you this, I have no buyers remorse. They are not a dark headphone to me but very faithful to the source. The thing that amazes me is the layering. How each instrument exists in it’s own space, this is what I was after. The Z1R is my rich bass closed headphone and it does win the bass race, the MX4 have bass but more refined and controlled. Simply need more critical comparison time, it’s like cooking - low and slow and I will enjoy every minute.

To be objective, early criticism, the headband strap had a creak as it vibrated against the carbon fiber. Was mainly heard when music stopped and i’d Move my head. Strange microphonic sound alarmed me until I discovered what it was. Had leather treatment and applied to the leather strap, liberally and worked it in. This seemed to quiet the groan. Expect more from such a high priced (3k) headphone. Also, I received no white gloves, lol.

Will return with more.

 

[EDN80]

Remember, I’ve no reference to the Audeze LCDX sound as this was my first ever listen to an Audeze offering.

Will return with more.

Looking forward to it!

 

[Dobrescu George]

I think I forgot to post it here, in their own thread, and now with the fear of cross-posting, I made some photos of LCD-MX4 during my review of Feliks Echo

 

[the fool]

Is there any dealer still have this 1499 $ deal, or it's all gone?

 

[thebkt]

Is there any dealer still have this 1499 $ deal, or it's all gone?

Still on Audio46.

 

[CaptainFantastic]

Is it absolutely mad to buy a second pair of your favorite headphones because they are 50% off?

 

[omniweltall]

Is it absolutely mad to buy a second pair of your favorite headphones because they are 50% off?

Nope. I have 3 HD6XX, 2 HD800, and 1 HD600. Just in case.

 

[groovyd]

Bastages Amazon had them shipped signature required and by UPS no less, the worst carrier in the world in terms of getting them heald at a shop or whatnot. At least here in ATL the post office and Fed Ex will just leave them in a safe place if you aren't around. UPS loves turning deliveries into week long adventures.

 

[parkerlewis]

Received mine today after purchasing direct from Audeze during the holiday sale.

Listening through a Topping DX3 Pro, my other current headphones are Sennheiser HD 58X and HD 6XX

First impressions after 1 hour: the LCD-MX4 don't seem to be 10x, let alone 20x, times better than the $150 HD 58X. They are noticeably heavier, not quite uncomfortable after an hour but close to it.

I'll continue listening to them for the next week but my first thoughts are that the law of diminishing returns is kicking in pretty hard here. The Audeze might be incrementally better in some spots than the Senns, but when factoring in the weight/comfort vs. the 10x price difference, it is hard to justify the added cost.

 

[CaptainFantastic]

Indeed, give them some listening time. They are my favorite headphones. This does not mean that they are 10x better than the HD-600 which I also own and at 300 EUR x 10 would equal the full MX4 price of 3000. I mean, the HD-600 would have to be total crap for another unit to be 10x better.

The way I see it, there is no discussion whatsoever that the MX4 is a superior experience. We could use audiophile terms, but let me just say that no other headphone I own / have owned / tried has given me the same level of emotions when listening to music. Therefore a higher price is justified. How much higher? This is obviously dependent on so many factors, but I can say that if I can afford the MX4, I cannot go back to the HD-600 except for particular purposes. So I am willing to pay the higher price. If someone can show me a similar audio experience for 800 USD/EUR, sure... my argument falls.

Today I received the RME ADI-2 and I can firmly say that it is an upgrade to the Grace m900 for the MX4. People have advised me that it would only be an upgrade for the functionality, not the sound. But for the MX4 it definitely adds even more to the experience.

 

[Mudshark]

Received mine today after purchasing direct from Audeze during the holiday sale.

Listening through a Topping DX3 Pro, my other current headphones are Sennheiser HD 58X and HD 6XX

First impressions after 1 hour: the LCD-MX4 don't seem to be 10x, let alone 20x, times better than the $150 HD 58X. They are noticeably heavier, not quite uncomfortable after an hour but close to it.

I'll continue listening to them for the next week but my first thoughts are that the law of diminishing returns is kicking in pretty hard here. The Audeze might be incrementally better in some spots than the Senns, but when factoring in the weight/comfort vs. the 10x price difference, it is hard to justify the added cost.

The Topping sells for $220. The MX4's are on sale for $1,500 currently. That is a combined total of $1,720. Personally, if I were starting from scratch and had $1,720 to buy a DAC, a HP amp, and headphones, I would put way more than $220 into the DAC and HP amp, and way less than $1,500 into the headphones.

Put differently, I suspect that $1,570 worth of electronics/amplification feeding $150 Senns would sound way better than would $220 worth of electronics/amplification feeding the MX4's. (This armchair analysis does not even take into account the cost of cabling; in that connection, the Audeze stock cable is not something I would recommend for use on a long-term basis.)

Yes, the law of diminishing returns applies, but so does the rule of 'Garbage In, Garbage Out.' Please note that I am not saying the Topping is garbage -- I have never seen or heard it, so I cannot say. I am simply saying that I do not think it is realistic to try to judge the capabilities of expensive headphones based on how they sound when connected to dramatically less expensive electronics/amplification.

 

[parkerlewis]

The Topping sells for $220. The MX4's are on sale for $1,500 currently. That is a combined total of $1,720. Personally, if I were starting from scratch and had $1,720 to buy a DAC, a HP amp, and headphones, I would put way more than $220 into the DAC and HP amp, and way less than $1,500 into the headphones.

Put differently, I suspect that $1,570 worth of electronics/amplification feeding $150 Senns would sound way better than would $220 worth of electronics/amplification feeding the MX4's. (This armchair analysis does not even take into account the cost of cabling; in that connection, the Audeze stock cable is not something I would recommend for use on a long-term basis.)

Yes, the law of diminishing returns applies, but so does the rule of 'Garbage In, Garbage Out.' Please note that I am not saying the Topping is garbage -- I have never seen or heard it, so I cannot say. I am simply saying that I do not think it is realistic to try to judge the capabilities of expensive headphones based on how they sound when connected to dramatically less expensive electronics/amplification.

Makes sense to me.

For what it's worth, in my reading of other people's impressions of the MX4, it seemed like other people thought that the MX4 did not scale much based on source (for better or worse). Not sure how much of that is due to them being only 20ohm, but it sounded like they were kind of the opposite of something like the HD 650 in terms of scalability. And that seemed somewhat intentional for how Audeze was marketing this model, being able to get good sound out of a lower-end source as something that set it apart from other models like the LCD-3 or LCD-4.

 

[groovyd]

Hmmmm.... mine arrived and side by side against my X (using sonarworks custon calibration X profile) the X sounds better with the mx4 being noticeably siblant and more closed sounding. Now could be the custom calibration which needs updated for the mx4 but first impression is hard to judge but not immediately better sounding. Also my X is with plush pads while the MX4 is with leather also noticed the pads are slightly different style, more firm cushioning not quite as comfortable and wondering if I can install plush pads to the MX4 same as the X? I have a couple extra sets of plush pads but the mounting format looks slightly different.

But the biggest concern I have is the MX4 is 600g while the X is only 585g. I thought the MX4 was supposed to be lighter then the X? That was in fact the entire reason I was interested in them after all. Are they supposed to be heavier than the X? They are clearly more efficient than the X by a good 25%.

 

[Hifiearspeakers]

The Topping sells for $220. The MX4's are on sale for $1,500 currently. That is a combined total of $1,720. Personally, if I were starting from scratch and had $1,720 to buy a DAC, a HP amp, and headphones, I would put way more than $220 into the DAC and HP amp, and way less than $1,500 into the headphones.

Put differently, I suspect that $1,570 worth of electronics/amplification feeding $150 Senns would sound way better than would $220 worth of electronics/amplification feeding the MX4's. (This armchair analysis does not even take into account the cost of cabling; in that connection, the Audeze stock cable is not something I would recommend for use on a long-term basis.)

Yes, the law of diminishing returns applies, but so does the rule of 'Garbage In, Garbage Out.' Please note that I am not saying the Topping is garbage -- I have never seen or heard it, so I cannot say. I am simply saying that I do not think it is realistic to try to judge the capabilities of expensive headphones based on how they sound when connected to dramatically less expensive electronics/amplification.

They’re highly sensitive and have very low impedance. They can be driven easily by a dragonfly red. His amp is more than capable here. Maybe they’re just not that good and his impressions are spot on?
I can listen to my Edition X V2 directly with my iPhone, my dragonfly red, my Fiiio Q1 mark 2, my Fiio Q5 with a balanced connection, or my Jotunheim and it sounds fantastic with all of them. And my HEX V2 is harder to drive than the MX4.
So maybe it’s the headphone. It’s not like it has sold very well.

 

[CaptainFantastic]

But the biggest concern I have is the MX4 is 600g while the X is only 585g. I thought the MX4 was supposed to be lighter then the X? That was in fact the entire reason I was interested in them after all. Are they supposed to be heavier than the X? They are clearly more efficient than the X by a good 25%.

They are advertised as weighing 555 grams, but mine weigh 568. Not a big difference. This is without cables. Are you taking the weight without cables and on a reliable scale? If so, then there must be quite some variation from unit to unit. I find mine comfortable for long listening. The LCD-2CB I had weighed 644 grams and there I could feel the weight after a while.