Hello!
If someone that has somehow tried out both of these could share their opinions, that would be great. For $1000 more, does the LCD-i4 have the same (or better) qualities and especially soundstage of the HD800S? I’ve heard many positive claims about the imaging and soundstage of the i4 but I am wondering how it fares to very wide full sizes like the 800S. The main reason I want IEMs is for their weight and no head impressions after long wear.
Thanks!
you’re straight up never going to get soundstage like an 800s with an IEM. its just not gonna happen. I don’t care if those i4’s are the best open back IEM on the market, they aren’t going to come close. get a pair of isine 20s or m350s and just try them. you’ll notice instantly that something is off. they need EQ right away to fix them and even then they just sound off. I do like how open they sound for an IEM and if you really put in some time tweaking the EQ you can get them to sound ok but I really don’t see a world where even $2500 IEMs come anywhere in the same ballpark soundstage wise to the 800s. I have never tried the LCD-i4, but I have a pair of isine 20’s and monolith m350s and they both kinda suck lol. Also the drivers are the same on the LCD-i4, isine10 and isine20 but the diaphragm on the LCD-i4 is something like 1/4 of the thickness so you get better FR, but it’s not going to make the soundstage magically open up in the same exact shell.
also they have a 30 day return policy directly through audeze. buy them and see for yourself.