Audeze LCDi4: Start to Finish | Stereophile

In this video, we follow the life of an Audeze LCDi4 planar magnetic in-ear headphone ($2495), from an abridged version of how it's built and packed (narrated by Audeze Founder & CEO Sankar Thiagasamudram), up until it's unboxed. John Atkinson (Editor, Stereophile) is currently in the process of reviewing the LCDi4 for the December 2017 issue.

The build process was filmed in Irvine, CA in June 2017 at Audeze's factory. The unboxing was filmed in Stereophile's New York office.

Review Link: *coming soon*

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[nastymikkel]

At 2:46 when the guy is soldering, some solder splatter gets onto the diaphragm. I don't know if this causes any damage to the thin plastic, but for this price I would expect better eye for details like this.

[brandonburr]

John must have got the non iPhone cipher dac/amp version. The magic with these it the cipher cable along with the audeze hq ap. Trying different amp and dac combos still have yet to reach that level as the cipher cable. Sadly they don't make it any more but using the qudelix 5k dac/amp with audeze as presets works nice with various isine and lcd i series. And as a bonus I was surprised how well it drive audeze lcd x 2021. Since audeze no longer makes those cipher cables take care of them. I have worn one out and had to buy cheaper sets of isine10s just for the cipher cables. The made no mention if g how long is takes to make that thin diaphragm driver. Curious in relation to how long it took to make the lcd 4 diaphragm, as that look a long time

[rotorblade]

I just destroyed the left side of a pair. I gave them to my nephew and they were hooked up to a crappy cable extension and the left side sometimes would make contact, then my nephew slammed it because he couldn’t hear in the left and the membrane swallowed slightly and made a noise every-time you would touch the speaker so I disassembled to fix them. At some point I wanted to confirm the theory and push them a bit against the palm at thet point tje membrane burst and now it doesn’t move anymore, so sound. So the conclusion, be very careful with these. my set was a sine dx. anyway I now now how they’re made I think I know how to rebuild it :)

[ledfed]

How do you guys create an elecrical connection with the thin diaphragm, im considering soldering is out of the question.

[allydea]

11:04 _"Now, plug it into my phone.."_
50% of audiophiles and 100% of audiofools lose their minds.

[QuikSeps-UltraSeps]

I'm in the wrong friggin business. Gotta get myself some cheap plastic and crazy glue tomorrow!

[TheRusselmuscle]

Thanks for sharing the manufacturing of the earphones. Really enjoyed seeing how my i4s are made. For me the large ear tips are not very large. I had buy some non oem tips on Amz that were actually large, 14.5mm large. That made a huge difference, because I couldn't get a seal at all with then OEM large tips. They do sound amazing on my oneplus 7 pro. It has a 24 bit dac with decent power.. I have a lot of 24 bit HD albums and subscribe to Amazon HD music prime. To have this mobility with that quality of sound is just amazing. Makes an average day an experience.

[HiFiInsider]

watching this on LCDi4. great IEMs. :)

[musicelect]

The packaging looks like it cost more than the speakers. Die cut foam, leather pouch, and a molded acrylic case. It can be said that your listening experience is influenced by the appearance and marketing surrounding the product.

[androcci]

I can't believe this is done on his mother's basement.

[majsterV]

I do understand cost of research and cost of production, but good God where we are going if those are worth 2500$. Not to mention the use of unnecessary materials which can easily double the price of used material per earphone and don't add anything to performance They use gold plated mesh, but on other side they use cheap plastic simply glued together.

[androcci]

I snatch a deal B-stock for $1, 100 now I think they are worth the price.

[ivangamer]

Some people in asia are really happy about this video

[dipsyfriday]

Running a $2495 set of earphones on a cellphone? Seriously?

[nyccontrabass]

I wonder why I didn’t get a leather case?

[stevek]

Nice in ears but way overpriced. Even the I sine 20's are $625 which is a lot but $2500 cmon

[georgestephenopolous]

I guess people were expecting robots, clean rooms, and lasers all over the place lol. This is how high-end boutique electronics are made by hand. If you want all the high-tech stuff that saves money and ensures consistency across millions of units go to a Foxconn factory instead.

[allydea]

I listened to these, they sound nice, but the fit is awkward and the materials and manufacturing don't exactly scream "3 grand." This hi-fi pricing bubble will soon burst.

[whitigir]

I really wanted to see how good it is...soldering splatter, and then Plugging Into Iphone ? Thanks, but no thanks

[absa]

if it was made in china, it would cost around 200$
Audeze and other companies are really sick..always find them overpriced