Audeze LCD-4z

It's a real treat to listen to Audeze's crown jewel, the LCD-4 planar-magnetic headphones . But you do need a robust amplifier — and a strong neck — to enjoy them at their best. The LCD-4z headphones are 15% lighter and much more efficient than the LCD-4 model. You can drive them more easily with a portable music player or smaller headphone amp , yet Audeze explains that they'll deliver the same world-class sound as the LCD-4. The LCD-4z 'phones feature magnesium earcup rings and a smaller voice coil, but otherwise used the same state-of-the-art driver system. That includes the super-powerful magnet array and extra-thin, nanometer grade diaphragm. But before I get too deep into the "how," I wanted to share some listening impressions from one of our other headphone experts. Archer is an audio aficianado with wide musical tastes. He uses the Audeze LCD-2s as his everyday headphones, so he has a good baseline for comparison. "My setup: custom-built PC, Audioquest DragonFly Black v1.5 , Audioengine N22 headpho...