The Audeze iSine LX
While we may be pushing the timeline around for daily readers of the site, the Audeze announcement that came out of CES this year was still bustling around the scene by the time we made it to the musician-friendly show NAMM. It was at this Anaheim show where we finally met up with representatives from the company and got the usual download from the OC startup known for producing some serious planar magnetic tech.
With the formal introduction and PR release landing a few weeks before, the news of a new addition to the iSine family came as a little bit of a surprise. But it was one that would no doubt delight fans of the new open back series of in-ears due to a pricetag refresh and overall lower barrier for entry for the category.
This latest piece is the least expensive at $199. This comes at nearly a 50% cut from the next IEM in line, the iSine 10 ($400). But there are a few caveats. The $200 version of the LX doesn’t come with the Audeze-sourced Cipher lighting cable standard, that luxury will cost you another $60. There is also limited distribution available for this go ’round. You can only pick up the LX in the US, and only from either Audeze direct or Amazon. On the flip side, if you happen to be reachable by one of those sources representatives at NAMM told us the driver is pretty much the same as the iSine 10 but with a new housing structure (and the associated damping). You can check out our full review of the iSine 10 here.
From the PR release:
“The new iSINE LX contains all of Audeze’s exclusive patented technology including power enhancing Fluxor™ Magnets and ultra-thin diaphragms with patented Uniforce™ voice-coil technology. The iSINE LX delivers astonishingly clear, accurate, and spacious sound with spectacular bass. The distortion (THD) is less than 0.1% overall even at high volumes, an amazing achievement for in-ear headphone designs. Near zero distortion sound means you’ll feel closer to your music.
Additionally, the iSINE LX are the latest Audeze headphones that work with REVEAL, a set of free plug-ins (available for free download at Audeze.com) that can be used for mixing and mastering on the go. REVEAL is compatible with most popular digital audio workstations (DAWs) and is now available in VST/AU/AAX formats for PC and Mac.
The $199 iSINE LX, sold exclusively in USA, comes with a standard 1.5m audio cable. For an additional $60, customers can add the optional CIPHER™ Lightning cable that connects the headphone to an iPhone via the Lightning port. This award-winning cable takes digital audio directly from the Apple device and uses its own built-in DAC and amplifier for superior audio quality — even voice call quality is improved.”
One could also find two new over-ear planars on the table at NAMM. We covered off on the LCD-MX4 ($2,995) and the $600 openback bargain LCD-2 Classic at Rocky Mountain Audiofest in October, so interested parties can check out all the gory details on those two models here.
More information: https://www.audeze.com/
iSine LX on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/