Audeze LCD-3 after 2016 driver revision

Bruckner symphonies are very complex in nature whereby low and high mids take over the landscape and fight for supremacy. There are several extracts whereby inaccurate mid reproduction as in LCD headphones are highlighted. One of these 'Bruckner tests' I showed @Kattefjaes consists of the finale ending of Bruckner 5th whereby the violins are literally drowned by the brass and can only be heard properly by very few heaphones. By few headphones in my limited experience only the HD650, Utopia and Andromedas (besides speakers) are accurate at projecting all mids clearly. All LCD headphones failed this particular rendering (besides the complete lack of lower treble of the LCD4 which is utterly abysmal!) I also got rid of the HD800S soon after I noticed how inaccurate these are at reproducing such complex orchestral passages.

 

I bought a 2016 LCD-3 (my first Audeze) to satisfy my curiosity. One of the main reasons was Bob Katz's love for this headphone.

It sounds pretty bright to me, maybe a bit brighter and cleaner than my HD650. I think the treble may be slightly harsh on some songs but nothing that was too annoying.

The bass digs deeper but one thing I've noticed is that the 650 is a lot more 'dynamic' with the swings in volume in music standing out much more which for me is what makes the music come alive.

This is a deal breaker for me.

Is this what people mean when they say 'playnar compression' or ortho 'wall of sound'?

I like them a lot more than the HD800 and HD800 S for listening enjoyment but they don't match the 650 despite some advantages.

I would consider them a sidegrade. Worth maybe $600 to $700 due to wood and leather construction.

Switching back and forth between these and my 650 (both running balanced from Mojo 2) I'm amazed at how effective the HF marketing machine has been in convincing people that TOTL pricing = TOTL sound.

Without HF and Audiophools the LCD-4 and Utopia would be around $1500 I think...

I'm returning them after just 2 days. Not impressed.

 

Not all planars are shit. Just like any kind of headphone, some are good, others not quite. Try a ZMF/LFF/PMx2/etc. Audeze has always struggled in driver consistency.

Zach makes some very dynamic sounding planars at affordable prices.

 

I did own a B

I did own a Blackwood a few months ago and from memory I believe it was punchy. I sold it as it was too heavy and I like a more neutral sound signature.

I have high hopes for the Eikon but I'll wait till the measurements are in.

 

@Rthomas I can see how you'd characterize the LCD3 in that way, coming from HD650. The LCD3 are pretty mellow. I don't find the LCDX or LCD2f to sound like that, FWIW, so personally I wouldn't generalize in that way about "all planars."

 

My personal feelings are that while the 650's are more dynamic sounding, they're more shouty to my ears as well. Tonality is my first priority, and I prefer the Audezes for that

 

I have been extremely curious about the contrast in sound of the LCD-3 compared to the LCD-X for awhile. I ultimately purchased a LCD-X though due to it being generally accepted as being the most "neutral" Audeze cans. I found that I really loved the planar magnetic driver sound when I first purchased but later sold the MrSpeakers Alpha Dogs(my gateway Planar-magnetic headphone). I can detect the soft suck outs lying in the upper midrange through treble regions that does bother me occasionally but overall the tonality of the X's is really perfect for me. The bass detail is what is so seductive and took me by surprise. I use my Mojo(hooked up the a Wyrd4Sound Recovery) as a source which feeds my Liquid Carbon v2 that I run balanced out to my headphones. I also happen to enjoy the brighter sound of my 2 Grados the GSke (4-Pin XLR terminated) and the PS1k. I find that I prefer my Grados for orchestral and acoustic pieces to the X's. As the treble on the X's, GS2KE's, and PS1K's can be either too soft or too bright for certain music I go to my IEM's. Lately My DITA Answer (Truth Editions) have been great for a nice natural sounding and yet linear treble presentation that is non fatiguing. I don't think that there will ever be a single end all can for me but with nice cans that can contrast each other I feel that I have achieved my end game set-up. I hope to be able to demo the LCD-3's soon though as I wonder how the midrange is presented if even for a 30 min session.

 

The 4k dip (at least -12db from 1khz) transition to the 10k spike( just a touch over 1khz) has made me completely put these down. The LCD2 was my main headphone for about 18 months (and in that time I owned 2 OG fazors and 2 2016 fazors) and I've had had 2 LCD3s over the past 10 months.

The best balanced LCD I've heard was the first 2016 LCD2 I had. No 10k spike (a gentle rise, and many db away from 1k), great bass, and a pretty mild 4k dip compared to all the others I've heard (about 8-9 db). I really regret trading that one- I haven't found a truly balanced LCD since then, except for 1 LCD4 I've heard which I've really liked.

For overall musical enjoyment, I like my Andromedas more than my current LCD3

 

I tried the entire line from Audeze, and couldn't get used to their dark sound. They're beautiful, but they sound muffled to me.

Audeze seems to be a polar opposite of Grado.

 

They are opposites, I agree. That's why I own an example from both companies. The tonality imparted from wooden Grado's are magic with acoustic anything and the evenness of the bass through the mids from the LCD-X is phenomenal to my ears. I like having the option based on mood.

 

I know you're not looking for alternate headphones but a modded Hifiman would strike the perfect balance between the two. Maybe HE-6 or HE-560?

 

The HE-400i gets close-ish to the bass extension of an Audeze and the treble sparkle of a Grado, though I'm personally searching for something that can do it better.

 

...provided one has proper amplification on hand, especially for the HE-6. I've read the treble from he HE-6 is sublime. When I heard the HE-560 I found that I could not handle the treble peak and, for a planar magnetic headphone, lacks true sub-bass extension but it was not modded so there's that.... I also haven't heard the HE1000 v1 but was close to getting it based on reviews as I think that this headphone would be just the right blend. I think that the HE1k would be the headphone that has the extended and even treble/bass while leaving the mids untouched. Since I had already invested in the balanced GS2KE I went for the LCD-X. I think that I got lucky with my particular example as my personal frequency response is one of the most linear I've seen around.

 

Image isn't showing up.

 

I can't seem to figure out how to paste and image from my ph.....

 

I upload using Head-Fi, thanks Jude, or Google Photos. As long as it works in preview you should be fine. Sometimes you have to either copy the link address or right click and open in new tab to get the original image, then copy the URL and paste it in the upload image box.

 

Thanks for the help!! I was getting frustrated!

 

Nice, I can see it now. Those graphs they provide are hilarious with the smoothing. Plus, I don't understand their compensation curve, cause the frequency response would sound really bad. Looks good compared to other ones that I've seen though so it does look like you got a good pair.