Audeze lcd-1 hype train getting ready to leave the station?

Well, these are starting to get some traction over at Ad-fi. A couple of early reviews are out, including Guttenberg, who are claiming the lcd-1 is an hd650 killer. So yeah, the hype training is already leaving the station.

I'm interested in that the weight is 250 grams and they are promising an lcd-x type of signature which I actually liked a lot (minus the weight of course). And the price is reasonable at $399. Maybe these would be good for the loaner program.

https://www.audeze.com/products/lcd-1

 

Given the tech is virtually identical to other LCDs, I am incredibly doubtful these will be more microdynamic or resolve as much plankton as the HD650 on a solid chain.

Sure, LCDs might sound 'better' than 650s off of a modest amp (if 'better' means less distortion and superior extension in the bass alone), but they tend not to scale all that much compared to the Senns. Do people trust Guttenberg? Has he heard 650s from a synergistic setup? I'm doubtful.

edit - also you could pick up a used LCD-2C for only slightly more than these new. Why not go that route instead?

 

I'm hoping that this one will be the most neutral Audeze tonality wise. Even if they are less resolving than hd650, they still got that Audeze bass. Could be a potential complement instead.

 

I personally don't trust Steve's opinions, as everything tends to sound good to him. But yes, he's been listening to the 650s since they came out.

 

I've never been a fan of Audeze sound signature, but I heard that the LCD1 sounds quite different tonally from the rest of the Audeze line up, particularly the slight upper mids emphasis (HD6X0 -esque) where most LCDs have a pretty big dip there. However, FR is not the only thing we care about (microdynamics, plankton, timbre, etc) so, I guess tread lightly for now

Like @Ice-man suggested, I think LCD1 would be a great idea for a possible loaner. I'm still team-dynamics but super curious to try these out. Verum-1 is around the same ballpark in terms of price as well, which could be another interesting comparison.

 

As much as I love planars, I have serious doubts that the LCD-1 will be able to compete with the HD650 on timbre. The for sale section is already full of supposed HD650 killers.

 

It's curious that they've reused the LCD-1 name, or did that very first iteration have a slightly different naming scheme?

 

I believe they never officially produced the LCD 1 prototypes that they distributed at the early audio shows that they attended. So this should be the first "official" LCD 1

 

I keep thinking that if these sound like metal571 says they sound that they would be awesome. None of the reviews list any gear though. What amps and dacs are they listening with? Hype train indeed, (sound really loud out of even an iphone isn't really helpful)

I might try a pair though might be sweet pairing with asgard 3, so sensitive though supposedly 16 ohm or less ?

 

if it helps, metal571 uses Topping D50 + THX AAA 789. As for Steve, I have no idea.

 

That helps for sure. I never heard D50 or 789 but I usually prefer opposite I guess like modi multibit and LP. Have a new Asgard 3 I think is great, probably pair up nice with LCD1 in low gain. Might have to take the dive. Only thing that puts me off is my ears are big !

 

Metal brought his review pair into my office on Friday. I was very impressed. Built quality is what you'd expect from a pair in the $200-300 range (good pads though), but the sound easily rivals planars twice its price. Not the "house" Audeze sound you'd expect, very neutral yet still dynamic and punchy.

 

I wonder what the next silent revision will sound like.

 

Thanks for these impressions. Can you clarify what about the sound easily rivals planars twice its price (and what planars you mean by this)?

I think the appeal of something like the LCD-1 vs the LCD-2C is probably more-so the more portable form factor than sound-quality here. It looks like these things can fold down to a pretty compact package, making them more suitable for commuting/travel/on-the-go work (though as an open-back probably not the best for that as well). For someone looking for something transportable, that could be a selling point on its own, sound-quality notwithstanding.

 

The 250g weight is one of the most appealing parts of this to me. Will wait for measurements but finally there's an Audeze that actually interests me and I'm hoping this design is less prone to their historic QC issues with the more famous designs of the LCD2/3/4/etc.

Even if it doesn't replace or 'kill' 650 it may still serve well as a planar counterpart to keep around for a change of mood or specific music.

 

As long as Audeze offers a profile for the lcd-1 with the Reveal plugin, I think that these will be promising. That will put them close to the Harmon curve and well within my own preferences.

 

From what reviewers say, isn't this LCD-1 already fairly neutral? Not sure a reveal/Harmon EQ will be made available. Would be interesting though.

 

Any impressions on soundstage?

 

MrSpeakers AEON Flow Open comes to mind.

I would say fairly average...not quality wise, but width/expansiveness...instrument separation is very good. Neutral really is a good way to describe most aspects of the sound signature.

 

I decided to bite and placed a pre-order for a LCD-1.

There's not a lot to go on yet but the LCD-1 seems to be well received by those who have had an opportunity to hear them, and their impressions do seem to line up well with Audeze marketing copy. As described by all so far this headphone should be a great fit for my preferences (a closed version would grab my interest as well). Plus, it should be a better headphone for mixing/mastering than I'm using currently.

...or it could all be hype. That's what good return policies are for.