New Audeze LCD3

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Live music/real life is certainly not bright, it isn't anything.  The only reason it is _____ is if it is colored by amplification or the venue's acoustics.  How could real life be any of these descriptive words?  That notion is absurd.  The only reason anything can sound "bright" is because it is being compared to real life, which is not bright.  Real life is every descriptive word imaginable and it is none of those words, both at the same time.  Real life is REAL!!!!!!!

X2, live music is not bright unless it is being amplified by electronics through PA speakers.

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googleli said:

By the way my new Norse cable just arrived. Very impressed so far, will post some impressions after 

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How much did that run you?  I'm thinking of maybe, kinda sorta, possibly, not entirely sure, trying out a nice cable for the LCD-2s as an experiment.
 
 

Q. Great prices and great options.
 
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dagothur said:

How much did that run you?  I'm thinking of maybe, kinda sorta, possibly, not entirely sure, trying out a nice cable for the LCD-2s as an experiment.
 
 

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Don't OCC cable oxidizes in time? Of course you don't see the oxidation unless you take the insulation off.

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morbidtoaster said:

Q. Great prices and great options.
 


 
 

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Q is not a number.

Edit: But apparently a popular enough name choice to warrant three or four different distributors using it.

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macedonianhero said:

I would say it is slightly better than the HE-6s. If others are having issues, then I'd suggest looking at what's feeding them. Jude, Rob (Skylab), yourself, and many others think the LCD-3s are outstanding in this regard and I completely agree with them.

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I still disagree....and the fact that someone like Jude and a few others feel that the LCD-3 is outstanding in any regard really puzzles me. I guess love truly is in the ears of the beholder....
 
I played a mono recording which I know has distortion within it. It is clearly audible on my T50RP's, my HD600's, UE10's, HP-1000's and a host of other top of the line headphones. However, on the LCD-3 is was not to be heard at all. Not being one to shy away from more fun, I played a stereo recording which also contains some subtle distortion as a result of a bad tube used during recording. Also not present on the LCD-3. What about the single note bass? I could go on and on. Not being able to properly resolve certain details, especially distortions, makes the LCD-3 a total failure for me, especially considering we are talking about a supposed "top of the line" headphone. Also, to be clear, detail for me is NOT boosted treble...detail comes across the entire frequency spectrum, something which the LCD-3 also fails at.
 
However, please keep in mind that my criticism comes from the view point of a person who loves a neutral sound signature which is able to properly reproduce exactly what is on a given recording. Because the LCD-3 is not able to do this, it is a FAIL in my book. If you are one of the many people who love a colored sound and a very forgiving one at that, then I understand why you would love the LCD-3. It's certainly colored and forgiving. I highly recommend owners of the LCD-3 try the TP mod. It helps it by leaps and bounds. Unfortunately, those leaps and bounds fail at allowing it to land within a praise worthy category IMHO.

I've said it in other threads and I'll say it again. Steve at Q has absolutely the best customer service I've ever seen. In the Audio world or otherwise. 
 
He offers a ton of color options with his cables too if you consult with him before hand. Fantastic from start to finish. 
 
I ordered mine recently with a black and purple braid and 2 adapters with a 4 pin termination. It was 335 total. 
 
3 Meter cable (4 Pin XLR Termination), 4 Pin to Dual 3 Pin, and 4 Pin to 1/4" adapter.
 
http://www.q-audio.com/ 
 
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dagothur said:

Q is not a number.

Edit: But apparently a popular enough name choice to warrant three or four different distributors using it.

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Originally Posted by googleli /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
I tried pulling the earcups further away from my ears and there is indeed a sense of more refined treble and better soundstage.

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I noticed this on the LCD-2’s as well... holding the pads slightly out just enough to keep the seal improves soundstage.
 

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visualguy said:

It's there in spades in real life. Have you ever been close to acoustic instruments being played? Even what you get from the SR-009 or HD800 pales compared to the amount of detail you get from a live piano or trumpet or other acoustic instruments. Also, live music is bright, not "shelved".
 

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Played in a jazz band from high school through to university....played trumpet actually for more than 30 years...and the LCD-3s sound most to real life...live music is not bright...far from it.
 
The "shelved" down treble is to account for the close proximity of the speakers to your ears.
 

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rhythmdevils said:

Live music/real life is certainly not bright, it isn't anything.  The only reason it is _____ is if it is colored by amplification or the venue's acoustics.  How could real life be any of these descriptive words?  That notion is absurd.  The only reason anything can sound "bright" is because it is being compared to real life, which is not bright.  Real life is every descriptive word imaginable and it is none of those words, both at the same time.  Real life is REAL!!!!!!!

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What he said.

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lff said:

I still disagree....and the fact that someone like Jude and a few others feel that the LCD-3 is outstanding in any regard really puzzles me.

I guess love truly is in the ears of the beholder....
 
I played a mono recording which I know has distortion within it. It is clearly audible on my T50RP's, my HD600's, UE10's, HP-1000's and a host of other top of the line headphones. However, on the LCD-3 is was not to be heard at all. Not being one to shy away from more fun, I played a stereo recording which also contains some subtle distortion as a result of a bad tube used during recording. Also not present on the LCD-3. What about the single note bass? I could go on and on. Not being able to properly resolve certain details, especially distortions, makes the LCD-3 a total failure for me, especially considering we are talking about a supposed "top of the line" headphone. Also, to be clear, detail for me is NOT boosted treble...detail comes across the entire frequency spectrum, something which the LCD-3 also fails at.
 
However, please keep in mind that my criticism comes from the view point of a person who loves a neutral sound signature which is able to properly reproduce exactly what is on a given recording. Because the LCD-3 is not able to do this, it is a FAIL in my book. If you are one of the many people who love a colored sound and a very forgiving one at that, then I understand why you would love the LCD-3. It's certainly colored and forgiving. I highly recommend owners of the LCD-3 try the TP mod. It helps it by leaps and bounds. Unfortunately, those leaps and bounds fail at allowing it to land within a praise worthy category IMHO.

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Seems that my line is longer than the one you're standing in (one person and counting) . But that's cool...we're all entitled to our opinions and preferences. I hear micro details in properly proportioned detail with Jazz at the Pawnshop, all the crowd sounds; including the really small details are all there...not forced in front of me like on my HD800s, but in proper proportion to what I would hear if I was in the Pawnshop with them. As I mentioned, might be your upstream amp/rig, but then again, they may not be to your taste, but to say details are not resolved across the spectrum is wrong...plain and simple. The LCD-3s offer this more than both the LCD-2 R1 and R2 (owned both the LCD-3 and LCD-2 R2...and A-B'd directly at home over 2 days and confirmed it with every recording I heard). I posted a wiki if you're interested.
 

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rhythmdevils said:

Live music/real life is certainly not bright, it isn't anything.  The only reason it is _____ is if it is colored by amplification or the venue's acoustics.  How could real life be any of these descriptive words?  That notion is absurd.  The only reason anything can sound "bright" is because it is being compared to real life, which is not bright.  Real life is every descriptive word imaginable and it is none of those words, both at the same time.  Real life is REAL!!!!!!!

Click to expand...

Huh? What on earth? Where does all this come from? Seriously bizarre...
 
Brightness can describe the sound of live instruments. For example, some trumpets are brighter than other trumpets - in fact, mutes are often used to adjust the brightness of a trumpet (not coincidentally, by the way, LCD-2/3 headphones are quite bad with brass, including trumpets).
 

 
 

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visualguy said:

Huh? What on earth? Where does all this come from? Seriously bizarre...
 
Brightness can describe the sound of live instruments. For example, some trumpets are brighter than other trumpets - in fact, mutes are often used to adjust the brightness of a trumpet (not coincidentally, by the way, LCD-2/3 headphones are quite bad with brass, including trumpets).
 

 
 

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As mentioned, I've played trumpet for about 34 years and I'm VERY familiar with the sound of the instrument (including all the different mutes...straight, cup, etc. I have them all right here next to me ) and of all the headphones I own, the LCD-3s sound the closest. Brightness is there with the LCD-3s, just does not make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up (just like in real life where they also don't stand up).