So if a person buys the lcd2/3 today, they will receive fazor tech for free. But if they want to add it to an lcd2/3 that they bought last year, then they'll have to pay $250 plus shipping?

yes, that's what it sounds like unfortunately.

matttcg said:

  So if a person buys the lcd2/3 today, they will receive fazor tech for free. But if they want to add it to an lcd2/3 that they bought last year, then they'll have to pay $250 plus shipping?

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Yes, why is that so hard to digest? We bought our units, they made their profit, we got to use it for x amount of time, and now if we want to upgrade it, we need to pay for new parts and labor. Nothing wrong there, and frankly I'm surprised its only $250.00  The exotic car dealerships in my area charge $145. per hour labor to work on cars. Audeze is a exotic brand and their shop rates reflect that. 12% of the LCD3's price to update to the latest tech is not out of line. IMO

Hm...since I like a darker signature I might rather have an older pair then. 

matttcg said:

  Hm...since I like a darker signature I might rather have an older pair then. 

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The only reason I would update so I would know I had the latest. Every-time I listen to them is still a WOW moment.
And Audeze posted here that the difference is small. With my hearing I probably won't hear a diff. But I still want it.

One thing to consider is that the earpads are replaced with new (the same type as what you have), so if they are older, that plays into the price.

Demoed the LCD3 with and without fazor today. The fazor one was just pulled out of the box so had no burn in at all. The non fazor one was a demo unit they had been using for a long time. In comparison the wood didn't look as shiny and the leather wasn't as dark brown. The fazor is quite obvious if you run your fingers along the inside of the pad, it sticks out like dogs balls. I think it may even touch my ears, it could be that they are just hot. Between the two, I didn't notice any change in signature but the fazor one was more lively and I enjoyed that one a bit better. I wouldn't bother upgrading the old LCD3 though, the difference isn't that great, I would have been just as happy with either.
 
I tried the Burson Conductor and the Auralic stack. The Burson I thought was very clean, dynamic, with excellent bass and I was ready to buy it until I tried the Auralic stack. The Auralic was just perfect. It had a similar bass but the vocals and treble were better. I tried my Audio-GD NFB15, it sounded surprisingly good but lacking some dynamics compared to the other two. I set the LCD3 to about the same volume level that I used to use on my HE400 at about 12 o'clock so its pretty easy to drive I think.
 
Only problem is that they are a bit uncomfortable, the leather pads don't let the ears breathe that much and they get a bit hot also the headband pushes down a bit hard sometimes. I guess I will get used to it, the sound is all worth it I think. I ended up buying them but still need to get an amp/dac, I want to get the Auralic but can only afford the Burson.
 
Also had a listen to the Abyss on a Luxman P700, it was very close but I liked the LCD3 better. The Abyss didn't sound good on the Auralic at all, the LCD3 sounded best on the Auralic. Tried the Akg K812 but didn't like it.

^ thanks for the impressions

When you say more lively you mean...dynamics?

I'm gonna get the upgrade if they manage to avoid my product from shipping back already
 
I've been listening to it for about 8 months so I'll notice the differences ^^

argo duck said:

^ thanks for the impressions

When you say more lively you mean...dynamics?

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Yes. Don't know how to put it exactly. With the Burson especially, the LCD3 without fazor sounded a bit lackluster in the vocals in comparison, the one with the fazor was a bit more dynamic in that area. The difference between the two was harder to pick up on the Auralic because the vocals on the non fazor LCD3 were great on that one too. I had decided almost straight away that I liked the fazor one better so never went back to the non fazor LCD3 after that. Spent about 1hr listening to the non fazor and about 2 hours to the fazor one.
 
I think the non fazor LCD3 with the Burson, I wouldn't be happy with it, but the fazor LCD3 with the Burson I would be. They were both great with the Auralic with the fazor one still a bit more dynamic. Maybe it has more to do with how each one paired with the amps rather than the fazor. Not sure.

The difference in shiny wood is a change Audeze made at some point by using a higher gloss lacquer on the Zebrano wood. I actually prefer the more matte finish of the earlier LCD-3s. Getting a bit fed up with this over glossy modern world....especially when companies insist on using that shiny black plastic that scratches if you even breath on it.
 
I am super happy with the combination of a Soloist and LCD-3..its the intimacy in the vocals which has always stood out. But when you are doing side by side comparisons, if one sounds slightly different, your brain can treat it negatively and without any other auditions, you would normally have enjoyed it.
 
I will have to contact Audeze and ask them if this can be done as a DIY operation as while 250 dollars is just about acceptable to me, the shipping costs to and from the UK would be extreme.

jonstatt said:

  The difference in shiny wood is a change Audeze made at some point by using a higher gloss lacquer on the Zebrano wood. I actually prefer the more matte finish of the earlier LCD-3s. Getting a bit fed up with this over glossy modern world....especially when companies insist on using that shiny black plastic that scratches if you even breath on it.
 
I am super happy with the combination of a Soloist and LCD-3..its the intimacy in the vocals which has always stood out. But when you are doing side by side comparisons, if one sounds slightly different, your brain can treat it negatively and without any other auditions, you would normally have enjoyed it.
 
I will have to contact Audeze and ask them if this can be done as a DIY operation as while 250 dollars is just about acceptable to me, the shipping costs to and from the UK would be extreme.

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Please post Audeze's reply here as well. The shipping costs are the major point of concern for me as well.

jonstatt said:

  The difference in shiny wood is a change Audeze made at some point by using a higher gloss lacquer on the Zebrano wood. I actually prefer the more matte finish of the earlier LCD-3s. Getting a bit fed up with this over glossy modern world....especially when companies insist on using that shiny black plastic that scratches if you even breath on it.
 
I am super happy with the combination of a Soloist and LCD-3..its the intimacy in the vocals which has always stood out. But when you are doing side by side comparisons, if one sounds slightly different, your brain can treat it negatively and without any other auditions, you would normally have enjoyed it.
 
I will have to contact Audeze and ask them if this can be done as a DIY operation as while 250 dollars is just about acceptable to me, the shipping costs to and from the UK would be extreme.

Click to expand...

 
I actually much liked the shiny wood a lot better although I thought it was plastic when I first saw it. Also the leather was a lot darker brown, not sure if the demo unit was just faded.
Serial was 271.. too and there is no more FR graph in the box. They said people were opening all the boxes wanting the best one. Cable is a bit flimsy, don't know how it will go if I run over it with my roller chair.

Yes I advise against running over the cable or any other part of the LCD3 with your roller chair.

Thanks for your further impressions

I advise against running over any cable with your chair