Audeze LCD-3 Appreciation Thread - Page 39

i agree with the points made.

2 channel guys (who make up a great majority of audiophiles) would probably not agree, but headphones allow for much greater analysis of upstream gear than speakers.

with my Harbeth 2-channel rig, i am perfectly happy with my current gear.

i have switched gear out with other gear over the past few months, and the differences were subtle but noticeable.

this basically let me know that money would not be wisely spent to buy something uber high-end for that setup...

however, with headphones such as HE-500, HE-6, LCD-3, and HD800, i have been able to appreciate ongoing upgrades in gear, and as a result have heard detail retrieval, noise floor, soundstage size, smoothness, etc. all improve over time with the same headphones.

i am sometimes amazed at the positive reviews some gear receives in popular publications.  especially source gear. 

gear that i have tried out with headphones and been sorely disappointed with. 

my guess is that the reviewers' 2-chanel rig sounded quite nice with this gear.

but it's not good enough for summit-fi headphone rigs.  

Quote:

Originally Posted by Girls Generation 

Well, in the headphone world, most consider the source and amp more important than the headphone itself, meaning it's better to drive a lesser headphone to it's max potential, than to under drive summit-fi cans. You seriously got the balance wrong on this one, didn't give it a proper go. But speakers is a whole different beast, thought it really is comparing apples to oranges.

 

Yes, I'm realizing that now.  The headphone world really is just a different audio experience than the speaker world. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by MacedonianHero 

 

Sorry, but the Lyr doesn't satisfy what the LCD-3s need. I owned that very combination and we far from impressed with the Lyr. It worked quite well with the LCD-2s, but really left me wanting more for the LCD-3s (compared to the WA22 that I had on hand at the same time). Sorry, but I don't understand why people would buy top flight cans like the LCD-3s and HD800s and then not worry about upstream gear? Then they post, I don't hear what all the fuss is about. Don't blame transparent headphones like these for showing you what issues you have upstream. While you might have got away with it with say mid-fi headphones, the same rules don't apply here. So before one make bold assertions, I'd strongly recommend you get out there to a meet and listen to other gear....the experiences may surprise you. 

Well, maybe it's a different animal when it comes to cans, then.  I'll just say I've gone through many a A/B blind comparison of gear in the speaker realm, and very rarely is it the case that the more expensive amp/DAC/interconnect combo knocks me out.  Almost invariably, it's the change in speaker that makes the biggest difference (and room treatment, of course...While I'm sure people will say that's an advantage of headphones, I will say a little effort in room treatment can really make a difference for very little money, whereas with cans, it seems you can only change gear to change the sound.) 

Anyway, I'll leave it at that.  Thanks to both of you for not jumping down my throat and giving me some constructive info from your experiences.  These really are beautiful, very nice sounding headphones.

 Quote:

Originally Posted by Saraguie 

Would you please share what is your current gear to the LCD3s?

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by MacedonianHero 

Cambridge Audio 650C (CD Transport) or my iMac --> Wyred 4 Sound DAC-2 --> GS-X (with upgraded Dynahi+ modules) --> Dynamic Headphones

Very nice setup must sound fantastic, thank you. This coming week I will be getting a RWA Bellina HPA Renaissance edition with the DAC upgrade and balanced output.  I think for all in one this is going to be the best there is. If it does not knock my socks off, then I will look for component gears similar if not the same as yours.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saraguie 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Girls Generation 

Saraguie! 2 sentences comparing 334 to Miracles! Go! 

 

Thanks :D

How about; 1 + 1 does not equal 2?  Miracles plus 334 do not equal LCD3!  

 

My friend Thor will have something to say about that when he wakes up he will be a-posting!

 

GG welcome to LCD3 land. Have I ever told you that your avatars rock! 

Took me some time to wake up here sara! Can't say anything wise regarding the miracles, but regarding the 334 I must say that even when holding the lcd3 they still impress. However getting my balanced V3 for the lcd has kinda made my love for the lcd3 skyrocket even more. The tracks I used to save for the 334, now sound just as juicy on the big lcd. The only thing lacking is a bit larger soundstage, but having a portable setup I guess one cannot get it all. Posting a pic of my balanced sweetness here: 

Quote:

Originally Posted by milarepa 

Took me some time to wake up here sara! Can't say anything wise regarding the miracles, but regarding the 334 I must say that even when holding the lcd3 they still impress. However getting my balanced V3 for the lcd has kinda made my love for the lcd3 skyrocket even more. The tracks I used to save for the 334, now sound just as juicy on the big lcd. The only thing lacking is a bit larger soundstage, but having a portable setup I guess one cannot get it all. Posting a pic of my balanced sweetness here: 

 

An unrelated question here... does your wood box close fully with your LCD-3 + cable still attached? I typically like to keep my headphones in their boxes to prevent dust and I'm not sure whether or not it's possible with the new LCD-2/3's as their new connectors are much more angled outwards.  I recently re-acquired the LCD-2 and this isn't possible with the plastic travel case (without taking all the foam out) so I was wondering if this was possible with the wood box (in which case I may purchase one).

I have no problems when closing the box with the cables still in. Reopening it shows no pressure to the cable or anything else. This was no issue with the stock cable either. Not having the headband in the precut groove also reduces the angle of the connector and leaves more space. 

I feel that packing phones back into the box constantly puts too much pressure on the cables and maybe wears out the surfaces over time.

I think it's better to put them in a drawer by themselves on top of a clean towel or 2, possibly in a light clean plastic bag that you change every few weeks.

Saying headphone listening is always inferior to speakers is like saying good beer is never worth it because wine is always better.

Quote:

Originally Posted by milarepa 

I have no problems when closing the box with the cables still in. Reopening it shows no pressure to the cable or anything else. This was no issue with the stock cable either. Not having the headband in the precut groove also reduces the angle of the connector and leaves more space. 

X2

Quote:

Originally Posted by rgs9200m 

I feel that packing phones back into the box constantly puts too much pressure on the cables and maybe wears out the surfaces over time.

I think it's better to put them in a drawer by themselves on top of a clean towel or 2, possibly in a light clean plastic bag that you change every few weeks.

Wood in general does not like being kept in plastic,it is a living material, but maybe with 2 towels it will not matter? 

Just remove the cables.

Not sure what's going on here but I'm going to say that I was really underwhelmed by these on my Leben 300XS. 

I know that there's some people that enjoy that combo, but it was one of my least favorite at the Austin meet. The HD800 from the Leben absolutely slaughtered the LCD 3 in every way. Even bass...

I was surprised.