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Audeze LCD-X

Dec 26, 2013 at 12:28 PM Post #2,371 of 12,902
Sorry if I offended HE-6 owners out there, I too am a HE-6 lover and maybe "harsh" was too strong a word. They're nowhere as harsh as HD800 mind you, but still there is a slight bit of sibilance with these cans every now and then.

Now, back to the topic. Leather or microsuede?
 
Dec 26, 2013 at 12:56 PM Post #2,373 of 12,902
dubstep girl said:
  the hd 800 aren't harsh either.
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Maybe not on your GS-X mk2. 
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Dec 26, 2013 at 2:15 PM Post #2,374 of 12,902
the way i look at it but i am no headphone engineer but i think my points make sense, the non-porous attribute of leather leads to resonance which can add body to the sound and a darker domain.  Some headphones rely on this ringing to get the body of their sound without sounding thin.  They were voiced with it and while you might get a more open sound you could lose a lot of the body of the headphone.
Some headphones like the hd800 don't use leather but the headphone housing resonates giving body to the sound in a very controlled nature.  Inner fidelity has a page dedicated to the modding of this headphone using dampening material inside the headphone to lessen the resonance which basically takes away some of the body of the sound (in all frequencies) which calm's down the treble  (slightly in frequency) but the lesser body of the sound is less fatiguing and more open sounding.  This can also make the bass sound tighter too.
 
The X models from audeze act like a diffuser in a speaker by containing/diffusing the resonance until it is inaudible.  Then you're hearing the driver and the driver only.   Not relying on ringing to add body you can use the superior technology that is planar magnetic headphones for voicing to its fullest.  This ideal because a headphone only aids in a better image by angling the drivers and having an open or semi-open can lead to a wider soundstage.  What i mean by this is a headphone is not what does the magic of imaging.  Your brain does the magic and a headphone can basically only detract from its ability.  Resonance will deter the microdynamics needed for the most coherent presentation which ultimately leads to a more satisfying experience. For example the Th-900 is known to have a very wide soudstage for a closed headphone.  If you look at the 500hz square wave response, the noise is very low initially putting the resonance in a different time domain that doesn't add body to the sound.  Therefore a more coherent sound for your brain giving the impression of a large soundstage.  
If any sound engineer just read this they are probably laughing at me but hey it was fun.  I am not a sound engineer so i try to learn by trial and error. 
 
Dec 26, 2013 at 2:20 PM Post #2,375 of 12,902
songmic said:
Sorry if I offended HE-6 owners out there, I too am a HE-6 lover and maybe "harsh" was too strong a word. They're nowhere as harsh as HD800 mind you, but still there is a slight bit of sibilance with these cans every now and then.

Now, back to the topic. Leather or microsuede?
Click to expand...

HD-800 with Mullard, Siemens, or Amperex  Tubes is definitely not harsh!!! Stay away from Silver cables and the HD-800 will not be harsh.  With SS amps it can be harsh, but with my Ray Samuels Darkstar (a darker-sounding SS amp) it is not harsh.  It all depends on what is driving the HD-800s.  Get a Manley 300B tube amp and I bet that harsh and sibilance will not be adjectives used to describe the sound.  It's all about matching...the HD800s deserve great matching.
 
Dec 26, 2013 at 2:58 PM Post #2,376 of 12,902
figaro69 said:
  HD-800 with Mullard, Siemens, or Amperex  Tubes is definitely not harsh!!! Stay away from Silver cables and the HD-800 will not be harsh.  With SS amps it can be harsh, but with my Ray Samuels Darkstar (a darker-sounding SS amp) it is not harsh.  It all depends on what is driving the HD-800s.  Get a Manley 300B tube amp and I bet that harsh and sibilance will not be adjectives used to describe the sound.  It's all about matching...the HD800s deserve great matching.
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+1
 
tube amps, as well as warm sounding SS and amps like the GSX MK2. I find no harshness, and I'm using the Mytek 192 DAC as well (considered to be a very revealing and unforgiving source).
 
Dec 26, 2013 at 3:40 PM Post #2,377 of 12,902
figaro69 said:
  HD-800 with Mullard, Siemens, or Amperex  Tubes is definitely not harsh!!! Stay away from Silver cables and the HD-800 will not be harsh.  With SS amps it can be harsh, but with my Ray Samuels Darkstar (a darker-sounding SS amp) it is not harsh.  It all depends on what is driving the HD-800s.  Get a Manley 300B tube amp and I bet that harsh and sibilance will not be adjectives used to describe the sound.  It's all about matching...the HD800s deserve great matching.
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It's a gradient, headphones aren't just "harsh" or "not harsh".
 
Empirically HD800s are substantially elevated from 6000 Hz and up, so naturally they sound brighter, which to some who are sensitive to treble equate to harshness.
 
There is a mod that is able to smooth out this treble elevation for HD800s. Also setups that emphasize midrange~bass reduce the brightness. All of that works toward making their balance more even, so they would be less harsh to treble-sensitive folks, but probably not completely lacking harshness for them (unless some aggressive EQing down is employed).
 
Dec 27, 2013 at 11:37 AM Post #2,378 of 12,902
Okay, I'm sorry! T.T
I get you guys' point. I probably shouldn't have mentioned HE-6 or HD800 in the first place.
 
That being said, could we please go back to the main topic in my question, which is about the Audez'e pads and how they sound?
 
I'll re-insert my question here, because I think it has drifted away...
 
#1. Is there a meaningful--not merely noticeable upon critical listening, but meaningful that one may definitely prefer one to another--difference in sound quality between lambskin leather and microsuede?
If yes, please proceed to #2; if not, please ignore #2, #2-1, #2-2 and #3 entirely.
 
#2. If there is a meaningful difference, is there a general consensus (meaning the majority, say over 70-80% of people prefer specifically one type of pad to the other) as to which pad is overall superior-sounding? Or is the opinion mixed among people, somewhat 50-50?
 
     #2-1. If the answer to #2 is that there is a general consensus, is this consensus nearly consistent throughout all Audez'e headphones, or does it clearly change depending on the headphones (LCD-2/3/X/XC)?
 
     #2-2. If the answer to #2 is that there hasn't been a general consensus, how do these two pads sound different? What are each one's advantages and disadvantages over the other? 
 
#3. For LCD-X specifically, considering its sound signature, do you think one type of pad may be more favored by many people than the other? If so, which one, and why?
 
#4. Sound-quality aside, let's talk about comfort. What I know for a fact is that the LCD-X is a rather heavy headphone, weighing 600 grams. That doesn't necessarily mean it's uncomfortable, as proper headband and cup design could evenly distribute the weight and thus make it more comfortable. Of course, I don't expect the same level of comfort as, say an HD800 or TH900. That being said, is there a significant difference in comfort between leather and microsuede? If so, which do you think is generally more comfortable with LCD-X, specifically?
 
#5. Lastly, are there any color options for microsuede? The only color I've seen so far is brown, I wonder if there are any other options.
 
Dec 28, 2013 at 8:01 AM Post #2,379 of 12,902
What are the preferred amps for the LCD-X? I`m looking at the WA22, GS-X mk2, EC balancing Act with the new transformers, ECs new 445/2A3x4/Leviathan
bigsmile_face.gif

 
Dec 28, 2013 at 11:57 AM Post #2,381 of 12,902
figaro69 said:
  HD-800 with Mullard, Siemens, or Amperex  Tubes is definitely not harsh!!! Stay away from Silver cables and the HD-800 will not be harsh.  With SS amps it can be harsh, but with my Ray Samuels Darkstar (a darker-sounding SS amp) it is not harsh.  It all depends on what is driving the HD-800s.  Get a Manley 300B tube amp and I bet that harsh and sibilance will not be adjectives used to describe the sound.  It's all about matching...the HD800s deserve great matching.
Click to expand...


 Great post!
 
Dec 29, 2013 at 4:46 AM Post #2,382 of 12,902
mibviking said:
  What are the preferred amps for the LCD-X? I`m looking at the WA22, GS-X mk2, EC balancing Act with the new transformers, ECs new 445/2A3x4/Leviathan
bigsmile_face.gif
Click to expand...

one of the GREAT things about the LCD-X is the increased efficiency! So you have an almost endless path of amps for the magic cans.
 
Lately I've been using the following:
 
Desktop:
E.A.R HP4
ALO Studio Six
(both have far more power than you need, but I like headroom)
 
Portable:
ALO Pan Am w/ Passport battery pack
CEntrance HiFi-M8
HRT microStreamer
Mytek Stereo-192 DSD DAC (utilizing the headphone amp output).
 
I personally love the CEntrance HiFi-M8 w/ the LCD-X!

 
Dec 29, 2013 at 5:24 AM Post #2,383 of 12,902
Originally Posted by mikemercer /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
Portable:
ALO Pan Am w/ Passport battery pack
CEntrance HiFi-M8
HRT microStreamer
Mytek Stereo-192 DSD DAC (utilizing the headphone amp output).
 
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No disrespect intended, but how is the Mytek portable?!
I know it's small and takes up fairly little space in a suitcase, but you can't exactly use it without access to a power outlet. Don't get me wrong, the Mytek would probably be my DAC/Amp of choice if I was packing for a job and had to spend a few nights alone in a boring hotel room, but I wouldn't be able to whip it out for use while on a bus or train. I wouldn't call the Pan AM portable either, but at least that one come with an add-on battery pack.
 
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