[Devarika Woulf]

  The worst part is that I'm finding that a chunk of my 16/44.1 FLAC files just aren't good enough anymore, largely due to the age of the music I like. Thankfully a lot of rock and classic rock has been remastered lately, so it isn't as much of an issue as it would have been 5 years ago. I foresee myself spending a lot more money on music now. May as well just automatically send a chunk of my paycheck to HDTracks.

 
I don't get this. What exactly is wrong with original CDs from the '80s? Over on Steve Hoffman, it is generally agreed that the best versions of albums are usually the original releases due to the Loudness War. For Zeppelin and Sabbath, for example, the majority feel the first-issue CD from the '80s are better than all the remastered versions which followed. The originals are lower in volume, though.
 

Now if only audeze can ship me back the correct units. They shipped me a defective and incorrect unit, but I had to pay to ship it back to them. Sort of insulting on principle given their very attentive and polite customer service rep took total responsibility for the problem. You'd think they would have a better system when they mess up the order than having the customer pay extra and not have the units for over two weeks ...

 
Wait, what? Why did you have to pay for their mistake, twice? How long did you wait to notify them of both problems?

 

[tvolpe1600]

To clarify: (1) I bought a new pair of black leather Xs. (2) When I opened the box, I found that Audeze had put the suede versions in the box by mistake; and the handband was twisted (defective). (3) I contacted them immediately. (4) Customer service was great and promised to correct the problem. The only catch was I had to pay to ship the defective units back to Audeze. (5) I shipped the units back and am waiting for them to send me what I actually ordered. Make sense? Happy 4th!

 

[groovyd]

that sucks... they are usually very good about customer service.  i expect they will refund you the shipping once it is all said and done.

 

[tvolpe1600]

Unfortunately they will not refund me. The otherwise fantastic customer service rep said her hands were tied by Audeze policy that customers have to pay shipping. I am going to wait until they fix the issue and then lodge a protest with them. If you pay $1700 for a product, and it is defective / not what you ordered, it seems wrong to force the customer to pay to fix it. Especially considering they admitted it was 100% their mistake. A small gift certificate to HD Tracks would be nice if they don't want to deal with shipping stuff. If these headphone weren't so amazeballs ...

 

[groovyd]

no doubt they owe you the return shipping on that... legally.  i am sure they will refund it

 

[Jimmyf1312]

no doubt they owe you the return shipping on that... legally.  i am sure they will refund it

Agreed. They should definitely refund it.

 

[podeschi]

Ok just took a break from 4th of July swimming with kiddos to listen to the Jena Labs H-P 822 headphone cable with my LCD-X cans listening to DSD into Chord Hugo. First impressions (with cable being brand spanking new and not burned in at all):

- first words that come to mind are "prettier, bigger, more information"

- less bite and glare than stock cables

- same effect I noticed when running Jena Labs Symphony RCA IC from ARC Ref preamp to ALO Studio Six head amp...soundstage became better spread and coherent. More like listening to live music with a large, coherent wall of sound being presented.

- more separation and articulation of quiet notes and instruments and vocals

So far really impressed.

 

[Crashem]

Ok just took a break from 4th of July swimming with kiddos to listen to the Jena Labs H-P 822 headphone cable with my LCD-X cans listening to DSD into Chord Hugo. First impressions (with cable being brand spanking new and not burned in at all):

- first words that come to mind are "prettier, bigger, more information"

- less bite and glare than stock cables

- same effect I noticed when running Jena Labs Symphony RCA IC from ARC Ref preamp to ALO Studio Six head amp...soundstage became better spread and coherent. More like listening to live music with a large, coherent wall of sound being presented.

- more separation and articulation of quiet notes and instruments and vocals

So far really impressed.

 
Should look at wywires as well.  I am trying them now and extremely happy.

 

[Focker]

I hear sibilance on my T1s, but never on the Xs. 

 

[johncarm]

I like the LCD-X after 100 hours burn-in on pink noise, but they still have a tonal balance with greater sibilance than many other phones, in particular the LCD-2.2. I know there are people here who don't hear any sibilance in the LCD-X but are you saying that compared to the LCD-2? 
 
Another question: my 2.2 is several years old. How much has the 2 changed in recent years? Has it changed tonal balance? How does the fazor assembly affect it?
 
And finally, how does the tonal balance of the 3 compare to the X? I could always sell my X and get an LCD-3 if I would be happier that way.

 

[TonyNewman]

  I like the LCD-X after 100 hours burn-in on pink noise, but they still have a tonal balance with greater sibilance than many other phones...

 
100 hours might not be enough for some LCD-Xs. Mine are at over 150 hours and still improving.

 

[planet]

  I like the LCD-X after 100 hours burn-in on pink noise, but they still have a tonal balance with greater sibilance than many other phones, in particular the LCD-2.2. I know there are people here who don't hear any sibilance in the LCD-X but are you saying that compared to the LCD-2?

 
I am very sensitive to sibilance, and I have never found any in the X that wasn't in the source recording.  I have tested two copies -- one belonging to a friend, and then my own -- and the result was the same.  I've also tested (part 1, part 2) an LCD3 (non-F), and didn't find it particularly sibilant, either.

 

[johncarm]

   
I am very sensitive to sibilance, and I have never found any in the X that wasn't in the source recording.  I have tested two copies -- one belonging to a friend, and then my own -- and the result was the same.  I've also tested (part 1, part 2) an LCD3 (non-F), and didn't find it particularly sibilant, either.

 
Strange---but, the question is one of "pronounced" sibilance, that is an overemphasis on the sibilant part of the sound and lack of integration into the midrange. My X definitely had that problem straight out of the box. 
 
Many recordings I love for the music are not that well recorded, and one of the issues that crops up is a harsh treble. A headphone like the LCD-2 minimizes those effects, perhaps at the loss of some presence.
 
I also own an HE-500 and that has a brighter treble than the LCD-2.2 but it doesn't have the sense of lack of integration of the sibilant part of the sound. The whole treble is at a higher level than the LCD-2.2 (which of course has a laid-back treble).
 
Maybe Audeze has been shipping X's that sound different from each other, or has made recent changes.

 

[LFC_SL]

Many recordings I love for the music are not that well recorded, and one of the issues that crops up is a harsh treble.

Sibilance is not the same as harsh treble so perhaps outline 'your' definition of sibilance so ppl can advise upon your issues.

If the original performance was sibilant or bad recording / mastering led to sibilance then one ought not to blame headphones for being accurate either.

 

[johncarm]

Sibilance is not the same as harsh treble so perhaps outline 'your' definition of sibilance so ppl can advise upon your issues.

If the original performance was sibilant or bad recording / mastering led to sibilance then one ought not to blame headphones for being accurate either.

 
Sibilance is the "S" sound, which happens to be centered in the treble around 7 to 8 KHz.
 
"Lack of integration of sibilance" means that the singing voice has the illusion of being two sources of sound--one source producing the "S" and the other source producing the rest of the voice.
 
I don't think the LCD-X is accurate, at least not at 100 hours of burn-in. It doesn't integrate sibilance as well as, say, the HE-500 (which I pick as an example because it's around the same brightness).
 
A "harsh treble" is any of a variety of distortions which make treble sounds unpleasant. Some people don't really notice this, or tolerate all kinds of sounds. If the recording has a harsh treble, then a problem in the headphone like lack of integration of sibilance will exaggerate that harshness.
 
Let's give the X another 100 hours of burn-in.