[kyle1010]

Anyone have the 2016 driver upgrade done? Just wondering if they need burn-in time once you get them back? And if so how much? Mine should be arriving home this week. I'll post impressions asap.

 

[groovyd]

what is this upgrade and how much does it cost?  might be interested in upgrading my X and my XC

 

[kyle1010]

what is this upgrade and how much does it cost?  might be interested in upgrading my X and my XC

Audeze is releasing updated driver versions of their entire LCD and EL-8 line. The new drivers apparently have thinner diaphragms but also sturdier construction and other enhancements that create a smoother frequency response, more detail, and better imaging. At least that's what people that have the updated versions are reporting in other threads. Bass seems to be the same as always if not slightly better definition. Impedance stays the same. I personally listened to the 2016 updated LCD-X at T.H.E. Show Newport in May. It was immediately noticeable that they had smoother highs and lacked the spike in upper mids/lower treble that I've been trying to "fix" with various tubes via my WA7tp and WA22. Sold. The upgrade cost is $250 plus shipping. But all new purchase headphones are shipping with the new drivers installed.

 

[mogulmaster]

I'm looking to buy the lcd x, but money is an issue, I'm. Coming from 400i , looking for resolution and clarity for electronic and pop music, I have a chord mojo to pair, is thr lcd x good for me?

 
My friend has the 400i, I have the X and the mirco iDSD which is comparable to the mojo I've heard (correct me if I'm wrong).
 
But the X with the iDSD blows me away every time with every genre. I fear if I further upgrade my electronics, my socks will just not stay on my feet. Could be a problem cause I rather like socks..
 
p.s. the X is ridiculous with electronic music. possibly the best in the business. sounds like you in da best club on earth but better. the bass is super tactile and solid. it's just the cats pajamas!

 

[HiFiGuy528]

I did a video on how to upgrade to carbon fiber headband.
 
 

 

[Dillan]

Nice video and I believe the X looks and feels better with the upgrade.

 

[groovyd]

Audeze is releasing updated driver versions of their entire LCD and EL-8 line. The new drivers apparently have thinner diaphragms but also sturdier construction and other enhancements that create a smoother frequency response, more detail, and better imaging. At least that's what people that have the updated versions are reporting in other threads. Bass seems to be the same as always if not slightly better definition. Impedance stays the same. I personally listened to the 2016 updated LCD-X at T.H.E. Show Newport in May. It was immediately noticeable that they had smoother highs and lacked the spike in upper mids/lower treble that I've been trying to "fix" with various tubes via my WA7tp and WA22. Sold. The upgrade cost is $250 plus shipping. But all new purchase headphones are shipping with the new drivers installed.

 
sweet, the price is right for me... i would like them to also replace the headbands while they are at it if that is possible?  i haven't seen any official info about this upgrade on their website, where did you find out about it?

 

[RCBinTN]

Hi All,
This is interesting!  Two comments:
 
1) On starting with the X as your HP - I fully agree.  You can almost drive them with a phone or (better) with a computer + dragonfly.  When I bought my first X, I had an AQ uDAC and then went to the original Schiit UberBiFrost/A2 stack.  Sounded great, but SE.  Then went to the Gungnir DS / Moljnir1 stack to get balanced mode.  Then to the Gungnir MB / BHA-1 stack.  The X stayed the same throughout but all the source upgrades made a difference.  The X scale pretty well, IMHO.  I would say the biggest improvements were going to balanced mode and (the biggest improvement) the move to Schiit's MB technology.
 
2) On an upgrade to the LCD series drivers - where has this been made visible?  I just read about it in the above posts.  I am a member of the Audeze club but didn't receive any notifications.  Thx for any more info that's available.
 
Enjoy your music,
RCB
 
ps.  The upgrade to the carbon fiber headband is Highly recommended.  More evenly distributes the weight (which is considerable) and lets you move your head around while listening w/o the HP's moving - a valuable thing especially for metal music and certain pop or dubstep genres .

 

[Skyfall]

The upgrade sounds very enticing who doesn't want better imaging, clearer and cleaner highs but I'm a little worried if it's going to be brighter. it looks like they get brighter and brighter every year. My X is perfect the way it is now and this is my second one. The first one I bought was a little too bright and the vocal/mid range was not as sweet as my current one.
Any thoughts 2016 vs 2015/2014 ?

 

[kyle1010]

sweet, the price is right for me... i would like them to also replace the headbands while they are at it if that is possible?  i haven't seen any official info about this upgrade on their website, where did you find out about it?

Yeah the upgrade carbon fiber headbands are on the Audeze website. I heard about the driver upgrade straight from the dudes at the Audeze booth at T.H.E. Show Newport a few months ago.

 

[kyle1010]

The upgrade sounds very enticing who doesn't want better imaging, clearer and cleaner highs but I'm a little worried if it's going to be brighter. it looks like they get brighter and brighter every year. My X is perfect the way it is now and this is my second one. The first one I bought was a little too bright and the vocal/mid range was not as sweet as my current one.
Any thoughts 2016 vs 2015/2014 ?

I'm not sure which year mine are but they're also a little bright with some grain and strain in the upper mids. I had the 2016 driver upgrade done and they're being delivered back to me tomorrow. I'll post my impressions of the changes.

 

[Skyfall]

I got upset to find out that my first X was more on the brighter side of neutral.. When I switched around back and forth with HD700 the trebles parts sounded about the same..

No wonder I was struggling with some tracks being too hot and a little spikey.
 
Here's before and after photos:
 

Left: brighter vs left: perfectly balanced
See that build up at 5Khz and between 10Khz to 20 Khz on the left compare to moderately calmed 3Khz-10Khz on the right. It might not be a lot but trust me it was really bright.
If the 2016 upgrade can maintain my current freq response than I'm in.
 
 

I'm not sure which year mine are but they're also a little bright with some grain and strain in the upper mids. I had the 2016 driver upgrade done and they're being delivered back to me tomorrow. I'll post my impressions of the changes.

 
I keep my fingers cross for us both.

 

[kyle1010]

I got upset to find out that my first X was more on the brighter side of neutral.. When I switched around back and forth with HD700 the trebles parts sounded about the same..:angry_face:
No wonder I was struggling with some tracks being too hot and a little spikey.

Here's before and after photos:



Left: brighter vs left: perfectly balanced
See that build up at 5Khz and between 10Khz to 20 Khz on the left compare to moderately calmed 3Khz-10Khz on the right. It might not be a lot but trust me it was really bright.
If the 2016 upgrade can maintain my current freq response than I'm in.



I keep my fingers cross for us both.

Wow yeah totally different from the left side. Even the sub bass doesn't roll off as quickly on the right side. I never had a graph, but I'd say my Xs were definitely closer to that left one. So pretty much anything is better than that, which is why I took the leap of faith to send em in for a driver swap. I listen to mostly electronic music so brightness kills when you wanna turn up the volume and thump. I asked for before and after the upgrade frequency response charts so hopefully they included that in the box with my updated Xs.

 

[Skyfall]

Before and after graph. That's awesome ! Hopefully this will be the best sounding LCD X.

On the other note, I just "upgraded" my DAC from Hugo to Yulong D200. Much better! I can pump up the volume without getting shouty and bright.

 

[kyle1010]

Before and after graph. That's awesome ! Hopefully this will be the best sounding LCD X.

On the other note, I just "upgraded" my DAC from Hugo to Yulong D200. Much better! I can pump up the volume without getting shouty and bright.

Aww man..so lucky. I'd love to upgrade from my Mojo as main dac for that same reason, but I have size restrictions cuz my whole system is on a nightstand. So I currently rely on tube swaps to tame the shoutyness.