[purrin]

 
Quote:

Well you can tune the sound to your liking using tubes, assuming you have tube amps. Or just swap between different solid state amp to find the one you like most. That's another feasible way to tune it without doing anything to the headphone...

Perhaps when I am free during the Thanksgiving week I will be experimenting a bit with some toilet paper 

I tune with tubes too, but toilet paper is one helluva lot cheaper!

 

[koonhua90]

I wonder how much effect the toilet paper would have on the CSD plot of the headphone...you gonna plot it, Mr. Purrin?  

 
 

 

[purrin]

Working on it right now.

 

[arnaud]

What? You didn' use measurements to optimize the configuration?? I am so disappointed marv!
 
Toilet paper, because the headphone sounds like ... in stock form?
 
 

 

[visualguy]

Quote:

 
Nooo... Don't! I found a way to make them sound more like the r2s.... A free unobtrusive mod. You should at least try it first. Stay tuned....

Interesting - thanks, but I shouldn't have to stick toilet paper in $2K headphones to make them sound better... They're going back!
 

 

[n3rdling]

This will never catch on purrin...toilet paper is 'too cheap to sound good'

 

[olor1n]

Quote:

LCD3 mods: http://www.head-fi.org/t/581132/lcd3-mods#post_7904324

Intentional or not, this may be the greatest troll I've witnessed on Head-Fi. Hilarious!

 

[purrin]

 
Quote:

Interesting - thanks, but I shouldn't have to stick toilet paper in $2K headphones to make them sound better... They're going back!

      Quote:

This will never catch on purrin...toilet paper is 'too cheap to sound good'

What about 24k gold lined silk?

 

[Thenarus]

Wow, I'm really curious what differences (versus the r.2) will be readily apparent with the HA-160D.  I should have a Dark Star in a month or so, and will be using the 160D as a DAC until Anedio releases their balanced D1 refresh.  Now there are also different fabrics to mod in for flavor...what a hobby. 

 
The song "Kettering" by the Antlers from their album Hospice is a great track to test drawing, emotional male vocals with; definitely one of my favorite for listening sessions with the r.2.  Can't wait to hear it with the 3's later this week.

 

[googleli]

I just spent the whole of Sunday afternoon in Mongkok (people in Hong Kong will know where that is) auditioning the LCD3 with "cheaper" amps and DACs. As I said, I think my CLAS-PB2-SR71B and CLAS-SR71A combos no longer work for LCD3 IMO. They still sound good, but IMO are not able to express the LCD3 50% of its potential. If I could rate my Esoteric K-01 and Leben with the LCD2 as 100% (as a reference point only), the LCD2 on my portable rig probably still had 75%.  Neither do I think one must use something like my home gear, namely Esoteric K-01 and Leben, to make the LCD3 sound its best - quite unlike the SR009 where the improvement is virtually infinite, the better source and amp you feed  the SR009, it just sounds so much better with no limit. Simply put, in my experience the diminishing return effect of source and amps (in relation to headphones) kicks in  much later in the SR009 than the LCD2, so I think the right gear for the LCD3 must be somewhere in between.
 
And that's the reason I went to try out a lot of gear today for the LCD3. The thing good for Head-fiers in Hong Kong is that there are a few shops within three blocks where you can try virtually any amp or DAC mentioned on Head-fi, except the more expensive ones like the Liquid Fire. When I took out the LCD3 from my bag every time the one who is selling amps to me was like "WOW" or  "You got the 3 already?", except the Audeze distributor in Hong Kong who either didn't seem to care or wasn't aware it was a 3 at all.
 
Anyway - I have some interesting findings and I do think I have found the balanced point for price and performance for the LCD3. I was thinking about getting the Antelope Zodiac Gold and the Cavalli Liquid Fire for my office LCD3 rig. But after auditioning today I think I have found something good enough to express the LCD3 nearly to its best, but still relatively cheap. In particular there are two units which I want to mention which are one-box solutions (DAC+amp) which IMO are working quite well with the LCD3.
 
At the distributor, I also tried out the ALO copper chainmail and silver+copper chainmail cables for the LCD2 as well and was able to compare them side by side with my old Norse cable. 
 
I did not get myself anything today, except a dust cover for my SR009 - but I think it will take me probably just one more audition of the two selected units to decide. Although I did not purchase anything (except the Stax dust cover), I think it is a Sunday afternoon well spent and a very satisfying experience. 
 
I will post some impressions of what I heard after dinner.
 
 
 

 

[Argo Duck]

After?! You're a tease googleli! 

 
Quote:

<snip>
I will post some impressions of what I heard after dinner.
 
 
 

 

 

[googleli]

Benchmark DAC1 - sounds digital, virtually no sound stage, no separation, but human voice quite good. Reminds me of the Westone ES5 sound signature.
 
SPL Phonitor - apparently not enough power. Clips at passages with big dynamic contrast.
 
Lavry DA11 - biggest soundstage of this batch, but still sounds a bit digital. Will need to audition more next time since the connection was flawed and sound comes on and off.
 
Vahalla and Asgard - quite impressive, the most powerful of this batch is the Vahalla. They have the Lyr but it is new from box and is not open for testing. Lacks the Leben analog sound though, maybe the tubes are not good.
 
Luxman DA200 - sound too mellow and flat to my liking. Similar to using Telefunken tubes on my Leben. If you are into that kind of sound which is like drinking distilled water, it may be for you. Not my cup of tea though.
 
Grace M903 - best IMO in this batch. Most analog sound with great sound stage. This is one of the two I consider buying.
 
The above were tested at DMA Audio. All were driven by MacBook, except pure amps like the Phonitor using the Benchmark as DAC source and the Schitt using an Audiolab CDE8000.
 
Then went to Jaben. Not a lot to test and the connections there Re quite crappy to say the least. Tried the Vanhalla again nonetheless, with a Marantz CD player. Still sounds ok despite crappy connection but frankly I prefer the Leben any day. Really gotta try out the Lyr one day. They have two dark voice units but both are out of order. 'Nuff said.
 
Last stop was the distributor of Audeze in Hong Kong, Kingsound. Tried the MF V can there which to my surprise was quite good. 
 
The Burson with DAC is the second unit I considered buying. Suits the LCD3 a lot IMO with everything just right. But perhaps a bit too right with not much sparkle. 
 
Lastly, the two ALO chain mail cables. I was impressed by the silver copper hybrid. Opened up trebles considerably. The copper one makes the LCD3 söunds nasal. If I haven't read from Head-fi that a new 16 wire version is coming out, I would have bought the silver copper hybrid cable right there.
 
So these are my impressions - very brief - probably serves as my own notes more than anything else. Next time I will have to try the Lyr again but most likely I will get the Grace M903. Or the Grace plus the Lyr if the Lyr makes it sound much better. Need a bit more time with the Lavry as well.
 

 

[googleli]

To put things in perspective I listened to the same tracks during my audition on my home gear. Once again none of the things I heard this afternoon comes close, but certain combos I heard were acceptable to me (at 75% level) and I consider them worth using with the LCD3.

 

[DarknightDK]

I'm surprised with your pick for the Grace m903. From initial reviews I've read, it ranked quite poorly.

 

[googleli]

For the LCD3 the Grace gives the smoothest treble in the batch. I am not sure anyone else made such extensive comparisons among these things specifically for the LCD3 yet, but IMO it is clearly better than he Benchmark by far, at least with the LCD3.
 
Just listening to Enigma's Sadeness through my home rig on the LCD3. Definitely one of the moments when I prefer the LCD3 to the 009. The chanting and the bass are both sublime.