Amp recommendations for Audeze LCD-3
Aug 15, 2018 at 5:03 AM Post #1,261 of 1,285
I too am looking for a great amp match for my LCD3s. I am hoping to find an amp the enhances the impact. I also value a wide soundstage. My guess would be that an amp my not be able to enhances both the impact and soundstage at the same time.

I currently use a mimby (DAC) and the aune x7s (Amp).
 
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Oct 30, 2018 at 3:38 PM Post #1,262 of 1,285
I too am looking for a great amp match for my LCD3s. I am hoping to find an amp the enhances the impact. I also value a wide soundstage. My guess would be that an amp my not be able to enhances both the impact and soundstage at the same time.

I currently use a mimby (DAC) and the aune x7s (Amp).

I just got a pair of LCD-3Fs, and am amazed of how they sound on my Lyr 3 Multibit. Might be worth looking into. You could just get the amp and stack on your Mimby too.

The soundstage is as good as anything I've ever owned, including HD800. The imaging is out of this world. I can picture instruments and positioning effortlessly. There is ample impact, but I would suggest putting a Loki Mini between your DAC and amp to EQ the sub-bass to your liking.
 
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Nov 7, 2018 at 2:28 PM Post #1,263 of 1,285
I just got a pair of LCD-3Fs, and am amazed of how they sound on my Lyr 3 Multibit. Might be worth looking into. You could just get the amp and stack on your Mimby too.

The soundstage is as good as anything I've ever owned, including HD800. The imaging is out of this world. I can picture instruments and positioning effortlessly. There is ample impact, but I would suggest putting a Loki Mini between your DAC and amp to EQ the sub-bass to your liking.

I would say EQ is best in the digital domain. Do it on the PC or server. I use Roon's built in EQ, you can have the band where you want, less hassle and don't need extra interconnects.
 
Nov 7, 2018 at 3:23 PM Post #1,264 of 1,285
I would say EQ is best in the digital domain. Do it on the PC or server. I use Roon's built in EQ, you can have the band where you want, less hassle and don't need extra interconnects.

I prefer analog EQ because of how fast it is to set. I usually listen to various artists on shuffle, so mastering varies from one song to the other, and I wouldn't take the time to get perfect EQ if I had to go in my media player settings every time.
 
Nov 7, 2018 at 9:10 PM Post #1,265 of 1,285
I just got a pair of LCD-3Fs, and am amazed of how they sound on my Lyr 3 Multibit. Might be worth looking into. You could just get the amp and stack on your Mimby too.

The soundstage is as good as anything I've ever owned, including HD800. The imaging is out of this world. I can picture instruments and positioning effortlessly. There is ample impact, but I would suggest putting a Loki Mini between your DAC and amp to EQ the sub-bass to your liking.
You sure?
 
Jan 9, 2019 at 6:25 PM Post #1,266 of 1,285
Anyone tried Burson Soloist mkII vs. Massdrop THX AAA? Looking around, they seem like top two to consider. I'm especially interested in expanding the vertical dimension of the soundstage, if possible. Other than that, the LCD-3s are basically perfect. (Currently have Magni 2.)
 
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Jan 10, 2019 at 1:00 AM Post #1,267 of 1,285
Anyone tried Burson Soloist mkII vs. Massdrop THX AAA? Looking around, they seem like top two to consider. I'm especially interested in expanding the vertical dimension of the soundstage, if possible. Other than that, the LCD-3s are basically perfect. (Currently have Magni 2.)
I had a burson conductor that had some issues and returned. I have not had a side by side comparison, but I have been very happy with THX 789 amp. Not sure of a vertical soundstage increase, but it has been cleaner and clearer in my opinion.
 
Jan 16, 2019 at 1:10 AM Post #1,270 of 1,285
I got the LCD-3 on the holiday sale but sadly i'm returning them. I love the headphones, but I think they are messing with my ears, they seal too much around my ears creating a lot of pressure on my eardrums. I used it first with my Liquid Carbon X and CTH but there was something off for me in the upper midrange and treble, it was kinda harsh and shouty. It wasn't until I went to a High end audio shop where I tried the Chord Hugo 2 and other high end Amps/DACS that i started to really appreciate what this headphone can do. I then got a WooAudio WA6 and was equally blown away as i was at the Audio Shop. But now i must say goodbye to these, I'm keeping the WA6 though, I love it with my other headphones.
 
Jan 16, 2019 at 4:39 AM Post #1,271 of 1,285
I'm really surprised that the Cavalli Liquid Platinum isn't mentioned more; it's a mid-priced amp that really delivers quality sound. Pairs really nicely with just about any headphone (not a good match for ultra-efficient, low impedance stuff though).

Supposedly it's similar to a balanced Liquid Crimson but not exactly the same (Alex Cavalli's words). I would love to get my hands on a Liquid Crimson to compare the two.
 
Jan 16, 2019 at 4:45 AM Post #1,272 of 1,285
I'm really surprised that the Cavalli Liquid Platinum isn't mentioned more; it's a mid-priced amp that really delivers quality sound. Pairs really nicely with just about any headphone (not a good match for ultra-efficient, low impedance stuff though).

Supposedly it's similar to a balanced Liquid Crimson but not exactly the same (Alex Cavalli's words). I would love to get my hands on a Liquid Crimson to compare the two.

No disrespect to Cavalli but haven't they packed in? How would you get warranty and service....
 
Jan 16, 2019 at 9:25 AM Post #1,274 of 1,285
I got the LCD-3 on the holiday sale but sadly i'm returning them. I love the headphones, but I think they are messing with my ears, they seal too much around my ears creating a lot of pressure on my eardrums. I used it first with my Liquid Carbon X and CTH but there was something off for me in the upper midrange and treble, it was kinda harsh and shouty. It wasn't until I went to a High end audio shop where I tried the Chord Hugo 2 and other high end Amps/DACS that i started to really appreciate what this headphone can do. I then got a WooAudio WA6 and was equally blown away as i was at the Audio Shop. But now i must say goodbye to these, I'm keeping the WA6 though, I love it with my other headphones.

Glad you found a setup that you really like. As for the LCD-3s, I wonder if the upper mid range and treble issues you experienced would be solved with break in?

I bought my LCD-3s used, so Break in was not a factor for me. But with other Planars I’ve owned, I got that same dry, flat, harshness in the upper ranges until they broke in. Then once they broke in, I got all that lovely depth and warmth that you’d expect from a good set of planars.
 
Jan 16, 2019 at 2:14 PM Post #1,275 of 1,285
Glad you found a setup that you really like. As for the LCD-3s, I wonder if the upper mid range and treble issues you experienced would be solved with break in?

I bought my LCD-3s used, so Break in was not a factor for me. But with other Planars I’ve owned, I got that same dry, flat, harshness in the upper ranges until they broke in. Then once they broke in, I got all that lovely depth and warmth that you’d expect from a good set of planars.
You might be right, but I tried a LCD2 classic that had already been burned in (I was the third owner) with the same amps and experienced the same issue. It mostly only happens in certain genres. I didnt experience this when I went to the audio shop and tried higher end amps with the LCD-3s. I've tried other planars and not experience this so it could be a thing with the Audeze headphones. The guy i spoke to from WooAudio said that a headphone of the quality of the LCD-3 can reveal the flaws in the lower end stuff but i'm not sure how true that is.
 

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