[lowrider007]

I just upgraded to the Deckard from the M-Stage HPA-1, and God does this amp make my K712's sing! Really nice amp and a very noticeable jump in quality, much cleaner sounding, not nearly as warm as I was expecting, controls the bass on the K712's amazingly well.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

I just upgraded to the Deckard from the M-Stage HPA-1, and God does this amp make my K712's sing! Really nice amp and a very noticeable jump in quality, much cleaner sounding, not nearly as warm as I was expecting, controls the bass on the K712's amazingly well.

Gotta remember it was made to go with the LCD-X, so it's definitely not going to be warm.

 

[lowrider007]

Gotta remember it was made to go with the LCD-X, so it's definitely not going to be warm.

I think that's why it might be paring really well with the K712's becuase I consider that a fairly warm headphone so they meet in the middle well, the top end was a little fatiguing at times with my Grado's, I'm hoping to get some refurbished LCD-2's in the future but I'm in no hurry, just want to enjoy what I have for now.

 

[Gamergtx260]

I think that's why it might be paring really well with the K712's becuase I consider that a fairly warm headphone so they meet in the middle well, the top end was a little fatiguing at times with my Grado's, I'm hoping to get some refurbished LCD-2's in the future but I'm in no hurry, just want to enjoy what I have for now.

If you can afford the LCD X used or new, then go for it first. Not that the LCD 2s are bad with it (They are amazing on the Deckard) but it really sounds sublime with the LCD X.

I quickly tried my HD 600s on mid gain and wow. They sound so clean and never harsh. Surely the DAC section isn't par with the others. Comparing back and forth with HD DAC1, there is a clear loss in resolution but maybe that makes it sound a bit warmer than the other DACs I guess.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

I think that's why it might be paring really well with the K712's becuase I consider that a fairly warm headphone so they meet in the middle well, the top end was a little fatiguing at times with my Grado's, I'm hoping to get some refurbished LCD-2's in the future but I'm in no hurry, just want to enjoy what I have for now.

You're gonna loooove the LCD-2. If you like your AKGs, go for the fazor model of the LCD, not the pre-fazor. It's a lot more clear and even.

 

[TWerk]

I agree that the fazored one sounds better. Highs are better and not just rolled off and soft.

 

[Gamergtx260]

Today I had much free time and compared extensively the X and XC with the Deckard. I should say the XC is one heck of a closed back. The vocals and midrange are amazing than the X. The X seemed to have more air and deeper bass.
I like them both

 

[BunnyNamedCraig]

I agree that the fazored one sounds better. Highs are better and not just rolled off and soft.

Interesting.... We have a demo of the LCD 2 here and it is fazored. I never got to get extensive listening with non fazor (and possibly never heard it in my travels either). Do some people prefer the unfazored do you know because they just like it that laid back?

 

[MarkC303]

First post!

I bought the Audeze Deckard last week. I upgraded from a cheap Focusrite audio interface so the standard to beat was quite low!
At the moment I'm using a set of Focal Spirit Pro cans until I can afford to upgrade.

Here's my thoughts on the Deckard:
Pros: Incredibly, almost unbelievably, detailed, open, spacious sound. Fantastic with vocals, Huge, but controlled, bass extension.
Cons: High frequencies seem slightly exaggerated. They are bright, almost piercing at times.

I'm a bit concerned by the high end on my unit. It really is very pronounced and is making loud listening sessions quite tiring. I've been running it in overnight since I got the unit, so it's probably clocked up 50 hours so far.
I haven't seen this mentioned in any reviews (or in this thread). Is it just my Focals not being up to the job? The only other cans I have are the Sennheiser HD25Mk2 which I use when DJ-ing, they also sound very bright when hooked up to the Deckard. I'm interested to hear if anyone else has experienced this.

I'm running it on a Windows 10 desktop, with Foobar2000. Most of my music is 16-bit, 44.1kHz FLAC or WAV.

 

[Gamergtx260]

First post!

I bought the Audeze Deckard last week. I upgraded from a cheap Focusrite audio interface so the standard to beat was quite low!
At the moment I'm using a set of Focal Spirit Pro cans until I can afford to upgrade.

Here's my thoughts on the Deckard:
Pros: Incredibly, almost unbelievably, detailed, open, spacious sound. Fantastic with vocals, Huge, but controlled, bass extension.
Cons: High frequencies seem slightly exaggerated. They are bright, almost piercing at times.

I'm a bit concerned by the high end on my unit. It really is very pronounced and is making loud listening sessions quite tiring. I've been running it in overnight since I got the unit, so it's probably clocked up 50 hours so far.
I haven't seen this mentioned in any reviews (or in this thread). Is it just my Focals not being up to the job? The only other cans I have are the Sennheiser HD25Mk2 which I use when DJ-ing, they also sound very bright when hooked up to the Deckard. I'm interested to hear if anyone else has experienced this.

I'm running it on a Windows 10 desktop, with Foobar2000. Most of my music is 16-bit, 44.1kHz FLAC or WAV.

Unfortunately, I only have Audeze headphones (2,X,XC) and HD600s, so I cannot really tell about the high frequencies
.
From the FR graphs, I see the Focal's have a treble peak around 6KHz (similar to the HD800) which to me sounded bright.
The HD25 has a peak at 10KHz too but I do not know if this is a problem.

The Deckard is quite transparent and I would only think it sounds bright because of your headphones. Any chance of borrowing a Audeze?

 

[MarkC303]

Thanks for the info! I suspect that the Focals are to blame, I will find out if there's a stockist nearby where I can audition some Audeze headphones.

As an example track where the issue is most noticeable - Money by Pink Floyd on Dark Side of the Moon (Experience Edition). The middle section of the track with the sax and guitar solos, when both the sax and the guitar start rising into the upper-mids, and higher, they really pierce the ears!

I just read through the thread on here regarding the Focal Spirit Pros - some people mentioned that they sound "metallic" - that's exactly how I would describe them when driven by the Deckard.

 

[BunnyNamedCraig]

Thanks for the info! I suspect that the Focals are to blame, I will find out if there's a stockist nearby where I can audition some Audeze headphones.

As an example track where the issue is most noticeable - Money by Pink Floyd on Dark Side of the Moon (Experience Edition). The middle section of the track with the sax and guitar solos, when both the sax and the guitar start rising into the upper-mids, and higher, they really pierce the ears!

I just read through the thread on here regarding the Focal Spirit Pros - some people mentioned that they sound "metallic" - that's exactly how I would describe them when driven by the Deckard.

The spirit pro's might just benefit from a different amp that will try and tame the highs instead of letting them breathe. disappointing you can't really enjoy the Deckard until you do another headphone upgrade... What you could do in the mean time is try to EQ your spirits with something online to tame the treble a bit? Just a thought...

 

[MarkC303]

Yeah, it's starting to annoy me to be honest. I'm considering returning the Deckard and looking for another solution. I'm still not convinced that the issue is at the headphone end, the treble sounds way out of control at times - I've had the Focals for years and never noticed them being particularly forward, until now.

 

[BunnyNamedCraig]

Gotcha. I only thought keep it just because I had a fantastic time listening to it with a ton of our headphones here. our Demos range from midfi to hifi so that is why I thought it might be worth keeping till you jump up. But I don't blame you for wanting to return if it isn't enjoyable now.

 

[MarkC303]

Treble-aside, everything else about the sound is fantastic. I'm hearing new detail in tracks that I've listened to thousands of times. I'm going to see if I can borrow some high end headphones over the weekend to confirm if it's an issue with the Deckard or my cans.