[holden4th]

I have also been introduced to the crack in the hinges both sides for my first pair. Audeze replaced it with a new one and i have changed how i take these off of my head. Instead of grabbing them by the cups i literally put my hands on the hinges and pull the entire stem apart from both sides.

Almost a year later now and no cracks or damage seen which is good news. Obviously i am still weary that this might appear in the future and i have started looking for similar or upgraded performance elsewhere without jumping the cost (in the UK these were 400 pound sterling which is about 480 dollars US).

Now i absolutely love the sound and convenience of the LCD1. It's my best and favorite headphone and the sound signature and translation is top tier in my ears. I run it with an Ifi Zen DAC (first Gen) at home and through a BTR5 when i move it around.

Is there any other headphones out there like it with similar design and sound at a similar price to look at?

The HiFiman Sundara are meant to be similar but I've never heard them. What I like about the LCD1s is that they don't have the same sort of sound signature as their more expensive siblings. Bass is one area where you can really hear a difference.

 

[ayemak]

I have also been introduced to the crack in the hinges both sides for my first pair. Audeze replaced it with a new one and i have changed how i take these off of my head. Instead of grabbing them by the cups i literally put my hands on the hinges and pull the entire stem apart from both sides.

Almost a year later now and no cracks or damage seen which is good news. Obviously i am still weary that this might appear in the future and i have started looking for similar or upgraded performance elsewhere without jumping the cost (in the UK these were 400 pound sterling which is about 480 dollars US).

Now i absolutely love the sound and convenience of the LCD1. It's my best and favorite headphone and the sound signature and translation is top tier in my ears. I run it with an Ifi Zen DAC (first Gen) at home and through a BTR5 when i move it around.

Is there any other headphones out there like it with similar design and sound at a similar price to look at?

I got yet another replacement pair and just in time, about 3 months in, there's a crack near the hinges
It's not like I'm yanking them off and tossing them around either. I've been doing very slow, smooth motions when placing them on my head and removing them but the crack still developed (only on the left side this time). Maybe I have a big head or something and it's making this situation worse for me. I'm going to try the technique you mentioned, see it I can at least prevent it from getting any worse. I guess pulling from the cups might be putting a lot of stress on the hinges, creating a weak point.

I love these headphones too but they just might be the most delicate pieces of equipment I've ever handled. The low weight and small profile are definitely one of its selling points but I would kill for a robust headband replacement option like the other LCD headphones got.

 

[MRC001]

I got yet another replacement pair and just in time, about 3 months in, there's a crack near the hinges
... I'm going to try the technique you mentioned, see it I can at least prevent it from getting any worse. ...

I would RMA them again for warranty replacement. You get the fix you deserve, and Audeze gets to learn how fragile these are so they can improve them.

 

[ikaruga24]

The HiFiman Sundara are meant to be similar but I've never heard them. What I like about the LCD1s is that they don't have the same sort of sound signature as their more expensive siblings. Bass is one area where you can really hear a difference.

I have listened the Sundara for a bit but i thought their sound was not as detailed as the LCD 1 and also the sound signature and texture sounded a bit metallic for my tastes.

Someone said that the headphone will sound much better if you feed enough power to it, not my puny Zen Dac which does not make the Sundara justice. However, this is also a deal breaker for me as i expect to use the headphone through multitudes of sources.

 

[ayemak]

I would RMA them again for warranty replacement. You get the fix you deserve, and Audeze gets to learn how fragile these are so they can improve them.

Yeah I guess I should do just that. I'm sure Audeze is going to get sick of me after all of these RMAs but something like this absolutely should not be happening under regular use.
The first time the hinges snapped on me the entire cup slipped out and would've slammed into the floor if the wire didn't manage to catch it. It really is a disaster waiting to happen once the fracture forms. No idea what I'll do with these when I run out of warranty but I guess I should make good use of it while I still have it.

 

[ikaruga24]

So do we have something that can be considered a similar direct competitor to the LCD1 or do we agree that this is pretty much a one off?

 

[holden4th]

Can someone post a picture of the crack near the hinges? I've had my LCD1s for over a year now with plenty of use and at this point I can't see an issue. However, I might be looking in the wrong place.

 

[ayemak]

Can someone post a picture of the crack near the hinges? I've had my LCD1s for over a year now with plenty of use and at this point I can't see an issue. However, I might be looking in the wrong place.

It's near where the cups fold. Here's a picture of my current ones. Look at the left side, that's usually how it starts off. Like a small innocent scratch but slowly it crawls its way towards the edge and becomes a visibly deep fracture, like on the right side. Eventually it'll just snap.

It always happens in that exact area so I'm convinced it's just a failure in the design.

 

[holden4th]

That's very helpful - mine are showing similar signs of wear. Looks like I'll be going back to the supplier. Maybe this is why you can no longer get them.

 

[alekc]

That's very helpful - mine are showing similar signs of wear. Looks like I'll be going back to the supplier. Maybe this is why you can no longer get them.

@holden4th sorry to hear that. Well for me it was an important lessons: great sound but very poor quality and awful customer service will keep me away from any further Audeze purchases in the future. Wish it was other way around since LCD-1 are ones of my favorite cans so far, especially when I'm on the move. I love how those pair with Mojo, Mojo 2 and Fiio Q5s with AM3D amp module. Awesome synergy at reasonable cost. The folding system is also IMHO clever and very useful. The other issue: both of my 2 pairs have different sound signature and this tells you also a lot about quality check at the factory

 

[holden4th]

I've sent off a message to the retailer who have been very helpful in the past. Like you, I love the sound but with cracking in three out of four sections these are not going to last long. I'm either going to ask for a refund or look at some Hifimans from them. Maybe the Ananda stealth might be an option but I'm not sure. I'm also wondering if I can stretch my budget to some Dan Clark Aeons but my supplier doesn't stock them. What did you replace yours with?

 

[alekc]

I've sent off a message to the retailer who have been very helpful in the past. Like you, I love the sound but with cracking in three out of four sections these are not going to last long. I'm either going to ask for a refund or look at some Hifimans from them. Maybe the Ananda stealth might be an option but I'm not sure. I'm also wondering if I can stretch my budget to some Dan Clark Aeons but my supplier doesn't stock them. What did you replace yours with?

@holden4th that is a tricky question: right now I'm traveling with Fiio FH5 and Focal Clears MG, but this is hardly a replacement since both headphones are very different from LCD-1 in almost all aspects. I think Hifiman can be a good direction in terms of sound signature however LCD-1 are really unique IMHO in a way that they are really mobile and great sounding at the same time with perfect for same albums signature. LCD-1 were also my test cans for new equipment: I would always do a first listen with those before switching to another headphones. Glad my AudioQuest cans are still in perfect conditions since those have also amazing sound signature and their comfort is hard to beat, but they aren't for mobile use unfortunately (much like Clears, but Clears have a lot more compact case).

I wish some other manufacturer with better quality control than Audeze would build similar sounding and similar in design headphones - it would be an instant buy for me.

 

[holden4th]

I've done some research and am looking at two choices so far. The retailer I got the LCD1s from has the Ananda Stealth for $999 and the reviews are quite good. Maybe they'll split the price difference which would be nice.

The other alternative is very tempting but I'll have to stump up all the cash myself. They are the Drop version of the Dan Clark Audio Aeon RT and at $499 they seem like a bargain. The reviews seem to give the impression that both headphones have different sound signatures.

I'm off on holiday in a couple of days so I'll have some more time to think things over.

 

[ikaruga24]

Does anyone have a good enough pairing for an amp-dac with the LCD1? I have read in this thread that the headphones despite being low meintenance if you feed them enough power they do scale significantly but obviously i don't just want to go and fork out $200+ to replace my Ifi zen dac V1 if the difference is marginal.

Does anyone have any actual experience with using the headphones with different power levels to comment on the differences?

 

[XP_98]

Just updated my reading ...
Having bought my LCD1 used, no warranty.
At the time it seems ok, but I'll have to check the shown "scratches as first sign of incoming fracture".
In case they would show, did someone try a preventive action, by gluing ? Using tape ? Another trick ?