[M-83]

I have the Pegasus and its fantastic. Highly recommended. Of your list, I think combining is with the V281 might be the most interesting but you may find that it is a little too warm and bassy overtime (with the LCD3). Personally, I'd like that but to each their own.

Cool nice to hear re Pegasus. I’m intrigued by V281 though I wonder if it may lack some resolution due to warmth. I like Bass presence and depth so that might not be a problem with V281 (I’m not a traditional bass head though).

 

[M-83]

Try the Qutest feeding Sparkos Aries. It drives my LCD4s amazingly. Epic detail, but natural, so musical, great soundstage. So emotionally engaging

Thanks will read up on this

 

[the1andonly]

I tried Anole VX on my Oppo HA-1 and it blew my LCD-4 out of the water for technical performance, now I am selling my HDV-820 and other desktop DAC/AMPs.... If the HA-1 can push significantly more technical performance via an IEM it's good enough for everything else. I will but other DAC/amps when I am filthy rich.

 

[kid vic]

Cool nice to hear re Pegasus. I’m intrigued by V281 though I wonder if it may lack some resolution due to warmth. I like Bass presence and depth so that might not be a problem with V281 (I’m not a traditional bass head though).

Resolution is not impacted by warmth so that's not an issue to worry about.

 

[M-83]

Resolution is not impacted by warmth so that's not an issue to worry about.

Cool. It's between V281, V280 FE, and Soloist GT.

I ordered Pegasus today

 

[AcousticMatt]

Thanks for your thoughts. Does sound like we reached a similar crossroads.

C3R has dual DAC implementation whereas the performance was single. There are other differences including power output etc.

I was hesitant about the of ESS dac in C3R and my gut feeling was right. There isn’t much in it though tbh and Burson have done a great job.

I have been “this” close to pushing the button on Burson Conductor 3X GT but the dac doesn’t interest me and it has a compromised amp section compared with Soloist GT.

I have been recommended a number of options including Qutest, CMA Fifteen, Pathos Aurium, Ferrum Oor, V850, V590,V281, Bifrost 2, Yggy, Rangarok 2, and a few others I can’t remember right now.

One thing I have noticed in the past few days is that C3R really can stretch its legs and get LCD-3 going well with increased volume. I bet the feeling running my Alpha Primes at volume 40-45 for a few hours has helped to improve C3R.

When I went back to lcd-3 I pushed volume up to higher levels and rather than outright volume increase, it was more the soundstage felt more complete. I guess the power and current that lcd-3 demand was being close to met for the first time. This has caused the treble fatigue that I hate which is why C3R isn’t right for me.

It sounds like you’re really enjoying your rig which is awesome and I’m really pleased for you.

I have heard people say that the Qutest is analytical and Pathos Aurium is vs other tube amps.

I do prefer tube amps in general though don’t want to wait for them to warm up. Solid state just don’t sound as good in general (subjective opinion).

I’ll read up further on the Oor. The bass on C3R can hit hard but it’s very dependent on the track. I think the music I listen to has always been a challenge to get the right gear in place.

Thanks for your input!

Sure! I know it's hard when there's a ton of options... I like reading these threads though to see what people are loving and I think it's helpful to hear others' experience.

I agree about tube amps. I'm actually looking to get one eventually for my headphones. If you end up getting one, let us know how it does with the LCD3! I've been looking at a couple: Feliks Envy, Auris Nirvana. Very pricey, but apparently would be great for all of my currently headphones.

One other thing to note - you said that as you went higher in volume on the C3R, the soundstage felt more complete. That's a huge plus with the Oor. It's got 8watts of power into 60ohms, so when you use it with headphones like the LCD3 and LCD2, it opens up their soundstage in a great way without getting that treble harshness. Even though they don't "need" that much power, it does something to them that really opens them up.

 

[M-83]

Sure! I know it's hard when there's a ton of options... I like reading these threads though to see what people are loving and I think it's helpful to hear others' experience.

I agree about tube amps. I'm actually looking to get one eventually for my headphones. If you end up getting one, let us know how it does with the LCD3! I've been looking at a couple: Feliks Envy, Auris Nirvana. Very pricey, but apparently would be great for all of my currently headphones.

One other thing to note - you said that as you went higher in volume on the C3R, the soundstage felt more complete. That's a huge plus with the Oor. It's got 8watts of power into 60ohms, so when you use it with headphones like the LCD3 and LCD2, it opens up their soundstage in a great way without getting that treble harshness. Even though they don't "need" that much power, it does something to them that really opens them up.

Yeah it’s really interesting sharing in the experiences everyone is having. Always something to learn from others and to help others.

The most expensive tube (hybrid) amp I’ve had was MJ2, and it’s very good with some really interesting hardware implementation.

I’m curious to know how much better more expensive tube amplifiers are and what you get for the cost. I also had a feliks echo mk1 otl amp a while back and that was fantastic value.

Yeah I have always had the opinion that planar headphones enjoy power and current. I hear a lot about wattage isn’t everything, yet for harder to drive planar headphones I think it’s very helpful in getting them well driven.

 

[hidehide]

May I know am I reading the graph correctly (see section “Frequency response Audeze LCD-3 Fazor headphone when connected to amplifiers with constant output impedance”)? Although the LCD-3 impedance is 110ohm, but the frequency response across the spectrum with amp output impedance of 300ohm looks similar than 0ohm. Does that mean the 1/8 output impedance rule doesn’t apply to LCD-3? Thanks.

https://reference-audio-analyzer.pro/en/report/hp/audeze-lcd-3-fazor.php#gsc.tab=0

 

[chesebert]

Has anyone been able to get through to Audeze support this past 2 weeks?

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Has anyone been able to get through to Audeze support this past 2 weeks?

Contact us at support@audeze.com. I'm literally on the tickets every weekday. It's easiest to reach us there, than on calls. There's only so few of us, so the best way is through the email system (we answer, I assure you.) There's only so many of us at support at any given time, we will mainly reply to emails. If you call, please leave a voicemail with your issue, so when we call back we know what the issue is so we can help you. If you need help, we need it on record anyways, so we're going to direct you to the email system regardless.

What's your ticket number?

 

[chesebert]

Contact us at support@audeze.com. I'm literally on the tickets every weekday. It's easiest to reach us there, than on calls. There's only so few of us, so the best way is through the email system (we answer, I assure you.) Since there's so few of us, we will mainly reply to voicemails. No voicemail, no reply. And if you need help, we need it on record anyways, so we're going to direct you to the email system regardless.

What's your ticket number?

#169715
Trust me, I have been emailing for a week now.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

#169715
Trust me, I have been emailing for a week now.

That support member last responded to you on Friday night. Please check your spam folders. Please give us 1-2 business days to respond back. We get a lot of tickets, and he's one of the two busiest members. I will ping him to get to you, but yes, please give us up to 48hrs to respond. If we take longer, there may be other issues, but we will get to you as soon as possible.

 

[chesebert]

That support member last responded to you on Friday night. You have to give us 1-2 business days to respond back. It hasn't been 2 business days. We get a LOT of tickets, and he's one of the two busiest members. I will ping him to get to you, but yes, please give us up to 48hrs to respond.

Responding without solving any issue - my initial email to support was on the 5th. I understand you have a LOT of tickets to go through and I appreciate the efforts.

Edit: problem resolved. Audeze stepped up their customer appreciation efforts - very much appreciated from this end.

 

[hidehide]

Responding without solving any issue - my initial email to support was on the 5th. I understand you have a LOT of tickets to go through and I appreciate the efforts.

They do responding within 24 hours for most of the time. But last Saturday’s email took them 48 hours. I’m dealing with an out of warranty driver replacement now, which costs $580 plus shipping internationally

 

[chesebert]

I am not a fan of Audeze making driver replacement a profit center. They used to not charge nearly as much - well that was a while back...who knows how much things cost now.