[M-83]

The stock Audeze cables are fine. They're not the most beautiful cables in the world but they're fine.

Okay thanks.

 

[Kazej]

Can you guys give me the heads up on cables? Snake-oil? Best ones? What's the deal

 

[gimmeheadroom]

Can you guys give me the heads up on cables? Snake-oil? Best ones? What's the deal

Most of the "which is the best cable threads" go on for hundreds if not thousands of posts. My take is that cables don't have sound unless there is something very wrong with them.

I buy replacement cables based on handling qualities (the stock cable is too thick or too thin, it's too short or too long, etc.) for materials (if you prefer silver coated copper, silver, copper litz etc.) and upgraded connectors or a certain brand of connectors, appearance (you can often pick the color and pattern), or for build quality.

There is no clear consensus on this. My advice is if you don't see (I didn't say hear!) any shortcomings with the stock cables, you saved yourself from another black hole for money.

 

[thurlesdrunk]

Hi Guys, hoping someone can help on this one. I just received my B-stock LCD-3's. Absolutely perfect condition, like brand new.
However I think the headphones have the leather free pads instead of the leather ones ordered.
They feel quite different (and smell different) to my old LCD-2 with leather pads. But maybe it's just me and the newer leather pads feel different. They are much much softer and less resistant pads. But again, I have no experience with leather free pads and am unsure.
I have attached a photo of the pads on the LCD-3 I received.
Can anyone confirm they are leather pads from the photos? Thanks for your help guys

 

[robo24]

Hi Guys, hoping someone can help on this one. I just received my B-stock LCD-3's. Absolutely perfect condition, like brand new.
However I think the headphones have the leather free pads instead of the leather ones ordered.
They feel quite different (and smell different) to my old LCD-2 with leather pads. But maybe it's just me and the newer leather pads feel different. They are much much softer and less resistant pads. But again, I have no experience with leather free pads and am unsure.
I have attached a photo of the pads on the LCD-3 I received.
Can anyone confirm they are leather pads from the photos? Thanks for your help guys

The pads since 2020 have micrcell foam which feels very different. Brings the mids more forward and they sound much better. Those look like leather but can't be sure since I'm not at home with my non-leather pads.

 

[AudioDuck]

Hi Guys, hoping someone can help on this one. I just received my B-stock LCD-3's. Absolutely perfect condition, like brand new.
However I think the headphones have the leather free pads instead of the leather ones ordered.
They feel quite different (and smell different) to my old LCD-2 with leather pads. But maybe it's just me and the newer leather pads feel different. They are much much softer and less resistant pads. But again, I have no experience with leather free pads and am unsure.
I have attached a photo of the pads on the LCD-3 I received.
Can anyone confirm they are leather pads from the photos? Thanks for your help guys

If that’s not leather, there has been great advancement in vegan leather options that I’m not aware of. Mind you, I’m judging based on ZMF pads (leather) and having owned LCD-XCs that had leather pads. But that sure looks like leather to me.

Congratulations on the new headphones- enjoy!

 

[maggie17fan]

Found this interesting:

https://den-fi.com/roll-safe-audezes-leather-vs-leather-free-pads/

 

[gimmeheadroom]

Hi Guys, hoping someone can help on this one. I just received my B-stock LCD-3's. Absolutely perfect condition, like brand new.
However I think the headphones have the leather free pads instead of the leather ones ordered.
They feel quite different (and smell different) to my old LCD-2 with leather pads. But maybe it's just me and the newer leather pads feel different. They are much much softer and less resistant pads. But again, I have no experience with leather free pads and am unsure.
I have attached a photo of the pads on the LCD-3 I received.
Can anyone confirm they are leather pads from the photos? Thanks for your help guys

I just checked my late 2019 pair now, the pads look identical. Mine are leather, so are yours

 

[robo24]

I just checked my late 2019 pair now, the pads look identical. Mine are leather, so are yours

Looked at my non-leather and actually they look the same on first look. However, I see yours have more variation in the sufrace grain while mine are identical so again makes me think those are leather after all.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

Looked at my non-leather and actually they look the same on first look. However, I see yours have more variation in the sufrace grain while mine are identical so again makes me think those are leather after all.

I didn't post any pics. I think you meant to respond to @thurlesdrunk

 

[Strat1117]

Listening to a favorite Bill Frisell cd (History Mystery), and I had one of those audiophile moments we all crave - as the horns were swelling in the background, I had to take off the headphones for an instant because I thought I heard a loud sound coming from my backyard - turned out it was just the background musicians way off in the distance in my headset. Don't know if the LCD-3 or the McIntosh amp gets the credit (most likely, it's the combination of the two), but I've played this cd dozens and dozens of times and, while it always sounds great, it never fooled me into thinking that the sound was coming from outside before! I know it sounds trite, but trust me, it was way cool.

@thurlesdrunk - mine are definitely leather, and yours look exactly the same. The old leather pads were a bit different - they also had a ring of pleather where they met the earcup which was eliminated in the newer style pads.

 

[ngominhhoang132]

For the last 4 months, I have been using LCD2C instead of LCD3 and the magic is gone: guitar loses the plucking sound, piano and vilion dont sound as smooth, female voices lose the trembling feeling, drums sound bloated and not very realistisc, I think bass has muscles but lacks texture, music feels less airy on LCD2C. Kate Bush no long sounds like a seductive witch, Dave Brubeck Quartet sounds dull and sleepy. Timbre is just not very accurate, instruments just do not sound the same as in real life. Instrument seperation is also clearly worse than on LCD3. In general, LCD2C just sounds wrong to me, in some way.

Came back to LCD3 just now and wow, I found all those that I have been missing again. Maybe LCD3 just goes extremely well together with Schiit Yggdrasil OG + Ragnarok 2? Or maybe LCD3 is a different league from LCD2C?

 

[gimmeheadroom]

Listening to a favorite Bill Frisell cd (History Mystery), and I had one of those audiophile moments we all crave - as the horns were swelling in the background, I had to take off the headphones for an instant because I thought I heard a loud sound coming from my backyard - turned out it was just the background musicians way off in the distance in my headset. Don't know if the LCD-3 or the McIntosh amp gets the credit (most likely, it's the combination of the two), but I've played this cd dozens and dozens of times and, while it always sounds great, it never fooled me into thinking that the sound was coming from outside before! I know it sounds trite, but trust me, it was way cool.

I love it when that happens! And if I remember correctly, the LCD-3F gives those kinds of moments more often than I would have expected. There is a huge amount of info coming out of them. How they remain so musical while being so clinical (you remember my prescient words which raised concern at the time) is truly a wonder.

For the last 4 months, I have been using LCD2C instead of LCD3 and the magic is gone: guitar loses the plucking sound, piano and vilion dont sound as smooth, female voices lose the trembling feeling, drums sound bloated and not very realistisc, I think bass has muscles lacks texture, music feels less airy on LCD2C. Kate Bush no long sounds like a seductive witch, Dave Brubeck Quartet sounds dull and sleepy. Timbre is just not very accurate, instruments just do not sound the same as in real life. Instrument seperation is also clearly worse than on LCD3. In general, LCD2C just sounds wrong to me, in some way.

Came back to LCD3 just now and wow, I found all those that I have been missing again. Maybe LCD3 just goes extremely well together with Schiit Yggdrasil OG + Ragnarok 2? Or maybe LCD3 is a different league from LCD2C?

When I was looking into buying the LCD-3 about three years ago, I asked about the difference on these forums, and somebody said that the LCD-2C slams better but that the LCD-3 is better in every other way. After I got my 3Fs, I realized that not only was he correct, but that what he said was understated.

I think it's a bit surprising that you notice it even without playing them back-to-back, from what I understood from what you wrote. I would say you probably have a good pair of ears and a good setup if things bothered you so much. But at least you have the right medicine to fix it!

 

[ngominhhoang132]

I love it when that happens! And if I remember correctly, the LCD-3F gives those kinds of moments more often than I would have expected. There is a huge amount of info coming out of them. How they remain so musical while being so clinical (you remember my prescient words which raised concern at the time) is truly a wonder.



When I was looking into buying the LCD-3 about three years ago, I asked about the difference on these forums, and somebody said that the LCD-2C slams better but that the LCD-3 is better in every other way. After I got my 3Fs, I realized that not only was he correct, but that what he said was understated.

I think it's a bit surprising that you notice it even without playing them back-to-back, from what I understood from what you wrote. I would say you probably have a good pair of ears and a good setup if things bothered you so much. But at least you have the right medicine to fix it!

Thank you for the kind words. Yeah the LCD3 is indeed the sweet medicine that I have been craving for the last 4 months.

 

[ngominhhoang132]

Btw, I run both LCD3 and LCD2C from Yggy OG & Ragnarok 2. Maybe it is also because of good synergy between LCD3 and the system