[JLoud]

Just checked and sure enough there it was. I have currently an isine10, LCDi4,LCD3,LCD4,LCDMX4, and el8c. Had and sold two different LCD2’s. Obviously really like the house sound. Kind of wish I had got the 4z instead of mx4. But the mx4 is different enough I plan to keep it. I wanted a lighter portable easy to drive full size phone. The i4 is great but I like the impact of full size.

 

[hawkwindx]

Thank you so much! Found the SN.

I have the LCD-3’s paired with the Deckard. I added the JDS Labs EL DAC and it sounds very good. The Deckard alone sounded great, but adding the EL DAC improved the sound considerably. Best way I can describe it is the EL DAC mellowed down the overall sound to make it easier to listen to.

 

[thecrow]

Apologies if this has alreay been posted
Lcd3 and 4
https://slickdeals.net/f/11938603-a...-or-lcd-4-2799-free-s-h?src=SiteSearchV2Algo1

 

[Audiofiend1]

Apologies if this has alreay been posted
Lcd3 and 4
https://slickdeals.net/f/11938603-a...-or-lcd-4-2799-free-s-h?src=SiteSearchV2Algo1

Wow how, what's the catch...

 

[thecrow]

Wow how, what's the catch...

The listing shows the old headband and someone else pointed out that the lcd4 is the 100ohm version (not 200)

 

[Povell42]

So, I have been messing around with my DACs to see if I can hear differences with my LCD3's. I have routed and A/B tested the following:

Modi Multibit
Creative X7
Fulla 2

I feed them into a nobsound passive switch into my Aune X7s class A amp.

With the good ol' A/B test... between them... I cannot hear a difference! I don't know if that amp is not transparent enough to hear the differences, or the is the LCD3. I would have guessed that I could have heared a difference between the Fulla2 and Modi...but none.

Soon after I got my lcd-3 I was able to A/B between my Creatve X7 DAC/AMP combo and the Audeze Deckard. I could not discern a difference between those either!

Maybe my ears are not cut out to be audiophiles.

I have been feeling latley that my LCD3 is slightly muddy and congested in some songs. It might be partially the amp. My thinking that a different DAC AMP combo could remedy this.
I guess I'm sharing this because I am kinda discouraged to spend any money on a new DAC, but so curious when I hear people saying they can hear a difference in DACS.

I also can't make up my mind if I should buy a tube amp and which one for the LCD3? I can't currently spend 2k like some people have suggested.

 

[hawkwindx]

I don’t want to be misleading, but I noticed a difference adding the EL DAC to the Deckard. I’ll have to try it again next week when I have some time off from work. I had just gotten my LCD-3s and Deckard. It didn’t sound muddy at all. In fact the highs were hurting my ears. After I added the EL DAC it sounded nice. Maybe the phones “burned in”, but I’ve read the LCD’s don’t need burning in. It all sounds just right to me now. Next week I’ll try the Deckard, which has a DAC in it, with the JDS Labs EL DAC and then without it to see if there’s a difference.

 

[Phronesis]

So, I have been messing around with my DACs to see if I can hear differences with my LCD3's. I have routed and A/B tested the following:

Modi Multibit
Creative X7
Fulla 2

I feed them into a nobsound passive switch into my Aune X7s class A amp.

With the good ol' A/B test... between them... I cannot hear a difference! I don't know if that amp is not transparent enough to hear the differences, or the is the LCD3. I would have guessed that I could have heared a difference between the Fulla2 and Modi...but none.

Soon after I got my lcd-3 I was able to A/B between my Creatve X7 DAC/AMP combo and the Audeze Deckard. I could not discern a difference between those either!

Maybe my ears are not cut out to be audiophiles.

I have been feeling latley that my LCD3 is slightly muddy and congested in some songs. It might be partially the amp. My thinking that a different DAC AMP combo could remedy this.
I guess I'm sharing this because I am kinda discouraged to spend any money on a new DAC, but so curious when I hear people saying they can hear a difference in DACS.

I also can't make up my mind if I should buy a tube amp and which one for the LCD3? I can't currently spend 2k like some people have suggested.

I've had a similar experience of differences that I thought I perceived between DAC/amps disappearing when I did sighted A/B controlled to match for volume and music segment, with quick switching between A and B. PM sent.

One thing I know for sure is that perception is complex and variable, and it's easy for our perception to be influenced by factors like expectations, mood, fatigue, etc. The book "Subliminal" by Leonard Mlodinow is a great read on this general topic.

 

[astrostar59]

I don’t want to be misleading, but I noticed a difference adding the EL DAC to the Deckard. I’ll have to try it again next week when I have some time off from work. I had just gotten my LCD-3s and Deckard. It didn’t sound muddy at all. In fact the highs were hurting my ears. After I added the EL DAC it sounded nice. Maybe the phones “burned in”, but I’ve read the LCD’s don’t need burning in. It all sounds just right to me now. Next week I’ll try the Deckard, which has a DAC in it, with the JDS Labs EL DAC and then without it to see if there’s a difference.

I think what you are hearing is the same DAC architecture, filtering and maybe even the same chip, along with a simple op amp for the gain stage. As you move up the ladder you hear bigger differences, more detail, more realistic tone, more of everything. Just like pre-amplifiers sound different, get better, the same applies to a DAC. In certain price brackets it is very close I admit (sub 2K). A good DAC for your budget would be the Holo Spring DAC, it is R-2R ad is an entry into the world of non up sampling DAC. Go filterless and have a tube gain stage and you will hear much more difference (in a good way).


Good luck.

 

[Audiofiend1]

So, I have been messing around with my DACs to see if I can hear differences with my LCD3's. I have routed and A/B tested the following:

Modi Multibit
Creative X7
Fulla 2

I feed them into a nobsound passive switch into my Aune X7s class A amp.

With the good ol' A/B test... between them... I cannot hear a difference! I don't know if that amp is not transparent enough to hear the differences, or the is the LCD3. I would have guessed that I could have heared a difference between the Fulla2 and Modi...but none.

Soon after I got my lcd-3 I was able to A/B between my Creatve X7 DAC/AMP combo and the Audeze Deckard. I could not discern a difference between those either!

Maybe my ears are not cut out to be audiophiles.

I have been feeling latley that my LCD3 is slightly muddy and congested in some songs. It might be partially the amp. My thinking that a different DAC AMP combo could remedy this.
I guess I'm sharing this because I am kinda discouraged to spend any money on a new DAC, but so curious when I hear people saying they can hear a difference in DACS.

I also can't make up my mind if I should buy a tube amp and which one for the LCD3? I can't currently spend 2k like some people have suggested.

I posted this over in the Gungnir thread but thought i would share it here too for you since it's basically what you are also saying.

I recently got a Ha1 a few days ago and have been loving it so far. Unfortunately i'm in quite a conundrum as it's making me want to sell my Gungnir Multibit which is by all regards a more expensive dac. I have been doing A/B comparisons for the last 2 days now between the Gumby dac and the Oppo Ha1 dac and for the life of me i cannot notice a discernible difference of say more then 1%. The Gumby sounds maybe a touch warmer and when i say a touch it's really not even noticeable it's to such a tiny degree, that in fact it may not even be there. Also just to mention that i used the Oppo amp for both dacs and listened at exactly the same volume with same cables for all tests. Only took me about 2 seconds to change between dacs as well.

Anyway, That's how alike the sound, coming from both the Gumby and Ha1 dac sounded. Now just to make sure i was hearing what i was hearing. I compared the sound impressions from a HD800S, LCD 2, and a Shure 846. I could clearly hear HUGE! sonic differences between the headphones but not between the two dacs. I'm honestly becoming a believer that 99% of the sonic difference is coming from the headphone and not from the dac. If i had to advise someone buying new gear that wanted to hear the best sound, i would honestly tell them the headphone is by far and away the most important part.

So where does this leave me, i'm not really sure to be honest and would love some of your guys input....
I'm tempted to just sell my Gumby soon which i have loved so much. I will continue to spend hours doing more tests as i enjoy it, but i'm not really sure what to think about spending money on dac's after a certain price point anymore.

Anyway that's how i still feel even after several more days of tests. I do however find a good tube amp makes a big difference, definetly look into one if you want a different sound.

 

[hawkwindx]

Good to hear yours and other’s impressions. I’m not interested in getting another DAC as mine sounds great. I also have a Bottlehead Crack but it’s not well suited for the LCD-3’s. Someday I would like to try a Project Ember.

Meanwhile settling in to the music. Really enjoying classical music and also Frank Zappa on these cans.

 

[astrostar59]

I posted this over in the Gungnir thread but thought i would share it here too for you since it's basically what you are also saying.

I recently got a Ha1 a few days ago and have been loving it so far. Unfortunately i'm in quite a conundrum as it's making me want to sell my Gungnir Multibit which is by all regards a more expensive dac. I have been doing A/B comparisons for the last 2 days now between the Gumby dac and the Oppo Ha1 dac and for the life of me i cannot notice a discernible difference of say more then 1%. The Gumby sounds maybe a touch warmer and when i say a touch it's really not even noticeable it's to such a tiny degree, that in fact it may not even be there. Also just to mention that i used the Oppo amp for both dacs and listened at exactly the same volume with same cables for all tests. Only took me about 2 seconds to change between dacs as well.

Anyway, That's how alike the sound, coming from both the Gumby and Ha1 dac sounded. Now just to make sure i was hearing what i was hearing. I compared the sound impressions from a HD800S, LCD 2, and a Shure 846. I could clearly hear HUGE! sonic differences between the headphones but not between the two dacs. I'm honestly becoming a believer that 99% of the sonic difference is coming from the headphone and not from the dac. If i had to advise someone buying new gear that wanted to hear the best sound, i would honestly tell them the headphone is by far and away the most important part.

So where does this leave me, i'm not really sure to be honest and would love some of your guys input....
I'm tempted to just sell my Gumby soon which i have loved so much. I will continue to spend hours doing more tests as i enjoy it, but i'm not really sure what to think about spending money on dac's after a certain price point anymore.

Anyway that's how i still feel even after several more days of tests. I do however find a good tube amp makes a big difference, definetly look into one if you want a different sound.

Interesting. I can appreciate what you are finding. But having said before on DACs, many modern DACs at a price level are more alike in architecture than not. Some have the same chip for example, op amp gain stage, small SS power supply, same chip based filter etc. I think you need to go to a good R-2R filterless DAC with a tube gain stage to hear the next level, a big change. Other DAC designs are also damb good, Chord DAVE for example leaves many in the dust and does sound different.

My advice, keep looking.

On HP amps, I recently went from a simple Metrum Aurix SE output to the Violectric V281 Balanced output, and that was a BIG jump.

 

[Povell42]

Thank for all you replies.

but i'm not really sure what to think about spending money on dac's after a certain price point anymore.

In certain price brackets it is very close I admit (sub 2K).

Audiofiend1: That is exactly how im feeling too. Maybe my Mimby will give the the most DAC i need until I want to pay 1k+ on a DAC... and maybe that wont even matter if I use the same AMP.

One thing I know for sure is that perception is complex and variable, and it's easy for our perception to be influenced by factors like expectations, mood, fatigue, etc.

Haha, this is the truth. This is one of the things I hate about this hobby - one day I'm in love with a component, the next I'm nitpicking it apart thinking it sounded better yesterday, the next day it sounds great again! HAHA.

So, I had an interesting experience with my LCD3 last night. I have only been able to use my XLR cable with them because the 1/4 in plug was cutting out. I reached out to Audeze a couple weeks ago and they sent me a "newer" style 1/4 in cable covered under warranty (*very impressed with Audeze customer support). The cable arrived yesterday, so last night i was able to compare. NOW, I have always thought that cables do not make much difference... BUT... the new cable sounds better to me! It sounds like it is less congested then the xlr. I have always preferred my xlr plug because "the more power, the better" right? This may be a difference between the outputs on my Aune x7s amp... but as of last night, I believe the 1/4in output sounded better. HAHA. Could the cable make that noticeable difference? If so, I really want a new xlr cable from them. And...I better replace all my Amazon Basic cables HAHA.

Also, now having a 1/4 in cable that works, I have been able to listen to the different AMPs with the same DACs i mentioned earlier. I now believe that the AMP makes the difference, because I could hear a difference from the same sources with different amps. Who knows maybe it all in the new cable... haha.

AMP > DAC in changing sound.

UPDATE: I was just thinking that the LCD-3 may not be the best/transparent headphone to really be testing multiple DACs & AMPs differences. So, that probably plays a big factor too. For this purpose... my conclusion is specific to my LCD3. Maybe if I had an HD660s and did the same tests, I may be able to hear a difference.

 

[Audiofiend1]

Thank for all you replies.


Audiofiend1: That is exactly how im feeling too. Maybe my Mimby will give the the most DAC i need until I want to pay 1k+ on a DAC... and maybe that wont even matter if I use the same AMP.

Haha, this is the truth. This is one of the things I hate about this hobby - one day I'm in love with a component, the next I'm nitpicking it apart thinking it sounded better yesterday, the next day it sounds great again! HAHA.

So, I had an interesting experience with my LCD3 last night. I have only been able to use my XLR cable with them because the 1/4 in plug was cutting out. I reached out to Audeze a couple weeks ago and they sent me a "newer" style 1/4 in cable covered under warranty (*very impressed with Audeze customer support). The cable arrived yesterday, so last night i was able to compare. NOW, I have always thought that cables do not make much difference... BUT... the new cable sounds better to me! It sounds like it is less congested then the xlr. I have always preferred my xlr plug because "the more power, the better" right? This may be a difference between the outputs on my Aune x7s amp... but as of last night, I believe the 1/4in output sounded better. HAHA. Could the cable make that noticeable difference? If so, I really want a new xlr cable from them. And...I better replace all my Amazon Basic cables HAHA.

Also, now having a 1/4 in cable that works, I have been able to listen to the different AMPs with the same DACs i mentioned earlier. I now believe that the AMP makes the difference, because I could hear a difference from the same sources with different amps. Who knows maybe it all in the new cable... haha.

AMP > DAC in changing sound.

I think it's better to upgrade headphone, amp and then dac in that order, prioritizing your money and setup like that. As for cables i do notice a difference in sound when comparing them. With my LCD 3 i primarily use a Moon Audio Black Dragon and it sounds better to me then the stock Audeze cables. More air and warmth, a touch cleaner too.

 

[Povell42]

With my LCD 3 i primarily use a Moon Audio Black Dragon

Nice. Did you pay almost $400 for that cable! Yikes! I really would need to hear one before buying one at that price.

Anyone know a good source to buy raw cable so i could build/solder my own LCD3 cables?