[kid vic]

Looking for your opinions. i just acquired a pair of LCD-3's yesterday. bought an "open box" with a little bit of $ saved. when i opened them up, they were dated 2016. i am compelled to return them but they sure sound sweet. i would be happy just to pay a little more and get the new ones.

If they come with warranty its not worth it; between the wandering frequency response and the hassle you may as well keep it. However, if it still uses the old style headband it might be worth (depending on how much you saved) getting a new headband from Audeze.

 

[Sam Spade]

Looking for your opinions. i just acquired a pair of LCD-3's yesterday. bought an "open box" with a little bit of $ saved. when i opened them up, they were dated 2016. i am compelled to return them but they sure sound sweet. i would be happy just to pay a little more and get the new ones.

I have a pair of LCD3s too delivered jan 2020. I quickly realised i needed closed back for much of my listening. Bought LCDxc. Then i tried LCD4s so it took me about 3 minutes to commit to them. So my LCD3s i assume manufactured 2019 delivered jan 2020. Very light use. Been in box for 9 months. Factory 6.3mm plug and 4 pin balanced XLR cables 1.8 -2m? Adelaide Australia.

 

[UntilThen]

Once you hear LCD4, you will lose interest in LCD3. That's what happen to me.

 

[Sam Spade]

Once you hear LCD4, you will lose interest in LCD3. That's what happen to me.

LCD4s are very impressive. But im still happy listening to my LCDxc. I actually think the LCDxc are very close to the 3s. Closer than the price gap suggests.

 

[UntilThen]

I heard LCD4 with Qutest > Auris Nirvana at the shop and I was blown away. Stay for 2 solid hours auditioning it. Just bought my He1000se which I love. I will give it some time but I will sell off both my LCD3 and X and buy the 4.

Hekse and LCD4 and I'll be happy. No need for Susvara or Abyss 1266 TC But I might be tempted with Utopia.

 

[Sam Spade]

I heard LCD4 with Qutest > Auris Nirvana at the shop and I was blown away. Stay for 2 solid hours auditioning it. Just bought my He1000se which I love. I will give it some time but I will sell off both my LCD3 and X and buy the 4.

Hekse and LCD4 and I'll be happy. No need for Susvara or Abyss 1266 TC But I might be tempted with Utopia.

Qutest and Sparko Aries are an awesome combo to drive LCD3 LCD4 and LCDxc.

 

[UntilThen]

There are no shortage of good amps around whether tube or solid state or hybrid. I've friends who love their top end Audio Gd dac and amp and there are some who loves the Mogwai Se or Benchmark HPA4 or Niimbus or Simaudio MOON 430ha. I'm just fixated with a tube amp called Elekit TU-8200 now because the 2nd harmonic distortions is just so lovely to my ears with He1000se.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

There's your chance @telecaster . For me, LCD-3f is very good with tube amps and solid state but LCD-4 is just so much better.... heard it many times in audition with very good gear ... LCD-4 is in my roadmap because I've just pick up a Elekit 8200, which came out of nowhere. Not in my roadmap but I got it anyway and I'll be giving impressions of the Elekit 8200 with LCD-3f later.

Here the LCD-4 is more than 2X the price of the LCD-3

 

[UntilThen]

Here the LCD-4 is more than 2X the price of the LCD-3

Same in Australia. From the shop, LCD-3f is AUD$3000 LCD4 is AUD$6200. That's an ouch figure. Is LCD4 twice as good as LCD3f? No but certainly better.

 

[UntilThen]

Bought the Meze copper cable for my LCD-3f. It's very soft, flexible and stylish. Listening with my Elekit TU-8200 amp with Brimar 12au7 long plates and GEC KT66 tubes, the combination is just smack right on.

However I do wonder how the Meze silver cable will sound. I actually might move this on so that I can get my favourite Forza Noir Hybrid HPC which is a silver / copper blend.

 

[exsomnis]

I'm pretty stoked the LCD3s are still getting some loving!

Don't mind me, I'm just briefly getting back in touch with my cans. Was verifying with my 2016 LCD3Fs that what I was hearing with my speakers was correct. Which is that the Matrix Audio Element H PCIE USB card really does result in a noticeable amount of extra clarity and resolution of fine detail to the sound, when compared to an on-board USB port on the PC, which was even feeding a reclocker.

Also, despite the refinement of the Harbeth Super HL5+s, the LCD3s are still more transparent and render more detail (and cost 3x less). Though to be fair, headphones don't have to contend with room acoustics, will always have that advantage over speakers and mostly sound like stuff is happening in and around your head.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

Same in Australia. From the shop, LCD-3f is AUD$3000 LCD4 is AUD$6200. That's an ouch figure. Is LCD4 twice as good as LCD3f? No but certainly better.

That's the way it goes. There are incremental gains but they aren't multiples. I'd love to hear a pair of LCD-4 but I'm not planning on dropping that kind of money on headphones. Ignorance is bliss

Anyway the LCD-3F is very resolving. I think they're a great pair of cans but I don't listen to them as often as I probably should. When I do I'm always surprised that the LCD-2C feels warmer and smoother while the LCD-3F has kind of an analytical quality to it.

 

[UntilThen]

Also, despite the refinement of the Harbeth Super HL5+s, the LCD3s are still more transparent and render more detail (and cost 3x less). Though to be fair, headphones don't have to contend with room acoustics, will always have that advantage over speakers and mostly sound like stuff is happening in and around your head.

I know that speaker. I have heard Tannoys, Diatone and some good Dynaudio crap but yeah headphones such as LCD-3f with good source and amplification does give me as much thrill but they are very difference experience. Hence I've been pouring money into head-fi until I hear some gorgeous HiFi system with proper room sound treatment... that's the thing with headphone you don't have to worry about bass traps, sound reflections traps or room treatment.

 

[exsomnis]

That's right. And for the same amount of money, we get to go much further up the range with a headphone setup than we can with a stereo system.

Unfortunately for me, I grew up with my dad's hifi, so I was always going to dabble with speakers. I do love getting fooled into thinking that the band is with me in the room - which I get with the Harbeths, on the right tracks. Both the Harbeth and the LCD3Fs do have one thing in common that I love, which is a natural tone, timbre and expressiveness. I suspect the closest speakers to the LCDs would be Magnepans, though they do need a lot of power to show their true capability, just like the LCDs.

 

[silversurfer616]

Just bought my third pair of LCD3...there’s just something about them that I have missed. Personally I prefer the darker tonality to the LCD4 and a few others.