[Contrails]

Nice one!

I agree with you, but for headphones and speaker's there's a 10:1 rule (according to Stephen Guttenberg, audiophiliac). A headphone will have about the same performance as a speaker costing ten times as much.

Also I think the listening room you are in is not properly optimized. I think that room size would be more suitable for a pair of bookshelves, which Wilson also makes.

Yep that room was tiny. Bass overloaded it pretty quickly. I got him to play Sinnerman by Nina Simone and when we turned it down - man that’s when I just got sucked in.

 

[senseitedj]

Yep that room was tiny. Bass overloaded it pretty quickly. I got him to play Sinnerman by Nina Simone and when we turned it down - man that’s when I just got sucked in.

Yeah, based on your photo, looks like it could do with some bass traps behind the speakers. When the volume was high, the undamped bass from the room must have drowned out the rest of the frequency spectrum.

 

[Contrails]

Yeah, based on your photo, looks like it could do with some bass traps behind the speakers. When the volume was high, the undamped bass from the room must have drowned out the rest of the frequency spectrum.

Surprisingly it wasn’t as bad. Imaging was pretty average. I have heard better from Gauder Arcona 40 (bookshelf speakers). It’s just the mids and vocals seemed to have a harsh leading edge. This could very much be a DAC issue. It was Moon audio DAC with Mcintosh amps. But when he turned it down - wow, that’s when it sounded good, like really good. The harshness seemed to disappear then.

 

[AudiophileJargon]

LCD3 pre-fazor has more resolution / micro detail clarity than HE6se v2. The HE6 se v2 is more neutral / larger stage / dynamics, but the LCD3 pre-fazor has far better timbre. More natural, liquid. Cymbals might be better than lcd5 from recent memory. The sev2 is actually a tad dry to my ears... They trade blows...

 

[senseitedj]

Surprisingly it wasn’t as bad. Imaging was pretty average. I have heard better from Gauder Arcona 40 (bookshelf speakers). It’s just the mids and vocals seemed to have a harsh leading edge. This could very much be a DAC issue. It was Moon audio DAC with Mcintosh amps. But when he turned it down - wow, that’s when it sounded good, like really good. The harshness seemed to disappear then.

ah ok a bad match of source components then I see... but the imaging could still improve with a better room. A good room should help lock the placement of instruments within the recording, instead of a concentrated image on the center.

 

[Contrails]

ah ok a bad match of source components then I see... but the imaging could still improve with a better room. A good room should help lock the placement of instruments within the recording, instead of a concentrated image on the center.

Agree 100%. That room really held those speakers back.

 

[Contrails]

Just installed the new headband and new pads (2021) on the Pre Fazor. I was a bit worried as the mesh cloth seemed thicker on the new pads. The new headband and pads definitely fit better and probably seal better too. Sound is a touch more open. Bass is still beautiful. Good upgrade.

 

[mitchb]

I have been listening to mostly my Abyss 1266 TC’s and occasionally my LCD4’s but tonight for fun I am listening to my LCD3’s and wow they are nice! I have a Danacable Lazuli Ultra cable attached to them and I am using a Niimbus US 5 Pro amp and the sound is just beautiful. I am enjoying the 3’s very much and I hear what I used to love about these headphones years ago when they were my main headphones. There’s a lushness to the midrange yet the highs are clear not veiled. I will give more listen to these in the future.

 

[whirlwind]

I have been listening to mostly my Abyss 1266 TC’s and occasionally my LCD4’s but tonight for fun I am listening to my LCD3’s and wow they are nice! I have a Danacable Lazuli Ultra cable attached to them and I am using a Niimbus US 5 Pro amp and the sound is just beautiful. I am enjoying the 3’s very much and I hear what I used to love about these headphones years ago when they were my main headphones. There’s a lushness to the midrange yet the highs are clear not veiled. I will give more listen to these in the future.

I had an LCD-3 pre-fazor. After my first few listens I finally found out what liquid mids were.
They were like smooth milk chocolate. If I could have afforded to keep them, I would have.

 

[the1andonly]

LCD3 pre-fazor has more resolution / micro detail clarity than HE6se v2. The HE6 se v2 is more neutral / larger stage / dynamics, but the LCD3 pre-fazor has far better timbre. More natural, liquid. Cymbals might be better than lcd5 from recent memory. The sev2 is actually a tad dry to my ears... They trade blows...

yes but the v2 is kind of a joke compared to the original... it's crazy to think they not only reduced the performance on later versions but then raised the price in the end as well(besides the obvious huge discount it's on frequently)...

But I guess they wanted to be able to sell the Arya, HE1000, and Susvara... lol, Hifiman keeps messing up the meta by releasing OP headphones, they were/kind of still are messing up the price fixing scheme that all the headphone companies profit from

I had an LCD-3 pre-fazor. After my first few listens I finally found out what liquid mids were.
They were like smooth milk chocolate. If I could have afforded to keep them, I would have.

fazor mids are pretty cool too tho....

Just love the drama, and the insane width of the headphone listening to conversations it's even dramatic let alone action scenes and such.... and it's very easy to tell when they are out of phase or when netflix goes back to 5.1 every time I goto the next episode, Ananda's are from chill dramas, LCD-3's are for more dramatic presentation in everything else

 

[akelew]

Anyone using their LCD-3 with a tube pre-amp such as Schiit Freya+?

Wondering how they jive together.

 

[the1andonly]

Anyone using their LCD-3 with a tube pre-amp such as Schiit Freya+?

Wondering how they jive together.

I have no idea how a tube pre-amp specifically differs from what I have... but I used them with a WA7 fireflies with the WA7tp tube power supply and they are fantastic, I was using the iFi Micro BL as a DAC/pre-amp though but I don't think the WA7's tubes have a specifically tube pre-amp section.... My major complaint though was the bass roll you get from tubes! Luckily my BL has a 10db+(at 20Hz decreasing down to and extending to 200Hz) switch but honestly it just put it perhaps a bit above normal, they mostly cancelled each other out, I am very lucky I run this specific system if you are a fan of rumble I would either EQ or be careful what tubes you pair with... all that said everything else from mid bass to 20kHz sounded euphonic and amazing, it's just that my HDV 820 sounds the best.... My Oppo HA-1 is a smoother amp and the HDV 820 is harsher both on the DEKFEN Ananda and HD800, but for some reason with the LCD-3F it's switched and my HA-1 is soomehow harsh while my HDV 820 is smooth, which I am fine with because the HDV has high output impedance and can't be used with everything and the HDV 820 really does have more detail! LCD-3F is amazing though, point blank period, just amazing!

EDIT - Oh my lord.... just ran these directly off the iFi Micro BL which isn't amazing because these love high end source, but also is super amazing because that 10db without bass roll off is just battering my head on every track, this is quite a treat, the Oppo HA-1 seems to sound less brittle now for some reason, perhaps it was my choice of music, but this thing is the only headphone I own that plays good with all of my desk DAC/amps... going to play around with Mojo after I get tired of a freaking 10db bass boost with no upper limit to raw bass running thru the pads to the side of my head!

For anyone wondering what it's like, the mid and upper bass aren't super extra punchy it's definitely noticeable and somewhat more punchy though... but the Sub-bass has as much rumble as if you were listening 10db higher but without having to be uncomfy and risking damaging your ears... People who do EQ these are for you I guess, with a system volume lowered to make sure it gets enough juice!

 

[huangwan]

Anyone using their LCD-3 with a tube pre-amp such as Schiit Freya+?

Wondering how they jive together.

I use a Rogue RH-5 and the LCD-3s sound magical. I guess it could be considered a pre-amp but I am using it as a headphone amp in the tape loop of a BAT VK-5i SE

 

[the1andonly]

I use a Rogue RH-5 and the LCD-3s sound magical. I guess it could be considered a pre-amp but I am using it as a headphone amp in the tape loop of a BAT VK-5i SE

As far music goes I love these on literally every single AMP, for movies you have to play around, not because of the headphone, but because of the mix... That said Tubes are definitely a sweet spot and a safe spot!

In case anyone missed the post in the LCD-X thread when the LCD-3 was mentioned

I personally think it’s great that I see some “love” for the LCD-3 here. Even though I work around our headphones all day, I confess I don’t usually listen to the 3s. But then something comes up where I need to check them out, and I’m always amazed at how great they sound. The bass response by itself is very similar to the LCD-X, but the midrange is slightly recessed (but not as much as the 2), and being 110 ohms, it might have more resolution than the X. For lack of a better descriptive phrase, I would call the LCD-3 our most “eminently listenable” headphone - it’s always an enjoyable experience. We do have a number of mastering engineers who use the X or MX4, but then have an LCD-3 for their casual/personal listening. For those of you who haven’t tried the LCD-3 yet, I think you’ll find an audition worth your time (unless you want something with strong midrange presence). -CSO of Audeze, Mark Cohen

To me the 3 is the one inherently able to take an edge off a analytical amp and synergize well with a smooth one, The LCD-3, scales well.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

The HD 600s are not a technical headphone, they're about naturalness in timbre. I don't think it helps to compare them to the LCD-3, which is a very technical headphone.

I find the HD 600 scales a lot more than the LCD-3, since the LCD-3 is easier to drive well. Anyway, I'm not parting with either of them, they're both great for what they're for.