Audeze LCD-3 Impressions Thread
Jan 9, 2023 at 3:14 PM Post #6,286 of 6,385
For me speakers are better in every way I can think of. I only have headphones because where I live people don't tolerate noise and there are quiet hours when I'd still like to play music.

Funny... I'm exactly the opposite. Much to the relief of my family.
 
Jan 12, 2023 at 12:25 PM Post #6,288 of 6,385
Jan 13, 2023 at 12:35 PM Post #6,289 of 6,385
My new Custom Cans UK cable arrived yesterday and my initial reaction is - stupendous! The improvements in extension (both ends), clarity, transparency and neutrality over stock - all without a hint of bloat or hardness - are readily apparent and cannot be denied. Plus the quality of fit n’ finish, feel and looks are all 100% top shelf. I could not be happier (although I admit that, if the basic cable is this good, I am more than a little intrigued by what the new, to die for gorgeous (IMHO) Ultimate cable can do for my system).

I would be remiss if I failed to mention, once again, that Custom Cans, and boss-man @jfunk in particular, provide THE BEST CS in the business. I had a minor problem with one of the connectors and, even though it was not their fault, Jason immediately, happily and personally provided step by step instructions on how to fix it. He went above and beyond all expectations to make absolutely certain I was a happy customer, and I am. I have been in this hobby for 50+ years, and I have literally never had such a great CS experience - not from McIntosh, not from arc, not from Vandersteen, not even from Wilson Audio - and those are the cream of the crop. Jason is a gentleman’s gentleman, and his products (I own several) all reflect his prime directive which, it seems to me, is to make his customers glad that they chose to give him their business. I’m a fan, and a customer, for life.
 
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Jan 15, 2023 at 11:16 AM Post #6,290 of 6,385
My new Custom Cans UK cable arrived yesterday and my initial reaction is - stupendous! The improvements in extension (both ends), clarity, transparency and neutrality over stock - all without a hint of bloat or hardness - are readily apparent and cannot be denied. Plus the quality of fit n’ finish, feel and looks are all 100% top shelf. I could not be happier (although I admit that, if the basic cable is this good, I am more than a little intrigued by what the new, to die for gorgeous (IMHO) Ultimate cable can do for my system).

I would be remiss if I failed to mention, once again, that Custom Cans, and boss-man @jfunk in particular, provide THE BEST CS in the business. I had a minor problem with one of the connectors and, even though it was not their fault, Jason immediately, happily and personally provided step by step instructions on how to fix it. He went above and beyond all expectations to make absolutely certain I was a happy customer, and I am. I have been in this hobby for 50+ years, and I have literally never had such a great CS experience - not from McIntosh, not from arc, not from Vandersteen, not even from Wilson Audio - and those are the cream of the crop. Jason is a gentleman’s gentleman, and his products (I own several) all reflect his prime directive which, it seems to me, is to make his customers glad that they chose to give him their business. I’m a fan, and a customer, for life.

Awesome post and I can confirm that your experience was not luck or an isolated incident. @jfunk is tops in all regards!
 
Jan 16, 2023 at 9:02 AM Post #6,291 of 6,385
My new Custom Cans UK cable arrived yesterday and my initial reaction is - stupendous! The improvements in extension (both ends), clarity, transparency and neutrality over stock - all without a hint of bloat or hardness - are readily apparent and cannot be denied. Plus the quality of fit n’ finish, feel and looks are all 100% top shelf. I could not be happier (although I admit that, if the basic cable is this good, I am more than a little intrigued by what the new, to die for gorgeous (IMHO) Ultimate cable can do for my system).

I would be remiss if I failed to mention, once again, that Custom Cans, and boss-man @jfunk in particular, provide THE BEST CS in the business. I had a minor problem with one of the connectors and, even though it was not their fault, Jason immediately, happily and personally provided step by step instructions on how to fix it. He went above and beyond all expectations to make absolutely certain I was a happy customer, and I am. I have been in this hobby for 50+ years, and I have literally never had such a great CS experience - not from McIntosh, not from arc, not from Vandersteen, not even from Wilson Audio - and those are the cream of the crop. Jason is a gentleman’s gentleman, and his products (I own several) all reflect his prime directive which, it seems to me, is to make his customers glad that they chose to give him their business. I’m a fan, and a customer, for life.
i will be looking at new cables as well. can you give me a quick run down on what you picked and what you noticed in comparison?

kindly appreciated
 
Jan 16, 2023 at 10:58 AM Post #6,292 of 6,385
i will be looking at new cables as well. can you give me a quick run down on what you picked and what you noticed in comparison?

kindly appreciated
If you're in the UK, just buy from Custom Cans and done. There is no reason to compare anything.

What you get from @jfunk aside from the great, knowledgeable friendly personal service and integrity, is a cable that is made basically how you want, with a choice of usually 2 different types of wire, in whatever length you want, with many choices of colors. They're great cables and also great values.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/custom-cans-impressions-thread.918632/

The fact that he has customers who are willing to import from other countries says a lot! If you're local, it's a no-brainer to buy from him.
 
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Jan 16, 2023 at 11:00 AM Post #6,293 of 6,385
If you're in the UK, just buy from Custom Cans and done. There is no reason to compare anything.

What you get from @jfunk aside from the great, knowledgeable friendly personal service and integrity, is a cable that is made basically how you want, with a choice of usually 2 different types of wire, in whatever length you want, with many choices of colors. They're great cables and also great values.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/custom-cans-impressions-thread.918632/

The fact that he has customers who are willing to import from other countries says a lot! If you're local, it's a no-brainer to buy from him.
ahh right, thanks for getting back to me as usual. i like to dabble in the hype analysis ngl
 
Jan 16, 2023 at 2:32 PM Post #6,294 of 6,385
i will be looking at new cables as well. can you give me a quick run down on what you picked and what you noticed in comparison?

kindly appreciated
First, I completely agree with @gimmeheadroom - and if you’re unhappy for any reason, Jason will make it right.

My original observations mentioned above, stand: “The improvements in extension (both ends), clarity, transparency and neutrality over stock - all without a hint of bloat or hardness - are readily apparent and cannot be denied. Plus the quality of fit n’ finish, feel and looks are all 100% top shelf. I could not be happier (although I admit that, if the basic cable is this good, I am more than a little intrigued by what the new, to die for gorgeous (IMHO) Ultimate cable can do for my system).”

I have not (yet) tried the Ultimate cable, so if that’s the question, I can’t answer it. I’m having a little trouble with my tube amp right now (I seem to have lost a ground somewhere - it might be the line out from my preamp, but it’s only affecting the tube headphone amp, so not sure yet), and the backup SS amp doesn’t take xlr, so for the time being I’m using a very nice ZMF single ended ofc cable, which is excellent, especially at the bottom end, with a custom furutech/mogami/neutrik extension, which on the whole is not nearly as well balanced or transparent as the CC xlr cable, but there are a lot of variables involved, so it’s not an apples to apples comparison. All that being said, I can’t imagine anyone being unhappy with the improvements I heard from just the basic CC 4 stranded, hand-woven model.

YMMV and all that…
 
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Jan 16, 2023 at 3:56 PM Post #6,295 of 6,385
I’m having a little trouble with my tube amp right now (I seem to have lost a ground somewhere - it might be the line out from my preamp, but it’s only affecting the tube headphone amp

Oh no! :frowning2:

Get well, soon!
 
Jan 16, 2023 at 4:32 PM Post #6,296 of 6,385
Oh no! :frowning2:

Get well, soon!
Thanks. My McIntosh dealer - Audio Classics in Vestal, NY - is kindly sending me another one (BIG kudos to them, especially Ryan K., the service manager/salesman I’ve been working with), which will hopefully tell me if the problem is originating in the input section of the headphone amp or the line out of the preamp. I’m usually pretty good at ferreting out this kind of stuff, but I spent hours reconfiguring and sorting and still can’t pinpoint it. I originally thought it was the interconnect cable between the preamp and the headphone amp, but I tried 6 different ones with the same result. Very frustrating. Fortunately, I have the trusty old HA160 as a backup, and it seems unphased by the whole thing, so I’m not completely out of business, but still, my wife was out of the house babysitting our granddaughter and I intended to spend all weekend basking in LCD-3 glory, not hunched over my equipment swapping ac cords and interconnects and unscrewing amplifier lids and getting nothing but a backache for my troubles.

:sob::sob::sob::sob::sob:
 
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Jan 16, 2023 at 4:42 PM Post #6,297 of 6,385
Thanks. My McIntosh dealer - Audio Classics in Vestal, NY - is kindly sending me another one (BIG kudos to them, especially Ryan K., the service manager/salesman I’ve been working with), which will tell me if the problem is originating in the input section of the headphone amp or the line out of the preamp. I’m usually pretty good at ferreting out this kind of stuff, but I spent hours reconfiguring and sorting and still can’t pinpoint it. I originally thought it was the interconnect cable between the preamp and the headphone amp, but I tried 6 different ones with the same result. Very frustrating. Fortunately, I have the trusty old HA160 as a backup, and it seems unphased by the whole thing, so I’m not completely out of business, but still, my wife was out of the house babysitting our granddaughter and I intended to spend all weekend basking in LCD-3 glory, not hunched over my equipment swapping ac cords and interconnects and unscrewing amplifier lids and getting nothing but a backache for my troubles.

:sob::sob::sob::sob::sob:

I'm gonna be making up some cables and pulling gear the next few days also, hopefully before the weekend. But who knows... I'm getting too old for this! :D
 
Jan 16, 2023 at 4:50 PM Post #6,298 of 6,385
I'm gonna be making up some cables and pulling gear the next few days also, hopefully before the weekend. But who knows... I'm getting too old for this! :D
Exactly! A few years ago I purposely consolidated all of my tube separates into a nice, solid SS integrated, for the express reason that I was sick up and fed with this kind of stuff. Well, it worked for ~5 years, until I decided to up the ante on the headphone system to get it to the same level as the main system. What I didn’t realize (or even think I needed to consider) is that troubleshooting a piece of SS gear (especially the current stuff) is like troubleshooting a new car - you simply can’t do it yourself. Grrrr….!!!
 
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Jan 16, 2023 at 4:54 PM Post #6,299 of 6,385
Exactly! A few years ago I purposely consolidated all of my tube separates into a nice, solid SS integrated, for the express reason that I was sick up and fed with this kind of stuff. Well, it worked for ~5 years, until I decided to up the ante on the headphone system to get it up to the same level as the main system. Grrrr….!!!
Hifi is not a blackhole for money. It's a blackhole for time! :p
 
Jan 16, 2023 at 5:00 PM Post #6,300 of 6,385
Hifi is not a blackhole for money. It's a blackhole for time! :p
Yes. But at least with the old tube gear you could open it up and have half a chance at finding and fixing the problem yourself, so at least you could get back up and running and feeling like you were productive for your efforts. This SS gear, especially an integrated, is stuffed to the gills with crap I can’t make heads or tails out of. Made me feel like a total newb. I couldn’t even figure out how to remove the board that was blocking me from getting to the back of the line out rca jack (which is still my prime suspect, and something I could easily have repaired or replaced myself if I could only have accessed it). Maddening!

Anyway, back on topic so we don’t get flagged again 🥸: the LCD-3’s are awesome!!
 
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