[planar shill]

Is used v280 in your budget? I owned the v280 for a while and demoed the lcd4 a couple of times with it and it was a great match.

Potential top end peaks were nicely managed and lower end/mids had a great richness.

plus it’s a very versatile amp almost with anything

Not necessarily out of my budget, but more than I was expecting. I was eyeing those Flux amps earlier today. Do you think the 789 is insufficient for more demanding planars?


On an unrelated note, the zebrawood LCD-4 is so pretty!!

 

[thecrow]

Not necessarily out of my budget, but more than I was expecting. I was eyeing those Flux amps earlier today. Do you think the 789 is insufficient for more demanding planars?


On an unrelated note, the zebrawood LCD-4 is so pretty!!

Re the 789 question I haven’t heard it so can’t help

 

[thefitz]

I feel like I am blowing up this thread lately, but....
1. What's the best reasonable desktop amp for this headphone? I am getting conflicting info about what's needed to drive it. I currently use a THX 789, but some people seem to think that the bass will be weakened and the staging will seem compressed because of the low capacitance.
2. Does anybody know a way to get black grilles for the LCD-4? Audeze told me no. lol

1. Everyone says the v280's a great match, and my old Schiit Mjolnir worked well as well. Bob Katz used a lowly Audeze Deckard and said it was great!
2. At one point I had a pair of carbon fibre Audeze grills, as I planned on swapping cups and grills on my LCD-XC. They're in the wild.

 

[UntilThen]

I no longer have LCD4. It was sold to fund Susvara. I still miss it sometimes.

When I had it, these amps worked very well with it:-

Oblivion - very spacious and airy. Helps LCD4.
Auralic Taurus Mk2 - similar to Oblivion but not as good.
Violectric v280 - if you like it creamier, nothing wrong with it.
Schiit Mjolnir 2 - by the time I had LCD4, MJ2 was sold but it would have driven LCD4 well too but tonally I prefer the above 3.
Wa22 - will work with LCD4 if you don't mind turning up the volume knob to 2pm. Nothing wrong with that. Why get full power but just use half of it, my amp builder would say. For headroom you say? Well it's either it has power or not to drive it. As a matter of fact, if you don't need to blast, WA22 will even drive Susvara. I was showing this to my friend 2 days ago before selling the Wa22 to him. Now that will help (and He1000se) fund Abyss 1266 TC or a Telemachus (300b) amp. Gawk, I hate this hobby.
Ah I forgot... I had Burson Soloist 3xp. This will drive LCD4 very well too. Actually was a pretty good combination.

Lastly my Odyssey (KT88 / EL34 amp) drives LCD4 beautifully.

 

[JLoud]

If you like tubes, the Woo WA5le was very good. As was the WA6se for much less. The WA33 was the best but much more expensive. I am currently using the Schiit Folkvangr and it sounds great and tube rolling the input tubes isn’t too expensive.

If you want a do it all SS the Schiit Ragnarok 2 is my recommendation. I currently have that as well. Drives anything. Works great with my Hifiman HE6. Sounds good with speakers and has a remote. Used you can get one for $1000.

 

[JLoud]

For less money I had a Burson Soloist that I liked. The Schiit Jotenheim has plenty of power and is versatile but V1 seemed a little flat to me. Not as spacious as some. Haven’t heard the V2 but supposedly better. Just a few to consider.

 

[planar shill]

Wow, thanks for the responses!
Are class A amps "creamier"? Is that a nice way of saying less resolving? This topic can be overwhelming. lol

 

[UntilThen]

Wow, thanks for the responses!
Are class A amps "creamier"? Is that a nice way of saying less resolving? This topic can be overwhelming. lol

Nah. That’s a very naive way of thinking about class A or tube amps. A good tube amp will blows the socks off solid states.

 

[JLoud]

I find a good tube amp presents a bigger soundstage and none of the metallic timbre of many SS amps. They can be very resolving and fast as well. Cheaper designed tube amps are many times less resolving but still usually have a bigger soundstage.

Once you have heard a good tube amp you’ll instantly know what I mean.

 

[planar shill]

I was under the impression that only certain tube amps pair well with planars. The only tube amps I have heard were a few years ago. The amps and the headphones were cheap so I don't think experience holds much use right now.

 

[UntilThen]

I was under the impression that only certain tube amps pair well with planars. The only tube amps I have heard were a few years ago. The amps and the headphones were cheap so I don't think experience holds much use right now.

Yes we’re talking about transformers coupled tube amps and not OTL.

OTL are transformerless. The power tubes drives the headphones directly. They are suitable for high impedance headphones but not so with planars.

Good transformers coupled amps uses very good and well known output and power transformers. These ones when design for Susvara, are amazing to listen.

 

[JLoud]

The Schiit Folkvangr is the exception. It is OTL as well as OCL. So no transformer or capacitor. The LCD4, with its 200 ohm impedance works well with it. But most OTL amps don’t like planars. However the LCD4 in my opinion is the exception.

 

[planar shill]

1800 USD, huh? Can I bring my LCD-4 to Michigan and try yours?

 

[JLoud]

No need to bring yours, I have a pair! You can even try them on the Ragnarok 2 and an original Mjolnir.

 

[planar shill]

No need to bring yours, I have a pair! You can even try them on the Ragnarok 2 and an original Mjolnir.

Well, maybe I can see how bad my 2019 pads are compared with yours. Be careful with your invite though - I was only half joking, I might show up tomorrow!