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Audeze LCD-5 Review, Measurements, Interview

Oct 28, 2021 at 5:03 AM Post #2,071 of 7,074
Hi all

I thought the Headfonics review was quite good - play the ball and not the man/women etc..

I also like that they compare equipment (most commercial sites don’t). Having said that the scoring system stinks and I don’t like that they get the kit for free…

And I would always prioritise the collective views of the more experienced folks on this site ahead of a commercial site.

On the LCD 5 front - they are the best I have heard. But then I don’t have the broadest experience.

I’m on a bit of a binge at the moment. Holo May KTE incoming along with Optical Rendu (plus extras) and Susvara. And I’ve also pulled the pin on a CFA3 build (primarily because my Moon amp sounds so freakishly similar to my Studio 6 (so what’s the point) and some say the former is a bit boring…). The next step is the Abyss but I might need to wait a month or two for the wallet to recover (and then a tube pre-amp for the CFA 3…and on it goes…). But the bass on the LCD 5 has me intrigued..think I need more of that…

My point is that as good/great as the LCD 5 is I still want more (or at least make sure that there is nothing better out there - $$$ permitting). They are not ”end game“ for me (a phrase that I don’t get).

But that’s ok. The thrill of the hunt is exciting in and of itself (this is a hobby after all). It would be a bit boring if the Stones performed live in my living room every night!

Cheers,
 
Oct 28, 2021 at 5:12 AM Post #2,073 of 7,074
And to add to the above I’ve just started binging on Sajid’s YT videos which are awesome - particularly his TOTL comparison.
 
Oct 28, 2021 at 5:26 AM Post #2,074 of 7,074
Benno1988 said:
Why aren't they endgame? What's holding them back for your ears?
Click to expand...
I know this is going to sound trite - but they are headphones…

They are marvellous and wonderful but I want more… For me, where headphones excel is very well recorded simple vocal/acoustic tracks or even certain types of electronic music. In that context they are (close) to endgame. Hell play a Chesky bi-naural recording and die and go to heaven (if you don’t mind the music…). . But does any headphone really come close to recreating a rock concert or a classical concert? No they just dont (at least that I’ve heard).. They might be the best there is (I don’t know) but there is more that I want. Whether that is realistic or not I just don’t know. I’ve ordered a pair of Susvaras - maybe that’s a bad idea. I dont know. My hope is they combine the best bits of the LCD5 with the air or the HEKSE. But if they don‘t well I will try something else.

I remember years ago hearing a Wilson speaker demonstration (I forget which ones) and the dynamics, realism, scale, ease, and lack of congestion were beyond what I (to date) have heard with any headphone.

But I still think the LCD5’s are great.. Probably best if you ignore some of my comments because I am being particularly picky here….
 
Oct 28, 2021 at 5:52 AM Post #2,076 of 7,074
Benno1988 said:
Sounds like you want the 1266 not the Susvara!
Click to expand...
True!…. But the upgrade cost from HEKSE to Susvara was a little more wallet friendly…And I still think I will like the Susvara. It’s just the 1266 will be in my sights maybe in a few months!
 
Oct 28, 2021 at 6:20 AM Post #2,078 of 7,074
For me personally its vocals…
 
Oct 28, 2021 at 6:21 AM Post #2,079 of 7,074
MN8372 said:
I know this is going to sound trite - but they are headphones…

They are marvellous and wonderful but I want more… For me, where headphones excel is very well recorded simple vocal/acoustic tracks or even certain types of electronic music. In that context they are (close) to endgame. Hell play a Chesky bi-naural recording and die and go to heaven (if you don’t mind the music…). . But does any headphone really come close to recreating a rock concert or a classical concert? No they just dont (at least that I’ve heard).. They might be the best there is (I don’t know) but there is more that I want. Whether that is realistic or not I just don’t know. I’ve ordered a pair of Susvaras - maybe that’s a bad idea. I dont know. My hope is they combine the best bits of the LCD5 with the air or the HEKSE. But if they don‘t well I will try something else.

I remember years ago hearing a Wilson speaker demonstration (I forget which ones) and the dynamics, realism, scale, ease, and lack of congestion were beyond what I (to date) have heard with any headphone.

But I still think the LCD5’s are great.. Probably best if you ignore some of my comments because I am being particularly picky here….
Click to expand...
the other day i was playing a concert through my D8000 Pros and it dawned on me - this doesn't sound like the music is coming from headphones. It sounds live like i am in the venue and not in a room with headphones on, almost as if the music was being injected directly into my brain, bypassing the audio equipment. it's rare to feel that but in this instance i certainly did. i have the lcd-5 on order so it will be interesting to compare.
 
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Oct 28, 2021 at 8:08 AM Post #2,081 of 7,074
MN8372 said:
I know this is going to sound trite - but they are headphones…

They are marvellous and wonderful but I want more… For me, where headphones excel is very well recorded simple vocal/acoustic tracks or even certain types of electronic music. In that context they are (close) to endgame. Hell play a Chesky bi-naural recording and die and go to heaven (if you don’t mind the music…). . But does any headphone really come close to recreating a rock concert or a classical concert? No they just dont (at least that I’ve heard).. They might be the best there is (I don’t know) but there is more that I want. Whether that is realistic or not I just don’t know. I’ve ordered a pair of Susvaras - maybe that’s a bad idea. I dont know. My hope is they combine the best bits of the LCD5 with the air or the HEKSE. But if they don‘t well I will try something else.

I remember years ago hearing a Wilson speaker demonstration (I forget which ones) and the dynamics, realism, scale, ease, and lack of congestion were beyond what I (to date) have heard with any headphone.

But I still think the LCD5’s are great.. Probably best if you ignore some of my comments because I am being particularly picky here….
Click to expand...
I personally don't like the comparison of not reaching a live performance. Recordings are specifically designed NOT to sound like like performances even from 60s-70s rock bands who are closest to that ethos of recording simplicity.

Headphones are for immersion into the studio environment and production; into the microphones sitting in front of an amp, to every little vocal effect, to exact distinction in panning, to the tone settings on an amp or every exacting hit of a drum and the timbre of all of this. Is this anything at all like a live performance? No, but I would absolutely say the LCD5 is the closest I've experienced to being right there within the microphone or at the mixing desk to seeing exactly how those details are produced and designed to sound. I personally think if you want "more" in a headphone then you'll never achieve it because you're looking for a performance in that case, not a reproduction of a studio recording.

If you've been to a decent amount of live performances I would also say that 95% of them aren't any sort of holy grail in terms of experiencing the artist. Just as it takes a great headphone to reproduce a sound, it takes a great setup, engineer and room for that matter to get anything sounding particularly impressive within a live performance. If anything that's leagues more difficult than reproducing the sound in a headphone. Most of the time this only ever results in heavy compromise to create a live incarnation of modern studio based rock music. Classical performance with perhaps a singular miced soloist on the other hand does seem to be something out of reach of any headphone I've heard. Partly because its never been a genre that has required, benefited from heavily or found its perfect balance in studio intervention.

In saying that, I don't have a significant amount of experience with speakers to compare. But in terms of pure immersion I would say purely on a width of soundstage and level of precise detail basis these are close to the cream of the crop. Emotional investment is something I think isn't considered often enough but I would say this along with the HD800 is approaching the cream of the crop at achieving it. There's simply nothing better at making me feel closer to the essence of a recording.

I still need to play around with EQ but I actually don't agree with others that these have the best vocal performance of any headphone on the market, certainly not if naturalness is the bar. In terms of pure detail and speed of the driver + imaging for picking out subtlety its very impressive, but I would still place the Empyrean (which is a much less technically impressive headphone) above for true to life, intimate vocals. If there is any weakness in the tuning of this headphone I would say its very clearly in the upper midrange, assuming naturalness is the bar we are reaching for.

Still though I agree with the central point. These are headphones, and partially because of the tuning I don't think these are the type of thing you pop on, listen to and have your mind blown with. They are simply the current apex of overall technical performance (in my opinion).
 
Oct 28, 2021 at 10:03 AM Post #2,085 of 7,074
Benno1988 said:
Sounds like you want the 1266 not the Susvara!
Click to expand...
Sounds like he needs a pair of decent speakers, if his living situation will allow it for at least part-time listening.
 
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