[Fegefeuer]

@Quickanddirty lives somewhere in the southern Hamburg region and is extrem geil auf Meets. He has a 1266 Phi TC incoming and a monster amp to pair it with.

 

[DarginMahkum]

Since this will be my first totl headphone, could some of you recommend a good, low cost amp/dac and/or combo?

My choice would be the RME ADI-2. It has excellent DSP features (5 point PEQ, loudness, crossfeed) and great sounding DAC. Amp is also very good but I liked pairing it with another amp. I think LCD line of headphones will benefit a lot from EQ'ing, so that would be a good choice. ADI-2 Pro version can drive in balanced with more power, DAC version is single ended only. Another nice thing about ADI-2 is that, it works on 12V / 2A power supply so it can also be operated from a power bank, such as this one, so you can move around (I haven't tried it myself but it is my next on the list):

https://www.amazon.de/Litionite-Tanker-50000mAh-Aluminium-Batterie/dp/B01LZXPMXM?ref_=ast_sto_dp

If you want a portable, FiiO M17 is coming out end of October, with good power outpt and FiiO mentioned that they will try to implement a system level PEQ that can be used with Qobuz etc. I have hopes about it.

While i agree with the rest you wrote, i don't agree with this part, because if there are good EQ Profiles out there to be used, why not trying? Same FR Target + Volumen matched and headphones comes much closer to each other in sounding, but there are things that still remain different enough in my experience, for example comfort, impact, soundstage.

I agree with you and support the idea. I am just a bit annoyed that manufacturers still just do "something" and tell you to deal with it. Stealth was for me an eye opener, that there is a lot of room also the manufacturer should improve rather than tell the buyers to deal with it and say "look, how good my drivers can blast your ears, aren't my new earcups nice".

 

[Barone Birra]

I really like the aesthetics, but I would have preferred carbon fiber rings like the headband, or at least acrylic colors customizable by the user.

 

[LongBeforeShort]

@Fegefeuer

"extrem geil" hahaha Almost spit out my drink. Are you from germany as well? Hamburg is not too far away, gonna write him later a pm. Would be really fun to meet each other.

@DarginMahkum

oh, you are from berlin, maybe a meeting between a couple of people would be possible? I would like to try the stealth, that captured your taste so much I could bring my Qudelix 5K (with 10 Band PEQ Options, crossfeed, channel l/r volume settings) + AutoEQ with me, if you are interested? I believe my friend, where we did the meetings (he has a lot of space), still got his ADI-2 FS and the Headamp GSX-Mini.

If we all find a weekend to spend together, we could have these headphones

ZMF Auteur, Aeolus, Verite Open, LCD-2, 1000V2, DCA Stealth, HE1000se, Kennerton Rögnir, 1266 Phi, 007 and the ZMF Pendant Tube Amp that will arrive soon, as far as i know. I may get the ifi go blu and Sendy Peacock for review in as well. Could be a terrific meetic.

 

[ThanatosVI]

using genetic programming for nonliar constrained optimization to equalize the force on the diaphragm).

You got me there, where can I read about this.

Arrived just now. Capturing the acrylic took a while. I've only just started listening, so it'll be a bit before I can post any impressions. They are surprisingly light for a pair of Audeze headphones though.

At first I preferred the old headband, but the ability to turn pads 90 degrees is really nice. The LCD-5 look better thsn 4 in my book.
Best looking LCD is still the 2C

It is not natural for an open back headphone to have a elevated bass. A flat and smooth response through the mids is indicative a linear response of a well behaved driver with tight and well controlled bass. The Harman curve has elevated response partly due to listener preference and also to reflect the bass response of speakers placed in a room.

Some companies like Final, Meze or Abyss tastefully elevate the Bass. Is this something you would consider for future LCD Modells, or is that agsinst your Design principles.

 

[whirlwind]

Looks like those who would use an LCD if they were lighter....can now listen to an LCD and enjoy.

I like the LCD-4 look personally, they just look like a more classy old skool style. The weight is not a factor for me, so it is easy for me to say that.

Even though I can't say those charts impress me very much, the proof is in the pudding, so if they sound good that is all that matters.
I don't find myself wanting them to the extreme that I was hoping....good for my wallet I suppose.

 

[Krolik]

Spot on and all the more strange given that Jude gave us that intro on how Sankar is very interested in technological developments, etc. I got the feeling that there wasn't much for him to say about the LCD-5. I felt awkward just watching that segment. And if it was just a bad take, this being recorded, they could have done a second take, gone for a coffee... but no, apparently that is all he had to say about this new flagship model.

Arrived just now. Capturing the acrylic took a while. I've only just started listening, so it'll be a bit before I can post any impressions. They are surprisingly light for a pair of Audeze headphones though.

Wow.. is this a joke?
I still can't believe that what I'm seeing is Audeze LCD-5 Flagship headphones.
So awkward and pathetic, like if somebody would have been asked to make a parody on Audeze headphones.. laughable.
The beautiful LCD4, Amazing LCD 4Z, Classy LCD3.. and boom! this thing....

 

[Fegefeuer]

"Pathetic", "parody"

 

[uckexk]

Since this will be my first totl headphone, could some of you recommend a good, low cost amp/dac and/or combo?

Topping D90(SE) + A90 would be quite difficult to beat below 1.5k.

 

[LongBeforeShort]

Since this will be my first totl headphone, could some of you recommend a good, low cost amp/dac and/or combo?

I believe it would be the best for you to know, how to check what AMP might fit your needs yourself, for that you need to calculate the amount of power&voltage you need to drive and the max. Peak Volume you like to listen to, which is probably below 100dbA.

You can type in the values here: http://www.digizoid.com/headphones-power.html
But be aware: You need a lot of headroom for EQ, because of negative pre amplifier and some songs may be really quiet in general

So in case of the LCD-5 anything below 1W should be more than enough for any situation

You also need to ask yourself what kind of functions you want? Simple EQ such as Bass Boost (Ifi Zen Can), parametric EQ (Soundsource Mac, APO PC, RME ADI-2 DAC FS on the AMP), do you want to run loudspeaker as well, do you need MQA for Tidal, maybe Topping EX5 with plenty of power. Lot of options on the market. Or something more flexible that you could take everywhere? That would be for example an ifi audio micro black label, signature, xduoo xd-05 Bal and so on. Good luck finding something useful to you

 

[johnzz4]

For the reviewers that have the LCD5 in hand and know the LCD4, would you say this is a clear upgrade or just another flavor? I'm strictly talking about sound quality. I know there are many attributes to sound quality, but subjectively, overall, is the LCD5 clear progress on the sound quality front?

Thanks

 

[Kozwoz]

For the reviewers that have the LCD5 in hand and know the LCD4, would you say this is a clear upgrade or just another flavor? I'm strictly talking about sound quality. I know there are many attributes to sound quality, but subjectively, overall, is the LCD5 clear progress on the sound quality front?

Thanks

Apples to oranges. LCD5 doesn’t have the same warmth or bass performance so what are you asking? Resolution? Soundstage?

 

[chargedcapacitor]

I believe it would be the best for you to know, how to check what AMP might fit your needs yourself, for that you need to calculate the amount of power&voltage you need to drive and the max. Peak Volume you like to listen to, which is probably below 100dbA.

You can type in the values here: http://www.digizoid.com/headphones-power.html
But be aware: You need a lot of headroom for EQ, because of negative pre amplifier and some songs may be really quiet in general

So in case of the LCD-5 anything below 1W should be more than enough for any situation

You also need to ask yourself what kind of functions you want? Simple EQ such as Bass Boost (Ifi Zen Can), parametric EQ (Soundsource Mac, APO PC, RME ADI-2 DAC FS on the AMP), do you want to run loudspeaker as well, do you need MQA for Tidal, maybe Topping EX5 with plenty of power. Lot of options on the market. Or something more flexible that you could take everywhere? That would be for example an ifi audio micro black label, signature, xduoo xd-05 Bal and so on. Good luck finding something useful to you

If the LCD-5 is like any of the other LCD headphones, then I would have to disagree with the statement that anything below 1W will be fine.

Subjectively, and I tried to test this as thoroughly as possible, the amp from the RME Adi was insufficient to properly drive even the efficient MX4 compared to the A90 and IHA-6. While it obviously created a high enough SPL, it just sounded flat and lackluster. All the detail in the holographic-ness of the soundstage was recessed.

For a headphone as detailed as the LCD-5 likely is, I agree that the Topping EX5 is likely a decent option for the price. I would also imagine many of the ~$200 THX amps will be fine for the price as well; but if you're going to buy an LCD-5, you might as well treat yourself to a nice amp!

 

[Bimbleton]

I think the pads and the headstrap look great. Modern, yet familiar to the LCD brand. The CRBN looks like an art piece, with the intricate grill.

But I can’t get over the tortoiseshell on the LCD-5. Why? That partial pattern is so strongly reminiscent of old-school reading glasses/frames, can’t think of one without the other. Hope there will be more frame options in the future.

Also, are the pads glued in? Please don’t be glued in.

 

[eee1111]

Looks like those who would use an LCD if they were lighter....can now listen to an LCD and enjoy.

I like the LCD-4 look personally, they just look like a more classy old skool style. The weight is not a factor for me, so it is easy for me to say that.

Even though I can't say those charts impress me very much, the proof is in the pudding, so if they sound good that is all that matters.
I don't find myself wanting them to the extreme that I was hoping....good for my wallet I suppose.

I feel the same. Wanted an upgraded lcd 4. I see on audeze website they still call the LCD4 a flagship and are still selling it as a flagship. I’m open to hear responses from the community. I already have many headphones that fall into the category LCD5 does. I’m actually going to try and get an lcd4 off of all the people ditching theirs. I have a feeling people are gonna regret jumping the gun to ditch their lcd4 so that they can afford an LCD5.