[eee1111]

At high-end, headphones are all about preferences unless you EQ. I don’t want to EQ. I think Focal is terrific, but after trying the Elear, Clear, and Utopia, I just don’t like how they sound. It feels like the opposite of the emotional response I get from other Audeze headphones.

If this is the future of the Audeze house sound, count me out.

What did you think of susvara? If you’ve listened to them.

 

[Slim1970]

Lol. Don't laugh, but I am thinking of the LCD-5 as a replacement for my HekSE, which I had to trade in for my Susvara. i also see myself thinking more and more of my Abyss TC as a replacement for the LCD-4, which I have just traded in for the LCD-5. In the meantime, I am still holding on to the Susvara and not thinking of changing that,. The way I am rationalizing the order of replacements might not make sense to everyone, but I find that I have been listening to my rigs a lot more nowadays than I used to do a about 6 months and more ago, especially since the LCD-5 arrived..., I have been smiling a lot more too, and not finding anything to complain about while listening... So I'd say there are quite a few things that seem to be going right with my listening nowadays... Even though I still have to do a lot of work while listening.

Oh, I am also not thinking of getting any new pair of cans any time soon, so I must be feeling quite content with what I have right about now, which does not happen too often, so may this phase of the journey endure for a while longer... Amen

Makes sense that you’re hearing the LCD-5’s that way. It confirms their tuning for me. I detect some of joy and some relief in this post. I know a little a bit about your journey . For you to feel content is saying a lot about the sound quality of your system with the LCD-5’s in it. I hope to be joining you soon!

 

[phthora]

Has anyone tried the LCD5 with the Benchmark HPA4?
It works really great with low impedances, and has a weighty, sharp and deep sub-bass reproduction, it should interface well...

That is my question as well. I know that @jude used the HPA4 in his measurement chain, so those measurements should be especially helpful to anyone looking to pair the LCD-5 with an HPA4 specifically. From those, it's pretty clear that the HPA4 has plenty of power and headroom to handle those headphones at high volume without elevating the distortion too much. I'm not certain if his subjective impressions on those headphones were from listening with the HPA4 though. There is also a review in the works from @MacedonianHero who will most likely use the LCD-5 with an HPA4 for at least some of his listening. Personally, that's the one I'm waiting for.

 

[puppypatrol]

I felt the same way after the 1st day of listening to the LCD5 compared to my LCD4. It took about a week of listening that the LCD5 began to sound better and better to me (I also ran it on 2 music loops 12 hours each). Either brain burn-in or HP burn-in, but everything became very smooth and the bass bloomed to the point where I'd say its about 95% the same as the LCD4 but tighter and faster and I hear more bass with the LCD5 then LCD4 if that makes sense. Next I went 2 days without listening to either HP, and then listened to the LCD4 first and then the LCD5 and I made my decision at that point. I don't need both so trading the LCD4s.

My experience with the LCD-5 is almost exactly the same - when I first got them I was quite disappointed to be honest, they sounded clear, transparent and detailed but seemed very "flat" to me, with very little macro dynamics and lacked punch. They are very intimate, the soundstage was pretty narrow and I was regretting trading in my LCD-4s. I was taking a chance on the trade-in as I mostly use my Susvaras these days and was hoping the LCD-5 would provide an easier to power all around headphone, maybe somewhere between my Susvara, Utopia, HEKse and LCD-4. I listened to them exclusively for about a week and although they improved (I'd say brain burn in was the cause) I still felt they were, for lack of a better term, "boring".

But now I'm on week 2 and somehow they have almost transformed - I can't really explain how or why, I'm not really a big "burn in" believer but they now have much more punch and sonic weight to them, the tuning was always good and separation of instruments always stellar but they've added a new dimension of tight, controlled precision and richness. Timbral accuracy of instruments like bass drums, guitars and acoustic bass have the proper frequency response and unparallelled realism, punch and weight that I originally found lacking. They still sound a bit closed in compared to Susvara, LCD-R and HEKse but there's an addictive immediacy and precision that even bests Utopia.

I don't find the treble rolled off at all, in fact there are moments when the high end gets a touch brittle depending on the recording - I have no issues with the clamp force, headband/yoke size or the look of the acetate rings but I do much prefer the old LCD template given I had no problen with the weight. In fact I find the LCD-R more beautifully built and also more comfortable overall than LCD-5.

For reference, I am using a Bryston BDA-3 DAC with a Luxman P-750u headphone amp, and although the LCD-5 has been billed as quite easy to drive, I find it still needs lots of power to sound its best. I did not and don't use any eq at all, but I can see why someone might want to with these.

All these superlatives aside, I still think Susvara reigns king for me, but LCD-5 is another major achievement for Audeze.

 

[utdeep]

Never heard the Susvara. $6000 is a lot more than I can handle for some strange psychological reason.

 

[jscmd2000]

My experience with the LCD-5 is almost exactly the same - when I first got them I was quite disappointed to be honest, they sounded clear, transparent and detailed but seemed very "flat" to me, with very little macro dynamics and lacked punch. They are very intimate, the soundstage was pretty narrow and I was regretting trading in my LCD-4s. I was taking a chance on the trade-in as I mostly use my Susvaras these days and was hoping the LCD-5 would provide an easier to power all around headphone, maybe somewhere between my Susvara, Utopia, HEKse and LCD-4. I listened to them exclusively for about a week and although they improved (I'd say brain burn in was the cause) I still felt they were, for lack of a better term, "boring".

But now I'm on week 2 and somehow they have almost transformed - I can't really explain how or why, I'm not really a big "burn in" believer but they now have much more punch and sonic weight to them, the tuning was always good and separation of instruments always stellar but they've added a new dimension of tight, controlled precision and richness. Timbral accuracy of instruments like bass drums, guitars and acoustic bass have the proper frequency response and unparallelled realism, punch and weight that I originally found lacking. They still sound a bit closed in compared to Susvara, LCD-R and HEKse but there's an addictive immediacy and precision that even bests Utopia.

I don't find the treble rolled off at all, in fact there are moments when the high end gets a touch brittle depending on the recording - I have no issues with the clamp force, headband/yoke size or the look of the acetate rings but I do much prefer the old LCD template given I had no problen with the weight. In fact I find the LCD-R more beautifully built and also more comfortable overall than LCD-5.

For reference, I am using a Bryston BDA-3 DAC with a Luxman P-750u headphone amp, and although the LCD-5 has been billed as quite easy to drive, I find it still needs lots of power to sound its best. I did not and don't use any eq at all, but I can see why someone might want to with these.

All these superlatives aside, I still think Susvara reigns king for me, but LCD-5 is another major achievement for Audeze.

I couldn't agree more... to every point.

 

[VandyMan]

Interesting
How does the LCD-2C compare in the Bass with the 2.1 if you have experience with it

I don't have experience with the LCD-2C unfortunately. That would be an interesting comparison.

Because I sent my LCD-4 back to Audeze as a trade-in on the LCD-5, my LCD-2.1 have gotten some use for the first time in a few years (while I wait for the new headphones). I had forgotten how much bass they have! I got them in early 2011 and Audeze's headphones had consistency issues in those days. I may have gotten lucky with a particularly bassy sample.

When I listen to Jingo from the album Santana, the congas are louder and more forceful on my LCD-2.1 vs my LCD-4. It is not a huge difference, but big enough that it is easily heard. However, on the LCD-4 you can hear the drummers hands striking the drum skin and the drum sounds much more real. On the LCD-2.1 it is more of a one note sound. I'd take the LCD-4 bass over the LCD-2.1 bass any day.

Interestingly, comparing the LCD-2.1 to the LCD-4 was very much like comparing the LCD-4 to the LCD-5. The overall sound signature had more in common than not, but the clarity/definition/speed increased significantly. While the sound signature of the LCD-5 is different from the LCD-4, I don't agree with those saying that it is a complete departure from the Audeze house sound. To my ears, it is a refinement. (Note that I've only had a short listen to the LCD-5, so my opinion may change when I get my pair and have more time with them.)

 

[KMann]

That is my question as well. I know that @jude used the HPA4 in his measurement chain, so those measurements should be especially helpful to anyone looking to pair the LCD-5 with an HPA4 specifically. From those, it's pretty clear that the HPA4 has plenty of power and headroom to handle those headphones at high volume without elevating the distortion too much. I'm not certain if his subjective impressions on those headphones were from listening with the HPA4 though. There is also a review in the works from @MacedonianHero who will most likely use the LCD-5 with an HPA4 for at least some of his listening. Personally, that's the one I'm waiting for.

I have a HPA4 I got to check how well it works with LCD-5. When considering an amp, a main consideration is the DAC that is feeding it. As it is hard to judge HPA4 in a vacuum.

I have a Lynx Hilo, a Hugo TT2 and Chord DAVE. Compared to straight out of Lynx Hilo (which does not have a great HP amp section) , BH4 brought LCD-5 to life with both weight and sounded more open. With HugoTT2 the BH4 did not do much for me if anything I lost a little resolution. With Chord DAVE, I got a little more body/slam but lost too much resolution. I wont call BH4 warm but it can drive low impedance headphones with ease (I was using balanced output), it is reasonably fast and adds some authority to bass. however if you value transparency and resolution and a good sense of space, those are not the strengths if your DAC can already do that.

Edit: I have a souped-up Chord DAVE, last time when I did this comparison with LCD-4z and stock DAVE, it was a a lot closer.

 

[Dloines]

My experience with the LCD-5 is almost exactly the same - when I first got them I was quite disappointed to be honest, they sounded clear, transparent and detailed but seemed very "flat" to me, with very little macro dynamics and lacked punch. They are very intimate, the soundstage was pretty narrow and I was regretting trading in my LCD-4s. I was taking a chance on the trade-in as I mostly use my Susvaras these days and was hoping the LCD-5 would provide an easier to power all around headphone, maybe somewhere between my Susvara, Utopia, HEKse and LCD-4. I listened to them exclusively for about a week and although they improved (I'd say brain burn in was the cause) I still felt they were, for lack of a better term, "boring".

But now I'm on week 2 and somehow they have almost transformed - I can't really explain how or why, I'm not really a big "burn in" believer but they now have much more punch and sonic weight to them, the tuning was always good and separation of instruments always stellar but they've added a new dimension of tight, controlled precision and richness. Timbral accuracy of instruments like bass drums, guitars and acoustic bass have the proper frequency response and unparallelled realism, punch and weight that I originally found lacking. They still sound a bit closed in compared to Susvara, LCD-R and HEKse but there's an addictive immediacy and precision that even bests Utopia.

I don't find the treble rolled off at all, in fact there are moments when the high end gets a touch brittle depending on the recording - I have no issues with the clamp force, headband/yoke size or the look of the acetate rings but I do much prefer the old LCD template given I had no problen with the weight. In fact I find the LCD-R more beautifully built and also more comfortable overall than LCD-5.

For reference, I am using a Bryston BDA-3 DAC with a Luxman P-750u headphone amp, and although the LCD-5 has been billed as quite easy to drive, I find it still needs lots of power to sound its best. I did not and don't use any eq at all, but I can see why someone might want to with these.

All these superlatives aside, I still think Susvara reigns king for me, but LCD-5 is another major achievement for Audeze.

 

[Dloines]

My experience with the LCD-5 is almost exactly the same - when I first got them I was quite disappointed to be honest, they sounded clear, transparent and detailed but seemed very "flat" to me, with very little macro dynamics and lacked punch. They are very intimate, the soundstage was pretty narrow and I was regretting trading in my LCD-4s. I was taking a chance on the trade-in as I mostly use my Susvaras these days and was hoping the LCD-5 would provide an easier to power all around headphone, maybe somewhere between my Susvara, Utopia, HEKse and LCD-4. I listened to them exclusively for about a week and although they improved (I'd say brain burn in was the cause) I still felt they were, for lack of a better term, "boring".

But now I'm on week 2 and somehow they have almost transformed - I can't really explain how or why, I'm not really a big "burn in" believer but they now have much more punch and sonic weight to them, the tuning was always good and separation of instruments always stellar but they've added a new dimension of tight, controlled precision and richness. Timbral accuracy of instruments like bass drums, guitars and acoustic bass have the proper frequency response and unparallelled realism, punch and weight that I originally found lacking. They still sound a bit closed in compared to Susvara, LCD-R and HEKse but there's an addictive immediacy and precision that even bests Utopia.

I don't find the treble rolled off at all, in fact there are moments when the high end gets a touch brittle depending on the recording - I have no issues with the clamp force, headband/yoke size or the look of the acetate rings but I do much prefer the old LCD template given I had no problen with the weight. In fact I find the LCD-R more beautifully built and also more comfortable overall than LCD-5.

For reference, I am using a Bryston BDA-3 DAC with a Luxman P-750u headphone amp, and although the LCD-5 has been billed as quite easy to drive, I find it still needs lots of power to sound its best. I did not and don't use any eq at all, but I can see why someone might want to with these.

All these superlatives aside, I still think Susvara reigns king for me, but LCD-5 is another major achievement for Audeze.

we must have the same hearing, LOL! Happy to see you using Bryston equipment, I am also using the BDA and the BHA-1 AMP, the BHA-1 has lots of power as I was able to power the LCD-4 and LCD-5 at the same time with no problem...

 

[Chodorovski]

Hmmmm, Audio46 in NYC says they have a few pairs in stock

Do yall think it's a bit over-ambitious if I walk in the store and ask if they'll crack one open and let me listen to it? They've always been cool with me testing out headphones there, though I've never asked to try anything this expensive... (I got rejected once asking the same thing at the Steinway piano store/gallery once, and it was super embarrassing)

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Hmmmm, Audio46 in NYC says they have a few pairs in stock

Do yall think it's a bit over-ambitious if I walk in the store and ask if they'll crack one open and let me listen to it? They've always been cool with me testing out headphones there, though I've never asked to try anything this expensive... (I got rejected once asking the same thing at the Steinway piano store/gallery once, and it was super embarrassing)

I wouldn't take that bet.

It's a $4500 headphone in limited quantities, and you're essentially asking them to immediately make them lose value on a new item. If they had many pairs, I could see a store saying having a demo unit, but I don't think the LCD-5 is there yet.

 

[Chodorovski]

I wouldn't take that bet.

It's a $4500 headphone in limited quantities, and you're essentially asking them to immediately make them lose value on a new item. If they had many pairs, I could see a store saying having a demo unit, but I don't think the LCD-5 is there yet.

Yeah I honestly don't know what their policy is with opening up headphones for sale. I think they just do it. I've tried a dozen different headphones/iems there over the years, and they're always super chill about it. They even pulled out a pair of Noble Audio Khans and 64 Audio Tia Trios when I was there looking at IEMs, both $2k+. No clue if they had the stock or desire to make those 'demo units'

 

[bfreedma]

Hmmmm, Audio46 in NYC says they have a few pairs in stock

Do yall think it's a bit over-ambitious if I walk in the store and ask if they'll crack one open and let me listen to it? They've always been cool with me testing out headphones there, though I've never asked to try anything this expensive... (I got rejected once asking the same thing at the Steinway piano store/gallery once, and it was super embarrassing)

They've been pretty accommodating in the past for serious buyers. Give them a call.

 

[dewald0]

So I got my LCD-5 with a trade-in of an LCD-4Z. I don’t think I’ve given it enough time, but I’ve heard enough to think I was happier with the LCD-4Z.

I’m going to send the LCD-5 back.

Exactly the same thing I did... no regrets! 4z (2021 edition w/ new pads) out of a Hugo2 is all I'd ever need. Such a natural, pleasing sound.