Audeze LCD-5 Review, Measurements, Interview

[nwavesailor]

Just got shipping notification that my headband is on the way!

 

[Sajid Amit]

How do owners of Utopia and the LCD5 feel about how they compare?

I got the Utopia in for a review and will do comparisons hopefully.

 

[Slim1970]

Just got shipping notification that my headband is on the way!

So did I. I hope the loser fit doesn’t alter the sound that much.

 

[nwavesailor]

So did I. I hope the loser fit doesn’t alter the sound that much.

I figure I can always go back to the tighter original band if that happens!

 

[rsbrsvp]

I have been waiting over three weeks for Audeze to ship my looser headband. Still not tracking number; but they do respond very quickly to emails communication.

 

[nwavesailor]

My original email was December 28th and yes, they have been quick to repond to every email!

 

[Slim1970]

How do owners of Utopia and the LCD5 feel about how they compare?

The Utopia’s are slightly warmer but just as detailed and resolving. Oddly enough I find the bass and overall sound a bit fuller, meatier on the Utopia’s with the Danacable Lazuli Reference cable attached. The LCD-5’s have better bass impact and more extension with better dynamics to my ears. The transients are faster and snappier on the LCD-5’s as well.

The LCD-5’s are also cleaner throughout the midrange with an awesome treble response. The Utopia’s are no slouch in the treble regions either. Staging is about equal. Neither of them have wide soundstages, but are big enough to sound open and not closed in. Both sound incredible on my MHA200 . That’s my brief take on both headphones.

 

[karlheinz147]

The Elites are impressive and in my opinion don’t deserve the hate they’re receiving. The LCD-5’s are better technically, but the Elites do a couple of things better. I like them both for different reasons.

I also don't get the hate on the Elites. Resolve mentioned on his review that they are on par with the LCD-X, which I later found absolutely ridiculous. I owned the X 2021 and had to put them on sale after receiving the Elites and having a listen for less than 15 minutes. The LCD-X 2021 are great, but the Elites are just on another level. They are goosebumps machines with almost anything you throw at them, even with songs I never liked before. Resolve's EQ profiles are great, but now I have to take his opinions with a grain of salt.

I haven't had the chance to audition the LCD-5, but hopefully soon. It just catches my attention that there's indeed a very high amount of people reselling them after a few days, so most likely I won't blind-buy this time.

 

[rsbrsvp]

Slim1970,

If you could only have one headphone between Elite, LCD-5, or Utopia- which would it be?

For modern genres specifically- which would it be?

 

[Slim1970]

I figure I can always go back to the tighter original band if that happens!

Yep, so far no one is reporting a lose of sound quality with the new headband. So that is promising!

 

[BassicScience]

How do owners of Utopia and the LCD5 feel about how they compare?

I'm an ex-owner of the Utopia and only auditioned the LCD-5 for a couple of hours, but to my ears the Utopia is clearly the more neutral (timbrally correct) headphone, when using no EQ with either. For my sonic preferences, the Utopia was the clear winner between the two. Caveat: I don't listen to metal.

I refer anyone interested in my detailed comparison (LCD-5 vs. Utopia) to the following thread:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/my-...rce-av-audeze-lcd-5-and-crbn-reviewed.961402/

 

[Slim1970]

Slim1970,

If you could only have one headphone between Elite, LCD-5, or Utopia- which would it be?

For modern genres specifically- which would it be?

Wow, that’s a tough one. For pure musical enjoyment with a awesome fun factor the Elites are tough to beat. Every time I put them on, I smile. The Utopia’s and LCD-5 are also great all around headphones. What makes the LCD-5’s so great is their neutrality. You can EQ them to sound however you want. Because of that along with their great technical performance I would have to choose the LCD-5’s. They are so good on my current setup and they can be driven straight out the Dave. Heck, they all can which makes this decision so tough.

 

[Trance_Gott]

LCD-5 with Resolves v2 EQ is for me the best sound you can get for 4.5K. Utopia is very good but LCD-5 is technically better! More resolving, cleaner.

 

[Tanalasta]

Finally got around to the headband change today.

Very easy to do. Unscrew the black caps and simply slide out. Then slide into new headband. Use the included Allen key (thank you!!!) to tighten to your desired adjustment tightness. I found once it starts grabbing, a quarter to half turn resulted in a significant adjustment so left the key in to hand turn until I got where I liked it.

And it's a definite step up. I tolerated the tight headband. But this is way more comfortable and more on par with my Utopia in tightness.

The LCD-5's sing out of a Chord Hugo 2.

I have the LCD-5 and the Utopia. (having sold the Empyrean). I give the nod to the LCD-5 as the more enjoyable headphone. And all I've done is a cable roll.

 

[chargedcapacitor]

I also don't get the hate on the Elites. Resolve mentioned on his review that they are on par with the LCD-X, which I later found absolutely ridiculous. I owned the X 2021 and had to put them on sale after receiving the Elites and having a listen for less than 15 minutes. The LCD-X 2021 are great, but the Elites are just on another level. They are goosebumps machines with almost anything you throw at them, even with songs I never liked before. Resolve's EQ profiles are great, but now I have to take his opinions with a grain of salt.

I haven't had the chance to audition the LCD-5, but hopefully soon. It just catches my attention that there's indeed a very high amount of people reselling them after a few days, so most likely I won't blind-buy this time.

Resolve compares headphones with their respective EQ profiles applied; he's made a video explaining how he compared headphones. I would agree otherwise, the LCD-X without EQ is pretty wonky, and imo many headphones easily outclass it without EQ.