Audeze LCD-5 Review, Measurements, Interview

[Audeze]

I wounder if the new earpads will be any good and fit other model.

They do not fit any other model. They are specifically made for the LCD-5 ONLY.

 

[Marshall95]

I wonder if the lcdi5 will be out by the end of the year...

 

[fugimax]

I have original LCD-2's from 2011 that I recently upgraded with the carbon headband, balanced cable, and new leather pads.
I wear them for ~8 hours/day since the pandemic. So the weight on the 5's is nice to see...

Curious how these will sound comparatively, though. I really do like the sound profile of the 2's.

 

[Audeze]

I wonder if the lcdi5 will be out by the end of the year...

No.

 

[Dixter]

Ok.... so it seems from so many reviews that Audeze headphones are almost required to be EQ'd .... so if Audeze just brings out anything new that needs less EQing then its a better/improved headphone and will now cost $4500 because you won't need to EQ them as much as the older designs ??? hmmm

just a simple question... due to all of the new headphones being released at these super high prices... can someone please explain in simple terms what makes a headphone ( any headphone ) cost and be worth $4500....
I'm not saying they aren't worth the price, I am just curious what costs besides the engineering and time required to produce these kinds of headphones...

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Ok.... so it seems from so many reviews that Audeze headphones are almost required to be EQ'd .... so if Audeze just brings out anything new that needs less EQing then its a better/improved headphone and will now cost $4500 because you won't need to EQ them as much as the older designs ??? hmmm

I'm sorry but I don't agree with this whatsoever.

There's been a recent (or not so recent) notion that a headphone needs to hit a specific target curve to be good (whether Harman or what have you). I don't agree with this at all.

We all hear things differently.

I myself don't EQ anything, and enjoy the LCD headphones (or all other manufacturer headphones) for what they are, whether it's close to targets or not.

What's the point of a billion headphones if all you're doing is trying to make them all sound the same? Well, I like headphones for their own specific tonalities and quirks. I don't think the LCD2C or LCD-X need any EQ, and they're very different. Do I want them to sound similar? No.

Do they sound good or not though EQ? That's purely subjective. It's just there's some target bandwagoning happening these days that think it has to be a specific way or it's not good. Well, I'm not sorry to say they're wrong.

That's the beauty of headphones. There's so many flavors. Are they wrong? No. You want a bright headphone, get a Grado. You want an intimate headphone, get an LCD2 or 6XX. etc. You want pure neutral, get X headphone. Just enjoy them, whether you EQ or not.

 

[metal571]

interesting, most people think that lcd4 has too much air

This seems to apply more to the fairly terrible memory foam pad revision that must have started somewhere around 2018. The original pads from when they were released around 2016 actually were less airy and more like a super-resolving LCD-2C. I have not heard the late 2020/2021 pad rev on LCD-4.

With Jude mentioning he needed to EQ the bass a little bit, wasn't too happy to hear that.

Pretty much all Audeze need EQ to bring up the bass

To my knowledge it is not possible or at least has not really typically been done to "build-in" a bass shelf physically when designing an open planar like this, so if you want Harman-ish bass you'll need to EQ of course.

I also have some pad questions @KMann. Are the pads glued on? And if so, does it void the warranty again like on LCD-4 and 4Z if the user tries to replace them?

 

[XVampireX]

just a simple question... due to all of the new headphones being released at these super high prices... can someone please explain in simple terms what makes a headphone ( any headphone ) cost and be worth $4500....
I'm not saying they aren't worth the price, I am just curious what costs besides the engineering and time required to produce these kinds of headphones...

R&D, Materials, Time
Of course without Audiophiles, these devices would cost less, by how much I don't know, but less...

 

[sp33ls]

just a simple question... due to all of the new headphones being released at these super high prices... can someone please explain in simple terms what makes a headphone ( any headphone ) cost and be worth $4500....
I'm not saying they aren't worth the price, I am just curious what costs besides the engineering and time required to produce these kinds of headphones...

The "worth" is a little subjective.

It's not 'twice' as good as a $2k headphone. Rather, it's more about how important is it to you to find "that" sound you're searching for so that you may maximize your audio enjoyment, and how much do you value that experience?

Typically, the biggest differences seem to come with sounding more "correct", or being "faster", more resolving, etc. Mind you, these are marginal improvements compared to lower priced options, but still significant enough for many here to warrant the additional cost.

To me, I'm trying to get that same emotional connection through headphones as I find with high end speakers. It's different tho, since speakers energize the room you're sitting in and you "feel" that energy.
I'm looking at the LCD-5 to be a potential candidate for that experience, tho I'm curious if many will find them to be too incisive. Which is great for mixing and professionals, but not as ideal for me to just enjoy the music/games/movies.

 

[tutetibiimperes]

I'm sorry but I don't agree with this whatsoever.

There's been a recent (or not so recent) notion that a headphone needs to hit a specific target curve to be good (whether Harman or what have you). I don't agree with this at all.

We all hear things differently.

I myself don't EQ anything, and enjoy the LCD headphones (or all other manufacturer headphones) for what they are, whether it's close to targets or not.

What's the point of a billion headphones if all you're doing is trying to make them all sound the same? Well, I like headphones for their own specific tonalities and quirks. I don't think the LCD2C or LCD-X need any EQ, and they're very different. Do I want them to sound similar? No.

Do they sound good or not though EQ? That's purely subjective. It's just there's some target bandwagoning happening these days that think it has to be a specific way or it's not good. Well, I'm not sorry to say they're wrong.

I agree with you that it’s a personal choice, and it’s completely legitimate if you prefer not to use EQ (and I have some pairs like the HD6XX and Beyer T1.2 that I think sound great stock without any EQ).

I’d disagree with the idea that EQing different headphones to the same target curve makes them sound the same though. My ESP 95/X, LCD-3, and HE6se all EQ’d to the Harman curve all still sound remarkably different and each have their own flavor.

 

[CaptainFantastic]

This seems to apply more to the fairly terrible memory foam pad revision that must have started somewhere around 2018. The original pads from when they were released around 2016 actually were less airy and more like a super-resolving LCD-2C. I have not heard the late 2020/2021 pad rev on LCD-4.



To my knowledge it is not possible or at least has not really typically been done to "build-in" a bass shelf physically when designing an open planar like this, so if you want Harman-ish bass you'll need to EQ of course.

I also have some pad questions @KMann. Are the pads glued on? And if so, does it void the warranty again like on LCD-4 and 4Z if the user tries to replace them?

I feel you on the pads @metal571. Imagine coming from a ZMF where you can "pad roll" and seeing an Audeze that has them perma-glued on requiring a two hour, possibly warranty-voiding pad-changing operation that might succeed or semi-fail. That's for LCD-6 I guess.

On LCD-5 Audeze they responded to the weight issue... hard to believe it took them so many years to realize that aside from a couple of models (MX4, LCD-2 Classic?) their LCDs were unwearable for the majority of the population. Now it can be said. Audeze approves of this statement it appears.

 

[kion]

I just wish Jude interviewed one of the engineers rather than the CEO, the discussion was at a very high level, there was not much technical details discussed and it feels like there is not much groundbreaking development, compared with the DCA Stealth.

 

[Eduardo C]

This, too, is a little underwhelming. Welp. Meh.

Borderline bright? Not suited for tube amps? Hmmm, I don’t think so.

 

[Beagle]

Ok.... so it seems from so many reviews that Audeze headphones are almost required to be EQ'd .... so if Audeze just brings out anything new that needs less EQing then its a better/improved headphone and will now cost $4500 because you won't need to EQ them as much as the older designs ??? hmmm

Companies are trying to recoup lost revenue during the pandemic and what better way than to put out a new $4500 headphone and watch us line up to buy, frothing at the mouth.

Not me, though. Done shelling out big bucks to acquire "another sound", knowing I already have that "sound" somewhere in my collection. But if $4000 is for the looks, then those who want will get. It does look really nice.

 

[ThanatosVI]

Borderline bright? Not suited for tube amps? Hmmm, I don’t think so.

The not suited for tube amps comment was likely aimed at OTLs due to the extremely low impedance of the LCD-5