[Bimbleton]

No.



The front sockets are fine.



What i'm saying is, that the power rating of an amp, that is THE NUMBERS are mostly meaningless. It is HOW the amp is capable of delivering power that is important. I am saying this specifically because there are people out there who do not understand this and perpetuate this myth online, and the LCD-5 will be a perfect example. So, you wont be able to look at the power specs of an amp alone and determine if it will do a good job with the LCD-5.

Good news is, all the desktop amps I've tried from ~$400 and above (SGA-1, SA-1, Jotunheim, GS-X Mini, Master 9, Chord Hugo 2, TT2, Studio Six etc.) drive them fine. Portable gear, even serious portable gear, does not. Eg: The Studio Six only outputs up to about 1W, yet it is vastly better than any of the portable gear, almost all of which can, technically, output more power.

I also have a theory about how the specs of a pair of headphones can be used to get an idea of what they require, but it's just a theory at the moment.

This is a very interesting and important finding. A lot of headphone users enjoy portability, so not being able to find a single portable DAC/amp that can drive these to full potential is… disheartening. It will certainly be a factor into people’s purchase decision.

As always, keep up the good work!

 

[arrakian]

This is a very interesting and important finding. A lot of headphone users enjoy portability, so not being able to find a single portable DAC/amp that can drive these to full potential is… disheartening. It will certainly be a factor into people’s purchase decision.

As always, keep up the good work!

He mentioned the Chord Hugo2 would work…

 

[Undun]

He mentioned the Chord Hugo2 would work…

TT2, not Hugo2, if I read correctly. The TT2 is a desktop amp.

 

[Bimbleton]

He mentioned the Chord Hugo2 would work…

I will counter by saying the Hugo2 is transportable but not portable, in my opinion.

 

[deafenears]

How about some impressions of LCD-5 from head-fi'ers attending SoCal CanJam this weekend? The show is almost over now.

There's also a write up from @Resolve - https://www.headphones.com/communit...21-day-one-impressions-including-audeze-lcd-5

 

[PeteSTRADAMUS]

No.



The front sockets are fine.



What i'm saying is, that the power rating of an amp, that is THE NUMBERS are mostly meaningless. It is HOW the amp is capable of delivering power that is important. I am saying this specifically because there are people out there who do not understand this and perpetuate this myth online, and the LCD-5 will be a perfect example. So, you wont be able to look at the power specs of an amp alone and determine if it will do a good job with the LCD-5.

Good news is, all the desktop amps I've tried from ~$400 and above (SGA-1, SA-1, Jotunheim, GS-X Mini, Master 9, Chord Hugo 2, TT2, Studio Six etc.) drive them fine. Portable gear, even serious portable gear, does not. Eg: The Studio Six only outputs up to about 1W, yet it is vastly better than any of the portable gear, almost all of which can, technically, output more power.

I also have a theory about how the specs of a pair of headphones can be used to get an idea of what they require, but it's just a theory at the moment.

Very interesting Currawong. There was this tube amp I connected to my Elites a few weeks ago and it was about 18 watts for speakers. But only about a couple hundred mw's for headphones since it wasn't really designed for headphones. And I could not get the gain passed around 8. Which is close to starting point it was already too much juice for the cans.

 

[ThanatosVI]

LCD-X is much more sensitive than the LCD-5 (103dB/mW vs 90dB/mW). You're solid.

For those unfamiliar with how big the difference is.

The LCD-5 needs 20x as much energy as the LCD-X.

 

[BassicScience]

So I listened to the LCD-5 again on Sunday. As others have noted, Audeze had set up a second listening station with a Qutest DAC into a Bryston BHA-1 amp. Not sure if the latter was in a low gain mode, but I was generally listening with the volume at around 2 o'clock or so. Audeze were also cool with my swapping my Susvara into the amp for comparison purposes, which required even more volume, perhaps 4-5 o'clock! I was surprised that the chain wasn't a bit more high end and robust considering it was intended to showcase a new flagship in the best possible light.

Anyhoo, the LCD-5 is definitely more Susvara-like than any previous headphone from Audeze, but to my ears it's not quite in the same class in terms of refinement. The 5's frequency response is not quite as smooth as Susvara's and its imaging and soundstaging are not as precise and expansive, respectively. The differences are not major, but they are readily noticeable, to my ears at least. I found the Meze Elite more similar to the Susvara if you're looking to approximate that sound at a lower price point.

In talking with people before and after they auditioned the 5, most of them were happy owners of a previous Audeze can who were interested in a possible upgrade. I don't recall any of those folks having a negative reaction to the 5, although I couldn't give you any kind of percentage of how many actually plan to purchase it.

As someone who's never lived with an Audeze headphone, I'm afraid I can't really offer a tremendous amount of further insight into how the 5 differs from previous models. I was impressed with the design and ergonomics of the 5, particularly the relative lack of size and weight. Saw some negative comments about the tortoise shell earlier, but it doesn't really jump out at you in person.

 

[arrakian]

TT2, not Hugo2, if I read correctly. The TT2 is a desktop amp.

Yes, in the second paragraph, he mentioned the H2 just before the TT2.

 

[The Hawk]

 

[Undun]

Yes, in the second paragraph, he mentioned the H2 just before the TT2.

Good eye, my bad. Color me surprised in that case, as I haven't heard a planar that's been driven more convincingly with the Hugo 2 than the Micro BL (even the Audeze LCD-4 and OG HE-6 had more oomf and texture to the low end while being ever so slightly narrower in stage). One of the big reasons I sold mine for the TT2 which is notably more clean and powerful to my ears.

 

[Sajid Amit]

Damn, GLOWING.

 

[arrakian]

Good eye, my bad. Color me surprised in that case, as I haven't heard a planar that's been driven more convincingly with the Hugo 2 than the Micro BL (even the Audeze LCD-4 and OG HE-6 had more oomf and texture to the low end while being ever so slightly narrower in stage). One of the big reasons I sold mine for the TT2 which is notably more clean and powerful to my ears.

I mostly use the Micro BL upstairs with the LCD-X because I love the three levels of power boost; I really wish the Hugo2 had something like this. It’s good to know the LCD-5 can be used with it though.

 

[Uebelkraehe]

Damn, GLOWING.

In line without practically everyone else, but still only result of a few minutes of listening in a noisy environment. Really surprised about the assured and detailed conclusions some people in the CanJam impressions where giving under these circumstances. Nevertheless, the LCD 5 pretty much seems to be the big winner of the show.

 

[ufospls2]

Initial impressions from the show certainly seem to be mostly positive. Very much looking forward to trying them. A bit worried about the clamp force with my wide head, but hopefully you can stretch the headband a bit over time (though carbon fibre may not stretch? I suppose I'll find out.)

I wonder if they will ship early early on in October, or about the middle? Only time shall tell.