Audeze LCD-5 Review, Measurements, Interview
Oct 21, 2021 at 7:19 AM Post #1,816 of 6,756
Ok Guys Time for what you all been waiting for. LCD-4 VS LCD-5 :eyes:

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Disclaimer:

English isn't my first language so sorry in advance about grammar mistakes. also i didn't use LCD-5 for more than 20 Hours, as i believe that so far i can tell what they do, and further burn in might maybe make the bass a tiny tad punchier ( big maybe) but so far its on a VERY great spot for me not to want extra burn in with the hope of oh please sound better. nop already sounds perfect! <3

One more thing i listen mostly to J-pop so 90% of the songs i have depend on the Quality of Upper Mids and Female Vocals, when we purchase a setup its all about What We Want from it Rather than what does better when it comes to A/B so keep in mind its very subjective Review and its about What i want from a setup to do yet i will ofc share details of what i found and may it be as helpful as possible for you all :3

Last Note, keep in mind i am not a Professional Review, just another user whos been in this hobby for 9 years.

Setup:

DAC: Chord Hugo TT2 + Mscaler
Amp: Woo Audio WA33 Elite Edition (JPS Wired)

Tubes:
TA-274B Takatsuki
Psvane ACME 2A3

Headphone Cable:
Double Helix cable Prion4

interconnect cables:

double helix cables between M-Scaler/Hugo TT2
JPS Labs Cables XLR between Hugo TT2 and WA33

Keep in mind WA33 Elite Edition (JPS Wired) is a VERY High End Setup that will push your headphones to the maximum limits and beyond. so if you have another setup don't expect to have the same result as mine. i am here to tell you what can these headphones do when you give them the best stage and equipment to perform.


Screenshot_20211020-000405_Gallery.jpg
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LCD-5 Impressions:

Overall Sound Signature is Mid Forward while still being Very Agile and Controlled. Clarity and Details Retrieval is right up there IMO.

Bass:

Very Fast Bass, Agile and very Textured. Doesn't Lack Punch yet might want you to get more punch at the start when you listen to it for few sessions, yet the more you spend with LCD-5 the more you understand why its Bass is Actually very very good. it never bleed into mids nor overshadow other details in Treble which make the sound even more balanced and clear. for the first time ever i heard that kind of bass that made me appreciate having less punch and more details without losing Fun. honestly Perfection.

Mids:

Forward Mids is something you either hate or like ofc, in my case its my favorite aspect of the LCD-5 so far as it make the vocal very intimate sweets and lush. very very refined mids quality and i love it. best mids i have in my headphone collections. while being mid forward, LCD-5 is still faithful to Mids placement in a lot of the recordings, so when the vocal itself not forward LCD-5 doesn't force it forward yet it does its best to make sure the vocal isn't overshadowed by bass or treble and with nice control and smoothness. and while some tracks tend to be vocal forward sounding the Bass and Treble feels like doing what it should do and fun as much as possible and the image is like the Vocalist Guiding both making sure they still do what they do and be fun, very very dreamy image and fun.

i really love how you don't lose details on bass/mids while still enjoying mids and vocals without the headphone sounding like it lacks something which the case with many intimate headphones out there.

Treble:

while not being very sparkly like how i like it, it also doesn't fall behind and extract as much possible details to make a Treble Head like me happy. Treble is very detailed and refined, extended big time yet not too much like what you would head from something like Diana Phi. yet again not failing behind while ofc i wish it could do a tad tiny more but i am happy with it so far, and thats coming from a Treble Head J-pop loving Audiophile hehe. is it ever harsh or bad? never at all, Refined and Extended big time.

Clarity & Control:

LCD-5 is very fast, Agile and able to control whatever details you can throw at them. the details retrieval is among the best i ever heard, you can safely say that this kind of clarity and control will spoil you, making other headphones sound as if they have veil or muddy in comparison. i listen to J-pop with ton of details mashed in on each tracks and LCD-5 doing a very good job making me able to identify each note and even some which i didn't hear in other headphones while still enjoying the presentation and quantity of details.



LCD-4 Vs LCD-5:

Now to Address the big Elephant in the room which all been trying to identify for the past few weeks lol. do i sell my LCD-4 for LCD-5? or do i pick LCD-4 over LCD-5 assuming i don't have any? is LCD-5 mids are worth it coming from LCD-4? so many questions in the past 100 pages and less answers. Its ofc depend on what you want from these two cans and what you listen too. and your preference.

i will start with my Final Verdict and Explain further. after Testing and going A vs B between two cans on my Testing Play List i really kept seeing how LCD-4 is falling behind in many aspect like easily. so fear not if you want LCD-5 honestly it made me easily able to Sell LCD-4 with ZERO regrets. Why? let me explain i guess xD

Bass:

LCD-4 Bass is one of the best in the industry for sure, its like Thunder King, very punchy and makes your cheeks feel the bass. honestly my nightmare coming from my beloved LCD-4 which is my previous Favorite Headphone (thats says a lot ofc) that LCD-5 will make me want to keep LCD-4 because i will miss that Punch.

The more i listened to LCD-5 the more i understood what its trying to achieve. i might have lost a tiny Bass Punch but i gained a lot more, Clarity, Speed and massive details, the punch wasn't failing behind yet it was more fun in a way as i enjoyed that new level of texture, speed and clarity big time. also another thing that made pick LCD-5's Bass over LCD-4's Bass is that LCD-4's Bass was overshadowing Vocals more than LCD-5 which is expected as its very punchy.

on some tracks i was like wow its is perfect balance on LCD-5!! perfect harmony with the punch amount and clarity of vocal and smoothness. going back to LCD-4 the Bass While being Punchier it wasn't as clear nor made upper mids/ Vocals as fun for me (again i listen to J-pop with ton of Female vocals) when it came to that LCD-4 lost the battle of Bass for me hands down.

if you are fine with less details, clarity and control with Bass but never want to Let go of the Thunder King of Bass Punch then LCD-4 is good for you.


Mids:

Not a lot to say here but LCD-5 wins this one easily for me, as the mids and vocal are more refined. you can hear that very nice Lush Sweet Mids sound sig we got used to from LCD-3 back here and more refined while being more presented and adored. really hard to go back once you get used to it, assuming thats what you want from Mids ofc. it was the main enjoyment for me with LCD-5 combined with the clarity of LCD-5 ofc.

Treble:

While both are not a super Treble based Cans, with my current setup i can see it pushing as much as it can to create that fun Treble for me. i always read that LCD series is lacking in Treble big time, yet trust me going big on setup and all cables will make up for this point big time.

LCD-5 Tend to have tiny more Treble Sparkle and Extension when coming from LCD-4 which is another Win for LCD-5 according to my needs ofc. i know some want it even less but again Preference play Huge Role when it comes to what we want from headphones.

Clarity & Control:

LCD-5 made LCD-4 sound very muddy to me and slow with less details. imagine having two clowns, Clown LCD-5 can handle juggling more balls without making them touch each other, and ofc in perfect lining without shadowing something in the recording, while Clown LCD-4 might have punchier balls and heavier ones but no were as Balanced as Clown LCD-5 nor a neat. ( lol sorry about this stupid example with clowns but thats honestly what i imagined whlie A/B ing them)

Conclusion:

in my Book and With what i want from a headphone, LCD-5 is hands down winner for me due Clarity, Speed, Sweet mids and amazing Vocals without Losing that much Punch that make you want to go back to LCD-4. it was still Punchy Enough to make me happy with still hoping i could get more but thats me being greedy even if i am very happy with the results i am getting with LCD-5. that way i saw it is that it LCD-5 is a Huge Upgrade coming from LCD-4 and took care of a lot of it weakness with the only price being little punch and thunder gone from bass but honestly thats about it.


Hopefully you all found this helpful ^^ again i am not the best reviewed but i wrote what i noticed going back and forth between LCD-4 and LCD-5

i saw others who picked LCD-5 over LCD-4 after testing both, and let me tell you i really understand that decision more as well.
 

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Oct 21, 2021 at 7:23 AM Post #1,817 of 6,756
Is the general consensus that the lcd5 needs eq? I just want a totl set of cans with sufficient balance that I don’t need to faff around with the frequency response. Is this too much to ask?
Yeah, it kinda is. The physics just doesn't seem to work out. You have one design that gives you the absolute best technical performance, but you get flat bass. The other has a design that sculpts the FR to a "measured target" (which will sound different person to person, and may be flat out wrong all together), but sacrifices technical performance to do so. Can we move past this already?
 
Oct 21, 2021 at 7:28 AM Post #1,818 of 6,756
Ok Guys Time for what you all been waiting for. LCD-4 VS LCD-5 :eyes:



Disclaimer:

English isn't my first language so sorry in advance about grammar mistakes. also i didn't use LCD-5 for more than 20 Hours, as i believe that so far i can tell what they do, and further burn in might maybe make the bass a tiny tad punchier ( big maybe) but so far its on a VERY great spot for me not to want extra burn in with the hope of oh please sound better. nop already sounds perfect! <3

One more thing i listen mostly to J-pop so 90% of the songs i have depend on the Quality of Upper Mids and Female Vocals, when we purchase a setup its all about What We Want from it Rather than what does better when it comes to A/B so keep in mind its very subjective Review and its about What i want from a setup to do yet i will ofc share details of what i found and may it be as helpful as possible for you all :3

Last Note, keep in mind i am not a Professional Review, just another user whos been in this hobby for 9 years.

Setup:

DAC: Chord Hugo TT2 + Mscaler
Amp: Woo Audio WA33 Elite Edition (JPS Wired)

Tubes:
TA-274B Takatsuki
Psvane ACME 2A3

Headphone Cable:
Double Helix cable Prion4

interconnect cables:

double helix cables between M-Scaler/Hugo TT2
JPS Labs Cables XLR between Hugo TT2 and WA33

Keep in mind WA33 Elite Edition (JPS Wired) is a VERY High End Setup that will push your headphones to the maximum limits and beyond. so if you have another setup don't expect to have the same result as mine. i am here to tell you what can these headphones do when you give them the best stage and equipment to preform.






LCD-5 Impressions:

Overall Sound Signature is Mid Forward while still being Very Agile and Controlled. Clarity and Details Retrieval is right up there IMO.

Bass:

Very Fast Bass, Agile and very Textured. Doesn't Lack Punch yet might want you to get more punch at the start when you listen to it for few sessions, yet the more you spend with LCD-5 the more you understand why its Bass is Actually very very good. it never bleed into mids nor overshadow other details in Treble which make the sound even more balanced and clear. for the first time ever i heard that kind of bass that made me appreciate having less punch and more details without losing Fun. honestly Perfection.

Mids:

Forward Mids is something you either hate or like ofc, in my case its my favorite aspect of the LCD-5 so far as it make the vocal very intimate sweets and lush. very very refined mids quality and i love it. best mids i have in my headphone collections. while being mid forward, LCD-5 is still faithful to Mids placement in a lot of the recordings, so when the vocal itself not forward LCD-5 doesn't force it forward yet it does its best to make sure the vocal isn't overshadowed by bass or treble and with nice control and smoothness. and while some tracks tend to be vocal forward sounding the Bass and Treble feels like doing what it should do and fun as much as possible and the image is like the Vocalist Guiding both making sure they still do what they do and be fun, very very dreamy image and fun.

i really love how you don't lose details on bass/mids while still enjoying mids and vocals without the headphone sounding like it lacks something which the case with many intimate headphones out there.

Treble:

while not being very sparkly like how i like it, it also doesn't fall behind and extract as much possible details to make a Treble Head like me happy. Treble is very detailed and refined, extended big time yet not too much like what you would head from something like Diana Phi. yet again not failing behind while ofc i wish it could do a tad tiny more but i am happy with it so far, and thats coming from a Treble Head J-pop loving Audiophile hehe. is it ever harsh or bad? never at all, Refined and Extended big time.

Clarity & Control:

LCD-5 is very fast, Agile and able to control whatever details you can throw at them. the details retrieval is among the best i ever heard, you can safely say that this kind of clarity and control will spoil you, making other headphones sound as if they have veil or muddy in comparison. i listen to J-pop with ton of details mashed in on each tracks and LCD-5 doing a very good job making me able to identify each note and even some which i didn't hear in other headphones while still enjoying the presentation and quantity of details.



LCD-4 Vs LCD-5:

Now to Address the big Elephant in the room which all been trying to identify for the past few weeks lol. do i sell my LCD-4 for LCD-5? or do i pick LCD-4 over LCD-5 assuming i don't have any? is LCD-5 mids are worth it coming from LCD-4? so many questions in the past 100 pages and less answers. Its ofc depend on what you want from these two cans and what you listen too. and your preference.

i will start with my Final Verdict and Explain further. after Testing and going A vs B between two cans on my Testing Play List i really kept seeing how LCD-4 is falling behind in many aspect like easily. so fear not if you want LCD-5 honestly it made me easily able to Sell LCD-4 with ZERO regrets. Why? let me explain i guess xD

Bass:

LCD-4 Bass is one of the best in the industry for sure, its like Thunder King, very punchy and makes your cheeks feel the bass. honestly my nightmare coming from my beloved LCD-4 which is my previous Favorite Headphone (thats says a lot ofc) that LCD-5 will make me want to keep LCD-4 because i will miss that Punch.

The more i listened to LCD-5 the more i understood what its trying to achieve. i might have lost a tiny Bass Punch but i gained a lot more, Clarity, Speed and massive details, the punch wasn't failing behind yet it was more fun in a way as i enjoyed that new level of texture, speed and clarity big time. also another thing that made pick LCD-5's Bass over LCD-4's Bass is that LCD-4's Bass was overshadowing Vocals more than LCD-5 which is expected as its very punchy.

on some tracks i was like wow its is perfect balance on LCD-5!! perfect harmony with the punch amount and clarity of vocal and smoothness. going back to LCD-4 the Bass While being Punchier it wasn't as clear nor made upper mids/ Vocals as fun for me (again i listen to J-pop with ton of Female vocals) when it came to that LCD-4 lost the battle of Bass for me hands down.

if you are fine with less details, clarity and control with Bass but never want to Let go of the Thunder King of Bass Punch then LCD-4 is good for you.


Mids:

Not a lot to say here but LCD-5 wins this one easily for me, as the mids and vocal are more refined. you can hear that very nice Lush Sweet Mids sound sig we got used to from LCD-3 back here and more refined while being more presented and adored. really hard to go back once you get used to it, assuming thats what you want from Mids ofc. it was the main enjoyment for me with LCD-5 combined with the clarity of LCD-5 ofc.

Treble:

While both are not a super Treble based Cans, with my current setup i can see it pushing as much as it can to create that fun Treble for me. i always read that LCD series is lacking in Treble big time, yet trust me going big on setup and all cables will make up for this point big time.

LCD-5 Tend to have tiny more Treble Sparkle and Extension when coming from LCD-4 which is another Win for LCD-5 according to my needs ofc. i know some want it even less but again Preference play Huge Role when it comes to what we want from headphones.

Clarity & Control:

LCD-5 made LCD-4 sound very muddy to me and slow with less details. imagine having two clowns, Clown LCD-5 can handle juggling more balls without making them touch each other, and ofc in perfect lining without shadowing something in the recording, while Clown LCD-4 might have punchier balls and heavier ones but no were as Balanced as Clown LCD-5 nor a neat. ( lol sorry about this stupid example with clowns but thats honestly what i imagined wiling A/B ing them)

Conclusion:

in my Book and With what i want from a headphone, LCD-5 is hands down winner for me due Clarity, Speed, Sweet mids and amazing Vocals without Losing that much Punch that make you want to go back to LCD-4. it was still Punchy Enough to make me happy with still hoping i could get more but thats me being greedy even if i am very happy with the results i am getting with LCD-5. that way i saw it is that it LCD-5 is a Huge Upgrade coming from LCD-4 and took care of a lot of it weakness with the only price being little punch and thunder gone from bass but honestly thats about it.


Hopefully you all found this helpful ^^ again i am not the best reviewed but i wrote what i noticed going back and forth between LCD-4 and LCD-5

i saw others who picked LCD-5 over LCD-4 after testing both, and let me tell you i really understand that decision more as well.
can i ask if u use just the TT2 would the result be the same, compared to using WA33 as an amp, could it be lcd5 likes tube amps, while lcd4 works better with solid state. I have hifiman headphones and LCD4 and never would I say lcd4 sounds muddy on my violectric 590
 
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Oct 21, 2021 at 7:32 AM Post #1,819 of 6,756
can i ask if u use just the TT2 would the result be the same, compared to using WA33 as an amp
the M-Sclaer add more Refinement, and clarity to the TT2 making it more controlled and smoother. i had Hugo TT2 Alone for very long time and even Hugo TT when it came out. M-Scaler made even my old recordings sound more refined thats to its upscaling ability.

without M-Scaler it think its not a huge issue, but ofc i really think Refinement, Clarity and Details are better big time that not having it. unless you dont want to play a lot to improve the details slightly. i listed to J-pop and honestly M-Scaler is a miracle that i always wish for.

that being said for its price, its not a must have. WA33 is a master at showing you what your DAC can do honestly.

Update: oh sorry i read that wrong will try to use it with TT2 Alone sometime later.
 
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Oct 21, 2021 at 7:34 AM Post #1,820 of 6,756
the M-Sclaer add more Refinement, and clarity to the TT2 making it more controlled and smoother. i had Hugo TT2 Alone for very long time and even Hugo TT when it came out. M-Scaler made even my old recordings sound more refined thats to its upscaling ability.

without M-Scaler it think its not a huge issue, but ofc i really think Refinement, Clarity and Details are better big time that not having it. unless you dont want to play a lot to improve the details slightly. i listed to J-pop and honestly M-Scaler is a miracle that i always wish for.

that being said for its price, its not a must have. WA33 is a master at showing you what your DAC can do honestly.
could it be lcd5 likes tube amps, while lcd4 works better with solid state. I have hifiman headphones and LCD4 and never would I say lcd4 sounds muddy on my violectric 590
 
Oct 21, 2021 at 7:56 AM Post #1,821 of 6,756
could it be lcd5 likes tube amps, while lcd4 works better with solid state. I have hifiman headphones and LCD4 and never would I say lcd4 sounds muddy on my violectric 590
if anything WA33 Upgraded all the way sound like nothing but a very good Solid State amp. i too assumed it would be tube like sounding but i was 100% wrong.
 
Oct 21, 2021 at 8:04 AM Post #1,822 of 6,756
if anything WA33 Upgraded all the way sound like nothing but a very good Solid State amp. i too assumed it would be tube like sounding but i was 100% wrong.
i see but still if possible could u test out of tt2 without wa33
 
Oct 21, 2021 at 8:07 AM Post #1,823 of 6,756
i see but still if possible could u test out of tt2 without wa33
oh this mean i have to use it with the stock cable without burning it in O-o'' my cable is XLR lol


not sure if my result will be anywhere accurate to review with a fresh stock cable. but i could try soon :3 will see
 
Oct 21, 2021 at 8:09 AM Post #1,824 of 6,756
oh this mean i have to use it with the stock cable without burning it in O-o'' my cable is XLR lol


not sure if my result will be anywhere accurate to review with a fresh stock cable. but i could try soon :3 will see
just use stock cable on both lcd5 and lcd4 :), i am really interested to hear back from u
 
Oct 21, 2021 at 8:33 AM Post #1,825 of 6,756
I tried my LCD-5 on various chains, here are my impressions:

Here are the best pairings I found, best at the top:
- May KTE -> XLR Goldpoint -> AHB2
- May KTE -> RCA -> "The Beast" tube amp (vocals sound so sweet on tubes)
- RME ADI-2 -> GS-X Mini (surprisingly good)

things I tried and did not like at all:
- RME built-in headamp (flat, lifeless, clinical - as expected)
- May KTE -> Gilmore Lite Mk2 -> Pass ACA (dull, unresolving, no magic, flat)
- May KTE -> BHA-1
- May KTE -> Taurus Mk2

I sent you this by DM first, but it might be interesting to others, and maybe there are more Taurus owners lurking around here, so I'll ask again here:

I saw you tried the LCD-5 with the May KTE + Taurus Mk2 and didn't like it at all.

Can you please elaborate what you didn't like?

In what mode did you use the Taurus? In standard mode, the Taurus should be much more powerful than balanced given the low impedance of the LCD-5. (It has some odd power specs, pushing 4.5W at 32Ohm in standard mode vs only 1.2W in balanced mode. At 120Ohm, balanced mode peaks at 4.5W vs 1.2W in standard mode)

Did you try RME Adi 2 (I'm eying that DAC as a work setup) with the Taurus Mk2? I thought the Taurus kind of compared to the GS-X (mini) sound wise... (since you own both, feel free to correct me). And since you thought RME Adi 2 + GS-X Mini made the LCD-5 sound surprisingly good...
 
Oct 21, 2021 at 8:58 AM Post #1,827 of 6,756
I hear you. I'm wondering however how the new LCD-4 earpads rank up in this matter.

I read your posts that the earcup design is very key in the ("house") sound of all the previous LCD models.

Apparently the new LCD2->4 earpads have been changed and completely redesigned (no more memory foam, but open cell foam now) to already lift some of the upper midrange/ high freq anomalies? Or am I wrong there?

I'm very much in need of earpad replacement for my LCD-4 and have ordered end of july (in Belgium, through Thomann, which is being supplied by CMA.audio, the official Audeze dealer in my region). Still no update on delivery times... (current earpads completely ripped off in the meantime... I used "Pritt" to stick 'm back on, out of fear to use stronger more fluid glue and damage my LCD-4. Feels incredibly stupid, but I can't miss my main heaphones)

I'm very curious how the new pads will change the sound of my LCD-4 (old style pads cannot be ordered any more, so not much choice there if I would prefer the old sound :p) and even more so now how these new pads sit between "old style LCD-4" and LCD-5.
I would not call it a a complete redesign, they still retain most of the general shape but the material used changed. If you had memory earpads previously, you will hear improved upper mids. If you had pre memory foam earpads, the change will be more subtle.
 
Oct 21, 2021 at 9:19 AM Post #1,828 of 6,756
@Shini44 Thanks for the wonderful review. Do you have a preference between Diana phi and lcd5?
i tried it fast to check the treble. a friend was passing by and made me do a few minutes test. i made an order yesterday even because i want one now. i might compare both once i have it in a month +100 hours burn in too. ordered a DH cable too.

cant comment yet, my friend not in the country even haha xD i wish i borrowed it earlier. give me a month and few weeks and i shall compare it here later on ^^
 
Oct 21, 2021 at 9:43 AM Post #1,829 of 6,756
Is the general consensus that the lcd5 needs eq? I just want a totl set of cans with sufficient balance that I don’t need to faff around with the frequency response. Is this too much to ask?
No. It is like Utopia in that it will reveal and reproduce the tonality of your sources. I wouldn’t bother with EQ if you’re happy with chain. It’s just that people have different sound curve preferences. YMMV.
 
Oct 21, 2021 at 10:28 AM Post #1,830 of 6,756
I think calling the LCD-4 muddy after listening to the LCD-5 is a bit much. LCD4 is one of the lowest distortion headphones in the world. It simply has a big depression in the upper mids/lower treble which makes it sound more subdued. I have EQed my LCD4 with fantastic results.

Audiophiles always seem to exaggerate the improvements with every new release. With EQ my guess is that the LCD4 and LCD5 will be very very close in performance.

@KMann can shed some light on this if he chooses.

For example my ''lowly'' HD800S from an RME ADI2 matches the detail levels of my SR009S (from the Carbon amp). The only big difference is in the bass where the electrostatic driver (with EQ ) has bottomless bass extension which the HD800S cannot match.
 

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