Shini44
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Sep 22, 2012
- Posts
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Ok Guys Time for what you all been waiting for. LCD-4 VS LCD-5
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.
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.
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.
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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