Audeze LCD-5 Review, Measurements, Interview

[chargedcapacitor]

Sources. We need your sources!

It's all on the ASR forum, and I vote that we leave it there.

 

[Benno1988]

It's all on the ASR forum, and I vote that we leave it there.

I'm half joking, I wouldn't read then even if linked tbh !

How's the iCan with the LCD5?

 

[BowWazoo]

Extremists everywhere

The other day I wrote in ASR that the LCD-5, in my opinion, plays in a different league compared to the XC.
Thereupon I got to hear whether we are here in the head-fi.org, that I claim something like that, without being able to support that with measured values...

 

[BowWazoo]

Once again:
nerdy Lord

 

[Tachyon88]

Extremists everywhere

The other day I wrote in ASR that the LCD-5, in my opinion, plays in a different league compared to the XC.
Thereupon I got to hear whether we are here in the head-fi.org, that I claim something like that, without being able to support that with measured values...

I've noticed extreme dogmatism on both sides. At least one side has less variables to deal with.

 

[phthora]

Me too. Hence my signature.

 

[chargedcapacitor]

I'm half joking, I wouldn't read then even if linked tbh !

How's the iCan with the LCD5?

It's really good, the x-bass is the killer feature for sure. It works best as a preamp imo, since as an amp the volume is lowered when the 3d feature is enabled. As a pre-amp, the volume stays the same on all 3d modes, and the sound quality doesn't get as reduced.

 

[tutetibiimperes]

Me too. Hence my signature.

How do you like the HPA4? I like my Rag 2, but I‘m also wondering if I’d notice something cleaner with the LCD-5, and I’m thinking about switching out my current passive speakers for a pair of powered ones so I wouldn‘t need the Rag’s speaker outputs.

My worries are if I’d even notice the difference, the Rag isn’t a noisy amp, and if the HPA4 would be capable of driving my HE6se to its full potential.

 

[phthora]

How do you like the HPA4? I like my Rag 2, but I‘m also wondering if I’d notice something cleaner with the LCD-5, and I’m thinking about switching out my current passive speakers for a pair of powered ones so I wouldn‘t need the Rag’s speaker outputs.

My worries are if I’d even notice the difference, the Rag isn’t a noisy amp, and if the HPA4 would be capable of driving my HE6se to its full potential.

I love the HPA4. It offers exactly what I want out of an amp: absolute clarity and control, incredible detail and imaging, and superlative resolution. It is unforgiving when the headphones have shortcomings in their frequency response, but it squeezes the most out of the technical aspects of sound in every headphone I've tried with it. With the LCD-5, I get the best sound I've ever heard and with EQ I've perfectly tailored it to my own taste. At this point, there are only a few reasons why I still own other headphones: the LCD-5 is too expensive to take anywhere, too open-back to be considerate, and too engaging to get any work done while I listen.

I don't have any experience with the Ragnarok or HE6SE, so I can't weigh in directly on those. The HPA4 does handle the LCD-5 well even with tons of EQ (like, -13db of preamping), quiet recordings, and loud listening, while still having quite a lot of headroom. I've never gone above -8db on the volume wheel, and I believe it goes up to +20. (The Auteur is around -26 to -28db.) I tried many other amps, including several THX or similar Topping amps, and nothing sounds quite like the HPA4. Some are fairly close with most headphones. With some the difference is laughably obvious. Whether that increased performance is worth the premium to you or not is something you'll have to decide. However, if you buy directly from Benchmark, they offer a 30-day trial period so you can give it an extended audition with your own gear.

 

[LogicSound]

Interested to know if anyone here have some EQ settings specifically for improved midrange response?
I mean still forward midrange but more airy and breathy vocals and maybe that are close to the Susvara, or that is dependent on the amp?

Thanks.

 

[shwnwllms]

Interested to know if anyone here have some EQ settings specifically for improved midrange response?
I mean still forward midrange but more airy and breathy vocals and maybe that are close to the Susvara, or that is dependent on the amp?

Thanks.

Give Resolves v2 EQ a try

 

[BowWazoo]

 

[chargedcapacitor]

Interested to know if anyone here have some EQ settings specifically for improved midrange response?
I mean still forward midrange but more airy and breathy vocals and maybe that are close to the Susvara, or that is dependent on the amp?

Thanks.

I just did a 1.5 peak filter at 1500hz. I think mine is about -5db, but you can move it around until things sound most realistic to you.

 

[Currawong]

New golfing partner for the LCD-5.
No hum.



Topping DX5.

Another hit from Topping.
Measured values that make every Audio Precision Analyzer sweat.
Absolute reference level.

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/topping-dx5-review-dac-hp-amp.32179/

More than that. By far not everything we can measure in terms of differences is audible.

Here is a small example of 2 FFT measurements (harmonic distortions).

Above we see the Soloist 3x, below the DX5.
As you can see, the DX5 is far ahead in terms of measurement.
The first harmonic distortion is about - 80 dB quieter with this device than with Soloist.
But what is the meaning of this, if the harmonic distortion of the Soloist is below - 60db of the output signal?
Nothing!
-60 dB away from the output signal, in fact, is a lot. It is absolutely inaudible.
That as only a small example.

DACs have been overdeveloped for decades.
Every HF technician laughs at the processing of signals in a range of 20 to 20 Khz.
These chips do that perfectly, and with ease.

The correct value for the measured performance is, "Distortion better than 0.05%". They all rave about the THD, but forget that harmonic distortion is what makes music -- it is how instruments work. IMD and other types of actual unpleasant distortion, such as those caused UNDER LOAD are ignored, and the focus is entirely on a 1kHz sine wave. This is obviously the best amp if you only listen to single-frequency tones, but once you put these amps under serious load playing back music they start to lose control. This is how supposed "science" is abused to sell products. It's the same type of cherry picking used to empower conspiracy theories.

 

[BowWazoo]

@Currawong

That gain technique (Folk Singer) that you are talk about in the LCD-5 vs Utopia video, is that the "original master recording" thing from Mofi?