that is because it is so different from its predecessor IMHO..many people who liked the audeze house sound were taken aback as to how different the 5 is..personally I initially was uncomfortable with it but now find myself enjoying it quite a bit
I also think there’s a degree of unit variation which seems to affect the treble and upper-treble. Some units will sound more mid forward than others. Of course, until other people have shared their FR graphs we won’t know if there are any patterns to this or if it’s just a lottery. I will say, my unit does not sound too mid-forward. And reminds me a lot of my former set of HD600 with improved technicalities. I suspect most people will share this experience aside from the bass heads and slam heads who make up a chunk of the Audeze fan-base.
As far as I know, there is no data to support this claim. If anything, most measurement data suggest the LCD-5 varies headphone to headphone by no more than +- 1db up to 5khz. The mids will almost certainly be identical, unit to unit. Audeze has stated as much, and measurements seem to agree (as long as they are taken on the same rig).
Any claims by reviewers as to the sound of the headphone is subjective. Since everyone's ears / preferred FR diverge greatly after 3khz, you'll get some reviewers say it sounds to dark, some say to bright, and some say it's just right.
As far as I know, there is no data to support this claim. If anything, most measurement data suggest the LCD-5 varies headphone to headphone by no more than +- 1db up to 5khz. The mids will almost certainly be identical, unit to unit. Audeze has stated as much, and measurements seem to agree (as long as they are taken on the same rig).
Any claims by reviewers as to the sound of the headphone is subjective. Since everyone's ears / preferred FR diverge greatly after 3khz, you'll get some reviewers say it sounds to dark, some say to bright, and some say it's just right.
All I have seen are the two B&K graphs that are available publicly (Jude’s and Soundguys’) plus the B&K graph of an LCD-5 measured by Audeze. Audeze will send you an FR Graph if you contact them. Some graphs are done on B&K, some on their Neumann rig.
What you are right about is that none of these graphs vary much up to 5k but, after this point, ie. treble and upper treble (as I stated) there is some variation unit-unit from what I saw. Around 2-3db and, from those graphs, it appears units will either have more or less treble in general as a result of their variation (meaning the response remains pretty smooth). A sample size of 3 is maybe not enough to make such a broad claim though… I will give you that.
In terms of units being more mid-forward than others… to me, if there are some units with more treble, then those ones will sound less mid-forward as our perception of tonal balance is relative. Either way, I do not believe any LCD-5 should be classified as having an objectively poor tonal balance.
I’m in no way trying to condemn the LCD-5. I love my set. I wouldn’t expect each set to measure exactly the same and, I believe channel matching on individual units is excellent.
I was just trying to put forth another explanation for why people have been so divided on this headphone. I do agree that, in most cases, the division is between fans of the old Audeze “house sound” and their new direction which is more of a harman/DF neutral.
Coming from the OG Utopia, I immediately found an affinity with the LCD-5 and picked it over the LCD-4Z I had previously been auditioning. The original tighter headband seems to have accentuated the low mids/bass and a fuller sound (similar to pressing the headphone with more clamp force). The mid-forward and bass shelf can be corrected by EQ. And the ROON convolution filters do a reasonable job of this (though IMHO makes the sound less lively/more boring).
However, it is the perceived 'need' for EQ that is also polarising. I will reiterate that these headphones don't 'need' EQ. But some 'prefer' it as the LCD-5 stock tuning does not align with their expectation or preference. Imagine if we took the EQ debate to the world of IEM's where differences in tuning and frequency responses vary widely.
I am one of the minority who keep switching off the EQ and leave it off. It's a tad bright but overall I enjoy the tonality. I have cable rolled to the Lazuli Reference Plus I have for my Utopia with an adapter.
The detail is a subtle step up on the Utopia. Only my Trailii IEM surpasses it. If only they tuned it like the Trailii. And my recollection of a well driven Susvara.
For me, the difference that EQ makes is pretty easy to explain.
Without EQ, switching to the 5 from other headphones requires some brain adjustment time. Usually, about 20 minutes or so of listening before it stops sounding a little weird compared to whatever I had been listening to recently. Usually a couple of days of exclusive listening, say 6-8 hours of actual listening, before the 5's sound becomes my brain's default and other headphones sound weird in comparison. This is a characteristic that nearly all my headphones share, by the way.
With EQ, they sound perfect without any need for mental adjustment. I put them on, and they are just amazing. I don't have to become accustomed to anything. They are exactly what my brain wants to hear. I prefer this because I switch headphones frequently and must since I don't have a sufficiently capable amp to listen to the 5 at work.
That's it. For me, they don't 'need' EQ. EQ just makes them easier for me to use in the way that I want to use them. Just like I don't 'need' a watch winder, it just makes my life easier not to have to set my watch every morning because I like to switch watches frequently.
However, it is the perceived 'need' for EQ that is also polarising. I will reiterate that these headphones don't 'need' EQ. But some 'prefer' it as the LCD-5 stock tuning does not align with their expectation or preference. Imagine if we took the EQ debate to the world of IEM's where differences in tuning and frequency responses vary widely.
Yeah I've been one of those people that used the word "need." When in reality, I EQ all my headphones. I'm going to add that to my signature so people know haha.
I am excited to see what Audeze does for the LCD-6 and what tuning approach they go with. Hopefully they keep the weight down like they have for this and the MM-500.
For me, the difference that EQ makes is pretty easy to explain.
Without EQ, switching to the 5 from other headphones requires some brain adjustment time. Usually, about 20 minutes or so of listening before it stops sounding a little weird compared to whatever I had been listening to recently. Usually a couple of days of exclusive listening, say 6-8 hours of actual listening, before the 5's sound becomes my brain's default and other headphones sound weird in comparison. This is a characteristic that nearly all my headphones share, by the way.
With EQ, they sound perfect without any need for mental adjustment. I put them on, and they are just amazing. I don't have to become accustomed to anything. They are exactly what my brain wants to hear. I prefer this because I switch headphones frequently and must since I don't have a sufficiently capable amp to listen to the 5 at work.
That's it. For me, they don't 'need' EQ. EQ just makes them easier for me to use in the way that I want to use them. Just like I don't 'need' a watch winder, it just makes my life easier not to have to set my watch every morning because I like to switch watches frequently.
I'd like to point out that this is "your" EQ profile that makes it sound perfect for you. Everyone dipping their toes into EQ needs to know that EQ is a personal preference tool; it would be like sitting in a car seat that's adjusted for someone else. While the default EQ from roon, crinicle, or resolve might sound amazing to some, many will need to adjust it to taste. This can be difficult for those who aren't tech savy, don't like adjusting things and get frustrated easy, or otherwise have never used EQ before.
All of these EQ profiles out there are just starting points. There a few places in each profile that need to be adjusted to personal taste.
I'd like to point out that this is "your" EQ profile that makes it sound perfect for you. Everyone dipping their toes into EQ needs to know that EQ is a personal preference tool; it would be like sitting in a car seat that's adjusted for someone else. While the default EQ from roon, crinicle, or resolve might sound amazing to some, many will need to adjust it to taste. This can be difficult for those who aren't tech savy, don't like adjusting things and get frustrated easy, or otherwise have never used EQ before.
All of these EQ profiles out there are just starting points. There a few places in each profile that need to be adjusted to personal taste.
Agreed wholeheartedly. In fact, I am one of those that hadn't used EQ before, don't like adjusting things, and aren't especially tech savvy. I just started by collecting every EQ profile I could find, testing them out one by one to find my favorite (Resolve's, as it turned out). Then I adjusted things to my own taste off of that one. It does take some time and effort, but ultimately I found it worthwhile and not terribly difficult to do. I found it most helpful to think of those preset EQ profiles as pointing out the spots in the frequency response that would benefit from some adjustment and then determining the level of adjustment needed myself. That said, there were several EQ profiles that I could ultimately enjoy; they just weren't quite perfect.
Yall.. I been playing with so many HQP filters/modulators that it has come to my conclusion that it would be quite limiting to have to deal with a single dac's 2-3 oversampling filters. I even noticed the same filter/modulator can have slight differences between Qobuz and Tidal.
The point is, there are so many ways to make a cake and they all don't taste the same.
For those with more experience with other TOTL cans, do they exhibit a similar tactility to music that the LCD-5 does? I tried the Meze Elites and they didn't do it - or if they did it was imperceptible compared to what the LCD-5 does.
E.g. The acoustic guitar in the intro to A Thousand Shards of Heaven by Lunatic Soul. I can feel every guitar pluck in the headstage.
For those with more experience with other TOTL cans, do they exhibit a similar tactility to music that the LCD-5 does? I tried the Meze Elites and they didn't do it - or if they did it was imperceptible compared to what the LCD-5 does.
E.g. The acoustic guitar in the intro to A Thousand Shards of Heaven by Lunatic Soul. I can feel every guitar pluck in the headstage.
Maybe certain dynamic headphones such as the utopia/verite and some E-stats. I certainly did not here it in any hifiman headphones, including the susvara on a power amp.
Maybe certain dynamic headphones such as the utopia/verite and some E-stats. I certainly did not here it in any hifiman headphones, including the susvara on a power amp.
For those with more experience with other TOTL cans, do they exhibit a similar tactility to music that the LCD-5 does? I tried the Meze Elites and they didn't do it - or if they did it was imperceptible compared to what the LCD-5 does.
E.g. The acoustic guitar in the intro to A Thousand Shards of Heaven by Lunatic Soul. I can feel every guitar pluck in the headstage.
For those with more experience with other TOTL cans, do they exhibit a similar tactility to music that the LCD-5 does? I tried the Meze Elites and they didn't do it - or if they did it was imperceptible compared to what the LCD-5 does.
E.g. The acoustic guitar in the intro to A Thousand Shards of Heaven by Lunatic Soul. I can feel every guitar pluck in the headstage.
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