Audeze LCD-5 Review, Measurements, Interview

[Reader]

Got to try LCD-5 for an hour, rather disappointing. I feel all that made LCD-4 special is gone now and in exchange you get a difference FR and lower weight.

 

[EMINENT]

Hewlo.

I shall share the recent jam of cans findings with my unit more in detail from impressions thread. This is just a few in show conditions on these particular brief sessions and pairings. With from memory of stock LCD-5/Woo WA7v3 - 5.00.

-Metaxas & Sins Marquis/Musician Pegasus - 7.02
-Chord Dave & Mscaler - 7.27
-CFA 3/Naim Unity Atom - 7.13
-DCS Lina Dac/Amp/Clock - 7.35
-Schitt Mjonir 3/Yggdrasil More Is Better/Loki Max - 7.08
-DCS Rossini/Lina Dac/Lina Clock - 8.07
-Weiss DAC502 - 7.40

Others:
-Aperio - 8.78
-HE1 - 8.39
-CRBN/Z10E/Bricasti M3 - 4.81
-009S/Z10E - 4.93
-1266/WA33/Phantom Dac - 7.58

On DCS Lina Dac/Amp/Clock
-Susvara - 7.73
-Elite - 7.15
-HD800 - 6.63
-Nutopia - 7.19

 

[fra107]

Hi everyone, I got the LCD-5 a few days ago, listening via JRiver, AudioQuest CinNAMON USB, Burson Conductor 3R and (single ended), stock cable.
It's my first very expensive HP, so I can't compare my setup with anything else i've heard in the past.
For now i'm having fun with various EQs and convolution filters, on and off. Anyway, EQ or not EQ I love the LCD-5!
Has anyone tryed the LCD-5 with the Conductor and compared it with different sources?
What's the general opinion about the combo?
Thanks and good listening!

 

[fra107]

Also, if I touch my phone charger connector with my body while having the LCD-5 on, i can hear a hum, is that normal?

 

[EMINENT]

Hi everyone, I got the LCD-5 a few days ago, listening via JRiver, AudioQuest CinNAMON USB, Burson Conductor 3R and (single ended), stock cable.
It's my first very expensive HP, so I can't compare my setup with anything else i've heard in the past.
For now i'm having fun with various EQs and convolution filters, on and off. Anyway, EQ or not EQ I love the LCD-5!
Has anyone tryed the LCD-5 with the Conductor and compared it with different sources?
What's the general opinion about the combo?
Thanks and good listening!

Congrats!

Also, if I touch my phone charger connector with my body while having the LCD-5 on, i can hear a hum, is that normal?

Not in my experience. I recall reading earlier some experienced this with certain gear earlier in thread.

 

[LowBeat91]

Feals the LCD 5 cups equal in quality and feel to Wood Cups from previous Models?

 

[fra107]

I'm trying Roon with LCD-5 presets enabled + Oratory1990/Chrono's PEQ, is it stupid to add a PEQ to the LCD-5 presets?

 

[GiBGUN]

Also, if I touch my phone charger connector with my body while having the LCD-5 on, i can hear a hum, is that normal?

Had this with the TT2. Chord told me to get an iFi Groundhog. It helped a fair bit, but it was still there.

No issues with the Ferrum stack since selling the TT2.

 

[paulrbarnard]

Also, if I touch my phone charger connector with my body while having the LCD-5 on, i can hear a hum, is that normal?

That’s an earth loop. Simplest option is not to touch the charge connector while listening to music. There are filters available to help with this but not always as effective as hoped for. I have this problem with one of my laptops. If I touch the case I get buzzing. Fortunately it only happens on one of them and I no longer use it for music

 

[GiBGUN]

Feals the LCD 5 cups equal in quality and feel to Wood Cups from previous Models?

Quite hard to make a direct comparison as they use such different materials and follow very different design principles, but there is definitely no deviation from quality on the LCD-5.

 

[EMINENT]

I'm trying Roon with LCD-5 presets enabled + Oratory1990/Chrono's PEQ, is it stupid to add a PEQ to the LCD-5 presets?

Hallo.

Not at all. I did as well with older setups and even with convolution. Now, it's just the convo. Holo stack does well for tonality where convo is icing on the cake. Convo adds the holographic soundscape you did not know was missing.

 

[pippen99]

I add a 3 band PEQ on top of the Audeze Convolution filter. I use Tidal so I do not use the presets but downloaded the Linear preset as a convolution filter because the presets do not allow the full MQA unfold.

 

[Livestock110]

Hum... How do I fix the hum with LCD-5?

It's the headphone. Not the outlets or chain. Because the LCD-5 hums if my ears touch the driver. I can also touch the grills on the cups (with my hands), and it hums. Only on the side I'm touching. It's usually the right side for me.

I've tested the LCD-5 with multiple amps, chains, outlets, everything. It always hums. I have to adjust them until they stop, but eventually my ear touches the driver anyway.

Touching the amp, or a radiator (any ground source) stops the hum. But it's only with these headphones!!

Sources used - Ferrum Erco with Hypsos, Cayin HA-6A, Topping A90, Adi 2, and more...

Anyone can test this - Put your hand against the grill, and listen for hum!

 

[Audeze]

LCD-5 is a very efficient headphone and the humming you're hearing is most likely a ground loop. This depends on the amplifier and upstream components; some are more sensitive to ground loops and some don't care at all. From our experience, amplifiers with external power supplies are less prone to ground loop problems.

One simple test can help you tell if it's a ground loop issue: If removing one of the upstream interconnect cables (either RCA or XLR) eliminates the humming, then a ground loop is what causes it. If this doesn't change the hum, it could still be a loop or other ground issue.

Sometimes rearranging positions of the cables relative to amplifiers and possible sources of hum can eliminate it completely or reduce it to acceptable levels. Another option is the so-called "hum eliminator" which is a small box with two transformers that galvanically separates the amplifier from the source(s) of hum. There are a lot of available options starting at $20-30 up to several hundred, depending on the quality of transformers, brand, type of connectors etc.

 

[Livestock110]

LCD-5 is a very efficient headphone and the humming you're hearing is most likely a ground loop. This depends on the amplifier and upstream components; some are more sensitive to ground loops and some don't care at all. From our experience, amplifiers with external power supplies are less prone to ground loop problems.

One simple test can help you tell if it's a ground loop issue: If removing one of the upstream interconnect cables (either RCA or XLR) eliminates the humming, then a ground loop is what causes it. If this doesn't change the hum, it could still be a loop or other ground issue.

Sometimes rearranging positions of the cables relative to amplifiers and possible sources of hum can eliminate it completely or reduce it to acceptable levels. Another option is the so-called "hum eliminator" which is a small box with two transformers that galvanically separates the amplifier from the source(s) of hum. There are a lot of available options starting at $20-30 up to several hundred, depending on the quality of transformers, brand, type of connectors etc.

That's the thing - It hums with the Ferrum Hypsos power supply + Erco, with nothing plugged into the Erco (only a balanced cable).

I'm curious how this circuit works. If I touch the drivers, I complete the circuit, and it hums. Why is that? I'm curious where the loop starts and ends, and why drivers + skin = hum. It's like a switch.

And if I touch a ground source, the hum stops. Almost like the loop reaches the driver, then my skin, and goes straight to ground (so it stops humming).

I might look into those hum eliminators. But I could also wear a wrist band, plugged into a ground source, haha.