[negura]

   

 
Nice notes, but fortunately or unfortunately it is probably due to the old Taboo. The MK3 one that I had sounded almost neutral and very snappy, tight, dynamic and super focused. I compared it side by side with the Soloist and it was better hands down with Audeze, no contest, no second thoughts. That said, I have not heard the X, but it should be no surprise given it's said to be even less syrupy and warm sounding than the LCD-3s.

 

[Barry S]

On Saturday I will have the opportunity to listen to the new LCD-X but I'm a little bit scared about the measurement http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/AudezeLCDX.pdf
The differenz between channel left and right (chapter THD and noise) are significant like sometimes measured from LCD-3. It seems they have some quality issues.

The people who own LCD-Xs haven't reported any quality issues, so it seems off base to suggest differently--particularly on preliminary specs that may have testing artifacts. I suggest you forget about the charts and use your ears to evaluate the LCD-Xs.

 

[commtrd]

Anyone driving the LCD-X with Mjolnir/Gungnir?

 

[figaro69]

   
Nice notes, but fortunately or unfortunately it is probably due to the old Taboo. The MK3 one that I had sounded almost neutral and very snappy, tight, dynamic and super focused. I compared it side by side with the Soloist and it was better hands down with Audeze, no contest, no second thoughts. That said, I have not heard the X, but it should be no surprise given it's said to be even less syrupy and warm sounding than the LCD-3s.

Could be that 6922 lovely tube doing amazing work...unfortunately my old taboo did not include that tube!

 

[figaro69]

The people who own LCD-Xs haven't reported any quality issues, so it seems off base to suggest differently--particularly on preliminary specs that may have testing artifacts. I suggest you forget about the charts and use your ears to evaluate the LCD-Xs.

If there is a quality issue with these cans, then I am sending back all the other cans in my stable to the manufacturers asking them to "install" quality issues and channel imbalance into them!  Maybe the quality issues and channel imbalance will make them better sounding just like they make the LCD-Xs sound, hehehe!

 

[figaro69]

  Anyone driving the LCD-X with Mjolnir/Gungnir?

I have a Mjolnir (no Gungnir) inside my gear closet gathering dust since they sucked with the HE-6 (too bright and brittle), for which I originally bought them.  I take it out within the next week and see how it does with the LCD-Xs...who knows, could be a good pairing as the Mjolnir does have balls to spare!

 

[SMG52]

  I have a Mjolnir (no Gungnir) inside my gear closet gathering dust since they sucked with the HE-6 (too bright and brittle), for which I originally bought them.  I take it out within the next week and see how it does with the LCD-Xs...who knows, could be a good pairing as the Mjolnir does have balls to spare!

I am very much looking forward to your findings with the Burson and the Mjolnir, since they are within a price range I can imagine considering. My LCD-Xs are sounding wonderful right out of the headphone amp of my BDP-105 player, but if you can find an affordable amp that competes with your Darkstar, that would be worthwhile news. Thanks for doing this!
 
Also have been wondering about how a Violectric V200 would pair with the LCD-X......anyone?

 

[negura]

  Could be that 6922 lovely tube doing amazing work...unfortunately my old taboo did not include that tube!
 

 
What are the output tubes you use?

 

[Barry S]

  Anyone driving the LCD-X with Mjolnir/Gungnir?

The Gungnir/Mjolnir is my main setup with the LCD-X and I love it. I'll be the first to admit the G/M is not the best pairing with brighter headphones, but it seems to be magic with everything Audeze. The LCD-X sounds powerful and detailed out of the G/M with a surprisingly large and airy soundstage. I haven't found any issues with sibilance or treble harshness. A nice complement to the Mjolnir is the new Vali. I have both the Mjolnir and Vali being fed by the Gungnir. The Vali offers a more intimate soundstage with a live performance signature--a touch of reverb and a controlled analog sound.

 

[Clemmaster]

  The HE-6 SUCKS being driven out of the EF-6, yet most of my headphones sound wonderful being driven by the EF-6 (go figure).  I'm not kidding...six watts is not enough power for the HE-6s...some people even think that the Darkstar does not have enough power (I think otherwise) to drive the HE-6s to their full potential.  I am betting that the EF-6/LCD-X combo will be awesome...but I may be wrong.  I am making such an assumption given that the EF-6 is a warmer-sounding powerful amp just as the Darkstar is.  The only potential pitfall is that the unlike the Darkstar, the EF-6 is not fully balanced (i.e., they cannot be connected to a balanced source...you have to connect the amp with RCA cables) even though you can connect the headphones to the amp via a four-pin balanced cable (i.e., in other words, it is for all intents and purposes it is single-ended just as the Burson Soloist is).  We'll see how things start to develop within the next couple of days!

 That's not a good start, because it's certainly not my experience. Either you have a very bright source (à la Gungnir or Mytek) or you have much bigger expectation/experience than I do 

.
 
Edit: oh, you have the Oppo. You might restate your sentence: the EF-6 is a clean sounding amp (more neutral than the Darkstar from what I read on several occasions) and the Oppo is a bright source. No wonder you don't like it with the HE-6 

.

 

[philo50]

   That's not a good start, because it's certainly not my experience. Either you have a very bright source (à la Gungnir or Mytek) or you have much bigger expectation/experience than I do 

.

+1.......couldn't agree with you more.....or something is wrong with his EF-6

 

[nigeljames]

Figaro69 did not say anything about the EF6/HE6 combination being bright. I also was not very impressed with the EF6 driving the HE6's (my Master-6 is much better) and feel it's vastly overpriced for what it is.
 
The best phone I had with the EF6 was the T1's.

 

[Clemmaster]

  Figaro69 did not say anything about the EF6/HE6 combination being bright. I also was not very impressed with the EF6 driving the HE6's (my Master-6 is much better) and feel it's vastly overpriced for what it is.
 
The best phone I had with the EF6 was the T1's.

 
Where did you hear the EF-6/HE-6 combo? At a meet?
 
I used to own the NFB-27, which has a (semi?) Master-6 inside; I don't recall it was anywhere close to what the EF-6 provides. The Master-6 might be a better amp than the NFB-27, but I honestly don't think it would bring it up par with the EF-6.
 
He didn't say it's bright, he said it SUCKS. How should I understand that? The only downside of the HE-6, besides the amp requirement, is their brightness. The EF-6 certainly doesn't lack power, so for the combo to really "suck", then something must be really wrong elsewhere.
Anyway, that's my opinion and the fact that I don't agree with him about this statement doesn't change the (other) fact that I'm eager to read from his experience with the LCD-X regardless 

 

 

[nigeljames]

   
Where did you hear the EF-6/HE-6 combo? At a meet?
 
I used to own the NFB-27, which has a (semi?) Master-6 inside; I don't recall it was anywhere close to what the EF-6 provides. The Master-6 might be a better amp than the NFB-27, but I honestly don't think it would bring it up par with the EF-6.
 
He didn't say it's bright, he said it SUCKS. How should I understand that? The only downside of the HE-6, besides the amp requirement, is their brightness. The EF-6 certainly doesn't lack power, so for the combo to really "suck", then something must be really wrong elsewhere.
Anyway, that's my opinion and the fact that I don't agree with him about this statement doesn't change the (other) fact that I'm eager to read from his experience with the LCD-X regardless 

 

You inferred it was 'bright' by claiming it may have been used with a bright source!
 
I never thought it was a bright pairing when I listened to it.
 
I heard the EF-6 in my own system months ago and directly compared it to my M6. The EF6 far from 'sucked' but was a clear level behind the M6 in clarity, dynamics, detail, neutrality and definition.
This was using a XLR and RCA versions of the same cable.
 
I can not think of a single amp outputting 5wpc into 50ohms that is considered a good match for the HE6's and that includes the Mjolnir where people have stated the lack of power is an issue with the HE6's.
 
I can't see why you would think the M6 would not be better than the EF6 to be fair. I mean fully balanced, 40% more power and more neutral sounding with absolutely no brightness even with silver cables (IC's & headphone) and a Sabre32 chipped DAC (not the darker PCM1704 Audio-gd DACs).
 
Also like to say that the M6 is nothing like the NFB-27 and is a much better amp which really is to be expected.

 

[leesure]

  Anyone driving the LCD-X with Mjolnir/Gungnir?

Yes.