Audeze LCD-X
Nov 5, 2014 at 9:52 AM Post #5,297 of 12,748
can't get this out of my head for 3 days now...
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdQ_X2j9bHg
 
the original sounds great on the X 
L3000.gif

 
Nov 5, 2014 at 12:30 PM Post #5,298 of 12,748
Well, I got my new headphones today! 
biggrin.gif


The case in which it came is much smaller but also of a much higher quality than I expected.
The LCD-X itself wasn't as huge or heavy as I expected and it arrived with a very professional looking extra cable which I am using now.
 
My first tube amp (a Little Dot MK III) and my LCD-X both arrived on the very same day. Until now, I only had an Objective 2 + ODAC and an AKG K712. (Unfortunatelly I still haven't received the more professional RCA cable that I ordered, so the testing I do today isn't in the best setting I could have.

I have let the Little Dot run for 2,5 hours at high volume with my AKG to let the tubes burn in a little bit. At first the sound of the amp was extremely sibilant, but of course that was because the tubes still are very new.
That quickly smoothed out during that time and I switched the AKG for my new LCD-X
 
With the K712 I used an EQ program (Breakaway) for some extra warmth and bass this last week. However, the Objective2 somehow lacked strength for the extra bass on my K712; it quickly sounded distorted and after a bass thump, the next half second sounded very soft.

The Little Dot doesn't have that problem, and my K712 now sounds pretty good! A tough nut to crack for the Audeze to impress me after having head my old headphones sound this good!
Anyway. because I wanted to try the LCD-X the way it's supposed to sound, I bypassed the EQ on my computer when I plugged it in.

Even though my cervical vertebrae are in pretty bad shape and the muscles of my neck as well, the weight of the LCD-X is no problem at all. That was something that worried me until now. The cups are very soft and the headband is much more comfortable than I expected. 
The horror stories of the razor-like blades of the fazor digging in your ears don't come true here with my headphones (after 8 hours my left earlobe only gets a bit sensitive against the fazor, but come on: 8 hours is rather much!), and I also don't hear any paper-crumpling sounds through the drivers when putting it on. My glasses also don't give me any problems at all with these earcups.
 
The sound.
I immediately noticed the LCD  is much more polite in the higher frequencies than my K712 and (compared to the K712 WITH extra bass using the EQ software), it also was slightly warmer sounding and had a bit more bass.
Temporarilly switching the EQ back on (after lowering the bass 25% compared to what I used for the AKG) resulted in more energy and detail in the highs, and really good power in the lows! The comparisons here are partially based on my experience with the K712 on the Objective2 without and with EQ, and a bit how the AKG sounded with and without EQ on the Little Dot, so the comparison isn't 100% honest; I really should test them both under exactly the same circumstances, but like I said: these are my first impressions and I haven't had much time yet to test them both thoroughly on the Little Dot. However, most of the time in the comparisons it's about the best scenario with the AKG vs neutral settings for the LCD, to keep things a bit interesting. I am sure that when I used the EQ on the LCD in the test, things would look really bad for the AKG.

Even though I've read in several reviews that the vocals supposedly are quite receded in the LCD, I absolutely don't notice that at all! 
In fact, my K712 already gave vocals much more detail than for instance my old Denon AH-D1100, but the LCD makes voices sound even better, giving them even more character! Because the vocals sound more defined now, lyrics of songs are easier to follow than before. (As you probably already have noticed, English isn't my native tongue.)
(Btw: I got rid of the Denon; that's just a bass cannon with barely any treble at all. At some moments I wish the LCD would have even more "oomph!" in the lower frequencies, but then I remember the Denon and decide it's far better this way.)
 
The politeness in the highs that these cans have is much kinder for my rather sensitive ears. Even at low volume, the K712 caused my ears to ring at night and the next day.
The K712 is a bit more detailed in the higher frequencies (well at least: there is more emphasis there so it is easier to hear the details in that region), the LCD in the middle and lower and has a much more pleasant sound. My first impression was that the AKG is more spacious sounding, especially with binaural music, but I think that's mostly because of the smoother highs of the LCD so I have to concentrate a little harder to hear the subtle changes in that region. Listening to a binaural song at a later moment again made me realise it still does sound very spacious if you know how to listen.

The K712 is far more neutral sounding, but the LCD has a more realistic sound and it is far more enjoyable. The music really grabs my attention when I am listening with my new acquisitions, and it doesn't let go!
 
The music I am testing with:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQUDGl7JR7Y I am absolutely in love with Peter Heppner's voice, and now it sounds even better than before!

Same goes for Ofra Haza: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JH8gtdDA5x0 And when the music buids up, my delight does too. Vibrations of pianostrings are clearly audible at certain tones.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCFfuq_1iJA Lumsk - Trolltind. Her voice sounds much smoother now, although I also love it at full brightness with the AKG.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSSLQf95-Nc The binaural song that I have tried out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fxM_o-YbXs Lacrimosa - Kyrie. The first song with an orchestra. Remarkable to at one point hear the musician blow air in his instrument right before this generates a tone in his instrument. I never noticed that before! Wind instruments now sound like you actually have people playing them right next to you. The instruments now really have the sound belonging to the materials they're made of.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RS6Nz9OrFN4 ....and these cans certainly can rock too, but without sounding too harsh. The guitars at the beginning really make you visualise the strings being plucked with a plectrum. Again, I notice many more little things in this part than with my AKG, even though the AKG does reproduce more detail in the higher regions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RS6Nz9OrFN4 Yup, they certainly can rock! There is a bit of sibilance in Tarja's singing, but I think there are very few headphones that can really take that out in this recording.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKqoNrZ00Bg Ahhh with this song the LCD sounds so dark! I absolutely love it! This is where a big part of its strength lies. (Found this song here in the Divine moments in music - thread)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4F-CpE73o2M Damn, and when I thought I already heard every little detail in this song, the LCD-X proves me wrong by letting me here certain synthesizer songs I never have heard before. But man, the part after 2:26: WOW!!! Hearing it like this actually makes me emotional. I always loved this song, but now I hear it in near absolute perfection!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eBroYj_Qv0 I think I am developping an addiction to deep, low sounding instruments here! Again: I always loved this song, but now the cellos really come to their own right! The smoothness of the treble does take a bit off the intensity at the very end though; the eardrum-piercing highs normally really tear a hole in your heart and I must say that that effect is a bit more mild now. Still the song does sound magnificent!
 
Ahhhh and with this one I got goosebumps all over the place: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCF2pson54s So much more atmosphere with the LCD! Now I realise how much of the acctual feeling of certain songs I have missed. This is pure art!

Yup, I am very happy here! First I thought I'd sell my AKG once I got the LCD-X, but these two are fantastic having together, and depending on my mood I could listen to one or to the other.
These all are just first impressions and I don't think I can explain things more deeply at this early stage, especially since the amp is so brand new and I am using a relatively cheap RCA cable.
 
Addition: I just switched back to my AKG, but that now sounds too thin for me now I got a little used to the LCD, even with the EQ on.
 
Nov 6, 2014 at 1:40 AM Post #5,299 of 12,748
My first impressions of the LCD-X...


Nice impressions, and thanks for the YouTube links. I think you'll find the months ahead quite fun!

You made a point that the X lets you hear the sound of the materials of the acoustic instruments. I quite understand this, and know what you mean. My very terse synopsis of the X is that it creates verisimilitude with atmosphere. It is remarkable.

Congrats and welcome aboard!
 
Nov 6, 2014 at 1:52 AM Post #5,300 of 12,748
BTW, we're at about the one year anniversary of the LCD-X's release. I wonder if we might be able to get some retrospective, first year of ownership impressions from the early adopters -- now that the Stax-killing hype had abated, and the rest of the Audeze line had migrated to Fazor drivers, and the amp landscape had changed a bit as well.
 
Nov 6, 2014 at 2:27 AM Post #5,301 of 12,748
As you probably already have noticed, English isn't my native tongue"Quote:
 
Well, I got my new headphones today! 
biggrin.gif


The case in which it came is much smaller but also of a much higher quality than I expected.
The LCD-X itself wasn't as huge or heavy as I expected and it arrived with a very professional looking extra cable which I am using now.
 
My first tube amp (a Little Dot MK III) and my LCD-X both arrived on the very same day. Until now, I only had an Objective 2 + ODAC and an AKG K712. (Unfortunatelly I still haven't received the more professional RCA cable that I ordered, so the testing I do today isn't in the best setting I could have.

I have let the Little Dot run for 2,5 hours at high volume with my AKG to let the tubes burn in a little bit. At first the sound of the amp was extremely sibilant, but of course that was because the tubes still are very new.
That quickly smoothed out during that time and I switched the AKG for my new LCD-X
 
With the K712 I used an EQ program (Breakaway) for some extra warmth and bass this last week. However, the Objective2 somehow lacked strength for the extra bass on my K712; it quickly sounded distorted and after a bass thump, the next half second sounded very soft.

The Little Dot doesn't have that problem, and my K712 now sounds pretty good! A tough nut to crack for the Audeze to impress me after having head my old headphones sound this good!
Anyway. because I wanted to try the LCD-X the way it's supposed to sound, I bypassed the EQ on my computer when I plugged it in.

Even though my cervical vertebrae are in pretty bad shape and the muscles of my neck as well, the weight of the LCD-X is no problem at all. That was something that worried me until now. The cups are very soft and the headband is much more comfortable than I expected. 
The horror stories of the razor-like blades of the fazor digging in your ears don't come true here with my headphones (after 8 hours my left earlobe only gets a bit sensitive against the fazor, but come on: 8 hours is rather much!), and I also don't hear any paper-crumpling sounds through the drivers when putting it on. My glasses also don't give me any problems at all with these earcups.
 
The sound.
I immediately noticed the LCD  is much more polite in the higher frequencies than my K712 and (compared to the K712 WITH extra bass using the EQ software), it also was slightly warmer sounding and had a bit more bass.
Temporarilly switching the EQ back on (after lowering the bass 25% compared to what I used for the AKG) resulted in more energy and detail in the highs, and really good power in the lows! The comparisons here are partially based on my experience with the K712 on the Objective2 without and with EQ, and a bit how the AKG sounded with and without EQ on the Little Dot, so the comparison isn't 100% honest; I really should test them both under exactly the same circumstances, but like I said: these are my first impressions and I haven't had much time yet to test them both thoroughly on the Little Dot. However, most of the time in the comparisons it's about the best scenario with the AKG vs neutral settings for the LCD, to keep things a bit interesting. I am sure that when I used the EQ on the LCD in the test, things would look really bad for the AKG.

Even though I've read in several reviews that the vocals supposedly are quite receded in the LCD, I absolutely don't notice that at all! 
In fact, my K712 already gave vocals much more detail than for instance my old Denon AH-D1100, but the LCD makes voices sound even better, giving them even more character! Because the vocals sound more defined now, lyrics of songs are easier to follow than before. (As you probably already have noticed, English isn't my native tongue.)
(Btw: I got rid of the Denon; that's just a bass cannon with barely any treble at all. At some moments I wish the LCD would have even more "oomph!" in the lower frequencies, but then I remember the Denon and decide it's far better this way.)
 
The politeness in the highs that these cans have is much kinder for my rather sensitive ears. Even at low volume, the K712 caused my ears to ring at night and the next day.
The K712 is a bit more detailed in the higher frequencies (well at least: there is more emphasis there so it is easier to hear the details in that region), the LCD in the middle and lower and has a much more pleasant sound. My first impression was that the AKG is more spacious sounding, especially with binaural music, but I think that's mostly because of the smoother highs of the LCD so I have to concentrate a little harder to hear the subtle changes in that region. Listening to a binaural song at a later moment again made me realise it still does sound very spacious if you know how to listen.

The K712 is far more neutral sounding, but the LCD has a more realistic sound and it is far more enjoyable. The music really grabs my attention when I am listening with my new acquisitions, and it doesn't let go!
 
The music I am testing with:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQUDGl7JR7Y I am absolutely in love with Peter Heppner's voice, and now it sounds even better than before!

Same goes for Ofra Haza: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JH8gtdDA5x0 And when the music buids up, my delight does too. Vibrations of pianostrings are clearly audible at certain tones.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCFfuq_1iJA Lumsk - Trolltind. Her voice sounds much smoother now, although I also love it at full brightness with the AKG.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSSLQf95-Nc The binaural song that I have tried out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fxM_o-YbXs Lacrimosa - Kyrie. The first song with an orchestra. Remarkable to at one point hear the musician blow air in his instrument right before this generates a tone in his instrument. I never noticed that before! Wind instruments now sound like you actually have people playing them right next to you. The instruments now really have the sound belonging to the materials they're made of.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RS6Nz9OrFN4 ....and these cans certainly can rock too, but without sounding too harsh. The guitars at the beginning really make you visualise the strings being plucked with a plectrum. Again, I notice many more little things in this part than with my AKG, even though the AKG does reproduce more detail in the higher regions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RS6Nz9OrFN4 Yup, they certainly can rock! There is a bit of sibilance in Tarja's singing, but I think there are very few headphones that can really take that out in this recording.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKqoNrZ00Bg Ahhh with this song the LCD sounds so dark! I absolutely love it! This is where a big part of its strength lies. (Found this song here in the Divine moments in music - thread)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4F-CpE73o2M Damn, and when I thought I already heard every little detail in this song, the LCD-X proves me wrong by letting me here certain synthesizer songs I never have heard before. But man, the part after 2:26: WOW!!! Hearing it like this actually makes me emotional. I always loved this song, but now I hear it in near absolute perfection!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eBroYj_Qv0 I think I am developping an addiction to deep, low sounding instruments here! Again: I always loved this song, but now the cellos really come to their own right! The smoothness of the treble does take a bit off the intensity at the very end though; the eardrum-piercing highs normally really tear a hole in your heart and I must say that that effect is a bit more mild now. Still the song does sound magnificent!
 
Ahhhh and with this one I got goosebumps all over the place: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCF2pson54s So much more atmosphere with the LCD! Now I realise how much of the acctual feeling of certain songs I have missed. This is pure art!

Yup, I am very happy here! First I thought I'd sell my AKG once I got the LCD-X, but these two are fantastic having together, and depending on my mood I could listen to one or to the other.
These all are just first impressions and I don't think I can explain things more deeply at this early stage, especially since the amp is so brand new and I am using a relatively cheap RCA cable.
 
Addition: I just switched back to my AKG, but that now sounds too thin for me now I got a little used to the LCD, even with the EQ on.

"As you probably already have noticed, English isn't my native tongue"
 
I could not tell. You do better than me and English is my native language. thanks for sharing!
 
Nov 6, 2014 at 6:54 AM Post #5,302 of 12,748
Thx Planet and Grizzlybeast! 
biggrin.gif

Yeah well about my English :I think my vocabulary sometimes leaves a bit to be desired to keep me from using the same words to describe something too often, and sometimes the words I use are close to, but don't 100% cover what I mean to say. Anyway, I understand my review still was clear enough. 
wink.gif

 
Anyway, last night I discovered all sorts of new things in songs that  have listened very closely to many times in my life. In another song of Lacrimosa for instance, I discovered a very soft, deep voice in the background, just like in November Rain from Guns 'n Roses, but much more subtle.
I indeed think I will have many months of pleasure with my LCD-X! 
o2smile.gif

 
Nov 6, 2014 at 8:26 PM Post #5,303 of 12,748
BTW, we're at about the one year anniversary of the LCD-X's release. I wonder if we might be able to get some retrospective, first year of ownership impressions from the early adopters -- now that the Stax-killing hype had abated, and the rest of the Audeze line had migrated to Fazor drivers, and the amp landscape had changed a bit as well.

For me they are my favourite dynamic/ortho dynamic pair of headphones. They are simply that magical and I still smile every time I listen to them!
 
Nov 7, 2014 at 12:11 AM Post #5,305 of 12,748
 For me they are my favourite dynamic/ortho dynamic pair of headphones. They are simply that magical and I still smile every time I listen to them!

 
Just got my LCD-X today and... well, I am smiling.
cool.gif



Breaking them in with the new Wilson remix of Relayer. Whoa.
 
Nov 7, 2014 at 2:17 AM Post #5,306 of 12,748
Just got mine today.  First impression:  %#$&ing amazing.  Then I tried the balanced cable (connecting to AURALiC Taurus and Yulong DA8 as DAC).  Words fail me.  When the DirectStream is back from Colorado, I'm afraid my head will explode.
 
Nov 7, 2014 at 2:23 AM Post #5,307 of 12,748
Just got mine today.  First impression:  %#$&ing amazing.  Then I tried the balanced cable (connecting to AURALiC Taurus and Yulong DA8 as DAC).  Words fail me.  When the DirectStream is back from Colorado, I'm afraid my head will explode.
Congrats Bogart, do you have any pics of your setup?
 
Nov 7, 2014 at 2:29 AM Post #5,309 of 12,748
No, sorry.  Maybe I'll get around to it.
Not a problem. Can't wait to hear your impressions with the DirectStream. Have you gone totall DSD?
 
Nov 7, 2014 at 7:07 AM Post #5,310 of 12,748
  Just got mine today.  First impression:  %#$&ing amazing.  Then I tried the balanced cable (connecting to AURALiC Taurus and Yulong DA8 as DAC).  Words fail me.  When the DirectStream is back from Colorado, I'm afraid my head will explode.


Had a similar impression when I first heard the X-Taurus pairing.
 

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