[SuperU]

i wld strongly agree with this. you wld want to max out ur transducers prior to getting to crazy with external components. transducers will be the limiting point and is responsible for any 'scaling' factor.

Hey, I agree as well. I would be lucky to hear much of a difference unless the headphones could scale as well. 
 
The sound of the X's are amazing. I have an Cavalli LC coming - I hope I will hear a difference with it over my Schiit Asgard 2. 

 

[Francisk]

-That we do, but I don't think the O2 should do too bad of a job with a pair of HD800s; given the specs of the pair, it should be able to drive them to approx. 110dB before running out of breath. (This is a seat-of-the-pants value after doing the numbers in my head, but should be within a couple of dB from the actual value).)

Arguably, it is not ideal - while I wouldn't want my ears to experience anything of the sort, I can see that certain genres and listeners would like sound levels exceeding what the O2 can comfortably deliver into a pair of HD800s - but in most listening situations, it would probably do just fine and then some.

This nitpicking being done with, though, I agree - personally I'd probably go for another amplifier _if cost was no concern_. However, if my fun fund was depleted after buying a pair of great headphones, the O2 would be very near the top of my shopping list if I needed a new amp to power them.

Thanks for your honest feedback OddE. Yes, I'm looking into a more cost effective upgrade above the Cayin C5. If money is no object then of course I would've chosen the Burson amp in a blink of an eye but unfortunately that's not the case for the mean time. I'd rather spend as much as my budget allow and get the best performance amp for the price and eventually save up for the Burson amp in the near future.

 

[Francisk]

Warning - Something to keep in mind when buying/using the LCD-X

I use my LCD-X probably 10 - 12 hours per day while working. This necessitates taking them on and off many times per day. I am careful to put them on their stand each time.

However, yesterday the left side starting working intermittently. At first I was extremely worried that a driver was going out like so many who have purchased the LCD-3 have experienced.

Upon closer inspection, I learned that the problem is the cable. Somehow, over the last almost 6 months of use, the cable broke right where it enters the thicker area leading to the plug.

And looking at the right side, is has worn similarly. 

$1600 headphones should not have these kinds of issues. Yes, I wear them a lot. And I'm extremely careful with them. The cables are simply low quality or the workmanship on them is subpar. 

I'm sure I could buy a new cable from them, but should I have to do that? I don't believe so.

Fortunately one of my employees is an electrician and it took him about 3 minutes to repair the cable. Now it looks like crap. 

Bottom line is that I am probably not going to buy a replacement since I just ordered the Cavalli Liquid Carbon (LC) and it uses the other cable that comes with the LCD-X that is balanced. 

Still, shame on Audeze. So many quality issues on otherwise awesome (and expensive) headphones.

Don't get me wrong - I love my LCD-X's. Just really resent paying this much money for something and not having it be super high quality throughout. 

It's like getting into a Mercedes and seeing a broken knob. An eyesore and completely not expected on something in that price range.

I do agree with you regarding how expensive the LCD-X is but when it comes to cables it all bores down to wear and tear over time. It's like when you purchase a brand new Lamborghini , you simply can't expect the types to last forever.

 

[SuperU]

I do agree with you regarding how expensive the LCD-X is but when it comes to cables it all bores down to wear and tear over time. It's like when you purchase a brand new Lamborghini , you simply can't expect the types to last forever.

I do find some merit in your point - even more so if I drove on my cables.  
 
While there is some wear and tear, I have cheap $95 headphones I've had for 4+ years with no cable problems. 
 
There's a difference between wear and tear and bad workmanship or quality not sufficient to the task.
 
It is quite clear that Audeze (much as it pains me to say this) has quality issues. Let's hope they get them under control. If they do, I think they could soar even higher. If not, the vocal group here will probably take it's toll.
 
Let me be clear - I love my LCD-X's. I'm just not thrilled when I buy a super high end headphone and get a cable failure 6 months later. There is simply no excusing it, no matter how you try to reframe it. Same for repeated driver failure on the LCD-3. And I really wanted those. I'd still like to have them but will not buy them due to the quality control issues. Well, I might change my mind if Audeze strongly upped their guarantee to include shipping in BOTH directions to get things repaired. Their quality control issues should not be a financial burden on us.

 

[Focker]

   
 
Let me be clear - I love my LCD-X's. I'm just not thrilled when I buy a super high end headphone and get a cable failure 6 months later. There is simply no excusing it, no matter how you try to reframe it.

 
This is bunk. Every company and every product has a failure rate. There is no such thing as a product that will not have some element of this. I read this forum every day, and I while I've read people who didnt like the cable, I can't remember ever reading a post that described what you're describing. Not to say I didn't miss one here or there, but it's not an issue that I've seen on these forums, and people are typically very vocal about that sort of thing. Have you contacted Audeze to see if they would simply send you another cable to replace it being that you say you've only had them for 6 months? That, to me, is the bigger issue...how will a company - especially a small company like Audeze - respond to their QC issues and treat their customers. I've paid very close attention to that over the last few years, and they score extremely high on that scale. But to assume that there aren't going to be issues with a product is just nonsense. 

 

[barid]

   
This is bunk. Every company and every product has a failure rate. 

 
Agreed, every product will have a failure rate.  But the thought here, is that the failure rate is much higher and not being addressed as to why. 
 
Perhaps I simply haven't been looking, but I don't recall any other flagship headphones reaching into the 4-digit price range that have this level of posts documenting failures.  I think its a valid concern.
 
By all accounts Audeze is very good at responding to customers problems and repairing the headphones.  Which is great, no doubt.  However there is a basic idea behind shelling out top dollar for a premium product, in that that product be made 'better' than cheaper alternatives.  Again, perhaps this is misguided but it certainly a common thought among consumers.  I've had a couple pairs of Sennheisers that are 10+ years old, I genuinely wonder how many pairs of LCD-2 rev 1's will be floating around after 10 years.

 

[Focker]

   
Agreed, every product will have a failure rate.  But the thought here, is that the failure rate is much higher and not being addressed as to why. 
 
Perhaps I simply haven't been looking, but I don't recall any other flagship headphones reaching into the 4-digit price range that have this level of posts documenting failures.  I think its a valid concern.
 
By all accounts Audeze is very good at responding to customers problems and repairing the headphones.  Which is great, no doubt.  However there is a basic idea behind shelling out top dollar for a premium product, in that that product be made 'better' than cheaper alternatives.  Again, perhaps this is misguided but it certainly a common thought among consumers.  I've had a couple pairs of Sennheisers that are 10+ years old, I genuinely wonder how many pairs of LCD-2 rev 1's will be floating around after 10 years.

 
What do you mean it's not being addressed as to why? And do you know what Audeze's failure rate number actually is? 
 
I fully understand and agree with the fact that when you pay premium dollars you expect a premium product. Like you guys, I dished out $1600 of my hard earned dollars for a pair of Xs, as well. But while I understand the frustration the comes along with having an issue, I think many times there is a lack of perspective among the head-fi community. 
 
People are much more likely to post about something going wrong than they are to say, "hey guys, I've had my Audeze headphones for two years and no problems!", such as the case with me. 
 
That's how I see it, anyway. 

 

[barid]

   
What do you mean it's not being addressed as to why? And do you know what Audeze's failure rate number actually is? 
 
I fully understand and agree with the fact that when you pay premium dollars you expect a premium product. Like you guys, I dished out $1600 of my hard earned dollars for a pair of Xs, as well. But while I understand the frustration the comes along with having an issue, I think many times there is a lack of perspective among the head-fi community. 
 
People are much more likely to post about something going wrong than they are to say, "hey guys, I've had my Audeze headphones for two years and no problems!", such as the case with me. 
 
That's how I see it, anyway. 

 
I do not know what the actual failure rate is.  I'm not sure they would disclose that number publicly and I am not in the industry or affiliated with them in any way.
 
When I said "not being addressed"  my point was "why are these failing"....is it people using them incorrectly with bad 3rd party amps, is it bad solder, was it a bad batch of drivers, are the drivers fundamentally flawed, is it a cable problem...etc.
 
And I do agree, you will definitely see more posts related to people having problems than vs people who have owned them for some time and have no issues.  I understand that.  Yet there seems to be more posts for the Audeze headphones in comparison to say Sennheiser HD800 issues (from what I've seen).  And you can't discount the past either, the cracking wood issue, the bad batch of drivers, the veiled LCD3 drivers.....these are growing pains and they weathered those issues fine.  Just feels like the product isn't are mature/reliable as some others at that level.
 
I'll cede the point after this post.  I have nothing of value to really add.

 

[Focker]

   
I do not know what the actual failure rate is.  I'm not sure they would disclose that number publicly and I am not in the industry or affiliated with them in any way.
 
When I said "not being addressed"  my point was "why are these failing"....is it people using them incorrectly with bad 3rd party amps, is it bad solder, was it a bad batch of drivers, are the drivers fundamentally flawed, is it a cable problem...etc.
 
And I do agree, you will definitely see more posts related to people having problems than vs people who have owned them for some time and have no issues.  I understand that.  Yet there seems to be more posts for the Audeze headphones in comparison to say Sennheiser HD800 issues (from what I've seen).  And you can't discount the past either, the cracking wood issue, the bad batch of drivers, the veiled LCD3 drivers.....these are growing pains and they weathered those issues fine.  Just feels like the product isn't are mature/reliable as some others at that level.
 
I'll cede the point after this post.  I have nothing of value to really add.

 
I hear ya, man. I think a company like Audeze is a long way from a state of the art manufacturer like Sennheiser that had a 70 year head start though, you know? 

 

[SuperU]

   
This is bunk. Every company and every product has a failure rate. There is no such thing as a product that will not have some element of this. I read this forum every day, and I while I've read people who didnt like the cable, I can't remember ever reading a post that described what you're describing. Not to say I didn't miss one here or there, but it's not an issue that I've seen on these forums, and people are typically very vocal about that sort of thing. Have you contacted Audeze to see if they would simply send you another cable to replace it being that you say you've only had them for 6 months? That, to me, is the bigger issue...how will a company - especially a small company like Audeze - respond to their QC issues and treat their customers. I've paid very close attention to that over the last few years, and they score extremely high on that scale. But to assume that there aren't going to be issues with a product is just nonsense. 

Actually it's not. It's your attempted spinning that might be closer to "bunk"
 
Like I said, there is no way to spin this. Any excuse you try to come up with, whether it's that every product has failures or that they are a small company and we should expect problems - it's just an attempt at spinning this. Righteous indignation will not cut it with people who can think logically.
 
If you haven't paid attention, there a good number of people who have had drivers fail, wood crack and much more on the LCD-3. They have to pay for shipping. One who has had like 4 failures, has had to pay for shipping repeatedly. This is clearly not his fault and no amount of spinning on your part will make anyone think otherwise.
 
Personally, I don't live in the US. So shipping from here is extremely expensive. And when it is fixed, I will pay tax as if it is brand new. It is a deal breaker for me. And I have spoken to numerous others in similar situations.
 
Yes, it's true there will be failures. But it should not be the customers obligation to be set back financially when it is a known problem.
 
Mine is the first I have heard of a cable failing. But weirdly, it is both sides failing. And no, I have not called them. Due to seeing such a high amount of quality control issues and failures from them, I felt it better to share with everyone here my experience. I assume they read this. If they want to contact me, they can do so. I am tired of seeing so many issues with Audeze.
 
And if you re-read what I wrote, I say clearly that I love my LCD-X's. I sing their praises everywhere. And now, a quality issue is affecting me too. I'm not just reading about it, I'm experiencing it first hand. And still... These are awesome sounding headphones. Everyday I'm impressed with their sound.
 
And like I said, it is not, in my opinion, even remotely correct that my cable broke on $1600 headphones after less than 6 months use. There is simply no way to tell me otherwise. 
 
Audeze has quality issues and failure issues. And they are WAY above acceptable rates. Wait till it happens to you and perhaps you will feel differently. 
 
I am happy I have mine. I would buy them again. But I would not yet buy the LCD-3. Just read that forum and you'll quickly see why. 
 
I will speak out when I feel there is something not right. And I am equally quick to say when I like something or am grateful for something. 
 
Audeze is a good company in my opinion. And they need to seriously tighten up their quality control and lessen their failure rates. We should not expect that we will need to replace cables in less than 6 months when buying $1600 headphones - period.

 

[money4me247]

despite audeze's premium looks & brand name, for ppl following the forums, the issues on some quality control issues have been quite well documented here.
 
is it to say that their products fail more than another brand? hard to say. planar magnetic tech is still relatively under-developed compared to dynamics. nothing wrong with little critical feedback on a company to help nudge them to continue improving quality control & customer service. doesn't hurt anyone & in the end, it will only help everyone who is a fan of the audeze sound!
 
edit: I haven't had any real issues with any of my headphones except for one instance of driver failure with an akg headphone. i dont think akg will have higher failure rates or anything, but they did cover free return shipping & offered free repairs/shipping back (I opted for a refund).
 
audeze has 1 year warranty on all accessories (cables, earcups etc) and 3 year warranty on their drivers. I would expect if anything failed during normal usage, they shld be covering shipping both ways. that is just the standard for luxury companies operating in america. if your experience varies, I would suggest contacting the audeze rep here. hope you figure it out!

 

[Focker]

   
 And no, I have not called them. Due to seeing such a high amount of quality control issues and failures from them, I felt it better to share with everyone here my experience. I assume they read this. If they want to contact me, they can do so. I am tired of seeing so many issues with Audeze.
 
 

 

[OddE]

  Audeze is a good company in my opinion. And they need to seriously tighten up their quality control and lessen their failure rates. We should not expect that we will need to replace cables in less than 6 months when buying $1600 headphones - period.

 
-While I, too would be miffed (and rightly so!) if my $1600 purchase gave me trouble after a few months of use, I don't think it is fair to say claim that we should expect that we will need to replace cables in less than six months - after all, yours is the first case I've heard of.
 
As for failure rates, we've got absolutely no idea what they really are - Audeze rose to stardom in no time at all, perhaps LCD sales dwarf HD800 sales? I've got no idea. Perhaps Sennheiser's customers are more likely to address problems directly to the place of purchase? (At least where I live, I can buy Sennheisers on just about every street corner, whereas Audeze products are available mail order only) Perhaps Audeze customers, with the brand's name largely having been built on Internet forums, are more vocal on the same forums when things go wrong?
There's simply no telling what the relative failure rates are. (Though I would expect a new company pioneering new-ish technology to have more issues than a company with 70 years of experience in manufacturing, utilizing a mature technology)
 
Oh, and to wrap it up - I agree it is not good form for Audeze to have the customer pay shipping to repair items still under warranty. Not the first time, definitely not for repeated issues. As for customs, rules probably vary from country to country - but in Norway, you just pay tax for the stated value of the repair; presumably Audeze would write 'warranty repair, $0' and you'd be home free? (As opposed to writing 'High-end headphones, $1600' in the customs value field?)

 

[SuperU]

  despite audeze's premium looks & brand name, for ppl following the forums, the issues on some quality control issues have been quite well documented here.
 
is it to say that their products fail more than another brand? hard to say. planar magnetic tech is still relatively under-developed compared to dynamics. nothing wrong with little critical feedback on a company to help nudge them to continue improving quality control & customer service. doesn't hurt anyone & in the end, it will only help everyone who is a fan of the audeze sound!
 
edit: I haven't had any real issues with any of my headphones except for one instance of driver failure with an akg headphone. i dont think akg will have higher failure rates or anything, but they did cover free return shipping & offered free repairs/shipping back (I opted for a refund).
 
audeze has 1 year warranty on all accessories (cables, earcups etc) and 3 year warranty on their drivers. I would expect if anything failed during normal usage, they shld be covering shipping both ways. that is just the standard for luxury companies operating in america. if your experience varies, I would suggest contacting the audeze rep here. hope you figure it out!

Pretty much agree with what you say Money4me247. They have had very well documented quality issues. Yet I have not heard of them stepping up their quality rate. Often the same person experiences multiple driver failures (LCD-3).
 
They should definitely consider this a "nudge" as you point out. I am not angry at them. Just disappointed that now I'm in the same camp as those with problems. Yet, I am absolutely a fan of these headphones. Their service has been good with me. I ordered the vegan pads (which I love) and they sent me extra sticky rings at no charge so I could switch back to my leather ones. That was nice.
 
I have to say again, that I love my headphones! I'm happy I bought them. It just blew me away that for $1600 I now have to deal with broken cables. It was just a shock. And with a simple repair they work fine. But now I have to see them hanging on their stand with black electrical tape.
 
If a driver failed, though I would be mightily disappointed, at least I would know that it is a known problem and I would probably feel as if I was on the bleeding edge of this tech. And if they offered to pay shipping in both directions, I would be pretty much fine with eating the tax again. But cables??? And they only cover shipping in one direction, from them to us. Anyway, I've made the point.
 

 

I will contact them. Just really disappointed this happened. 
 
Kind of funny, this AM I got an email from a post made in the LCD-3 forum. Here it is...
 
"They've had mine for almost two weeks now. How long does it take to unscrew/screw in a new driver? Their techs should be so used to replacing LCD3 drivers they should be able to do it blindfolded."
 
@OddE I didn't say that others should expect the same problems with the cables. It is the first I've heard of this issue as well. It is not the end of the world for me either. Just another example of quality control issues that to me are not acceptable when I pay $1600 for a top of the line headphone. I will gladly pay for what I want. But I want top notch quality when paying this much. Same as when I buy anything that is considered high end. And if it breaks due to being less than the quality it should be, I expect to not be out money to be made whole again.
 
As to custom rules, unfortunately, it doesn't work that way here. I wish it did. And before anyone starts pointing fingers, yes, I choose to live here and accept the consequences. That is one of the reasons I buy top of the line equipment - to be assured that it won't fall apart like it's lesser priced competitors. Here, customs looks up the retail price and charges tax accordingly. It also takes forever to get things here. So, it is really important I buy the highest possible quality the 1st time. It is too costly for me to screw around. At approx $480 in tax to receive these headphones, it is not intelligent to have to expect that they will not hold up. (the cables can be sent in for much less obviously.)
 
It also costs an arm and a leg to send something out of here. To return the cables will probably cost me $75. Plus the tax on the new ones coming back. You can see why this is an important issue to me. If Audeze requires that they be sent back vs. looking at a picture of the problem, it will probably be about the same price to just buy new ones. So I'm sure it is clear why this is disappointing and frustrating. 
 
I'm thinking I should visit Norway. 

 Heard very nice things about it from students of mine there. Thanks for your thoughts.

 

[Zoom25]

Audeze sent me free XLR cable - twice - for free, when I reported a problem. I didn't pay for the cable or shipping.