[kothganesh]

Depends on your hearing level. At some insane setting, your HPs will smoke.

 

[money4me247]

  Can that have a negative impact on the sound? (being too powerful for the headphones)

no. the only problem i can think of is if you max out the volume & blow out the drivers, but the lcd-x can handle 15 watts of power so that shouldn't be a problem
 
was just saying that you can get by with a cheaper amplifier. 

 

[Wildcatsare1]

Quick Initial Comparison Impressions between the HE-560 & the LCD-X


 


Sonically, the most obvious thing is the LCD-X has a lot more bass impact & bass quantity compared to the he-560s. The LCD-X also runs at a much higher volume at the same settings due to its lower impedance. Makes volume-matched testing a bit more difficult.


 


The LCD-X's sound signature is more colored compared to the HE-560, but very enjoyable. I have gotten a chance to audition the HD800, LCD-X, and LCD-3 directly against each other multiple times, and my personal favorite out of those three was the LCD-X.


 


Build-quality wise, the LCD-X feels much nicer than the HE-560 due to its mostly aluminum and metal construction. The HE-560's build quality is perfectly acceptable, but the LCD-X does have a more premium feel to them. On par (or maybe a bit better depending on your POV) than the Oppo PM-1s. Very solid construction.


 


Comfort-wise, the HE-560 kills the LCD-X comfort-wise. At 380g, the HE-560 feels like you are wearing nothing compared to the LCD-X's 600g hefty weight. You will never forget that you are wearing headphones with the LCD-X, that's for sure. The suspension design of the HE-560 is much more comfortable than the bumpy headband of the LCD-X. How well you tolerate the weight and headband design of the LCD-X will bother you will be a personal thing, but the LCD-X is definitely one of the more uncomfortable headphones I have tried while the HE-560 is one of the most comfortable headphones I've tried. I have the vegan LCD-X as I found the lambskin leather version gets quite hot & sweaty even after short usage. The lambskin leather version does seem more premium in terms of looks, but the vegans are much more comfortable in my experience. Earpads for both headphones were extremely comfortable for me without any complaints. Despite the LCD-X being much wider in overall width of the whole headphone, the earcups depth are actually quite similar. This is probably due to the LCD-X using double-sided magnets so driver Both have angled earpads.


 


HE-560 Earcup Measurements: depth = ~1in/2.5cm to ~0.50in/1.25cm. diameter = ~2.25in/5.5cm, 


LCD-X Earcup Measurements: deepest depth = ~1.1in/2.75 cm to ~0.65in/1.6cm, height ~2.55in/6.5cm, width = ~2in/5cm


 


 


My initial recommendation is that if you are looking for a neutral orthodynamic pair of headphones or have comfort as a high priority, go with the HE-560. If you really enjoyed the bass of the HE-400 (like me!) and are looking to upgrade towards a more audiophile grade version, the LCD-X is a great choice, sharing many of the strengths of the HE-400s without any of the HE-400's sonic weakness (so far as I can tell during my first day of listening).


 


More detailed sonic comparisons will follow later after more head time.


 


edit: paired with the Schiit Lyr 2 & Bifrost Uber

 


Awesome, thanks for the impressions! It's kind of what I figured the trade-off would be for me going from the HE-560 to the LCD-X in that I would be giving up comfort for the improved bass. I really like the HE-560 but they are just too bass light for me, I need more thump! They blow the LCD series out of the water in terms of comfort, I can listen to them all night whereas with my LCD-3's I can only listen to about 2 albums or so before getting fatigued and needing to take a break. Maybe it might be best to wait for the EL-8 and check out the reviews on that first, I've read some bits saying it has a similar sound of the LCD-X in a much lighter, and more affordable, package. May not be quite as good but if the bass hits like an LCD I'm sure they will be sucessful.

Try using a speaker amp with the 560's, incredible dynamics!!!!

 

[groovyd]

  How does the LCD-X pair with the Gungnir/Mjolnir or Bifrost/Lyr combos? I currently have both at my house trying with LCD 2.2s... I'm going to be getting an LCD-X shortly though to compare --- will those two setups be able to give me a good enough feel for LCD-X?
 
What would be ideal amp for LCD-X?

In my opinion the WA7+tp is a perfect amp for the X.

 

[Shembot]

 
In my opinion the WA7+tp is a perfect amp for the X.

I had this combo with the upgraded tubes. To my ear and preferences, it was good, but I found the internal DAC to be disappointing, and adding a good DAC to the setup would've driven up the price of the (already expensive) rig a lot. So while it was a good setup, I thought it was overpriced for the sound.
 
Next, I got the UberBifrost/Asgard2 stack from Schiit, and I found it to sound very close to as good as the WA7+WA7tp at half the price. Finally, I upgraded to Gungnir/Mjolnir, which is about the same price as the WA7+WA7tp+upgraded tubes, but to my ear and preferences sounds a lot better.
 
Lots of people absolutely love the WA7 and think it's a great value, don't get me wrong -- it just wasn't my experience with my ears. It sounds great, but it didn't sound as great as I would have liked at the price. I'd love to actually hear it again now compared to my current setup after the journey I've taken...perhaps my opinion would be different.

 

[castin]

Just got an upgrade 8wire cable from effect audio! super awesome!!!

 

[groovyd]

 
I had this combo with the upgraded tubes. To my ear and preferences, it was good, but I found the internal DAC to be disappointing, and adding a good DAC to the setup would've driven up the price of the (already expensive) rig a lot. So while it was a good setup, I thought it was overpriced for the sound.
 
Next, I got the UberBifrost/Asgard2 stack from Schiit, and I found it to sound very close to as good as the WA7+WA7tp at half the price. Finally, I upgraded to Gungnir/Mjolnir, which is about the same price as the WA7+WA7tp+upgraded tubes, but to my ear and preferences sounds a lot better.
 
Lots of people absolutely love the WA7 and think it's a great value, don't get me wrong -- it just wasn't my experience with my ears. It sounds great, but it didn't sound as great as I would have liked at the price. I'd love to actually hear it again now compared to my current setup after the journey I've taken...perhaps my opinion would be different.

yeah, i am using a D100 as the dac so the internal wasn't the ambition.  i do think they out to have a dac-less WA7 for a discounted price or improve the internal dac to D100 standards.

 

[money4me247]

anyone have any experience with this product? http://www.head-fi.org/t/754938/planar-pad-for-audeze-hifiman-mad-dog-alpha-dog-paradox-fostex-t50-rp-modders

 

[Xoen]

  anyone have any experience with this product? http://www.head-fi.org/t/754938/planar-pad-for-audeze-hifiman-mad-dog-alpha-dog-paradox-fostex-t50-rp-modders

Never had but looks like a great add on for those complaining about comfort issues on the LCD series.  Personally, I've never had any comfort issues with my X. 

 

[ToTje]

My only comfort issue with the LCD-X was a strong air pressure on my eardrums. Since I extended the earcups into the lowest position, it's much better.
Warmth of the headband never really has been an issue, but who knows? Maybe in summer?

 

[darkless]

  anyone have any experience with this product? http://www.head-fi.org/t/754938/planar-pad-for-audeze-hifiman-mad-dog-alpha-dog-paradox-fostex-t50-rp-modders

 
I had one major comfort issue with my LCD-X. The phone ended up resting on just the back part of the headband, which caused a painful hotspot on my head within less than 30 minutes of listening. I searched and found the leather suspension strap mentioned above, and it completely resolved my comfort issue. Best money I ever spent. Due to the elastic bands the broad leather part of the strap always ends up resting fully on my head, gently supporting the weight of the Audeze phone, unlike the harder edge of the original LCD headband. I now wear my LCD-X for hours at a time, and I never experience any pain or even the slightest discomfort due to hotspots, because there aren't any.
 
I wholeheartedly recommend all LCD owners with similar hotspot issues to purchase this suspension strap. Don't wait for the LCD-Z, get this. Now.

 

[Mojo777]

I hate my X's.....
 
I have not turned my nice 2-channel rig on in two weeks

 

[soundify]

Just got an upgrade 8wire cable from effect audio! super awesome!!!

castin, which cable did you get? I have the Eros ref 16 hybrid cable and was wondering if it's better to pair the X with pure copper instead to smoothen the highs as I find it slightly bright.

 

[castin]

castin, which cable did you get? I have the Eros red 16 hybrid cable and was wondering if it's better to pair the X with pure copper instead to smoothen the highs as I find it slightly bright.

I have the eros ref 16wire hybrid too, i guess our problem is the same. hahaha
so I got the copper 8wire instead, it does smooth it out and rewire my 16wire to my other headphone.

 

[lamode]

castin, which cable did you get? I have the Eros ref 16 hybrid cable and was wondering if it's better to pair the X with pure copper instead to smoothen the highs as I find it slightly bright.

 
No cable in the history of the universe has ever "smoothed the highs"