[HiFiChris]

 

   
X is a classic... love my X (and XC)

Yes, they're both fantastic! It's great you can have them both; I could only afford to keep one of them, and now finding a sub $500 closed headphone that satisfies me seems like a lost cause 

Oppo PM3?

 

[westermac]

 

Oppo PM3?

It's on my list! Not much of a budget so I'm trying to find one lightly used or refurbished, which is tough to come by.

 

[groovyd]

 
It's on my list! Not much of a budget so I'm trying to find one lightly used or refurbished, which is tough to come by.

Budget? What's that

 

[Frosty3258]

Just heard back from Kim with an attachment of my FR graph, which is a bit different than others I have seen in this thread. Noticeably missing is the 5kHz peak that I've generally seen, which I'm happy with since this was the one spot that bugged me during my few weeks with an LCD-XC (though I never did get to see a graph for those) It may just be an area that I'm particularly sensitive to.



The result has been perfect for me, with the +1/-1dB HF and +1/-1dB LF tone switches on my Corda HA-2 MkII being pretty much everything I need. There are a few occasions where I do miss the 5kHz peak of the XC (namely for Jazz) though I much prefer to EQ something in to my cans than to have to EQ something out. I'm afraid my bit of training as an audio engineer has turned me into a control freak, as I am inclined to make small adjustments from recording to recording (and pretty much drive with my hand on the volume knob) but now with the X I finally have the perfect foundation  

Nice to see I'm not the only knob hogg. and that is a nice graph. I also like the small bump below 50hz.

 

[westermac]

Wanted to share a suspension strap idea I had that worked out surprisingly well (I do my best thinking in bed) 

 
I went through a vintage AKG phase a few years back; the only remnant being a K240 Sextett MP in stellar shape that I couldn't bear to part with. It turns out with not much effort I was able to rig the headstrap it onto my LCD-X headband, improving the comfort by a large margin:
 

 

 


Others will disagree, but I really l really like how it looks as well, it adds a nice vintage aesthetic to the X. Sextett headbands aren't terribly easy to come by, but since AKG has been using the same design for decades a new K240 headband should work just as well: http://www.fullcompass.com/prod/015012-AKG-2058Z0902
 
Of course, this shares the same caveat of the Lohb strap in that those with larger heads will need to purchase the extended yokes. Otherwise, it's a very simple and inexpensive way to increase comfort if the stock band creates a pressure point at the very top of your head as it does with mine. It only requires removing the two screws from the top of the yoke rods, sliding the headband off and reassembling as shown (it was a bit tricky to get the tail ends of the K240 headband to fit onto the top of the rods).
 
I have some assorted scrap leather at home; at some point next week I'm going to use the K240 band as a template to make a leather version as well. We'll see how that goes!
 

 

 

[514077]

 

Was this the Black Dragon Premium V2? I'm checking because, while I know cable impressions are subjective, so far I haven't seen others making this comment.

Right. It was the newest premium black dragon V2 and I was shocked too. That thing was gorgeous and very hard for me to return, but after 30hrs of burn in time as Moon suggested, it opened up slightly but really just made everything sound a little more tight and defined instead of lush and spacious like my stock cable. Not what I was looking for, but could be great for someone seeking that sound. I'll try the Wywires at CanJam SoCal hopefully if someone brings a set. I think Woo Audio demos their X's with em.

Just my opinion, but, I don't think you can go wrong with the Wywires.  They've opened up the treble deacently and I think, the soundstage.  Hope you get to try them out.

 

[Jose R]

 
Just my opinion, but, I don't think you can go wrong with the Wywires.  They've opened up the treble deacently and I think, the soundstage.  Hope you get to try them out.

 
The Wywire Reds are ridiculous.
 
As an avid DIYer, I build my own cables using Mogami mini quad mic cable (2893?). But, I hate doing them. After reading so many positive comments about the Wywires, and in a fit of laziness, I ordered them from the CableCo.
 
I don't think I can express what a difference they make with the LCD-X. With the stock cable, I was ambivalent about these phones, dark and unclear. Especially when compared against my other headphones. Hardly used them.
 
With the Wywire Reds, I now have a good complement to my HD800. Treble and soundstage are much better, and seemingly more extended with bass. Dynamics are nice and sharp with good tone.
 
I dislike paying for after-market cables, especially with respect to headphone cables when I can build them myself. But, in this case, with Alex's cable, it was worth the price.
 
My only complaint is because it is thin and light, the cable has a tendency to snag on corners of furniture.

 

[RCBinTN]

   
The Wywire Reds are ridiculous.
 
As an avid DIYer, I build my own cables using Mogami mini quad mic cable (2893?). But, I hate doing them. After reading so many positive comments about the Wywires, and in a fit of laziness, I ordered them from the CableCo.
 
I don't think I can express what a difference they make with the LCD-X. With the stock cable, I was ambivalent about these phones, dark and unclear. Especially when compared against my other headphones. Hardly used them.
 
With the Wywire Reds, I now have a good complement to my HD800. Treble and soundstage are much better, and seemingly more extended with bass. Dynamics are nice and sharp with good tone.
 
I dislike paying for after-market cables, especially with respect to headphone cables when I can build them myself. But, in this case, with Alex's cable, it was worth the price.
 
My only complaint is because it is thin and light, the cable has a tendency to snag on corners of furniture.

 
+1 on the Wywire Red's.  Superb sound for the LCD-X. 

 

[westermac]

HORRIBLE customer service from Audeze here.  My LCD-X started acting up in November, I sent them in and they got them on December 10th.  I haven't heard any updates on them since then.  I've called twice this week within the hours that it lists for service calls on their website only to be told each time that the person on the phone is working from home and just closed their system and can't look it up.  To get that answer on Tuesday with no call back and then again today is just unacceptable on a $1700 pair of headphones.  I love the way they sound but this is really not right.  

MrBucket how did your sending the X's in for service pan out? Did they replace the drivers? Is the noise fixed?

 

[westermac]

Alrighty, I had the chance to cut a leather suspension using the K240 headstrap from my earlier post as a template. The results are great! The leather I used is a bit on the floppy side, so it droops when not in use, but it is more comfortable than the (vinyl, I think) strap from my K240's and looks a bit nicer to boot. Here are some pics:
 

 

 

 


All in all, I'm very happy with the results of my little experiment, and I no longer find myself "needing" the new carbon fiber suspension strap, which for me is $200 better put towards a a cable or amp upgrade. I hope this has been helpful to someone else as well.
 
Happy listening! 

 

 

[Badas]

Can we buy the new carbon fiber suspension strap anywhere yet? I keep looking on Audeze site and there is nothing showing.

 

[westermac]

  Can we buy the new carbon fiber suspension strap anywhere yet? I keep looking on Audeze site and there is nothing showing.

 
Looks like it's on backorder for the time being, but as far as I've found Adorama is currently the only place:
 
http://www.adorama.com/auasy1039.html

 

[potkettleblack]

Can we buy the new carbon fiber suspension strap anywhere yet? I keep looking on Audeze site and there is nothing showing.

You may have missed it, but they are apparently reviewing/improving the design to make the strap shorter. A few users have reported that the strap lengthens over time and creates a hotspot. Somebody on the LCD4 thread spoke with Audeze face-to-face and they said that they were aware and looking into it.

 

[Badas]

You may have missed it, but they are apparently reviewing/improving the design to make the strap shorter. A few users have reported that the strap lengthens over time and creates a hotspot. Somebody on the LCD4 thread spoke with Audeze face-to-face and they said that they were aware and looking into it.

Thanks for the info guys.

 

[johnzz4]

It didn't even have to stretch out.. if you have any kind of ridge at the top of your head, you'll have the hot spot right away.  The revised product is supposed to be ready in a couple weeks.  At least that's when they're starting to ship the replacement LCD-4 headbands, but I assume it won't be much longer for the retail channel.