Metalsludge
Head-Fier
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2012
- Posts
- 73
- Likes
- 60
Have had the LCD XCs for a long while, but never really got what the big deal was about them, when hearing people go on about the detailed yet natural mids, the tight bass, and the imaging etc. I kept them as I had some sense of their interesting imaging abilities, but was never wowed by them and didn't understand what the praise was all about. After trying them from time to time, I would always just go back to enjoying the TH-900s.
But then, I never used them with a decent DAC either, and was probably under-powering them as well. Recently though, I dusted off the XCs and tried them with the line out feature of my Chord Mojo, connected to a Burson Soloist amp, and finally got to hear what all the fuss was about. The mids are clear and magically natural, the parts of the music so well divided, and the isolated sense of being in my own music hall is transporting. I love my TH-900s, but the clarity and natural quality to the mids especially with the XCs feel like a veil has been lifted.
The TH-900s do still have a rumbly bass that adds something to certain tracks, at the cost of some precision and with the usual relatively recessed mids. The TH-900s are also obviously a lot more comfortable for everyday use, for gaming and perhaps movie watching for example. As such, it's certainly nice to have both.
But for serious music listening, I find myself, to my own surprise, leaning towards the XCs a lot lately.
Sharing this experience to point out something - I suspect that cans like the XC are sometimes discounted by folks like myself for a while due to being just a bit harder to get the most out of, despite being relatively efficient for planars, than some other closed cans. In comparison, my TH-900s sound great from an IPad, from a lower powered amp, or from a computer without a high quality DAC etc. While not super picky about what you put behind them, I think the XCs do need a bit more, and are just not always out-of-the-box impressive without that extra something to reveal their abilities for detail and imaging.
Also, the naturalness of the sound does not always have the immediate Wow factor that buzzily aggressive dynamic headphones can sometimes bring to the table from the start. For some, the XCs can be more of an acquired taste.
In short, I suggest giving the XCs more of a chance than I did at first, and try them with different equipment combinations that may suit you before discounting them. They may surprise you after a while.
But then, I never used them with a decent DAC either, and was probably under-powering them as well. Recently though, I dusted off the XCs and tried them with the line out feature of my Chord Mojo, connected to a Burson Soloist amp, and finally got to hear what all the fuss was about. The mids are clear and magically natural, the parts of the music so well divided, and the isolated sense of being in my own music hall is transporting. I love my TH-900s, but the clarity and natural quality to the mids especially with the XCs feel like a veil has been lifted.
The TH-900s do still have a rumbly bass that adds something to certain tracks, at the cost of some precision and with the usual relatively recessed mids. The TH-900s are also obviously a lot more comfortable for everyday use, for gaming and perhaps movie watching for example. As such, it's certainly nice to have both.
But for serious music listening, I find myself, to my own surprise, leaning towards the XCs a lot lately.
Sharing this experience to point out something - I suspect that cans like the XC are sometimes discounted by folks like myself for a while due to being just a bit harder to get the most out of, despite being relatively efficient for planars, than some other closed cans. In comparison, my TH-900s sound great from an IPad, from a lower powered amp, or from a computer without a high quality DAC etc. While not super picky about what you put behind them, I think the XCs do need a bit more, and are just not always out-of-the-box impressive without that extra something to reveal their abilities for detail and imaging.
Also, the naturalness of the sound does not always have the immediate Wow factor that buzzily aggressive dynamic headphones can sometimes bring to the table from the start. For some, the XCs can be more of an acquired taste.
In short, I suggest giving the XCs more of a chance than I did at first, and try them with different equipment combinations that may suit you before discounting them. They may surprise you after a while.
