There was no DSP applied to the LCD-5s. The unit was set to bypass mode.
Depends on what you want to drive. Pro-audio is workhorse that will not fail you, but streamer is never going to be a part of a pro equipment. I love the RME ADI-2 which many here might hate for its price and not being an audiophile product. There is the DAC version and the Pro version. Pro can driver two HPs in parallel with separate EQs and volumes, or you can join the two channels for a more powerful balanced amplifier. Has a lot of DSP power. It is very neutral sound without coloring. No elevated bass or lushed out mids. If you want more power a Benchmark HPA4 or an SPL amplifier will do the job. Here is a great listening station with ADI-2 (link to the photo from @donkeywalker):
Not sure if this counts as an issue, but I discovered the case has keyholes but no keys that came with it. I got mine off Bloom Audio but messaged Meze asking about it. Even though they learned I bought the Empyreans through a dealer, sent me a couple anyway. Overnight, which is crazy Romania to USA for items so tiny.
What estat amplifier are you using today with the SR-009?Wow there was so much awesome gear at the show, and this has been my first ever CanJam! It was awesome to get a chance to finally attend, so a big thank you to the entire Head-Fi and CanJam team who put this together. After 18 long months it was excellent to get a chance to see a lot of old friends again and meet some of ya the first time in person. It's crazy to think this May will be 10 years for me here on Head-Fi!!! Only took me 9 years to make it to my first CanJam but hey it was well worth the wait.
So of course my impressions will be pretty strictly limited to stuff that we either have or are going to be carrying on our site, but part of what I love about our brand is the variety so without further ado here are my thoughts!
Ask and ye shall recieve! So I've had the honor to get to spend the evening listening to this outstanding new product from Rall all thanks to...
This outstanding guy! It was awesome to get a chance to speak with Danny in person and wow I think he was as suprised and impressed by Elite with their new PDT-1A as I still am... it's been hours now and so far I've been nothing but floored by this combo. This is my second night with Elite, my first I ran thru my little Geek Out V2+, which was solid. I appreciated Elite's more even tonality ,oustanding detail and quicker but still natural and slighlty dense presentaion. All in all I appreciate it out of that set up... but I felt like I was missing something, after seeing how much all of you enjoyed Elite on the GS-X Mini I knew I'd be in for a treat once I got home.
As luck would have it tho after packing up I happen to run into Danny and we got to talking and here I now sit deeply entranced into the magical combonation of Raal's PDT-1A! For a DAC, Danny was kind enough to let me barrow one of thier new ESS Sabre RME ADi 2's. Which is a DAC I owned in the past so it was cool to get a chance to interact with it again, and for my listen tonight I'm running USB out of an Android Tablet into a USB to Coaxial Interface which ofc feeds Coaxial SPDIF into the ADi 2.
What I've been most impressed with is the bass, texture is excellent with enough clarity to enjoy proper vibratto in bass guitars ya know so the strings ring out with that natural proper weight to them. Kick drums are presented with all of their natural explosive SLAM with no loss of power or added body. An the mid-range tonality is gorgeous, no lack of crunch, grit and texture when it's called for but yet there's an constant effortlessness thruought the presentation and all of this while still mainting a good weight. Vocals are clear, present and natural with a slight fullness and I find the top end to be well extended with some slight but appreciated emphasis and sweetness.
For music, I've been mostly stuck listening thru a lot of 90's alt rock, stuff like Smashing Pumpkins, Alice and Chains and a little bit of Led Zeppelin. Tho I'm happy to say swapping over to the Slim Shady LP I find the bass line to have excellent power and THUMP without smearing the grit and texture present in Em's voice.
All I can say is this combo is outstanding and I'm excited for us starting offering Raal's PDR-1A alongside of Meze Elite. Now the amp itself is also dead quiet with no music I don't hear any humming or buzzing what so ever and with music playing I really appreciate the inky blackness that PDT-1A presents.
As far as comparisons go, that'll have to wait till I return home but keep an eye out for my review on our Blog Posts page and here once it's completed!
Ok so this little combo was awesome, super easy to connect to and plenty of power for the 99 classics. The Blu GO itself had a great in the hand feel, the buttons were tactile and responsive!
So a big thank you to Hifiman for sharing this new finish for their existing HE R10P, so not only was this my first time seeing the new finish but also my first time hearing R10P! An what a treat, I loved it's wide open stage and POWERFUL bass. The midrange was clear and present as well and I didn't find it fatiguing at all, plus I was impressed with how well the iDSD Signiture drove them. Overall tho I was deeply intrigued by R10P' ability to prsent a full bodied an exciting presentation while still maintaing a ton of detail.
Yet another awesome combo I've seen and now heard for the first time! I personally love the touch of warmth GS-X Mini adds to the Abyss headphone. It preserves all that powerful bass but adds a slight touch of naturalness.
I was also excited to hear the DCA C Flow's again as well, I appreciate the clean linear tonality and spacious presentation. I felt it paird really nice with GS-X Mini! Plenty of power to really open these bad bois up with just that last little touch of warmth without losing any detail, all in all I continue to enjoy how linear the Ether C has remained and look forward to getting one for my self to mix with
Utopia was another can I'd not heard for years now, and I'd forgotten how dead to life it's mid-range was, it's Down right spooooky sometimes when your not expecting it too
Now STEALTH I was excited to HEAR, and for me the GS-X MK2 is the best way to listen to it, I loved the combination of sheer POWER and detail that are capture and prested with Stealth and GS-X MK2, additionally I found the mid-range was lean but still natural. Very present and immediate with lovely vocals, that and I enjoyed clean and accurate guitars and horns were to my ears! That combined with Stealths airy but non fatiguing presentation and nice open and precise soundstage make it by far one my favourite closed backs at the moment! Maybe of all time but I'd need a little more time to listen on my home system first haha,
Stealth's excellent passive isolation and outstanding new driver tech delivery a great level of pricision and dynamic clarity, still I loved the slight improvements to Dynamic contrast running GS-X MK2 brought to Stealth. All in all highly recommend this pairing and enourage any one is still on the fence about Stealth to take a moment to swing by and listen to it on our MK2 the next time we see ya! For me Stealth sounded it's abousulte BEST with the GS-X MK2.
Oh boy, the LCD 5! Wow, what a powerful sound they have. Super quick but still retaining all of that traditional Audeze tone, weight and DESNSITY. I personally loved the look, fit and feel of the new headband assembly as well!
But now for me and the one BURNING question I had was how does CRBN sound on the Blue Hawaii Special Edition? As some one who still owns and enjoys the original 009 my curiousity was peaked!
An honestly... for starters I feel like CRBN does everything the original 009S set out out to, it retains that insane sense of speed and detail I love about 009 BUT has a slighty denser tone with noticeably stronger bass with all the detail and transparency I've come to expect. It's stound stage is a little more intimate too and all in all while I still love the original 009's lovely tone, exceptional nuance and delicacy. I could 100% see my-self picking up CRBN as a compliment for when I want that extra bit of weight, heft and intimacy without any lose in the speed or detail that I love about Electro Stats!
But overall I feel that CRBN really captures and delivers the tru spirit of Audeze! Powerful, detailed TRUE to life BASS! A natural weighty mid range with amazing speed and clarity that alonside with crystal clear highs are all presented within an oustandingly cohesive and precise sound stage. I for one can't wait to get a little more time with BHSE and CRBN! It's likely going to become my new favourite thing to hear at each show until I'm ready to pick up a set for myself!
Loved the impressions bro loved it !!! wonderful that your son also like music !!! inheritance is hence provedReport from my first Canjam;
I arrived by 9:30 am (event opened at 10) and I was one of the first twenty or twenty-five people to go inside. To my surprise, everyone who went in did not immediately run to the Audeze display, so I was the second person at the show to listen to the LCD-5 and I was the third person to hear the CRBN. Arriving so early allowed me to have a very different experience than people who arrived maybe 30 minutes or an hour later. I got to listen to the heavy hitters on my list before the cacophony took over. Over the next two hours I went down my celebrity checklist- LCD-5, CRBN, LCD-4, Stealth, Elite, Empyrean (the beautiful Phoenix edition), Verite closed, Shangri-la Jr, HE1000SE, HE1000V1+V2, Susvara, and Abyss TC+CC.
Before I get into my impressions, I must mention a few people or companies that I met and interacted with at CanJam who were really great. @Audeze as usual were great as a company. I had a good, though brief, discussion with Sankar about the designs of both the LCD-5 and the Carbon. In the many video interviews of him he comes across as a bit awkward and robotic. In person he is very friendly, approachable, listens intently to your inquiries and gives thoughtful, detailed replies. I could talk with him for hours. I also had the pleasure of meeting with @MadLustEnvy at the @Audeze display. Who I already enjoyed interacting with here on head-fi and he was equally likeable in person. Very knowledgeable, with appropriate and obvious enthusiasm for the company he represents.
The people at The Source AV had a TON of amazing Head-Fi gear and were very busy right away, but still took the time to answer my questions and the questions of the extreme novice who was parked next to me at there table.
So this was not a surprise after interacting with many different individuals at @Headphones.com on the forums or youtube etc. But these great enthusiasts, Taron and others, were super helpful and responsive to everyone. Additionally, they brought everything to the show, including the ‘kitchen sink’. Seriously, they had so many amazing headphones and amps etc that they could have held there own CanJam show.
A great Head-Fier I met was a guy who goes by @Speleofool on @forum.headphones.com brought a set of Susvara and a beautiful set of green and brown stabilized Verite Closed. When I walked up to the FE (Ferrum) table he was there with a jovial group sampling the HYPSOS & OOR with his Susvara. This is where I discovered that he was one of the coolest dudes at the show. He let me and my son listen to his Susvara! This was my first Susvara experience and I will always remember his kindness for that. Thank you!
Jeff Wells at the @WellsAudio table, was supremely knowledgeable and made the my listening experience delightful. I did not get the name of the gentleman at the Centrance table, but he was very helpful and made the audition process quick and painless.
Last but certainly not least. My 14yo son attended the show with me and is interested in some IEMS for school. In his words “My ‘whatever they are called’ earbuds at school are trash! And I need better audio at school”. I am not an ‘IEM guy’, but throughout my time here on Head-Fi and elsewhere I have consistently heard one name brought up when it comes to budget friendly IEMs and a company that goes above and beyond when it comes to customer care. So me and my son stopped in to discuss the latest offerings at DUNU. Turned out to be an excellent match. Tom Tsai and Kevin Sun helped my son audition the new entry level DUNU Falcon Pro. I also wanted him to hear something more top tier, so he also had a listen to the DUNU Zen Pro. While he did notice a considerable improvement from the Falcon Pro to the Zen Pro, he said the most significant differences were: The Zen Pro offered considerably better isolation, a little better soundstage and better bass quality. The Zen Pro are not within his budget anyway, but he mentioned that he could be perfectly happy with the “very, very good” sounding Falcon Pro. These are currently on pre-order. So I messaged DUNU this morning to see if they had them in stock and they had one left and offered to hold it for us! So we headed back to CanJam today to pick up a set.
Edit: My son today with our first CanJam purchase! And a pic of him listening the day before. He liked these and the guys at DUNU so much that he refused to audition additional IEMS.
Impressions from my listening experience will be limited mostly to gear that I have only heard at the show, with a couple of comparisons to gear I have already heard or owned. My playlist was: 1. Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane- Off Minor (Take 4). 2. Christian Scott- Kuro Shinobi (Interlude). 3. Blackmill- A Reach for Glory. 4. John Patitucci- Soul Of The Bass. 5. Patsy Cline- Crazy. 6. The Weekend, Daft Punk- Starboy. I listened to songs 1 through 3 on every single headphone I put on my head at the show, except where I could not use my own music. Below I have listed them in the order of MY preference. But the HE1000V2, CRBN and Verite Closed could easily be a tie depending on the genre and the use case. Please keep the pitchforks and torches in the barn where they belong. These are my opinions and impressions based on my preferences and experience.
My sons favorite headphones at the show were in this order. (He had is own playlist and auditioned all the headphones I did and more.)
- LCD-5 (Weiss 502 amp/DAC). First, I would like to say that I liked the way they looked in the early online pictures, but they look a lot different and better in person. The ‘Tortoise Shell’ pattern on the acetate ring is much more subtle in person. You must be pretty close to see the color pattern. Second, the weight loss over the LCD-X is shocking. And they feel even lighter in the hand than the specs suggest. Next, the fit, finish, build quality and comfort are exemplary. At least equal to the Meze Elite, which many people will agree sets the standard for build quality and comfort. Finally, the sound- Clean, tight, accurate, punchy and super detailed without being sterile or thin. Smooth without rounding off any details. Warm without being too thick or congested. Let’s get the bass question out of the way, I heard the LCD-4 (updated with 2021 ear pads on a Phonitor XE) just a few minutes after hearing the LCD-5 with the exact same tracks. Bass level was overall about the same, however, the mid bass was superior on the LCD-5 and the speed and accuracy of the bass was clearly better. LCD-5 wins the bass category over the LCD-4, it does not take a step back in any way. The midrange on the LCD-5 is waaaaay more natural and filled in, no EQ needed. LCD-5 by a mile. Treble, again, more natural, and more similar to the CRBN treble than any other Audeze. LCD-5, here again is easily better. If I owned the LCD-4 (which I like), I would sell it right now and get the LCD-5. Matter of fact you can see that I listed the LCD-5 first on my list. That is because I would choose it over any open back headphone I have heard. It is not only the best headphone for my ears, but maybe the best audio that I have heard anywhere.
- HE1000 V2 (Phonitor XE). I really like these a lot. For me these do most of what the Susvara does well, but with more weight and warmth. For me, they are better than the Susvara and about everything else. But not good enough to beat the LCD-5. Still too thin. The soundstage is bigger and better in all directions, but the LCD-5 is better in all other categories, especially build quality. HE1000V! was about as good, but heard that on the Wells Audio Dragon.
- CRBN (some un-obtainium set up). After hearing these I understand why some people warship e-stats. The CRBNs have a delicate presentation, but they don’t ever sound thin or lacking in body. The overall frequency response is very similar to the LCD-5, but the presentation is a lot different. The bass is excellent in texture and level, easily better than the Susvara. Not as punchy as the LCD-5 though. Midrange is equal to or better than anything here. More body to the vocals than the Susvara. Treble, comparing here again to the Susvara, the Susvara are pretty magical, but I like the texture of the CRBN a little better. The soundstage on these is larger, open and layered in a way where I could easily forget I was wearing headphones. The build quality and comfort here again are equal to or better than anything. As far as pure aesthetics, these are the best looking headphones I have ever seen. In person they are stunning.
- Verite Closed (Phonitor XE). I have been wanting to try these for a while now. It was definitely worth the wait. At first, I tried comparing them with my LCD-XC, but that was a little silly. Not because they are better, but because they are so much different. The better comparison is with the Stellia (which I love). In short, I like the Verite Closed better. The three reasons. One, the mid range reverb in the beautiful wood VC makes vocals sound awesome. Two the upper treble is airier and more natural. Finally, the look and feel of the VC, even without being ‘LTD’, is simply beautiful. I feel instantly comfortable and engaged when I put these on. I would still take my LCD-XC over these, but I really NEED both. I am really a ‘closed back guy’ anyway, so these will be in my collection soon.
- Susvara (FE HYPSOS/OOR and WA33). I am relieved that I don’t love these. They are just too crazy expensive and the build quality, while better than other Hifiman products, is not anywhere near any Audeze LCD series, Meze Elite, Focal or ZMF (to name a few). What did I like? Midrange and treble are so amazing, it nearly made me cry. Seriously listening to Patsy Cline ‘Crazy’ with my eyes closed was as though I was transported to the time and place of the recording. What didn’t I like? I was in the room…..except for the fact that the bass was too light and lacked body or weight. And the soundstage was very good but was not as natural or even as the best in show, the LCD-5, HE1000SE and CRBN. If you want maybe the best mids and highs, these are probably worth the price. In other areas, they may not satisfy.
- Abyss TC (Wells Audio Dragon). Listening to these was pure bliss. Not accurate, not neutral, not balanced. ****ing fun! If only I could listen to them without having to look at them first or have them touch my head. The most uncomfortable headphone I have ever encountered. A very effective medieval torture device in another life perhaps? The bass is amazing, the mids are romantic, wow! My head hurts, get these off of me!
- Elite (Phonitor XE and WA33). The all arounder. These are pretty good at everything. Not great in any one metric. They are not super detailed, but they could never be fatiguing. If it was my job to wear headphones all day long and listen to every genre and never be fatigued. This is it. They are beautiful, feel like the would last a hundred years, super comfy and a little overpriced.
- Stealth (Phonitor XE and WA33). The disappointment. Out of all the headphones in the show I WANTED to love these the most. I am from San Diego, they are built in my home town. I have seen a few interviews with Dan Clark and I really like him. The good- LOVE the way they look, maybe second best looking headphone after the CRBN? The materials, the color selection, the earpads! The comfort is superb. The new elastic suspension headband is perfect. They seem to weigh almost nothing. I previously owned the Ether CX and I loved all the same things about them. These are way better in every way. The bad- I heard these minutes after hearing the LCD-5, CRBN and HE1000V2 and I switched back and forth between these and the Elite. I though these would have the leg up in the noisy show environment due to being closed back. I think the DCA sound is just not for me. The shortcomings of the Ether CX remain. The lack of dynamics, impact, slam whatever you want to call it. Also, they do not sound natural to me. I am always very aware that I am wearing headphones when listening to DCA products and not in a good way. They don’t sound bad, but sorry, my 2021 LCD-XC are just better in every way when it comes to sound quality. Not close. I would be a player for these at $1000 to $1200. Reminder- This is just my opinion and my preference, so put away the torches and pitch forks. I was very disappointed. I think most people will be too.
- Shangri-la Jr. (Same). Smooth to a fault. Uninspiring, dull, forgettable, overpriced, sleep inducing, yawn. The good- Not fatiguing…….and………..smooth. The bad- No dynamics. No weight in the sound or the actual headphones. Bass vacancy. Rounded detail, cheap feeling, plastic looking, overpriced, does everything equally well (bad) and really boring. I have to stop thinking about this headphone now because it is inducing narcolepsy. Not for me?
I won't spend much time on amplifiers as I only listened to a few.
- CRBN- Thought it sounded similar to the LCD-5 but had significantly better soundstage and was less congested than anything else he heard.
- LCD-5- Just lacked the sense of space of the CRBN (he loves the soundstage and space of the HD800S), but loved the bass.
- Abyss TC. Loved the sound, hated the look and feel on his head. Mentioned if he could get past the discomfort it ‘might’ be the one he would buy.
Loved the Wells Audio Dragon. Very appealing industrial design. I will have one someday soon. Just a touch tubey goodness without the loose bass and lack of snappy dynamics. Perfect match with the HE1000V1 and Abyss TC.
Phonitor XE. This was the workhorse of CanJam, it was everywhere and I can see why. It seems like it can power anything and it has a warm and natural sound. Here again, I will have one very soon. As a bonus, I love the meters, the build and the looks. Just gotta pick a color!
The Centrance HIFI-M8 V2 and AMPERSAND. Both have desktop levels and quality of power. I slightly prefer the bass control of the less powerful M8 V2 over the more powerful AMPERSAND, but they sound really great together. When I start travelling more for work again, I will immediately order a HIFI-M8 V2 . Easily the best sounding and most versatile portable dac/amp I have heard and I love the level meters!
( I may edit or add to the equipment list later for accuracy)
Thanks for the answer, wasn't meant as an accusation by any means.
Thanks for this as well, probably saved a couple of hundred posts
. The LCD-5 seems awesome and just might be my first open back.
If I could get an all in one that can drive say LCD-5s and Susvaras correctly I'd be willing to throw in a couple of fingers and toes in there too
I have given my amateur A/B comparison between the LCD-R, Susvara, and the Verite over in the LCD-R thread if you are curious.
