[highrolller]

Hey everyone!
 
Was wondering which headphone should be my next upgrade. I am using the Schiit Bifrost Uber with USB and Schiit Lyr but I am still tube rolling with these tubes but I am mostly using the Mastush*ta 6922 tubes. I love a wide and spacious soundstage and deep, tight, fast and textured bass with long decay. I don't know which to go for. The store I am most likely to buy from is HeadAmp and the HD800 is cheaper there by $500 compared to the LCD3. Which should I buy? 
 
Thanks.

 

[NA Blur]

I find the AKG K712 Pro a bit more fun to listen to than the HD800 and much less expensive.  The LCD-3 is an awesome headphone, but the soundstage is not as wide as the K712 Pro or HD800.
 
Give the AKG K712 Pro a try, but have the HD800 in mind for a backup.

 

[stainless824]

HD800 if you enjoy a holographic soundstage and extremely good imaging. Only for really good source material. HD800 cannibalizes bad recordings.
LCD3 if you enjoy a darker and more powerful sound. 

 

[highrolller]

Thanks for the input guys. Will a Lyr and Bifrost be sufficient for both? Or must I need something more powerful such as a GSX? And how much do they HD800 and LCD3 go for on headfi?

 

[Jd007]

  Thanks for the input guys. Will a Lyr and Bifrost be sufficient for both? Or must I need something more powerful such as a GSX? And how much do they HD800 and LCD3 go for on headfi?

 
in terms of power? yes the lyr outputs a ton of power and is plenty for even the HE-6 (one of the most power demanding headphones ever made), in terms of wattage.
 
in terms of sound quality, the schiit stack will be very good and I know a lot of ppl who use it and enjoy it a lot. of course with more expensive equipment the headphones will sound better. it all depends on what you want and how much $$$ you got.

 

[stainless824]

for the LCD3- go with the mjolnir. Best amp under 1.5 grand for the lcd-3 and pairs with the LCD 3 much better than the lyr does.
 
For the Woo, i would suggest the WA7 (which I currently own so there may be bias in that). The DAC is a touch less resolving than the bifrost, but the amp section i much prefer it.

 

[MacedonianHero]

  Hey everyone!
 
Was wondering which headphone should be my next upgrade. I am using the Schiit Bifrost Uber with USB and Schiit Lyr but I am still tube rolling with these tubes but I am mostly using the Mastush*ta 6922 tubes. I love a wide and spacious soundstage and deep, tight, fast and textured bass with long decay. I don't know which to go for. The store I am most likely to buy from is HeadAmp and the HD800 is cheaper there by $500 compared to the LCD3. Which should I buy? 
 
Thanks.

 
With your amp/dac, I'd look elsewhere. Sorry, both the LCD-3s and HD800s really don't work well with the Lyr and the Bifrost won't be able to let you hear them at your best. The K712 recommendation makes sense for you best IMO. 

 

[highrolller]

I would like the mjolnir but I just don't understand balanced headphones and amps... I don't know why lol. Is the AKG K712 new? I've never heard of it and how good are they compared to the LCD 3 and HD800? I want an upgrade from my HE500, not a sidegrade so thats why I am trying to move into the summit-fi headphones. Thanks!

 

[MacedonianHero]

  I would like the mjolnir but I just don't understand balanced headphones and amps... I don't know why lol. Is the AKG K712 new? I've never heard of it and how good are they compared to the LCD 3 and HD800? I want an upgrade from my HE500, not a sidegrade so thats why I am trying to move into the summit-fi headphones. Thanks!

 
It (K712s) would be a good sideway's complimentary headphone to your HE_500s. Wide and spacious. 
 
The MJ/Gungir would be great for the LCD-3s.

 

[highrolller]

   
It (K712s) would be a good sideway's complimentary headphone to your HE_500s. Wide and spacious. 
 
The MJ/Gungir would be great for the LCD-3s.

 
I don't understand what balanced headphones and amps are... Is it just like any other headphone and amp with a different sound and exit plug?

 

[Jd007]

   
I don't understand what balanced headphones and amps are... Is it just like any other headphone and amp with a different sound and exit plug?

 
in terms of what they provide, a balanced setup gives you noise rejection and more immunity to interference, as well as doubling the power output
 
more technically (at least this is how i understand it):
 
a normal setup, or single ended setup, has one signal wire per channel (the + signal), and one ground (shared by both channels). look at any stereo (no in-wire mic) 1/4" or 3.5mm plug and you should see two bands of insulator rings, creating 3 metal conductor parts, those 3 metals each carry the left +, right +, and shared ground signals. the power differential (and how sound is made by the diaphragms) is from the + signal and the ground (consider this 0).
 
a balanced setup has two signal wires per channel, the + signal (same as in single ended), and the - signal, which is the exact reverse (in terms of polarity) as the + signal. so the simplest balanced cable (e.g. 4-pin XLR) has 4 connector heads, each carrying the left +, left -, right +, and right - signals. no ground is technically needed because the power differential is from the + signal and the - signal (which is also why the power output is doubled)
 
how this gives you noise rejection: say you send a signal of +10 through two setups, one single ended (where the correct signal to receive should be 10) one balanced (where the correct signal to receive should be 20, double the original signal), and some interference/noise is present in transmission, which lowers your signal by 2. on single ended setups, your + signal becomes 8 due to noise, and the power differential to ground therefore becomes 8 (ground is always 0), which is not the same as your original signal. on the balanced setup, because the + and - signals are in two wires twisted together, you can assume that the noise affects both signals equally. you send half of the original signal from each of the + and - wires, and due to the noise the + signal becomes 8 (10 - 2) due to noise, and the - signal becomes -12 (-10 - 2). the differential in the end is 20 (8 - -12), which is what your original signal was.

 

[highrolller]

   
in terms of what they provide, a balanced setup gives you noise rejection and more immunity to interference, as well as doubling the power output
 
more technically (at least this is how i understand it):
 
a normal setup, or single ended setup, has one signal wire per channel (the + signal), and one ground (shared by both channels). look at any stereo (no in-wire mic) 1/4" or 3.5mm plug and you should see two bands of insulator rings, creating 3 metal conductor parts, those 3 metals each carry the left +, right +, and shared ground signals. the power differential (and how sound is made by the diaphragms) is from the + signal and the ground (consider this 0).
 
a balanced setup has two signal wires per channel, the + signal (same as in single ended), and the - signal, which is the exact reverse (in terms of polarity) as the + signal. so the simplest balanced cable (e.g. 4-pin XLR) has 4 connector heads, each carrying the left +, left -, right +, and right - signals. no ground is technically needed because the power differential is from the + signal and the - signal (which is also why the power output is doubled)
 
how this gives you noise rejection: say you send a signal of +10 through two setups, one single ended (where the correct signal to receive should be 10) one balanced (where the correct signal to receive should be 20, double the original signal), and some interference/noise is present in transmission, which lowers your signal by 2. on single ended setups, your + signal becomes 8 due to noise, and the power differential to ground therefore becomes 8 (ground is always 0), which is not the same as your original signal. on the balanced setup, because the + and - signals are in two wires twisted together, you can assume that the noise affects both signals equally. you send half of the original signal from each of the + and - wires, and due to the noise the + signal becomes 8 (10 - 2) due to noise, and the - signal becomes -12 (-10 - 2). the differential in the end is 20 (8 - -12), which is what your original signal was.

 
Is noise rejection like rejection from microphonics? Or like noise from the audio? Oh and thank you for the informative input.

 

[stainless824]

lets just say that it sounds super clean and powerful with the LCD-3. I loved it when i auditioned the combo and am sorely tempted to upgrade to it

 

[NA Blur]

Conducted more in-depth testing and the HD800 is a headphone I recommend if what you listen to most is reference material.  If you walk the line between reference and casual listening the LCD-3 is more fun.
 
A pink noise test shows that both headphones are very technically correct with the LCD-3 being more bass emphasized while the HD800 is more treble.
 
The HD800 is more comfortable and going from the LCD-3 to the HD800 is an instant relief.
 
The slight emphasis in the midrange that the HD800 has over the LCD-3 makes it much more dynamic sounding and less dark.
 
If you end up with a decent setup especially a good amp, I use the BUDA from HeadRoom, then the HD800 would easily be my recommendation.
 
I have not heard the Schiit products, but I really cannot imagine why their products would make the HD800 less fun or dynamic.

 

[Canadian411]

I will be getting LCD3/LCDXC/LCDX, currently own LCD2.1 and HD800, any amp other than Schitt or GSXMK/MK2 ?