[Argo Duck]

To be fair this reason would've taken time to uncover, especially given their statement it is not possible to determine a faulty batch prior to the headphone being in use for some time.

The math still doesn't quite work for me given this single-factor explanation. But this could easily be accounted for by 2x failures being more likely to report here and 3x more likely still.
I look forward to this problem disappearing over time.

 

[potkettleblack]

To be fair this reason would've taken time to uncover, especially given their statement it is not possible to determine a faulty batch prior to the headphone being in use for some time.

The math still doesn't quite work for me given this single-factor explanation. But this could easily be accounted for by 2x failures being more likely to report here and 3x more likely still.
I look forward to this problem disappearing over time.

Never mind that! Where are the lcd 4 impressions!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[zilch0md]

If it happens at all, the first reported LCD-4 driver failure will make some impressions.

 

[zilch0md]

A HiFiMan HE1000 customer has had three failures:   
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/767883/official-hifiman-he1000-impressions-thread/1560#post_11967604
 
Don't miss the photos higher up on the same page.

 

[conquerator2]

Well... http://www.head-fi.org/t/770678/instructive-and-sad-story-about-lcd-3-modification-attempt

 

[Benny-x]

  Very interesting we now have a valid reason FINALLY emerging. Wonder if they are using a different provider for the LCDX film.

This is exactly what I'm wondering. Or if the film is of a different specification? 
 
I wouldn't be latching on to this "answer" until we see it play out a bit. That's premature.
 
Now that we've received info from 2 sources within Audeze this helps indicate it's at least "company" info. What we can do now is measure from the point we got the info onward to compare if the "fix" fixed anything. Grimson can be our test subject as his pair is the first known pair to have been "fixed".
 
Let's wish us/them good luck! I'd love to have some dependable LCD-3s in my stable now that I know the next iteration, the LCD-4s, are $4000 a pair... 

 

[Grimson]

This is exactly what I'm wondering. Or if the film is of a different specification? 

I wouldn't be latching on to this "answer" until we see it play out a bit. That's premature.

Now that we've received info from 2 sources within Audeze this helps indicate it's at least "company" info. What we can do now is measure from the point we got the info onward to compare if the "fix" fixed anything. Grimson can be our test subject as his pair is the first known pair to have been "fixed".

Let's wish us/them good luck! I'd love to have some dependable LCD-3s in my stable now that I know the next iteration, the LCD-4s, are $4000 a pair... :tongue_smile:

Right now I'm just waiting to get my headphones back!

Audeze FedExd them to me last week but to the wrong address and not the one I gave them at RMA (my house still) so right now I think FedEx has them in the UK and I am in Florida!

 

[bigfatpaulie]

  This is exactly what I'm wondering. Or if the film is of a different specification? 
 
I wouldn't be latching on to this "answer" until we see it play out a bit. That's premature.
 
Now that we've received info from 2 sources within Audeze this helps indicate it's at least "company" info. What we can do now is measure from the point we got the info onward to compare if the "fix" fixed anything. Grimson can be our test subject as his pair is the first known pair to have been "fixed".
 
Let's wish us/them good luck! I'd love to have some dependable LCD-3s in my stable now that I know the next iteration, the LCD-4s, are $4000 a pair... 

 
No kidding...  I love the brand (and the headphones are good, too 

) but my experience with the 3's makes me gun shy with the 4's.
 
To be frank, if it was a supplier problem, it really should have been caught and stopped faster by Audeze.  When you are getting headphones back, and then replacing the drivers with drivers from the same defective supplier, one has to wonder why it too so long for Audeze to "catch on".
 
I appreciate that are kind of middle man in this case, but it their logo on the cans.  Time will heal wounds, however.

 

[Xovaan]

Just had the right driver fail in my LCD-3 headphones after a few months of use. Person on the phone was very nice. I'm about an hour from their headquarters so I'm just gonna drive them up and drop them off instead of shipping. I doubt it will be the last time an issue will arise but I love how they sound so I'm okay with occasionally swapping back to old cans for RMAs. Considering the warranty refreshes from point of repair, an occasional inconvenience is fine, though I understand why this would dissuade some people from purchasing.
 
 From Audeze_CS on Reddit:
 
 

Audeze has a 3-year warranty on drivers. If any driver fails within that period we replace them for free and extend the warranty on the drivers by 3 more years from the date of replacement. The original warranty on the LCD-3s was for 1 year and that was extended to 3 years. Also the warranties are completely transferable in that period (first,second,third owner etc).

 

[sensui123]

I actually think they are doing the right thing.  No company is perfect and they're not hiding or sliding around the issue. They are standing behind it and standing behind it strongly with the extended warranty and covering it as transferrable (that is very nice and shows sincerity to the issue).  I think they weren't hiding the issue previously as to why they fail as so much as them not formally saying "we have no idea why they are failing."  It seems like they have a grasp of the problem now and are working with their suppliers to rectify the issue.  I think that's a win for everyone and Audeze in the long term for customer service.  Just IMO.

 

[Xovaan]

I completely agree. My mouse wheel and rubber coating both failed on a Zowie AM mouse within warranty and Zowie basically told me, "We don't cover that with our warranty; sucks to be you." Audeze's customer service policy and warranty extensions for RMA is excellent by any standard. It does suck that there will be downtime so close to me completing another Beta 22 build, but I don't mind as long as long as the issue is fixed. Their replacement warranty is the kind of policy I'd expect for $2000 headphones and I'm glad they're sticking with it.

 

[Mirininc]

I would definitely go out and buy a 4000 USD headphone when the company has a 42% success rate.
 
Money well spent!

 

[Argo Duck]

Not 42%. There's no validity to this uncontrolled poll (=noisy, uncertain data) regarding trouble-free rate. There's a little validity to the relative proportions of 1, 2 & 3 failures though not the proportions themselves.

Agreed though that existing and future customers need to know Audez'e can put their reliability problems behind them.

 

[Sweetmeat]

  I actually think they are doing the right thing.  No company is perfect and they're not hiding or sliding around the issue. They are standing behind it and standing behind it strongly with the extended warranty and covering it as transferrable (that is very nice and shows sincerity to the issue).  I think they weren't hiding the issue previously as to why they fail as so much as them not formally saying "we have no idea why they are failing."  It seems like they have a grasp of the problem now and are working with their suppliers to rectify the issue.  I think that's a win for everyone and Audeze in the long term for customer service.  Just IMO.

 
You won't be so magnanimous after your 3rd or 4th driver failure, you've spent hundreds on shipping, and gone for months without your favorite headphones. However my experience has not turned me away from Audeze completely, I recently purchased a pair of XCs for work.

 

[sensui123]

   
You won't be so magnanimous after your 3rd or 4th driver failure, you've spent hundreds on shipping, and gone for months without your favorite headphones. However my experience has not turned me away from Audeze completely, I recently purchased a pair of XCs for work.

 
Could be true.  I only sent it back once and got it back promptly.  The thing with covering shipping is Audeze can't open itself to that or else they'd have a flood of stuff come in that might not even be covered under warranty....I know these situations all too well from professional experience with stuff that went wrong from certain quality control viewpoints.  I still think they are doing everything they're supposed to and more with the transferrable warranty.  Hope your luck is better with the XC, my X and Xc have not failed as of yet.