[ThanatosVI]

After checking with Woo Audio (who have an LCD-R in-house) and confirming with Currawong that I can use a standard Audeze LCD cable, I decided to try my LCD-R on my Woo WA-5. The results are very promising, but I only had time for a short listen. Maybe better bass than normal mode on the Jot-A and a less in-your-face presentation (the one thing I did not like about the LCD-R). Perhaps a small loss in sound stage width, but I need to listen to more material. Try it at your own risk!

I gotta get back to work, but I was excited and wanted to share what I found so far.

Wa22 + LCD-R combo sounds pretty promising

 

[M3NTAL]

Schiit and Audeze both there sitting there like "well, damned if we do, and damned if we don't." I remember when HeadAmp, Singlepower, Ray Samuels, etc. etc. took on the challenge and grounded themselves into Headphone history with their ES amplifiers.

 

[WaveTheory]

Whether Audeze should or should not make more LCD-Rs is perhaps too narrow a question. What Audeze accomplished with this headphone is to show that a way exists to increase the technical performance of headphone drivers at a much lower price point. The LCD-R competes with headphones significantly more expensive in resolution, dynamics, and imaging & separation. They can satisfy both owners of the LCD-R who want to maintain their pride of ownership in a limited edition collector's item AND the broader audiophile community who wants to hear what this tech can do by introducing a new model built around this tech. They could also really control that corner of the market for the time period it takes competitors to catch up. Personally, and if it's at all possible (the physics of alternating current circuits gets tricky), I'd like to see a new potential model have a little bit higher impedance - something like 6 or 8 ohms - that would open up the door for use with a wider range of amplifiers and that also doesn't needs a bass shelf EQ (IMO) to reach its desired sound.

 

[VandyMan]

What Audeze accomplished with this headphone is to show that a way exists to increase the technical performance of headphone drivers at a much lower price point.

I agree with most of what you said, but we don't actually know if the LCD-R was profitable for Audeze. It is possible that the reason that they limited it so much is that they made little or no profit on the experiment. It may have been primarily for PR and to test customer reaction.

 

[HK_sends]

Like a technology demonstrator... Verify it works and can satisfy consumer needs/desires, then they can use the technology in future designs.
Cheers!
-HK sends

 

[brams]

Except that the 67 number is so arbitrary that one has to think there was some physical limitation preventing them from making more. I mean why not a nice round number like 50 or 100 for a limited edition? From my days in Manufacturing Management, whenever you see a strange production number like this it is driven by some external factor beyond your control or where it would take a significant investment to add to the total.

Maybe Schiit needed to get rid of 67 Jot-Rs and saw this is as a quick way to do so by converting them to Jot-As.

The mystery deepens ....

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

I know the reason, but I think we like the wild speculations, lol.

In any case, I'm not at liberty to say, but you can rest assured the reasons aren't sinister or even that deep.

 

[brams]

I know the reason, but I think we like the wild speculations, lol.

In any case, I'm not at liberty to say, but you can rest assured the reasons aren't sinister or even that deep.

No conspiracy theories involving aliens then??

I think I need to get back to work ...

 

[WaveTheory]

I agree with most of what you said, but we don't actually know if the LCD-R was profitable for Audeze. It is possible that the reason that they limited it so much is that they made little or no profit on the experiment. It may have been primarily for PR and to test customer reaction.

This is a good point. I thought about including this but don't want to get too speculative. In many ways the LCD-R feels kinda-sorta-like a concept car in the auto industry, almost a "Can we do it?" kind of thing. IMO the answer is "yes, you can do it" and I'm quite curious to see if Audeze is getting that message, and if so, where they go from here.

 

[cwoo]

I know the reason, but I think we like the wild speculations, lol.

In any case, I'm not at liberty to say, but you can rest assured the reasons aren't sinister or even that deep.

Aww man! Now you have got us all excited!

 

[ThanatosVI]

This is a good point. I thought about including this but don't want to get too speculative. In many ways the LCD-R feels kinda-sorta-like a concept car in the auto industry, almost a "Can we do it?" kind of thing. IMO the answer is "yes, you can do it" and I'm quite curious to see if Audeze is getting that message, and if so, where they go from here.

I'm also curious if Audeze returns to the amp Business.
They used to sell their own amps.
A ribbon lineup with an own Audeze amp could be one possible direction. (Even if unlikely)

 

[WaveTheory]

I'm also curious if Audeze returns to the amp Business.
They used to sell their own amps.
A ribbon lineup with an own Audeze amp could be one possible direction. (Even if unlikely)

They could just extend their collaboration with Schiit for that too. Then they could portmanteau their company names and call the amp line either Audeschiit or Schiiteze...which would also be great names for laxatives

 

[Sense]

Except that the 67 number is so arbitrary that one has to think there was some physical limitation preventing them from making more. I mean why not a nice round number like 50 or 100 for a limited edition? From my days in Manufacturing Management, whenever you see a strange production number like this it is driven by some external factor beyond your control or where it would take a significant investment to add to the total.

Maybe Schiit needed to get rid of 67 Jot-Rs and saw this is as a quick way to do so by converting them to Jot-As.

The mystery deepens ....

I know the reason, but I think we like the wild speculations, lol.

In any case, I'm not at liberty to say, but you can rest assured the reasons aren't sinister or even that deep.

My money is on the fact that they made 70 of them...gave one to a reviewer...kept two. Sold the rest. These can't be mass market until people have amp choices. It's the start of a conversation around low impedance headphones and what is needed to drive them.

 

[cwoo]

They could just extend their collaboration with Schiit for that too. Then they could portmanteau their company names and call the amp line either Audeschiit or Schiiteze...which would also be great names for laxatives

Lol, Schiiteze (Schiit-EZ)... that does sound like a laxative worth trying. They might be better off keeping their names "un-portmanteau'ed".

 

[WaveTheory]

They might be better off keeping their names "un-portmanteau'ed".

I don't know. In this hobby we have names like Schiit, Crack, S.E.X, and Topping. I doubt they harm themselves much getting in on the fun, lol.