[alekc]

I'm not sure you got my first point. I'm saying a headphone can sound great without an amp, but sound even better with a good amp.

Yes, I have first hand experience with Audeze sound signature control between cans of the same model. I think with the newer LCD line, they have mostly mitigated this problem. Most LCD-5 fr plots have looked identical to each other from what I have seen. I would bet that the MM-500 follows suit.

@chargedcapacitor I'm not sure you understand what I said or it is just a simple attempt of manipulation of your own words when confronted with particular examples but I rest my point since you are clearly huge fan of Audeze so any further constructive discussion criticising this brand is probably pointless.

Contrary to you I am not betting on non-existing products. I will make up my mind when I get two different pairs of those cans while I keep my fingers crossed for better quality since I really like Audeze sound.

 

[catspaw]

For me, I am waiting for LCD-2 updated with weight at lcd-5 levels.

The technology is there, lets do it.

 

[the1andonly]

I love Audeze but their Head of Professional Products named a line after himself and put his own name on the headphones? I know he's accomplished, it just rubs me the wrong way. Either way, I'm buying an LCD-3 soon - can't beat the classics!

Can't beat the classics.

Just hoping for good QC on these.

Edit: NVM... I can guess that MM logo is going to wear off the inside of the suspension strap after month 6.

lmaooooo

This.
Come-on even if it's a preorder this is Audeze tradition, I didn't get graphs on the LCD-3 I bought directly from Audeze in this, the year of our lord, 2022 or the LCD-4 I bought from an AD in this, the year of our lord, 2022 please don't strike out on me with a third @Audeze



Prepared for exactly 0 comparison vids between the MM 500 and the LCD-3 because the LCD-3 is slept on despite it having the undisputed* best soundstage of any headphone ever and being top 3 Audeze's. SOMEONE WITH A NEWISH LCD-3 PLZ BUY THIS AND TELL ME HOW THE BASS AND SOUNDSTAGE AND RESOLUTIONS ARE!

*highly disputed

 

[betula]

For me, I am waiting for LCD-2 updated with weight at lcd-5 levels.

The technology is there, lets do it.

I think, there is a good chance they refresh the whole LCD line. There were rumours about this here and there last year.

I am also more interested in an update for the LCD2 or LCD3. Based on what we know so far (LCD5 and now the MM500) Audeze has moved towards the professional market which is not a surprise being the LCD-X their most successful headphones by far.

I am personally not keen on the LCD5's very neutral and technical approach, and prefer the LCD2/3/4's warmer and bassier tonality.

If Audeze could keep the warmer sound of LCD2/4 with the enhanced technicalities we see/hear in the LCD5 and new MM500, that could be a killer combination.

 

[chargedcapacitor]

I think, there is a good chance they refresh the whole LCD line. There were rumours about this here and there last year.

I am also more interested in an update for the LCD2 or LCD3. Based on what we know so far (LCD5 and now the MM500) Audeze has moved towards the professional market which is not a surprise being the LCD-X their most successful headphones by far.

I am personally not keen on the LCD5's very neutral and technical approach, and prefer the LCD2/3/4's warmer and bassier tonality.

If Audeze could keep the warmer sound of LCD2/4 with the enhanced technicalities we see/hear in the LCD5 and new MM500, that could be a killer combination.

Or, now hear me out, you could use EQ and have both!

C'mon, join the dark side. Or the bright side. It's your choice with EQ!

 

[betula]

Or, now hear me out, you could use EQ and have both!

C'mon, join the dark side. Or the bright side. It's your choice with EQ!

You can adjust the frequency emphasis with EQ, but can't change the main character of a headphone. For example with the LCD5 you can add a bass shelf if needed but it's main character will remain super neutral and quite clean/analytical. You will never EQ the LCD5 into an LCD4. Sure you can bring the FR graphs close on paper, but there is more to headphones and sound than that.

 

[Netforce]

Sounds like they both require complete seals? Or a quick seal is an incomplete one?

They certainly both require seals, the difference I would say is the MM 500 pads has the larger surface area so you will be unlikely while wearing the MM 500 to break the seal. I don't wear glasses myself but miceblue made a quick comment after we finished the demo yesterday. The pads with his glasses didn't seem to cause any seal issues or discomfort for him so looks like the higher surface area was working well for him!

 

[mikecheck95]

Or, now hear me out, you could use EQ and have both!

C'mon, join the dark side. Or the bright side. It's your choice with EQ!

I agree with this to a point. From experience you can’t EQ technicalities into a headphone though. I have NOT been able to get my LCD-X to slam like my LCD-2 did no matter what I do with the FR. Yet my old LCD-2, I could add a 3db bass shelf and it would just accentuate that quality even more. I also couldn’t “EQ in”more detail on my LCD-2s no matter what I tried.

In my opinion there definitely is something to claims of technicalities.

LCD-2s have a slightly more closed-in and taller soundstage for instance and my LCD-X is a little wider and further out with better imaging.

I think the question is, can Audeze get the detail of their reference line and keep some of those bass dynamics that they get with their “origins” line.

 

[Netforce]

There's a YouTube video already from NAMM that shows the Audeze booth and the MM-500. They have it running from an RME ADI-2 of some flavor. Make sure if you listen to them using the ADI-2 that they haven't cheated and applied EQ. Make sure the EQ is off so you can hear what the headphones actually sound like.

I'm really curious what sonic signature Audeze did for the MM-500. Is the midrange close to Harman target like the LCD-5, or is it the classic Audeze target like the LCD-X.

Asked Audeze directly about the RME and they assured me that they did not have any EQ profile on it or any of their setups to alter the sound of their headphones.

Awesome! I regret that I seem to have given you your 666th like for this post and your duty to the cause. And for hanging out with miceblue.

I'm most curious about the midrange tuning for this new model and their new MM series headphone(s). Is the midrange tuned with a Harmanish target like the LCD-5 or HiFiMan Arya, or is it tuned more like the traditional Audeze target like the LCD-2/LCD-X.

Haha! No worries! Seems like my post got a few likes so already pushed me over 666! Tuning wise or sound wise, it did have a few things that was interesting. Bass seems closer to the LCD-5 than the X but my theory was maybe the single sided nature of the LCD-5 and MM 500 led to that. The mids seemed a little more reminiscent of the LCD-5 again but the treble like the LCD-X.

At first trying it out on Friday, the LCD-5 and MM 500 are so different in sensitivity, it ended up being a little tricky to A/B both headphones. Play one passage of a song on the LCD-5, swap over to MM 500 and hear the same part but its so much louder on the MM 500 and then got to hit the volume knob to adjust it. I at first though, maybe the MM 500 is brighter then the LCD-5 but think it was probably that volume difference messing with my brain.

With bringing the LCD-X it did seem to sound like the treble had more similarities to the LCD-X in this regard! Also clarity wise, MM 500 just was a notable step up.

The MM 500 should be a great "upgrade" over the LCD-X.

You answered my questions. Seems it uses a metal headband. Now to see if I can get one for the LCD5 eventually.

Glad to help out! I had a few friends also message me last week asking the same thing so glad I was able to clear that up!

 

[Audeze]

We have updated the first page with a link to our (evolving) FAQ page for the MM-500.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Audeze MM-500 FAQ Support Article

---

 

[chargedcapacitor]

I agree with this to a point. From experience you can’t EQ technicalities into a headphone though. I have NOT been able to get my LCD-X to slam like my LCD-2 did no matter what I do with the FR. Yet my old LCD-2, I could add a 3db bass shelf and it would just accentuate that quality even more. I also couldn’t “EQ in”more detail on my LCD-2s no matter what I tried.

In my opinion there definitely is something to claims of technicalities.

LCD-2s have a slightly more closed-in and taller soundstage for instance and my LCD-X is a little wider and further out with better imaging.

I think the question is, can Audeze get the detail of their reference line and keep some of those bass dynamics that they get with their “origins” line.

Of course, I agree that technical features cannot be EQ'd into a headphone. But the biggest gripe most have had with the LCD-5 has not been with technical performance, it has been with tonality, which is what EQ excels in fixing.

But lets keep the EQ debate / discussion off of this forum until we actually get graphs of the MM-500. No need to junk up the thread so soon.

 

[der Koekje]

Asked Audeze directly about the RME and they assured me that they did not have any EQ profile on it or any of their setups to alter the sound of their headphones.

Haha! No worries! Seems like my post got a few likes so already pushed me over 666! Tuning wise or sound wise, it did have a few things that was interesting. Bass seems closer to the LCD-5 than the X but my theory was maybe the single sided nature of the LCD-5 and MM 500 led to that. The mids seemed a little more reminiscent of the LCD-5 again but the treble like the LCD-X.

At first trying it out on Friday, the LCD-5 and MM 500 are so different in sensitivity, it ended up being a little tricky to A/B both headphones. Play one passage of a song on the LCD-5, swap over to MM 500 and hear the same part but its so much louder on the MM 500 and then got to hit the volume knob to adjust it. I at first though, maybe the MM 500 is brighter then the LCD-5 but think it was probably that volume difference messing with my brain.

With bringing the LCD-X it did seem to sound like the treble had more similarities to the LCD-X in this regard! Also clarity wise, MM 500 just was a notable step up.

The MM 500 should be a great "upgrade" over the LCD-X.

Glad to help out! I had a few friends also message me last week asking the same thing so glad I was able to clear that up!

Thanks! Great write up. Some questions:

When you say the bass is more like the LCD-5 then the LCD-X, does it mean it’s less bassy than the LCD-X? And how does the sub-bass stack up?

The LCD-X has a reputation for being a bit dark, does the MM-500 continue this trend or is it a bit brighter due to the perceived added clarity?

 

[Ham Sandwich]

Tuning wise or sound wise, it did have a few things that was interesting. Bass seems closer to the LCD-5 than the X but my theory was maybe the single sided nature of the LCD-5 and MM 500 led to that. The mids seemed a little more reminiscent of the LCD-5 again but the treble like the LCD-X.

Awesome! It seems the MM-500 has different tuning than other Audeze headphones and may have a more Harmanish midrange. And that's what I'm looking for.

I did buy a LCD-X a bit over a month ago. With a plan to buy another planar that has a more Harman midrange tuning to pair with the LCD-X. Then bounce between that headphone and the LCD-X as my primary listening headphones. With the release of the MM-500 I'll sit tight and wait a few months for measurements and listening impressions to roll in see if maybe the MM-500 will be that second planar I pair with the LCD-X.

 

[miceblue]

At the NAMM show, I wasn't really sure what to expect from the MM-500. I appreciate Audeze having a quiet sound booth though; I definitely didn't expect to see one on the main show floor (usually companies have audio booths set up in the walking corridors of the convention center)! I listen to music at fairly quiet volume levels at home, so that's how I demoed the MM-500.

In the sound booth, there was a Weiss DAC502 unit with an iPad using Qobuz offline as the source. The MM-500 was connected to the front 6.3 mm single-ended output, the LCD-5 to the rear 4-pin XLR balanced output.


Picking up the MM-500, it uses a similar headband adjustment system as the LCD-5 (I find it harder to adjust compared to the previous LCD-series system). The headband arch and earcups are made of metal, but the whole headphone feels VERY light for an Audeze headphone. Adding to the light experience, putting the headphones on your head feels very light compared to what I'm used to with the LCD-X, and the clamping force isn't nearly as skull-crushing. With thick-arm glasses on, the pressure didn't bother me unlike the LCD-X at times, and I found it to seal around my glasses better than the X too.


I didn't compare the MM-500 to the X at first, but upon playing a few tracks I could immediately tell from memory that the MM-500 is a step-up in terms of clarity. The midrange had more presence and sounded clearer than what I'm used to, and the bass wasn't quite as in-your-face. Everything just sounded so clear and detailed overall.


A/B-ing it with the X (2021 version) on the same setup, my initial impressions were pretty spot-on. Note the X is more sensitive than the MM-500, so I had to do some slight volume adjustments when A/B-ing.

The bass presence and warmth into the midrange on the X isn't there on the MM-500, which seems to bring the whole midrange out more without sacrificing the bass extension. In this aspect, it made the X sound dark in comparison. I didn't really compare the MM-500 to the LCD-5 on the same setup, but the bass and midrange presence were more similar than different.

The upper-midrange and treble of the MM-500 sounded smoother than the X, which sounded gritty in comparison. Presence-wise, the treble on the X sounds slightly emphasized, whereas the MM-500 is more balanced.

Imaging seemed slightly better on the MM-500 to the X; instruments were better-defined.


Overall, I was pleasantly surprised, in a good way, with how the MM-500 turned out both in terms of design and in how it sounds. I look forward to seeing how it gets received here on the audiophile side of things, as opposed to the pro-audio realm.

 

[CT007]

...

Sounds like X has a strong bass experience, and is more V-shaped. Would you recommend both headphones, for different genres/purposes still? Or the 500 had it all over X?