[kRed]

LCD-X 2021 are really good just out of the box. They don't need EQ. Also I don't like dark headphones, VC were way too dark for me and I had to sell them just for that, but I never felt that LCD-X were dark. They are just perfect in everything. If you have a speaker AMP also consider HE6se V2, they are twice cheaper and have crazy good low end.

Thank you very much for your feedback!
May I ask if the bass is enough for you? Many, many reviews says that it is well textured and has good quality, but not much quantity. I'm not a basshead, I'm fine with the Sundara bass quantity, just maybe I would like an hair more (more to feel it than to hear it).

Sadly the HE6se V2 here in Italy costs more than the LCD-X and the used market is... not good.

I have a Cambridge Audio axa35, do you think it would be enough?

Yes I Agree. I like my X with no EQ.

May I ask what music do you listen with it mostly? Is it the 2021 revision?

Thanks to you too!

 

[Guy Fawkes]

Thank you very much for your feedback!
May I ask if the bass is enough for you? Many, many reviews says that it is well textured and has good quality, but not much quantity. I'm not a basshead, I'm fine with the Sundara bass quantity, just maybe I would like an hair more (more to feel it than to hear it).

Sadly the HE6se V2 here in Italy costs more than the LCD-X and the used market is... not good.

I have a Cambridge Audio axa35, do you think it would be enough?

May I ask what music do you listen with it mostly? Is it the 2021 revision?

Thanks to you too!

Hello compatriot if I can help you, I came from a Pre-2020 Sundara model with which I was not at all satisfied with the sound signature for my musical genre (Dubstep, Deathstep and EDM of various genres), I have never listened to the 2020 Revision but the previous one, i have always perceived it too neutral, extremely bright and poor bass for my ears and for my kind of listening, therefore after having kept it throughout the burn-in period hoping it would settle, I returned it without any remorse.

Switched to Audeze first to the LCD-2 Classic and now to the LCD-X and already from the 2C I could see how the Sundara was not suitable for a bass-head like me.

With the new LCD-X 2021, I can say that I have reached the definitive headphone for me, the bass is deep and reproduces what comes from the source, when I realize I would like something more it is not due to the headphones but by going to check the source, i realize that it is precisely the track that is lacking and not my headphones that cannot reproduce them in the right quantity. when the bass is there, it is there and it is highly satisfying.

I also want to say that I use the LCD-X 2021 without any EQ as I consider that any attempt to set it up via EQ, compromises the magic of this headphone.

 

[szore]

Thank you very much for your feedback!
May I ask if the bass is enough for you? Many, many reviews says that it is well textured and has good quality, but not much quantity. I'm not a basshead, I'm fine with the Sundara bass quantity, just maybe I would like an hair more (more to feel it than to hear it).

Sadly the HE6se V2 here in Italy costs more than the LCD-X and the used market is... not good.

I have a Cambridge Audio axa35, do you think it would be enough?

May I ask what music do you listen with it mostly? Is it the 2021 revision?

Thanks to you too!

Mostly pop and electronic music. Yes it is 2021 version.

 

[kRed]

Hello compatriot if I can help you, I came from a Pre-2020 Sundara model with which I was not at all satisfied with the sound signature for my musical genre (Dubstep, Deathstep and EDM of various genres), I have never listened to the 2020 Revision but the previous one, i have always perceived it too neutral, extremely bright and poor bass for my ears and for my kind of listening, therefore after having kept it throughout the burn-in period hoping it would settle, I returned it without any remorse.

Switched to Audeze first to the LCD-2 Classic and now to the LCD-X and already from the 2C I could see how the Sundara was not suitable for a bass-head like me.

With the new LCD-X 2021, I can say that I have reached the definitive headphone for me, the bass is deep and reproduces what comes from the source, when I realize I would like something more it is not due to the headphones but by going to check the source, i realize that it is precisely the track that is lacking and not my headphones that cannot reproduce them in the right quantity. when the bass is there, it is there and it is highly satisfying.

I also want to say that I use the LCD-X 2021 without any EQ as I consider that any attempt to set it up via EQ, compromises the magic of this headphone.

I completely agree, I don't like to eq (other than convenience, like I use a dedicated CD player directly into the doc and I can't eq that...) because it feels like faking the song, especially on the 2021 sundara which has a pretty good slam and bass presence. I guess it can be good on headphones with FR problems or weird spikes, but it's just something I try to avoid.
I usually eq the Beyer 300R to scoop a bit the upper bass/lower mid region and the treble, but that's a hp I use while I work mainly because it's so light and comfortable I can wear it for hours without problems.

With the sundara I can also say that their bass really came to life with a better, more powerful amp. Despite their easy sensitivity (they can get loud out of a dongle without problems) I got a big difference with the k9 pro (which delivers almost 2w at 32ohm balanced).

 

[Menkau-ra]

Thank you very much for your feedback!
May I ask if the bass is enough for you? Many, many reviews says that it is well textured and has good quality, but not much quantity. I'm not a basshead, I'm fine with the Sundara bass quantity, just maybe I would like an hair more (more to feel it than to hear it).

Sadly the HE6se V2 here in Italy costs more than the LCD-X and the used market is... not good.

I have a Cambridge Audio axa35, do you think it would be enough?

May I ask what music do you listen with it mostly? Is it the 2021 revision?

Thanks to you too!

I would say that LCD-X has an audiophile bass, meaning that it's deep, it's good, but not annoying. HE6se has much punchier bass and more quantity, but after a few hours you will get fatigue. LCD-X you can listen to all day long if your neck is strong enough, lol. LCD-X is like a comfortable Mercedes and HE6se is a stiff sports car.

 

[Strat1117]

Can anyone who has (or had) the 2020 Sundara revision make a comparison with the 2021 LCD-X?

I really love the Sundara, I don't like to eq very much since I use it often to listen to live music blu rays on a dedicated player connected to my dac (K9 Pro AKM), and I actually find it pretty satisfying on the punch quality and bass presence region.

I love the balanced FR of the Sundara, sometimes it's maybe a bit bright, but I look into details and layering so I guess it's a price to pay.
I know the LCD-X is a darker hp, but how much is it in comparison? How better is the bass (especially for stuff like kick drums)? What about instrument separation?

I'm aware I should probably look toward an Arya v3, but that would completely replace the Sundara (and I'm not sure it would be much better on the bass/punch region) plus I think having a different and darker hp could be more interesting.

I listen mostly to modern rock/prog metal (Toto, Opeth, Riverside, Plini, Steven Wilson, Haken, Porcupine Tree, etc) so maybe a darker signature might be appropriate? I think I'm a bit treble sensitive (couldn't stand the Focal elegia).


Do you think they would complement each other well? Will it be too dark without EQ for someone who enjoy the Sundara FR?

The Sundaras are very nice for what they are - I preferred them to even the Anandas - but they were still catch and release for me. It’s really not a fair comparison. The LCD-X are keepers - head and shoulders above the Sundara for me in every way. Only the old LCD-X are ‘dark’. The current batch are much more neutral imho.

Ymmv.

Enjoy!

 

[Andrew_WOT]

I would say that LCD-X has an audiophile bass, meaning that it's deep, it's good, but not annoying. HE6se has much punchier bass and more quantity, but after a few hours you will get fatigue. LCD-X you can listen to all day long if your neck is strong enough, lol. LCD-X is like a comfortable Mercedes and HE6se is a stiff sports car.

My assessment is that LCD-X 2021 has more subbass and more bass quantity overall, but it's not very detailed like HE6SEv2, more like subwoofer quality, and can fatigue after a while with bass heavy music. HE6SE bass is more textured and focused but lighter on quantity, they also have more zing in treble where LCD-X may sound wooled on guitars and high hats.

 

[Menkau-ra]

My assessment is that LCD-X 2021 has more subbass and more bass quantity overall, but it's not very detailed like HE6SEv2, more like subwoofer quality, and can fatigue after a while with bass heavy music. HE6SE bass is more textured and focused but lighter on quantity, they also have more zing in treble where LCD-X may sound wooled on guitars and high hats.

It sounds like your HE6se are under powered. With a speaker amp they slam hard. HE6se is a top planar headphone for bass.

 

[Andrew_WOT]

It sounds like your HE6se are under powered. With a speaker amp they slam hard. HE6se is a top planar headphone for bass.

This is the amp I drive them in balanced (blog also covers HE-6 pairing), did not like them out of speaker amp at all, they've lost some resolution and bass became more bloated with less definition, much prefer presentation with Auralic Taurus MK II, never go over 50% volume either.

 

[Menkau-ra]

This is the amp I drive them in balanced (blog also covers HE-6 pairing), did not like them out of speaker amp at all, they've lost some resolution and bass became more bloated with less definition, much prefer presentation with Auralic Taurus MK II, never go over 50% volume either.

"Power Output: 32 Ohms: 1.2 Watts Unbalanced, 4.5 Watts Balanced" - that's nothing for HE6se. Topping A90 has 7 Watts and it's still not good enough. Not every speaker amp is ok for them. You might want to do some research.

 

[Andrew_WOT]

Don't be ridiculous, 4.5 Watts not enough.
And I have tried few speaker amps, there is nothing magical there, things only get worse.

 

[carlcamper]

Try the Qudelix-5K, via balanced output? Also allows EQing via the phone app to boost the bass a little (or a lot) to your taste.

I recommend this as well, I just add a Bass Shelf via PEQ and get good quality amplification. Just make sure to use the Performance Mode and High Gain setting.

 

[headband]

I've never had the HE6se, but at 50ohm impedance it actually will work with many speaker outputs on amps that have the 50ohm output impedance. I think I've seen some amps with RCA output at 50ohm and like 10-20W which is definitely enough for that headphone.

 

[kRed]

It sounds like your HE6se are under powered. With a speaker amp they slam hard. HE6se is a top planar headphone for bass.

That's why I won't buy the HE6se... I know it will end in a rabbit hole of new amps and a lot of time spent in research and stuff. It would drive me mad to know I have a gem in my hands while not taking full advantage of it.

Let's hope the LCD-X won't break my neck!

The Sundaras are very nice for what they are - I preferred them to even the Anandas - but they were still catch and release for me. It’s really not a fair comparison. The LCD-X are keepers - head and shoulders above the Sundara for me in every way. Only the old LCD-X are ‘dark’. The current batch are much more neutral imho.

Ymmv.

Enjoy!

Thanks for the insight, I always thought the X would be a bit dark in comparison (not as the old X, but still...).


Also another question for you guys: is it true the Xs don't scale much with gear?

 

[Menkau-ra]

That's why I won't buy the HE6se... I know it will end in a rabbit hole of new amps and a lot of time spent in research and stuff. It would drive me mad to know I have a gem in my hands while not taking full advantage of it.

That's why I've sold my HE6se. I love the sound from a speaker amp with HE adapter, but I wanted a smaller solution. Oor+Hypsos or AHB2 cost arm and leg.

Let's hope the LCD-X won't break my neck!

You can't go wrong with LCD-X