[joefig44]

I just picked up some LCD-X.

Sometimes I read that they are so great because they can be driven from a smartphone even; then I read that they benefit greatly from having an amp, preferably a desktop amp.

So which is it?

Can someone help me reconcile these two seemingly opposing thoughts?

 

[PurpleAngel]

I guess they can be driven by a smart phone, but i guess a deck top headphone amplifier, which would be more powerful, might improve the audio quality.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

I just picked up some LCD-X.

Sometimes I read that they are so great because they can be driven from a smartphone even; then I read that they benefit greatly from having an amp, preferably a desktop amp.

So which is it?

Can someone help me reconcile these two seemingly opposing thoughts?

I'll put it this way.

A 2800lb Ferrari with a 9000rpm V8 can still be driven around, and will weigh less, if you put a Toyota-Yamaha 8500rpm 1.8L engine in it. Hell, it works well enough on a Toyota MRS.

Doesn't mean that that same chassis will still go around a track as fast as an MRS would if they had the same engine. LCD-X on a phone is like that Ferrari with the Toyota engine (conversely, an IEM with a desktop amp - even if said 1000mW desktop amp actually has a good low gain mode for it - would be like stuffing that Ferrari engine into a shorter wheelbase Toyota or Mazda chassis).

 

[joefig44]

I'll put it this way.

A 2800lb Ferrari with a 9000rpm V8 can still be driven around, and will weigh less, if you put a Toyota-Yamaha 8500rpm 1.8L engine in it. Hell, it works well enough on a Toyota MRS.

Doesn't mean that that same chassis will still go around a track as fast as an MRS would if they had the same engine. LCD-X on a phone is like that Ferrari with the Toyota engine (conversely, an IEM with a desktop amp - even if said 1000mW desktop amp actually has a good low gain mode for it - would be like stuffing that Ferrari engine into a shorter wheelbase Toyota or Mazda chassis).

Got it, so they sound ok with an iPhone, but would really shine with a proper amp (desktop or portable).

As I await my LCD-X, I am trying out the little Fiio Q1 mkII with my CIEMs (Noble Kaiser Encore). A/B'ng between straight iPhone via lightning cable vs. Q1 I can tell a slight difference, but I don't think anything worth suddenly needing to port around another device strapped to my iPhone.

 

[Mhog55]

20 ohms
103 db
Pretty efficient for a planar. The problem is - it's a planar. Big planar drivers are hard to drive, regardless of the specs. So while your phone might work, it won't make them zing to their full potential. Kinda like the problem I had with my V30, and it's no slouch.