[IPodPJ]

I recently had a chance to compare a very close serial number pair of LCD3 to my pair.  (They were purchased about a week a part.)
 
Surprisingly there were quite a few differences I noticed between the two:
 
1)  His pair was louder at the same position on the volume pot than mine, making his more sensitive
2)  His pair was more linear across the frequency spectrum
3)  His pair had slightly more detail but leaned on the bright side, with a slightly wider soundstage
4)  My pair literally has 2.5-3x as much bass presence and impact as his pair (which I throughly enjoy).
5)  My pair are smoother in the highs, but slightly less detailed.
6)  From an aesthetic point of view my pair have the nicest wood cups I've yet seen, almost perfectly symmetrical and a cinnamon brown color.
7)  In a way, they almost sounded like different but similar headphones.
 
I am not much a believer in headphone burn-in, but in case any of you are his pair had about 120 hours on them whereas my pair has about 10.
His earpads were also more broken in and squishier.
 
Any thoughts on why?

 

[rgs9200m]

For whatever reason, I like the way my LCD3s sound a lot more than when I first got them in Nov. 2011 (and RMA'd a couple of months later).
I felt there was some glare and some undefined, overdone bass at first. Now I don't have those issues at all, and in fact they are quite awesome and well balanced
and palpable and natural and I love'm.
Mine were the very first batch; I pre-ordered them before they were out.
I'm very happy with them and can't ever see myself parting with them.

 

[m2man]

My RMA'd ones were a bit dry for a while. I didn't notice much difference in the bass but that doesn't mean it didn't change. They don't change a ton compared to dynamic cans.

I'm sure they'll end up sounding pretty damn similar. 10 hrs is nothing.

 

[MightyChimp]

I know this is heresy but I'm tempted to get the velour pads for the lcd3s. I find the stock pads hot. 

 

[Maxvla]

The vegan pads don't get hot at all and are super comfy.

 

[wolfetan44]

Quote:

I know this is heresy but I'm tempted to get the velour pads for the lcd3s. I find the stock pads hot. 

I've been thinking about this for a while.. They make it look a lot less classy though. But if its a difference I'm all for it.

 

[Solude]

Quote:

I know this is heresy but I'm tempted to get the velour pads for the lcd3s. I find the stock pads hot. 

 
If I come back to the LCD-3, it'll be a vegan.  The heat doesn't bug me but the super squishiness of pads going down to bare wood on my head does.

 

[Maxvla]

It looks better if you have the headband in the same material but yeah the lighter zebrawood doesn't look as nice as the rosewood which is still only so-so. The bamboo is a great match for the vegan pads though. Looks very nice.

 

[MightyChimp]

Quote:

I've been thinking about this for a while.. They make it look a lot less classy though. But if its a difference I'm all for it.

I just find them a little bit too hot and I never had that problem on my senns hd650s. I actually find the weight / comfort perfect - other than the heat
 
Try this out to simulate the effect of the Vegans - cut a square out from a square piece of paper towel and put it around / over your ear. Then put on the headphones.
 
PERFECTLY comfortable now. And I honestly don't notice any significant sound degradation. The bass sounds a little less crisp. The sound stage actually sound bigger. 

I get that the leather pads create a better seal, so may contribute to better sound, but IMO comfort > sound quality at a certain point. 

I adore the sound of the lCD3s and imo there is no better sounding pair of cans, but if I can improve that heat issue I would be ecstatic.

 

[MightyChimp]

Quote:

 
If I come back to the LCD-3, it'll be a vegan.  The heat doesn't bug me but the super squishiness of pads going down to bare wood on my head does.

I don't know if you had an old model, but I got mine recently - this isn't a problem at all. I don't notice any pinch at the front. The pads are perfectly comfortable for me other than the heat. 

 

[IPodPJ]

Thanks for your opinions.  I don't have much time at all to listen because I'm either at my day job, building cables, or taking care of a sick family member.  Therefore the odds of them getting any significant time on them anytime soon is pretty slim to none.  I'm only even typing these posts while taking a smoke break.
 
The oddest issue I have is the volume issue/driver sensitivity issue.  That shouldn't exist at all but it does.  Could it possibly be due to the fact that my pair have much greater output between 50-120Hz than his pair?  I'd say my pair has maybe 10-15% more bass than neutral but its very pleasing and a welcome break from the HD800.  Since I've got these phones, I haven't listened to the HD800 at all and I love them just as much for what they do well, but at times they can get fatiguing whereas my LCD3 never do.
 
Maybe they'll open up more, maybe they won't.  I wouldn't risk losing the superb bass I have now, and unlike others I don't have any driver problems that need repair.

 

[jonstatt]

The cups are lined with acoustically transparent material (or at least they are supposed to be!). So I don't believe this should have any effect on the sound whatsoever. Of course the right driver and left driver are symmetrical/identical so its just luck and variance as to whether the lining is tensioned identically or not and which side it is on.

 

[Solude]

Quote:

I don't know if you had an old model, but I got mine recently - this isn't a problem at all.

 
Mine were brand new from late last summer.  No change in pads since.  If you don't have a monster head or glasses or time in... it's not a problem.  But like all foam, it compressed over time and in my case within 6 months the front pads were gone.

 

[kozmo]

Quote:

 
in my case within 6 months the front pads were gone.

 
Funny, no mention of this fact in your ad though? http://www.head-fi.org/t/644590/audeze-lcd-3-w-travel-case

 

[Solude]

Unless you have a monster head... it's fine.  When new they had about 2mm of cushion on my head.  If my wife wears them no compression.  Ie working as intended.  Just wish Audeze would find some middle ground between the overly soft LCD-3 and overly stiff LCD-2.