[Gamergtx260]

  I think the magical mids have to do with the tonal balance, the new revision has more high treble so if you can get a system with less of that (e.g. even using windows server 2012 vs 2016) you can hear a noticeable difference in how the mids are portrayed

Agree on the tonal balance but I have the HD800S for that, which excels in everything.
 
I can't afford nor I can't get a equal performing system at this price as my Rag/Yggy. And a system with less treble wont mean it will bring back the lush mids of the LCD 3s. It is a change in the drivers themselves and this is how they will sound.
 
There was no headphone (even the LCD 4s) that had the mids and vocals (also timbre) of the LCD 3. Period. And thats what made it special to me. 
Now they still sound great but all the "magic" is gone.

 

[manishex]

Makes sense, I use the jumpers on my audio gd dac to put a stopband attenuation as I find it slightly bright in the treble region, which means afterwards I can increase the volume comfortably making the mids more forward. I also test audiophile optimiser's different signatures to balance the tonality.

 

[Arttt]

try stax omega 007mk2,
 
its has same character as lcd3 but take things to the next level in terms of detail and transparency , a little less low end but thats won't hurt musicality ...

 

[BftdATL]

Recently I have been running my 2016 LCD-3 from an Audio-gd NFB-28 through a balanced cable and my god the extra power really wakes these cans up. Comparing between the SE and XLR jacks on the amp (more to compare how much the extra output power affects sound quality than SE vs Balanced connections in general) and there's no contest. Through the SE jack they sound fantastic but the balanced (3.5 watts into 100 ohms) really opens up the soundstage and makes the bass so much more impactful.  

 

[rthomas]

I bought a 2016 LCD-3 (my first Audeze) to satisfy my curiosity. One of the main reasons was Bob Katz's love for this headphone.

It sounds pretty bright to me, maybe a bit brighter and cleaner than my HD650. I think the treble may be slightly harsh on some songs but nothing that was too annoying.

The bass digs deeper but one thing I've noticed is that the 650 is a lot more 'dynamic' with the swings in volume in music standing out much more which for me is what makes the music come alive.

This is a deal breaker for me.

Is this what people mean when they say 'planar compression' ?

I like them a lot more than the HD800 and HD800 S for listening enjoyment but they don't match the 650 despite some advantages.

I would consider them a sidegrade. Worth maybe $600 to $700 due to wood and leather construction.

Switching back and forth between these and my 650 (both running balanced from Mjolnir 2) I'm amazed at how effective the HF marketing machine has been in convincing people that TOTL pricing = TOTL sound.

Without HF the LCD-4 and Utopia would be around $1500 I think...

I'm returning them after just 2 days. Not impressed.

 

[djlethal]

Is this what people mean when they say 'planar compression' ?

 

I've never heard the term before. A Google search doesn't return any relevant results either.
In any case, it seems you don't believe in burn-in. Otherwise I'd suggest giving them a few days to settle if they're brand new (or for your brain to adjust to the sound).

What amp/dac are you using?

 

[Gamergtx260]

 

 
Is this what people mean when they say 'planar compression' ?

 

I've never heard the term before. A Google search doesn't return any relevant results either.
In any case, it seems you don't believe in burn-in. Otherwise I'd suggest giving them a few days to settle if they're brand new (or for your brain to adjust to the sound).

What amp/dac are you using?

Haven't heard that term either. 
 
I was about to say that too, to give in a few more days before you return them. While I don't believe planar magnetic headphones require burn-in, but I do believe in brain burn in. 
 
If you are looking for more dynamic sounding planars then I suggest the LCD X or HE 6 instead. Since you already have HD650, the X or the HE6 could be a nice complementary headphones. 

 

[exsomnis]

  I bought a 2016 LCD-3 (my first Audeze) to satisfy my curiosity. One of the main reasons was Bob Katz's love for this headphone.

It sounds pretty bright to me, maybe a bit brighter and cleaner than my HD650. I think the treble may be slightly harsh on some songs but nothing that was too annoying.

The bass digs deeper but one thing I've noticed is that the 650 is a lot more 'dynamic' with the swings in volume in music standing out much more which for me is what makes the music come alive.

This is a deal breaker for me.

Is this what people mean when they say 'planar compression' ?

I like them a lot more than the HD800 and HD800 S for listening enjoyment but they don't match the 650 despite some advantages.

I would consider them a sidegrade. Worth maybe $600 to $700 due to wood and leather construction.

Switching back and forth between these and my 650 (both running balanced from Mjolnir 2) I'm amazed at how effective the HF marketing machine has been in convincing people that TOTL pricing = TOTL sound.

Without HF the LCD-4 and Utopia would be around $1500 I think...

I'm returning them after just 2 days. Not impressed.

 
 
That is strange. I find the HD650 too polite, much less refined and veiled in comparison. I tried to like it, with all the love it's gotten over the years but just couldn't. 
 
You really do have to break them in though. When I first got my LCD 3F 2016s, I knew that they were way too bright because I'd had my dealer's demo at home for a few months while waiting for it, a well seasoned LCD 3F, that could not be characterised as bright or sibilant at all - and was functioning in its full glory. 
 
It took about 50 hours or so of burn in for the treble to tone down and the mids to really come alive.
 
Once done, palpable dynamic punch, liquid piano transients you could die for, searing strings (in a good way), distinct separation of instruments in space and all of the other good things that people say about the LCD 3s.
 
Seriously dude...my LCD 2 and Sines already blow the HD650 away.

 

[drwlf]

  Haven't heard that term either. 
 
I was about to say that too, to give in a few more days before you return them. While I don't believe planar magnetic headphones require burn-in, but I do believe in brain burn in. 
 
If you are looking for more dynamic sounding planars then I suggest the LCD X or HE 6 instead. Since you already have HD650, the X or the HE6 could be a nice complementary headphones. 

Seconded strongly. Brain burn-in is definitely a fact, especially if you're used to/coming from dynamic drivers to planars.

 

[rthomas]

I'm not a big believer in burn-in. These were a open box pair and I was told they have been used for about 100 hrs.
 
Do Audeze burn in the headphoned during testing?
 
I was missing the dynamics and impact of the 650 mainly. Maybe I just prefer dynamic drivers. I guess that's better for my wallet!

 

[drwlf]

  I'm not a big believer in burn-in. These were a open box pair and I was told they have been used for about 100 hrs.
 
Do Audeze burn in the headphoned during testing?
 
I was missing the dynamics and impact of the 650 mainly. Maybe I just prefer dynamic drivers. I guess that's better for my wallet!

I'd go as far as saying that it'll take weeks to get used to the planar sound. Appreciation grows along the way.

 

[Gamergtx260]

  I'm not a big believer in burn-in. These were a open box pair and I was told they have been used for about 100 hrs.
 
Do Audeze burn in the headphoned during testing?
 
I was missing the dynamics and impact of the 650 mainly. Maybe I just prefer dynamic drivers. I guess that's better for my wallet!

Sorry but not the headphone burn-in but our brain burn-in. Which is, we get used to the sound after prolonged periods of use.
 
As I mentioned before, I heard no differences in planar magetic headphone burn-in. Buy a brand new LCD 3s listen to them, note down impressions and keep feeding music for about 100 hours and listen to it again, they sound the same. Atleast this is from my experience.
 
I had the 650s and can honestly say that the LCD 3s beat them in terms of SQ (Comfort and value 650 is better) by a very fair margin. The low end has a nice punch and goes deep and mids are beautiful. The 650s sounded grainy to me and I used them only to help me sleep because they were sooo laid back.

 

[Alchemist007]

It also depends on what you drove them out of, planars need good amping. Also loudness, too low and they aren't quite that impressive.

 

[pureangus62]

  It also depends on what you drove them out of, planars need good amping. Also loudness, too low and they aren't quite that impressive.

 
I wont touch the subject of more power being required for planars, but I can definitely attest to the fact that they don't shine at very low volumes. Once you hit a good amount of volume they really come to life.

 

[Arttt]

With out any burn in, straight of the box lcd3 have more weight and articulation than hd650 , it's punch you with all that wall-of-sound that planar are famous for
While hd650 image wide and bold it's very light weighted and hallow sounding, sound feels to lack substance and dimmed treble with roll off in sub bass makes hd650 very slow - dynamicly , it litarily has no bite to the sound and makes you wanna fall a sleep.


I'm very surprised anyone would like hd650 for its dynamic, most people like it for laid back character with wooly slow bass bold warm mids and dimmed treble...

Doesn't feels right to even compare lcd3 to a mid-fi headphone like hd650
There's nothing that hd650 could do that lcd3 already does and takes to the levels above, again silly to even compare those 2 headphones...