[Duke40]

Fellow LCD3 lovers ... just a note on my post above ... I would just like to note that I absolutely love the sound of the LCD3 ... it has truly brought me joy.   I love it 

 
 
Also find the comfort of the LCD3 ... at least for me ... to be outstanding.
 
 
My issue with the LCD3 is it's reliability, specifically for driver failures.
I nearly wrote that it is poor .... still, I think shameful is the correct term.

 

[marcan]

I guess Audeze can not keep up with the increasing demand (and the robbery).

 

[Exidrion]

I got mine at Headphone Bar in Canada at the end of February and I've already noticed a crack in the wood on the right ear cup, lol (do wood ear cups kinda seem like a design flaw to anyone else? i mean I dropped them less than 3 feet onto CARPET and this happened.). Do any Canadians or even US guys know how long the whole repair process takes? This sucks.

 

[Duke40]

  I guess Audeze can not keep up with the increasing demand (and the robbery).

About the robbery ... I really feel for Audeze ... for something like that to happen to a company which I greatly admire (Sound Quality & Comfort) ... well, it truly sucks.
Not very articulate, but it conveys my feelings.
 
Though the LCD3 excessive driver failure rates was an issue long before the robbery. 

 

[marcan]

The demand was already getting higher.
I got my LCD-2rev1 few years ago. One driver died. They replaced both drivers with the rev2 swiftly.
So now I'm an happy owner of the LCD-2rev2, which is IMO the best of all the audeze so far (tried X, XC and 3 but I wasn't convinced).

 

[Stereolab42]

   

The LCD 3F has a special/unique signature that has some real strong sides, but is not as open, clear and refined as some other top cans (HD800, HE 6, Abyss). It do benefit greatly if paired with other gear (dac, amp, cables etc.) that are dynamic, transparent and open sounded. 

 
And many people buy Audeze specifically because the HD800 sounds like cats scratching their nails on a chalkboard, the HE-6 sounds somewhat anemic, and the Abyss sounds like an empty bank account and makes you look like Darth Vader...

 

[NzAudezey]

   
And many people buy Audeze specifically because the HD800 sounds like cats scratching their nails on a chalkboard, the HE-6 sounds somewhat anemic, and the Abyss sounds like an empty bank account and makes you look like Darth Vader...

 
+1 Close enough 

 

[nigeljames]

And those people have obvoiusly never heard the Hd800's, HE6's or probably the Abyss, though have not heard the Abyss.

 

[Articnoise]

   
And many people buy Audeze specifically because the HD800 sounds like cats scratching their nails on a chalkboard, the HE-6 sounds somewhat anemic, and the Abyss sounds like an empty bank account and makes you look like Darth Vader...

 

I don’t hear any of the headphones the way you describe them. They all have their own signature and some strong sides, but also some aspects that other cans do better, just like the LCD 3. I’m also sure that all headphones benefit if paired with other gear that “matches” their sound signature and the preference of the beholder.  

 

[Sweetmeat]

If you are an LCD3 owner and haven't voted yet, please do! It's easy and we need the votes.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/771760/how-many-times-have-your-lcd3-headphones-been-returned-to-audeze-for-servicing-rma
 
If you haven't read it, it's not just a bunch of guys complaining about their broken LCD3s. It seems to me that these guys are the most loyal. Anyone who can suffer through 3 failures or more of his LCD3 and continue to own and love it anyway, must be a really big fan. So show some support and cast your vote if you haven't already.

 

[Exidrion]

I don't like going in that thread, it makes me fearful . Especially considering that just after 4 months I found a crack in the wood already. Doesn't affect the function, thank god, but the idea of a driver failing :mad:

 

[Sweetmeat]

I don't like going in that thread, it makes me fearful . Especially considering that just after 4 months I found a crack in the wood already. Doesn't affect the function, thank god, but the idea of a driver failing

 
Fear not, my friend. One thing I have learned from that thread is, if a driver fails - so what? Audeze will fix it and it will sound better than ever when you get it back. It is highly unlikely you will ever be like Duke40 with multiple failures. In the meantime, jam out to the fine sounds of your LCD3. Live the dream. But keep a backup.
 
By the way, don't live with that crack in your new LCD3, send it in and experience the excellent Audeze customer service along with the rest of us.

 

[Exidrion]

Haha, I am sending them in. Just waiting for a response from my nearest Audeze dealer . The wait without them will be brutal though. I really like them.

 

[zilch0md]

   
Fear not, my friend. One thing I have learned from that thread is, if a driver fails - so what? Audeze will fix it and it will sound better than ever when you get it back. It is highly unlikely you will ever be like Duke40 with multiple failures. In the meantime, jam out to the fine sounds of your LCD3. Live the dream. But keep a backup.
 
By the way, don't live with that crack in your new LCD3, send it in and experience the excellent Audeze customer service along with the rest of us.

 

Haha, I am sending them in. Just waiting for a response from my nearest Audeze dealer . The wait without them will be brutal though. I really like them.

 
If you live overseas, the wait would be even more brutal than it is for customers in the States - not to mention the cost of shipping.  Going on the data from 58 LCD-3 owners, thus far, one third of them have had two or more failures.  Those with 5 or 6 failures may be as rare as hens teeth, at the far right side of the Gaussian distribution curve, but anyone considering the purchase of an LCD-3, has a high probability of finding himself somewhere at the top of the curve - where at least one failure is all but guaranteed.  I can't imagine buying something, knowing that it's going to fail at least once and potentially multiple times. 
 
Their excellent customer service would not compensate my anguish. Even if they overnighted a loaner pair and offered full reimbursement of shipping costs, the Audeze LCD-3 couldn't compete with the peace of mind we take for granted with so many other flagship headphones.
 
When the waitress brings me burnt toast with my scrambled eggs and bacon, I might decide to eat it anyway, by scraping off the char with a knife, but at least when I order breakfast, I'm not doing so with the expectation that the toast will be burnt. 

 

[Rico613]

Listening to some Vivaldi on my LCD-3f's last night.  It was pure bliss.  These are way better and easier to drive than my backup HD800's  Well worth the hassle IMHO . . .