The upper pic is a collection of bricks I have in the office. From top: DB2, Stepdance, SR71B, CLAS, SR71A, Fostex HP-P1. The picture below shows the iPhone 4 (now changed to iPhone 4S) -> CLAS -> DB2 -> SR71B combo. The iBuds are for burn in purpose in case you wonder...
The DB2 uses dual Wolfson reference chip WM8740 with independent battery for the digital and analog section.
If you weren't impressed by Jude's SR71b/Clas combo, may be it hasn't been tune right for you with the right gain setting and/or balance/SE setting. And may be if he throws in a balance Dac in between it will be different. I have lived with that combo for over a year and when I auditioned the CLAS/RXMKIII at RMAF I found the two combos compare very well to each other and in the similar class. They both scaled very well with both LCD2 and LCD3.
Thanks Jalo. I tend not to buy another brick in addition to those I already have. I won't buy the MK3 unless it is clearly better than the SR71B for the LCD3.
Just a note on price that I found informative and haven't seen mentioned on head-fi:
Tyll mentioned on innerfidelity that he contacted Alex at Audeze to discuss the price and that Alex said that manufacturing costs (over the LCD-2) have basically doubled. Add to that the R&D on the new drivers/diaphragms, being an American company paying health insurance for its (admittedly few) employees, being something the market can bear and (by many accounts) a great headphone at the price point and I think we can put many people's qualms to rest.
Just a note on price that I found informative and haven't seen mentioned on head-fi:
Tyll mentioned on innerfidelity that he contacted Alex at Audeze to discuss the price and that Alex said that manufacturing costs (over the LCD-2) have basically doubled. Add to that the R&D on the new drivers/diaphragms, being an American company paying health insurance for its (admittedly few) employees, being something the market can bear and (by many accounts) a great headphone at the price point and I think we can put many people's qualms to rest.
There were people willing to fork over $1500+ for an LCD2 with an aftermarket cable. And I saw a lot of those aftermarket cables too. This makes the LCD3 (with the stock cable) seem like a bargain.
So has any1 heard this thing yet at a meet or something? Is there an impressions thread? I don't have an entire week to read through the millions of posts in this thread.
So has any1 heard this thing yet at a meet or something? Is there an impressions thread? I don't have an entire week to read through the millions of posts in this thread.
So has any1 heard this thing yet at a meet or something? Is there an impressions thread? I don't have an entire week to read through the millions of posts in this thread.
There were people willing to fork over $1500+ for an LCD2 with an aftermarket cable. And I saw a lot of those aftermarket cables too. This makes the LCD3 (with the stock cable) seem like a bargain.
Doesn't that just mean that they will have to buy an aftermarket cable for the LCD-# too? Possibly one proportionally more expensive to reveal the subtleties of the LCD-3? For them $3000 may be the final price of the LCD-3
I haven't heard the other cheap amps like **** Lyr or EddyCurrent, but I suspect the fully balanced portable combo will be head and shoulders above them as well.
?? Didn't know the $4K EC BA was a cheap amp. That is sure some hyperbole. You obviously have no comprehension of what components are in a Balancing Act. I'm glad Ray Samuels was able to shrink a BA down and stick it in a tiny box so it sounds like what you would 'imagine' a BA to sound like.
So far the only time I've heard a portable setup compare to a desktop one was when the headphones were lacking resolving power or the desktop components were mediocre at best.
BTW Can anyone comment how much improvement of LCD3 over LCD2 when driven by BA? For me
I am quite happy with the combo of LCD2 with BA while I am reluctant to spend another 2K for the LCD3
with the threat of having LCD4 coming next year. LCD2 rev2 is enough for me this year.
I would never imagine comparing the SR71B to the BA though, even with the height of the combo stacks shown here
Doesn't that just mean that they will have to buy an aftermarket cable for the LCD-# too? Possibly one proportionally more expensive to reveal the subtleties of the LCD-3? For them $3000 may be the final price of the LCD-3
I think there would be less of a need for a cable for the LCD-3 (and LCD-2) compared to the LCD-2. As I recall, people were using aftermarket cables for the LCD-2r1 to brighten up the dark signature. I don't believe in $500 cables much anyways because there are better ways to tweak the sound, like swapping tubes or upgrading DACs.
BTW Can anyone comment how much improvement of LCD3 over LCD2 when driven by BA? For me
I am quite happy with the combo of LCD2 with BA while I am reluctant to spend another 2K for the LCD3
with the threat of having LCD4 coming next year. LCD2 rev2 is enough for me this year.
I would never imagine comparing the SR71B to the BA though, even with the height of the combo stacks shown here
Thanks for your impressions. I wouldn't call it a review because it doesn't really provide details on the sonic characteristics of the LCD-3 nor compare it with other well-received headphones in the market. Hoping for more detailed reviews to come.
I would like to know what the sonic differences are between the LCD-2.2 and LCD-3. Is it worth the upgrade for those of us who already own the LCD-2.2?
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