[BennyG]

Did you have to send the item back to USA for repairs? Wouldn't it be cheaper to have it repaired in Australia? I am Australia as well, did you purchase the item from an USA store?

Is the warranty covered worldwide or only valid in the country where you purchased the item?

Also having difficulty choosing between Bamboo and Rosewood, which one is less prone to cracks? Which one is easier to maintain? Are the cracks covered under warranty or is it considered user's negligence?

I bought them second hand. Warranty is fully transferrable, date of purchase, worldwide, back to original retailer/send them back to audeze - but imagine the cost of shipping that box Aus - US.
You don't have to maintain them, it has a very durable hard shiny finish. IMO bamboo is the best looking, I always loved the look of the bamboo, even prefer it to the zebra wood of the high end models.

... anyway, it didn't end well, but I'll give you the full story.

paid an "authorised tech" ie someone at Addicted to Audio in Melbourne that is apparently authorised by Audeze to do driver replacement something like $600 to replace both drivers. Got them back, used them for a while. Left driver intermittently started cutting out. Like it would just go silent for no reason, and I couldn't pin it down what was causing it. Headphones? Faulty cable? Faulty custom cable? (also had a Q cables silk cable) DAC/Amp etc.
Finally after proving to myself 100% that it was the headphones that were faulty - the issue came to another amp I was using, and happened with both cables. I took them back to Addicted to Audio. They kept the headphones for over 2 weeks, and their diagnosis was basically "yeah nah mate there's nothing wrong with these 'ey."

At this point I was so over it I decided to cut my losses (money/stress/time) and I sold them at a ridiculously low price to someone with all the warranty etc, so they could take it back to Addicted to Audio/Audeze and with a bit of effort, get them fixed/replaced. Sometimes I feel like it's just best to let these things go and move on, and I am glad I did.
Anyway after 2 days, the bloke I sold them to sent me a message saying that he had replicated the fault, it was definitely the headphones and a dodgy connection to the driver.

The end result for me was don't buy another audeze product and don't shop at addicted to audio. job done.
Some might think this a bit harsh but there are lots of headphones and stockists out there, I give em one chance to do the right thing then I'm out.

also by the way, if you haven't worn these headphones before I highly recommend sitting down with pair on your head for at least an hour before buying, because they are stupidly heavy and I found they became uncomfortable after a while, neck aching, head splitting uncomfortable, even with the $200 carbon headband. Many people don't have a problem with this, but I did.

I will say this about the headphones, they are beautiful to look at.

edit: and when they work, with the right amp, they sound fantastic

 

[Here2rock]

I bought them second hand. Warranty is fully transferrable, date of purchase, worldwide, back to original retailer/send them back to audeze - but imagine the cost of shipping that box Aus - US.
You don't have to maintain them, it has a very durable hard shiny finish. IMO bamboo is the best looking, I always loved the look of the bamboo, even prefer it to the zebra wood of the high end models.

... anyway, it didn't end well, but I'll give you the full story.

paid an "authorised tech" ie someone at Addicted to Audio in Melbourne that is apparently authorised by Audeze to do driver replacement something like $600 to replace both drivers. Got them back, used them for a while. Left driver intermittently started cutting out. Like it would just go silent for no reason, and I couldn't pin it down what was causing it. Headphones? Faulty cable? Faulty custom cable? (also had a Q cables silk cable) DAC/Amp etc.
Finally after proving to myself 100% that it was the headphones that were faulty - the issue came to another amp I was using, and happened with both cables. I took them back to Addicted to Audio. They kept the headphones for over 2 weeks, and their diagnosis was basically "yeah nah mate there's nothing wrong with these 'ey."

At this point I was so over it I decided to cut my losses (money/stress/time) and I sold them at a ridiculously low price to someone with all the warranty etc, so they could take it back to Addicted to Audio/Audeze and with a bit of effort, get them fixed/replaced. Sometimes I feel like it's just best to let these things go and move on, and I am glad I did.
Anyway after 2 days, the bloke I sold them to sent me a message saying that he had replicated the fault, it was definitely the headphones and a dodgy connection to the driver.

The end result for me was don't buy another audeze product and don't shop at addicted to audio. job done.
Some might think this a bit harsh but there are lots of headphones and stockists out there, I give em one chance to do the right thing then I'm out.

also by the way, if you haven't worn these headphones before I highly recommend sitting down with pair on your head for at least an hour before buying, because they are stupidly heavy and I found they became uncomfortable after a while, neck aching, head splitting uncomfortable, even with the $200 carbon headband. Many people don't have a problem with this, but I did.

I will say this about the headphones, they are beautiful to look at.

edit: and when they work, with the right amp, they sound fantastic

Thank you for sharing your story. I am worried about the warranty issues and have heard that the drivers don't last very long. That is a concern but something I have to make a compromise.

I have auditioned them at minidisc Sydney, as you mentioned they do get uncomfortable but they do sound great with the right AMP/DAC. It is give and take, LCD-2 are not as heavy as LCD-3 or LCD-X.

I am little confused as to why Addicted to Audio tried to fix it themselves rather than sending it out to Audeze in USA for repairs? That's why I am thinking of buying direct from Audeze and avoid the middleman BS or at least buy from a reputable retailer like Minidisc (highly recommend them for their service).

 

[BennyG]

well they have a guy there that is supposed to be qualified to do it and they have their own stock of drivers. It would cost a fortune to ship them back to the US, which is why I went with the local option. As the repair was not under warranty I would have had to pay for shipping back to Audeze in the US - driver replacement cost was the same.
Presumably if A2A were shipping them back to the US for repair they would be paying for that shipping, so it's much more cost effective to do it in house.
My main issue with them was I felt like they probably didn't test the headphones enough and put the onus back on me to prove again that there was something wrong with the headphones, maybe didn't take me seriously when I said I knew with 100% certainty that the headphones were faulty.

 

[Here2rock]

My main issue with them was I felt like they probably didn't test the headphones enough and put the onus back on me to prove again that there was something wrong with the headphones, maybe didn't take me seriously when I said I knew with 100% certainty that the headphones were faulty.

You let them off easy. I would have asked for the $600 refund. I get you sometimes it is not worth your time and effort and a good idea to move one.

Now I am starting to doubt my decision whether I should go ahead with my purchaset or go with something else.

 

[biggbenn74]

Time for me to share my AWESOME experience with Audeze. I bought a used set from a user here on Head-Fi, and one of the drivers got damaged in shipping. Warranty card shows it was 3 years and ONE MONTH old. But after a few exchanged emails with Audeze's lovely customer service department, they issued me an RMA and repaired the drivers at no further cost to me.

... and that's it. Audeze definitely has my business from here on.

 

[Àedhàn Cassiel]

What's the consensus on the current state of the 200ohm LCD4?

 

[katulu]

Here's a perspective from a NON-purchaser:

I usually participate in head-fi sporadically - and maybe a year or two will go by before I really become active again. Pretty much as far as I remember, each time I "come back", the Audeze failing driver thing appears. I just did a google search for "audeze failing drivers" - and there's stuff from 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017 right there in the first page - which confirmed my recollection. I heard a fellow head-fier's LCD-2 a couple years ago. I wasn't impressed, and adding the quality issues, I never really considered them worth my time. I bought my HD800 USED in 2014, and haven't had anything like that happen even though they get the most use out of any of my headphones, heck, even my 2013 HD598s ($200) are still going strong. I bought them to replace 2008 Denons that failed me, and believe me I thought that 5 years was way too early for those to have failed, and they were just $150. All in all, happy that I never got into Audeze. It's useless to talk about warranties, when headphones decades old are still going strong and are still talked about today. I think we should hold expectations high, and not fall to the Apple/phone companies "1-year-and-it's-useless" philosophy for our beloved audiophile gear.

 

[Avenida]

well they have a guy there that is supposed to be qualified to do it and they have their own stock of drivers. It would cost a fortune to ship them back to the US, which is why I went with the local option. As the repair was not under warranty I would have had to pay for shipping back to Audeze in the US - driver replacement cost was the same.
Presumably if A2A were shipping them back to the US for repair they would be paying for that shipping, so it's much more cost effective to do it in house.
My main issue with them was I felt like they probably didn't test the headphones enough and put the onus back on me to prove again that there was something wrong with the headphones, maybe didn't take me seriously when I said I knew with 100% certainty that the headphones were faulty.

Sorry for replying to this thread a year later, but I’ve just dropped 1.8k AUD on Audeze’s. What @BennyG should’ve done is call A2A’s parent company, Busisoft (which is also the distributor) and ask for George, the owner of the company.

Also, Audeze in the past for me have been very helpful resolving issues in the past. You could’ve had those cans fixed.

 

[Dinrog]

I can also happily report that i had no issues except a ****ed cable over multiple years of owning couple audeze cans and know of at least on other dude who didnt have any problems so far. Replacing that cable was super quick and CS was topnotch. sorry for all the lads who had opposite experiences here...

 

[BennyG]

Sorry for replying to this thread a year later, but I’ve just dropped 1.8k AUD on Audeze’s. What @BennyG should’ve done is call A2A’s parent company, Busisoft (which is also the distributor) and ask for George, the owner of the company.

Also, Audeze in the past for me have been very helpful resolving issues in the past. You could’ve had those cans fixed.

fyi, busisoft is the company that "fixed" it in the first place, or at least that's what was all over the invoice. they have a guy at A2A. a qualified technician that can't connect the drivers properly.
also with respect, don't tell me what I should have done. I cut my losses as quickly as possible because I just could not be arsed anymore with all the back and forth fixing a product I wasn't really all that keen on.
I handballed it to someone else, gave them a sweet deal on another forum I buy and sell a bit on (here on australia), and was more than happy to do so. Hopefully he was able to get it fixed and get a great deal in the process.
me, I just want something that works, sounds good and doesn't need to be babied. Audeze headphones aren't it. "premium" "boutique" "bespoke" etc is not for me anymore.
I feel like about 50% of the price you pay is membership into a club testing out their products for them, I will stick with companies that do this before giving it to the customer.

edit and unsubbed, as it seems more of my time is going into this a year later

 

[incursore61]

sorry for my english....but...

I bring here my experience with LCD2 Fazer of about four years of life: left driver does not work, I take it to the store where it was purchased, Calco's High Fidelity, I deliver it and I look forward to hearing from you. after a couple of weeks they call me from the shop telling me that the headset is ready and repaired by Audio Natali, but that they would need my bank transfer BEFORE sending it to them and then I could go and collect it ... I ask for the sum: 550 euros !! !!!

I am thrilled and I ask why I was not informed BEFORE given the exorbitant cost of the repair ... they mumble something and partially apologize but they ask me what I want to do ... I answer that I do not intend to pay this amount and I ask to be able to speak directly with Audio Christmas, we leave ourselves a little annoyed.

I call Audio Natali and the technician who answers me is very kind, he apologizes for the failure to quote but obviously he remarks that it is not their fault, to show goodwill he tells me that they will try to remove everything they can (i.e. their earnings and promises to lower to 400 euros). Later I receive the call from the High Fidelity technician who tells me that they have managed to lower the figure to 400 euros + 30 euros in shipping costs. I grudgingly accept because this is the headset I am most fond of and which I think I will never sell ... but I am still with a lot of bitterness in my mouth.

Now after paying I am informed that the warranty on the drivers is only one year, while in the USA and in other parts of the way it is three years ... I am disgusted by this treatment, I believe that when it breaks I will not buy Audeze anymore.

Thank you

 

[bfreedma]

sorry for my english....but...

I bring here my experience with LCD2 Fazer of about four years of life: left driver does not work, I take it to the store where it was purchased, Calco's High Fidelity, I deliver it and I look forward to hearing from you. after a couple of weeks they call me from the shop telling me that the headset is ready and repaired by Audio Natali, but that they would need my bank transfer BEFORE sending it to them and then I could go and collect it ... I ask for the sum: 550 euros !! !!!

I am thrilled and I ask why I was not informed BEFORE given the exorbitant cost of the repair ... they mumble something and partially apologize but they ask me what I want to do ... I answer that I do not intend to pay this amount and I ask to be able to speak directly with Audio Christmas, we leave ourselves a little annoyed.

I call Audio Natali and the technician who answers me is very kind, he apologizes for the failure to quote but obviously he remarks that it is not their fault, to show goodwill he tells me that they will try to remove everything they can (i.e. their earnings and promises to lower to 400 euros). Later I receive the call from the High Fidelity technician who tells me that they have managed to lower the figure to 400 euros + 30 euros in shipping costs. I grudgingly accept because this is the headset I am most fond of and which I think I will never sell ... but I am still with a lot of bitterness in my mouth.

Now after paying I am informed that the warranty on the drivers is only one year, while in the USA and in other parts of the way it is three years ... I am disgusted by this treatment, I believe that when it breaks I will not buy Audeze anymore.

Thank you

Bad story, but it IMO, you should be upset at the local reseller, not Audeze.

I would give Audeze a call and see if they can do anything to help.

 

[Àedhàn Cassiel]

I've never actually had a bad experience with Audeze myself. But I just discovered this a week ago, and I figure there are probably plenty of people like me who had no idea about it and would be quite happy to know. Turns out Alexander Rosson, Audeze's co-founder, left a few years back and started his own boutique shop hand-making headphones individually while offering lifetime warranties. I sold my LCD-4 and used the funds to pick one up (RAD-0) and I'm very happy with it. I'd say it's 70% upgrade, 30% sidegrade from the LCD-3 but the price difference, portability and warranty make it a no-brainer versus the 4 IMO. Some people think it's better than the LCD-4 because it fixed the treble issues entirely, but I did actually love the dark tilt plus 10khz air boost on the stock 4. There's a limited run on the RAD-0, and he's not sure if he wants to keep doing headphones after or not. If he does, it might be something in a higher price/performance bracket, or lower. That could be a cause for worry - lifetime warranties when he might quit headphones altogether? But the man's been in audio his entire life, and quitting headphones doesn't mean quitting audio. Failing to honor business promises like that would hurt him anywhere he went. And I really doubt he's not going to follow up after something done this well anyway. If I'm understanding correctly, they've already gone beyond the originally intended 100 cans for this first run.

 

[incursore61]

Bad story, but it IMO, you should be upset at the local reseller, not Audeze.

I would give Audeze a call and see if they can do anything to help.

of course, you're absolutely right I'm very angry with the Italian importer and the shopkeeper, I wrote an email to Audeze asking to intervene, now let's see what will happen.
I meant that I am no longer willing to bear these risks and expenses and I will give up the pleasure of listening with Audeze because of this....
Ciao

 

[bfreedma]

of course, you're absolutely right I'm very angry with the Italian importer and the shopkeeper, I wrote an email to Audeze asking to intervene, now let's see what will happen.
I meant that I am no longer willing to bear these risks and expenses and I will give up the pleasure of listening with Audeze because of this....
Ciao

Understood. I know it’s not ideal given that it’s an international call, but in my experience, a call might get quicker action.