[jambaj0e]

So I'm looking to upgrade the Amp for my LCD-3 to an endgame/near-endgame Amp. I think I'm leaning towards a 300B tube Amp.

My Dac is the Chord Qutest DAC.

I have heard the Wood Audio WA5-LE with the LCD-4 at Shelley's Stereo, and I was blown away. The other amps at the store couldn't compare.

The Wa5-Le is pretty much the upper limits of what I'm trying to spend, so I'd like some suggestions of other tube amps that won't be too bloomy or slow, but still have a tight, punchy, detailed, warm/warmish sound with large soundstage.

What do you guys suggest in that $1250-3700 ?

What do you think about the Eddie Current Balancing Act or Aficionado, Cayin Ha300, one of the AmandSound?

 

[Infoseeker]

The lcd 4 not too much difficult to drive. You won't need to go to that upper limit.

 

[jambaj0e]

The lcd 4 not too much difficult to drive. You won't need to go to that upper limit.

I have the LCD-3, actually.

I just listened to the LCD-4 there because it's what's they had. That being said, I do want a clear upgrade from what I have in terms of all the aforementioned quality, not just an incremental upgrade AND also prepare myself for the eventual upgrade to an endgame headphone such as the Rosson Rad-0.

 

[Infoseeker]

The reason the amps you tried were so boomy is because they were too powerful. A tube amp will have an output impedence more than will be needed and distort things.

By rule of eighths the lcd 4, 200ohms needs a 50-Ohm output impedence or less.

This is not an old-school Beyerdynamic 600 Ohm headphone that will take anything without distorting.

 

[jambaj0e]

The reason the amps you tried were so boomy is because they were too powerful. A tube amp will have an output impedence more than will be needed and distort things.

By rule of eighths the lcd 4, 200ohms needs a 50-Ohm output impedence or less.

This is not an old-school Beyerdynamic 600 Ohm headphone that will take anything without distorting.

I think you're totally misreading what I wrote. I don't own an LCD-4. I own an LCD-3. Also, I don't know where you're reading that the LCD-4 has lwo impedance. It's the hardest Audeze to drive at 200 ohms. By comparison MY LCD-3 has 100 ohms.

I went to Shelley's Stereo and of the amps I tried their, the store's LCD-4 sounded most marvelous on the WA5-LE. The lesser Woo Audios and the Moon Audio sounded either too flat, less dynamic, and/or too dark. The WA5-LE is the benchmark. Has nothing to do with "too powerful."

What I want is the same kind of sound I was blown away with the LCD-4+ WA5-LE, but for MY LCD-3. I don't own an LCD-4, I own an LCD-3.

So going back to the original question, I'd love to get a 300B tube amp for the LCD-3, and I'd love to hear the different available out there across different price range, with the $3700 WA5-LE and Cayin H300 (used) as my most expensive range.

 

[jambaj0e]

Have. A listen to Selena Gomez's "Lose you To Love Me" on the lcd-3 and a great dac+Amp, and be prepare to melt in your chair. It's just sublime.

 

[obzilla]

Try out the THX AAA 789 before throwing big money at an amp. It’s incredibly clean and will drive anything shy of a nuclear reactor with ease.
My experience with the LCD3s was they had enough coloration of their own, you want clean and powerful in an amp. I had the old WA5 briefly, while at the time the 3 wasn’t out, I heard it with my then LCD-2. Powered it fine, just too many warm/dark members of the chain for me. Made the sound too dark and muddied. The 789 is likely to give that clean balance that I found helped the 3s.

 

[jambaj0e]

Try out the THX AAA 789 before throwing big money at an amp. It’s incredibly clean and will drive anything shy of a nuclear reactor with ease.
My experience with the LCD3s was they had enough coloration of their own, you want clean and powerful in an amp. I had the old WA5 briefly, while at the time the 3 wasn’t out, I heard it with my then LCD-2. Powered it fine, just too many warm/dark members of the chain for me. Made the sound too dark and muddied. The 789 is likely to give that clean balance that I found helped the 3s.

I own the THX 789 AAA, and with the Chord Qutest on the LCD-3 Fazor, while it has nice energy from mid-treble up, it's a bit lean on the mid-bass down, which is why I ran the Schiit Lyr 3 tube as a preamp before going into the 789 to fatten up the mid-bass and bass. Basically, it's too neutral for my neutral Qutest. That's why I want a 300b SET amp.

On the LCD-2 and LCD-2C, I'm sure just the 789 would be fine since it's a darkish headset, but the LCD-3 with the Fazor is also a bit more neutral already.

 

[kaufman2018]

It is September 18, 2021 and I just heard the LCD-3 phones at a friends home and I am interested in finding a great matching tube amplifier for it--I like SET 300B tubes too. What did you end up buying? Thanks in advance.

 

[Winterwolf]

MHA200. don't look further.

 

[bobmysterious]

You mentioned Eddie Current and 300b's... Why not order up a Studio B from Craig's last batch (ever!). I have one and am thoroughly pleased with it.

 

[kaufman2018]

You mentioned Eddie Current and 300b's... Why not order up a Studio B from Craig's last batch (ever!). I have one and am thoroughly pleased with it.

Good suggestion. Thank you.

 

[bobmysterious]

From what I’ve read it does well with most 300b tubes. I use EML mesh plates, and like them. Don’t feel like you need to rush out and get Western Electrics immediately to make it sound good though.

 

[akelew]

Burson Soloist 3x is a good choice. It's solid state but fully discrete Class A. Burson provides a lot of amps to Audeze for demo'ing at shows, and at one point they paired up with Audeze to sell the LCD-3 as a bundle with it. People say it has tube like qualities. Could be worth an audition.
I have the pairing and it goes very well. I have them hooked up to a bifrost 2.

 

[kaufman2018]

Hi, great suggestion! I have the Burson Soloist 3X Performance (with upgraded PS) now with a PS Audio DS DAC being feed with a Modwright Oppo 205 via HDMI to I2S board with cheap 8k HDMI cables, and Audeze LCD-X (2021)…it sounds great. Everything is connected to Jack Bybee power purifier (more detail, better separation, darker background, same bass) and various $500-$1200 power cords. Every component is isolated by custom build suspension and absorption systems with various amounts of mass, spikes, viscoelastic polymers, bearings, hardened steel plates, etc. it fun to experiment and listen for differences.

I was A-B-inch my complete system to the Oppo 205 Headphone Jack last night and imaging, tonality, detail is night and day…but it’s $7500+ worth of gear more than the Oppo Headphone Jack.

I was relieved to hear differences and be able to describe them…