[cpetrillo]

I have put together a headphone system for listening at night. It is detailed and sounds good in many ways particularly with excellent recordings but is just too bright with a lot of music. I am a little lost as to where to start making changes and could use some help.

Source is quobuz and local flac files played through Audirvana on a M1 Mac mini. USB out to my benchmark dac2. Balanced out to Audio gd amp 1. Balanced out to lcdx 2021 version. All cables are good quality name brand stuff but I do use a 10 ft extension cable with the headphones.

There is good bass and the highs are detailed and sweet but the mids are recessed and lacking body which makes the overall sound a bit too bright and light weight with too much of the music I like to listen to.

I don’t want to just start throwing money at it and changing everything without some direction so I’m hoping for some suggestions on where to start.

 

[Redcarmoose]

I found myself with such a system too..........one day (in the past). Typically there is reason for this and it can be addressed. Typically you have many styles of listeners, so one system which sounds too bright...........may sound fine to another. Same as (too much) bass, where you could find yourself at the other extreme. In my personal experience my headphone was too bright. So I switched headphones as the solution, but every situation is different. It’s only some music, and only some albums! I know the experience. And it can change too, to even more albums being too bright.

Depending where you are in the hobby, you may have just found your actual sound signature? You have to be exposed to too much treble to know it. Start with EQ and try to adjust things till they sound correct. I use EQ very sparingly or not at all, but in certain situations it’s absolutely called for, especially to learn. EQ may or may not be the solution. It could be that your ears/mind have adjusted and you found yourself wanting a new sound signature?

It really depends on all your equipment. Meaning the end sound IS the sound of everything. I have not heard any of your equipment so I can’t comment as to “maybe” what the culprit is? Just remember (off) synergy is taking place to get you where you are now. So it’s not necessarily one piece of equipment, but how two or three pieces interact. Still a change of one piece may do the trick?

Good luck!

 

[earmonger]

Reviews like this one

https://www.headphones.com/community/reviews-learning-and-news/audeze-lcd-x-2021-review

are a little mush-mouthed and hypey, but it does say the mids on LCDs are generally recessed--and the 2021 version is supposedly improved but still "there is a mild recession at around 4Khz that softens up or slightly takes some of the bit[e?] away from things like vocals or electric guitars."

It may be that you don't like the LCD signature. As suggested above, try EQ to boost the mids and see if you can improve the sound to your liking. The rest of the chain should be giving you excellent clear output; one extension cable isn't likely to change that, but you could try with and without the extension.

 

[PopZeus]

Because you don't listen to lot of audiophile or contemporary music? One of the more personally annoying aspects of this hobby is how common it is for reviewers, influencers and the like to complain about too much bass. I won't go through all the names, but most of them at some point make fun of bassheads and wave off trebleheads as "real audiophiles". Frankly, it's elitist and hypocritcal.

Yes, a lot of modern pop recordings have plenty of bass and many audiophile recordings extend well down low, and so a more neutral sound system makes some sense, if that's all you listen to.

But if you're like a lot of folks, so much of the music you love sounds like crap. At the very least it's either poorly recorded or mastered. So, a warmer, bassier, less treble focused sound system makes way more sense for your music tastes than taking an audiophile reviewer who is grading the gear only with Chesky recordings or the latest Diana Krall album as gospel. I didn't get into this hobby because I love listening to only well recorded audio. Sure, it's great that they're remixing the Beatles and remastering The Replacements, but I got into it because I wanted my Misfits albums, my Guided by Voices CDs to sound as good as they can. Those lovingly terrible recordings can only get "fixed" so much.

 

[cpetrillo]

I will try eq. Hopefully I can improve the sound of my many classic rock albums while still being able to enjoy better recordings.

 

[cpetrillo]

Anyone have suggestions for a headphone in the same class as the lcdx with richer, more forward mids?

 

[moriez]

Could be anything, and just a small adjustment can get you a lot closer to goal. Personnally I wouldn't change out a fine headphone like the LCD-X just yet. Instead maybe experiment in a more simple way first. As a suggestion: I used AQ interconnects for a year thinking I was golden, and could not believe how shrill they made the music sound in comparison to another brand. Or try a different USB cable. Another experiment is to buy (used) or possibly loan a (budget) DAC or amp to find the weakest link.

On the other hand, switching headphones only might be all you need.

Anyone have suggestions for a headphone in the same class as the lcdx with richer, more forward mids?

I found the ZMF Atticus and Eikon to be very mid happy.

 

[cpetrillo]

This is why I’m so confused. Each component on its own is good but the synergy doesn’t work for me and I’d hate start changing things and not hear an improvement

 

[PopZeus]

Yeah, synergy is a real thing. It's not like there's a clear-cut way to pair components. I think sometimes, it's just a matter of knowing how "drawbacks" of opposing traits can play together harmoniously and turn into benefits. With Audeze LCDs with recessed upper mids, maybe a tube or hybrid amp with some upper-mid sparkle or presence might be a good fit for you. Whereas with a Sennheiser, that might be too much upper-mids.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

I have put together a headphone system for listening at night. It is detailed and sounds good in many ways particularly with excellent recordings but is just too bright with a lot of music. I am a little lost as to where to start making changes and could use some help.

If it sounds OK with good recordings but has a problem with lower quality recordings then the first problem really is that those are not good recordings. That said, some good music do tend to have less than stellar recordings, so you can't just avoid these, but also...

Source is quobuz and local flac files played through Audirvana on a M1 Mac mini. USB out to my benchmark dac2. Balanced out to Audio gd amp 1. Balanced out to lcdx 2021 version. All cables are good quality name brand stuff but I do use a 10 ft extension cable with the headphones.

There is good bass and the highs are detailed and sweet but the mids are recessed and lacking body which makes the overall sound a bit too bright and light weight with too much of the music I like to listen to.

...it seems like it's not just the recordings. But more like the headphone is just making them even worse. That 2500hz and 6000hz peak will be far, far more audible than 1000hz. And how humans set the volume level by ear the ~1000hz range is the most relevant frequency followed by the bass for those who listen to something with that sort of rhythm, ie they'll crank it up to hear it. Since the bass doesn't nose dive (like on the K701) but those peaks are there, these peaks really are the most likely culprit.

I don’t want to just start throwing money at it and changing everything without some direction so I’m hoping for some suggestions on where to start.

Download an EQ program for free. If you can find a free app that works like EQ APO, input these:

25hz, +2dB, Q0.8
800hz, -2dB, Q1.4
2600hz, -4dB, Q1.0
6000hz, -6dB, Q1.4
8000hz, -2dB, Q1.4

 

[moriez]

This is why I’m so confused. Each component on its own is good but the synergy doesn’t work for me and I’d hate start changing things and not hear an improvement

Making improvements to the chain is a matter of trial and error. Your level of dissatisfaction the driving force ; )

If all of the above suggestions don't really work for you: headphones are quite easily bought/sold/swapped/trialed. They make the largest difference.

 

[earmonger]

If you do consider changing headphones and classic rock is your central repertory, you should look into Grados. Many folks here and elsewhere say Grados are the headphones of choice for rock.

I've got SR325, which are great with rock. They don't have subterranean bass but they put you right there for guitars and vocals.

But the latest update, the SR325X, has a weird heavy cable, though, so you could look at older models of those (SR325, SR325e, SR325i) or some of the other highly recommended Grados, like the Hemp, which I haven't heard.

There's a long "Grado fan club" thread where people who have the whole range, including the many high-end Grados, could help you choose.

 

[cpetrillo]

Started with grasps years ago but haven’t any recently

 

[DenverW]

I was not a fan of the LCD-X both in comfort and in sound. If EQ helps that is great. On the bright side (see what I did there) you have a great used market here if you want to let them go and try something else. I agree with the above poster who mentioned ZMF. The Aeolus has many reviews that mention how good it sounds with many different sources and types of music. It should also be close to the same cost you could get for your LCD-X if you sold them.

For me, I always look at the headphone first, then the amp, then the dac and source, then the cables when trying to work on sound improvements.

 

[akelew]

Try oratory eq profile in apo + peace