[4LoveOfSound]

Ohhh man you were right! The RFT foil getters pairs REALLY well with the Auteur Classic in particular. I like it more than my Telefunken ECC82 smooth plates. It doesn't have as much bass bloom or smoothness, but more impact with just as much soundstage. Tone is no quite on the same level, but pretty close. Really beautifully textured, tight presentation. For a tube that costs $25, that's incredible.

I might have to pull mine out for a listen…..

 

[robo24]

Hi, just wondering everyone's thoughts on which headphone I should get to complement my Atriums and VC on the original Pendant. I've narrowed my search to the Utopia, LCD-5 and Susvara. Of the 3 I've only heard the Utopia's and that was years ago. I was floored by the resolution, depth characteristics it was presenting and it's airy high frequencies. With that said, I'm more looking for the headphone that will play well with my Pendant/Qutest as I'm sure all 3 of these are outstanding on the right setup. If I could audition all 3 on my setup I would do that, but I'm nowhere close to a location that could provide that.

Thanks for everyone's thoughts!

Why not ZMF Caldera? Cheapest of the 3 and is a fantastic pairing with the Pendant. I agree the Susvara would have issues, as the Caldera, which is relatively easy to power, sounds best on the 8ohm socket, can reach "too loud" but without much extra power left to go higher. I've only heard those 3 recently at CanJam. None did much for me but the Caldera grabbed me from the get go.

 

[steve468]

Hi, just wondering everyone's thoughts on which headphone I should get to complement my Atriums and VC on the original Pendant. I've narrowed my search to the Utopia, LCD-5 and Susvara. Of the 3 I've only heard the Utopia's and that was years ago. I was floored by the resolution, depth characteristics it was presenting and it's airy high frequencies. With that said, I'm more looking for the headphone that will play well with my Pendant/Qutest as I'm sure all 3 of these are outstanding on the right setup. If I could audition all 3 on my setup I would do that, but I'm nowhere close to a location that could provide that.

Thanks for everyone's thoughts!

Just to muddy the waters a bit further, have you thought of a LCD-4? To me, the tight, impactful sound of the Pendant is an amazing match with the warm and detailed LCD-4. I had the Utopia for a time, and while surprisingly similar to the Audeze in a lot of ways, just thought it was…maybe a bit wimpy? Like everything was a bit distant. I’ve never been able to find the words to describe it. I’ve heard the LCD-5, but not on the Pendant, and it sounded like a more complete Utopia, so it might have the same issue? Maybe not, it’s a great headphone that I might have to pick up soon.

It might just be my ZMF-trained ears (I need THICC everything), but the LCD-4 really comes alive on the Pendant.

 

[shwnwllms]

Hi, just wondering everyone's thoughts on which headphone I should get to complement my Atriums and VC on the original Pendant. I've narrowed my search to the Utopia, LCD-5 and Susvara. Of the 3 I've only heard the Utopia's and that was years ago. I was floored by the resolution, depth characteristics it was presenting and it's airy high frequencies. With that said, I'm more looking for the headphone that will play well with my Pendant/Qutest as I'm sure all 3 of these are outstanding on the right setup. If I could audition all 3 on my setup I would do that, but I'm nowhere close to a location that could provide that.

Thanks for everyone's thoughts!

The LCD-5 is a great choice (as is the LCD-4). With that being said I still own a solid state amp and prefer my LCD-5 on my V550 Pro. The Pendant SE is a great pairing with the LCD-5 though, it just gets more time overall on my V550 Pro. My VO is exclusively for my Pendant, the LCD-5 can be driven by either and completely changes the overall presentation of the LCD-5 with each.

 

[shwnwllms]

All that’s left is to pick up a couple good rectifiers

https://www.head-fi.org/classifieds/price-reduced-marconi-gec-osram-u709-ez81-very-rare.37157/

 

[shwnwllms]

I might have to pull mine out for a listen…..

@haasaaroni just picked up an early RFT ECC81 foil getter (Erfurt 1950’s) at an insane price. Coming from Bulgaria so it will be a wait, but Europe to East Coast is always quicker than I expect it to be.

 

[haasaaroni]

@haasaaroni just picked up an early RFT ECC81 foil getter (Erfurt 1950’s) at an insane price. Coming from Bulgaria so it will be a wait, but Europe to East Coast is always quicker than I expect it to be.

Nice! I have an RFT ECC81 (early 60’s) but unfortunately it’s a bit too noisy in my Pendant. It’s got an amazing sound though.

 

[haasaaroni]

https://www.head-fi.org/classifieds/price-reduced-marconi-gec-osram-u709-ez81-very-rare.37157/

This is very tempting…but it’s the most I’ll have ever spent on one tube for the Pendant, and where people report the least audible difference on this amp as well. That’s the only reason I’m a little hesitant.

 

[shwnwllms]

This is very tempting…but it’s the most I’ll have ever spent on one tube for the Pendant, and where people report the least audible difference on this amp as well. That’s the only reason I’m a little hesitant.

It’s a major improvement and worth the $200. It’s the last rectifier you’ll buy

 

[deej]

Why not ZMF Caldera? Cheapest of the 3 and is a fantastic pairing with the Pendant. I agree the Susvara would have issues, as the Caldera, which is relatively easy to power, sounds best on the 8ohm socket, can reach "too loud" but without much extra power left to go higher. I've only heard those 3 recently at CanJam. None did much for me but the Caldera grabbed me from the get go.

I kinda forgot to throw the ZMF in there! Though, when I do purchase I've been looking at used sets and the Utopia and LCD-5 squeak in a little cheaper. I'm sure at some point I'll end up with the Caldera but I figured I'd try something a little different in tuning than the ZMF's!

 

[deej]

Just to muddy the waters a bit further, have you thought of a LCD-4? To me, the tight, impactful sound of the Pendant is an amazing match with the warm and detailed LCD-4. I had the Utopia for a time, and while surprisingly similar to the Audeze in a lot of ways, just thought it was…maybe a bit wimpy? Like everything was a bit distant. I’ve never been able to find the words to describe it. I’ve heard the LCD-5, but not on the Pendant, and it sounded like a more complete Utopia, so it might have the same issue? Maybe not, it’s a great headphone that I might have to pick up soon.

It might just be my ZMF-trained ears (I need THICC everything), but the LCD-4 really comes alive on the Pendant.

I've had someone recommend the LCD-4 to me actually. I am just a bit hesitant about the weight of them. I'd be willing to consider them as I'm sure I could sell them for close to what I bought them for if they were too heavy for me. I'm actually really curious about the Utopia tuning as it's been years since I heard them for the first time and I've had ZMF's for a couple years and used to that tuning. I loved the VC but I can't take the Atriums off my head. I love the lush tuning and soundstage of these. I just thought it would be fun to have a headphone with a higher level of detail and imaging to my collection and with a contrasting tuning to the ZMF's.

 

[shwnwllms]

I've had someone recommend the LCD-4 to me actually. I am just a bit hesitant about the weight of them. I'd be willing to consider them as I'm sure I could sell them for close to what I bought them for if they were too heavy for me. I'm actually really curious about the Utopia tuning as it's been years since I heard them for the first time and I've had ZMF's for a couple years and used to that tuning. I loved the VC but I can't take the Atriums off my head. I love the lush tuning and soundstage of these. I just thought it would be fun to have a headphone with a higher level of detail and imaging to my collection and with a contrasting tuning to the ZMF's.

Now's your chance!

https://www.head-fi.org/classifieds/audeze-lcd-4-b-stock.37821/

 

[jonathan c]

I've had someone recommend the LCD-4 to me actually. I am just a bit hesitant about the weight of them.

With the ‘suspension’ headband, the weight of the LCD-4 is distributed very well. In the meantime, get started on this :

 

[shwnwllms]

I've had someone recommend the LCD-4 to me actually. I am just a bit hesitant about the weight of them. I'd be willing to consider them as I'm sure I could sell them for close to what I bought them for if they were too heavy for me. I'm actually really curious about the Utopia tuning as it's been years since I heard them for the first time and I've had ZMF's for a couple years and used to that tuning. I loved the VC but I can't take the Atriums off my head. I love the lush tuning and soundstage of these. I just thought it would be fun to have a headphone with a higher level of detail and imaging to my collection and with a contrasting tuning to the ZMF's.

If you missed the LCD-4 B-stock from earlier here is a good price on an LCD-5. I'm loving the pairing of the LCD-5 and Pendant SE the more I listen (and you don't have to worry about the weight)

https://www.head-fi.org/classifieds/audeze-lcd5.37113/

 

[shwnwllms]

My top 3 input tubes (in order of preference)

1. Telefunken ECC801S - 1961
2. Brimar Footscray Triple Mica CV455 - 1956
3. Ken-Rad 5814 Pewter Plate - 1951