Audeze Fires the Next Shot in the Planar Arms Race

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mamba315

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Re: Audeze Fires the Next Shot in the Planar Arms Race
« Reply #20 on: 16 Oct 2015, 09:53 am »
I'm with you Russell.  I own a pair of the LCD 2.2 (before the stupid fazor thing), and I find the form factor problematic.  The fact that they haven't addressed this in any way speaks of laziness, or lack of vision.  Either way, I'm skipping this round.

FullRangeMan

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Re: Audeze Fires the Next Shot in the Planar Arms Race
« Reply #21 on: 16 Oct 2015, 11:24 am »
I have one of the new headbands...does that count? lol
4 Lincolns are alot of money especially for a(1) phones.
always call my attention that the metal C arcs piece that hold the drivers can are much better/thicker on any HifiMan old generation than at the Audeze models.
HifiMan are a thicker piece, it have much more metal.

steve in jersey

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Re: Audeze Fires the Next Shot in the Planar Arms Race
« Reply #22 on: 16 Oct 2015, 03:16 pm »
4 Lincolns are alot of money especially for a(1) phones.
always call my attention that the metal C arcs piece that hold the drivers can are much better/thicker on any HifiMan old generation than at the Audeze models.
HifiMan are a thicker piece, it have much more metal.

Well ,those metal C arcs (Or the headbands as 49 out of 50 people would call them) were/are way denser than they need to be. "Much better" is a subjective call I would not agree with . I love the sound of my modded HFM HE-6 ,but their build Ergonomics & their "stock" discomfort level was a "no go" for me after 30mins of listening for me. That wasn't going to work for me as I haven't been able to use loudspeakers for awhile.

At some point I'm going to just scrap the HFM headband assembly from the top of the "yoke" up .Take a guess
at which headband assembly I'm probably going to use (after I get a chance to see where I can attach the yoke pin to) ? I'm not thrilled about spending another $130 on these parts,but modded my HE-6 can probably give most headphones a run for their money.

I always get a chuckle when anyone talks about the sturdiness of the older HFM models. I've never had a headphone fall apart on me for the kind of usage I give them !

ajzepp

Re: Audeze Fires the Next Shot in the Planar Arms Race
« Reply #23 on: 17 Oct 2015, 12:22 am »
In case anyone is interested, here are my posts from head-fi discussing/showing the new suspension headband in action, and also a discussion about why the new LCD4 is as pricey as it is:

http://www.head-fi.org/t/782442/audeze-lcd-4/840#post_11991903
http://www.head-fi.org/t/782442/audeze-lcd-4/870#post_11995482

FullRangeMan

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Re: Audeze Fires the Next Shot in the Planar Arms Race
« Reply #24 on: 17 Oct 2015, 12:32 am »
Its astronomical expensive,
it made the HD800 cheap!!

milford3

Re: Audeze Fires the Next Shot in the Planar Arms Race
« Reply #25 on: 18 Oct 2015, 11:49 pm »
In case anyone is interested, here are my posts from head-fi discussing/showing the new suspension headband in action, and also a discussion about why the new LCD4 is as pricey as it is:

http://www.head-fi.org/t/782442/audeze-lcd-4/840#post_11991903
http://www.head-fi.org/t/782442/audeze-lcd-4/870#post_11995482

Ajzepp, where does one buy the LCD suspension headband?  Nothing on Audeze's website.

abernardi

Re: Audeze Fires the Next Shot in the Planar Arms Race
« Reply #26 on: 19 Oct 2015, 02:39 am »
  I got a chance to listen to these yesterday for a little bit.  There were some technical problems with the DAC, but I managed to get some kind of impression with two different amps.  The first was the Questyle 800r and then the Simaudio Moon Neo 430HA.  The two amps presented very different soundscapes.  The Questyle was fast and a little light on it's feet and the Simaudio had more body, but dark and even muffled. 
  I don't want to pass judgement on this headphone yet because (and this is just a gut feeling on my part) I think we'll find they need a top flight amplifier like something from Eddie Current or Cavalli to really shine.  As it was, they were not all that impressive.  They were very heavy too.  The tonal balance was good.  The sub bass was there and I'll bet a string bass, jazz would be great on the rig I heard.  They have the same Audeze "Cadillac" signature to my ear, luxurious, soft suspension kind of ride.  Overall though, I think they're a slight improvement over the 3's and I think I actually might like the X a little better... but... again... the amp and cable and source... it's all about synergy

ajzepp

Re: Audeze Fires the Next Shot in the Planar Arms Race
« Reply #27 on: 24 Oct 2015, 01:30 pm »
Ajzepp, where does one buy the LCD suspension headband?  Nothing on Audeze's website.

They will be for sale the first week of November, I believe...I just happened to be in the right spot at the right time to get hold of a demo.

dB Cooper

Re: Audeze Fires the Next Shot in the Planar Arms Race
« Reply #28 on: 13 Nov 2015, 01:38 pm »
Every now and then I kick around the idea of getting rid of my speaker set up (my room is an acoustical nightmare), and just getting a nice headphone set up.

They keep raising the stakes higher and higher. I am sure these, or the new hifiman's, with a nice source and amp, has to provide a very satisfying experience.

No doubt. You can still get a stellar headphone ride for under a grand if you choose wisely. The law of diminishing returns sets in quickly above that point. Get a pair of HD650's or K712's (for instance) and an O2 or Schiit Magni and you'll be smiling ear to ear. If you have a HD800/T1/LCDX (or higher) budget, go for it, but you don't need to spend that to get satisfying sound (IMHO- but I'm a C&C kind of audiophile). As with speaker setups, the transducers have the most effect on the final sound.

There are $5000 and up headphones for the same reason there are $1000 power cables- they've discovered there are people willing to pay it. Users of more rationally priced systems may ironically actually enjoy their systems more as a result of being freer from the nagging doubt that they're getting their money's worth and the resulting chronic upgrade-itis.

hibuckhobby

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Re: Audeze Fires the Next Shot in the Planar Arms Race
« Reply #29 on: 13 Nov 2015, 03:00 pm »
I find myself in the minority here because I not only like the tonal balance of Audeze a great deal,
I find the weight doesn't bother me at all.  Of course, when I listen to them, I am seated in a chair
or on the couch and am either "only" listening to music or else am working on the computer.  I'd like
a pair of the newest iterations, but for me, my late LCD 2.2 is just fine.  Besides, JRiver has perfectly
acceptable EQ if I find it necessary.
YMMV,
Hibuck,

dminches

Re: Audeze Fires the Next Shot in the Planar Arms Race
« Reply #30 on: 13 Nov 2015, 04:03 pm »
Users of more rationally priced systems may ironically actually enjoy their systems more as a result of being freer from the nagging doubt that they're getting their money's worth and the resulting chronic upgrade-itis.

Or maybe not.  That is a generalization which doesn't fit a lot of audiophiles.

dB Cooper

Re: Audeze Fires the Next Shot in the Planar Arms Race
« Reply #31 on: 14 Nov 2015, 01:07 pm »
Yes, it's a generalization, which will fit some and not fit others. But there are a lot of multi page threads on here concerning tweaks like power cable and capacitor substitution etc, enough to at least partially support it I think. Go to a show anymore and it's tweaks, tweaks, tweaks. $1K spent on room treatments will have 100x the effect of the same amount spent on a power cable, but you see plenty of systems in the photos section where obviously big $ were spent on accessories and zilch on the room. My point is that I know a lot of people with C&C or even outright el cheap systems that are enjoying music, not obsessing over whether spending $xxxx on some other power cable will enhance their PRAT. Spend both your money and your time the way you like and I'll do the same.

ajzepp

Re: Audeze Fires the Next Shot in the Planar Arms Race
« Reply #32 on: 18 Nov 2015, 06:55 am »
I find myself in the minority here because I not only like the tonal balance of Audeze a great deal,
I find the weight doesn't bother me at all.  Of course, when I listen to them, I am seated in a chair
or on the couch and am either "only" listening to music or else am working on the computer.  I'd like
a pair of the newest iterations, but for me, my late LCD 2.2 is just fine.  Besides, JRiver has perfectly
acceptable EQ if I find it necessary.
YMMV,
Hibuck,

The weight will become even less of an issue with the new headband...it's fantastic.