Caporegime
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Sounds like one of those Don't meet your hero kind of thing with this one.
what headphones do you own thread - i own dt150's :)
- Thread starter garyfl
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Sounds like they are tuned quite differently to your preference then. Although I will say though one thing I noticed at canjam was that all the flagship top tier multi thousand models from the brands including audeze were tuned weirdly and very differently from the rest of their ranges, its like they were purely tuned to stand out extremely obviously and grab attention rather than sound natural.
Makes sense I guess, they want stone to put it on and think its different from their cheaper stuff but they pretty much all sounded worse to me.
Makes sense I guess, they want stone to put it on and think its different from their cheaper stuff but they pretty much all sounded worse to me.
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Yeah tuned outside of my preference would be accurate, but the HE1000se almost perfect out of the box (just bin the pads and that's all) - So if Hifiman was able to do it on a headphone that originally launched at £3000 without needing any hardware profiling to sound good, then so should other brands, unless as you say it's deliberate in order to stand out for whatever reason.
The Susvara sounded great through the AADAC, but it just needed more power to get loud which the AADAC didn't have enough oomph to do, but the sonics were all there as I mentioned a while ago. I don't get the same impression with the LCD-5, this is 100% a conscious decision from Audeze and probably why many prefer the LCD-4 instead of the 5 as well, even if the 5 has the newer construction process for lighter weight and stuff.
On a side note, look at how much airflow restriction the LCD-5 has!
No wonder it sounds so muffled. I wonder if I can open it up and remove the outer grille film... Though that then involves removing the adhesive tape holding the pads on :/
The Susvara sounded great through the AADAC, but it just needed more power to get loud which the AADAC didn't have enough oomph to do, but the sonics were all there as I mentioned a while ago. I don't get the same impression with the LCD-5, this is 100% a conscious decision from Audeze and probably why many prefer the LCD-4 instead of the 5 as well, even if the 5 has the newer construction process for lighter weight and stuff.
On a side note, look at how much airflow restriction the LCD-5 has!
No wonder it sounds so muffled. I wonder if I can open it up and remove the outer grille film... Though that then involves removing the adhesive tape holding the pads on :/
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Caporegime
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And the i5 is going to come in at £300 and knock them all out 
Caporegime
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They snooze they lose!
(it's finally moving after 3 weeks of the initial shipping notification!)
(it's finally moving after 3 weeks of the initial shipping notification!)
Pretty sure these will need to be returned at some point But hopefully not before I get some other stuff to line up against! Meze Poet is still pending for example. Something tells me those will be a proper competitor to the HE1000se.
But hopefully not before I get some other stuff to line up against! Meze Poet is still pending for example. Something tells me those will be a proper competitor to the HE1000se.
Soldato
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Still rocking my Stax edifier S5 wireless BT, they are still the best wireless headphones I have tried to date, besting my previous B&W PX8s overall for sound quality and unlike majority of the wireless headphones on the market the Stax S5s support aptx adaptive low latency, so they work for gamers and movie fans.
May look into Xpan wireless headphones over the next year or 2 when they arrive, they should finally solve the Wired vs Wireless bandwidth issue and close the gap so there should not be able sound quality difference.
May look into Xpan wireless headphones over the next year or 2 when they arrive, they should finally solve the Wired vs Wireless bandwidth issue and close the gap so there should not be able sound quality difference.
I am doing an experiment until the Fosi i5 turns up, using the LCD-5 exclusively to see if my ears/brain get used to the HP-EQd sound (aka "burn in" lol). I think it's going to be a tough task because as much as the HP-EQ does transform them, there is still a distinct something missing that the Arya Stealth/HE1000se has, and which i suspect the Fosi i5 will also have.
And that damn clamping force...
I checked comments on reddit about the LCD-5 and many have confirmed that Audeze has not innovated on its planar drivers for years, instead choosing to stay with old driver tech instead of improving the driver. A shame, many also say the LCD-4 sounds much more like modern planars, but has excessive bass so is perfect for bassheads, meanwhile the compromise is its weight and size as it's rather massive and that alone is a deal breaker for many inc myself.
Edit*
I should clarify that with HP-EQ enabled and the LME Harman profile applied, the sound is very good as noted previously, I could get used to this sound if I never heard the Hifimans to know what was missing. As it stands the LCD-5 is capable of staging and detail and imaging that could be called high-end, but it's not the same flavour as the HE1000se obviously. The treble sparkle is subdued even with HP-EQ, there is an almost Sennheiser style veil to the timbre though with vocals which I suspect some will like very much, but it's only noticeable once the correct HP-EQ profile is applied, out of the box in bypass mode it's a big fat mess of nonsense quality.
They do look and feel really nice though, credit where due. Just wtf were they doing with the out of the box sound....
Edit 2*
I tweaked the Harman profile a bit in the app and boosted the 8.9k and 10k gain a little to add a shade of life to the upper end which seems to have helped:
And that damn clamping force...
I checked comments on reddit about the LCD-5 and many have confirmed that Audeze has not innovated on its planar drivers for years, instead choosing to stay with old driver tech instead of improving the driver. A shame, many also say the LCD-4 sounds much more like modern planars, but has excessive bass so is perfect for bassheads, meanwhile the compromise is its weight and size as it's rather massive and that alone is a deal breaker for many inc myself.
Edit*
I should clarify that with HP-EQ enabled and the LME Harman profile applied, the sound is very good as noted previously, I could get used to this sound if I never heard the Hifimans to know what was missing. As it stands the LCD-5 is capable of staging and detail and imaging that could be called high-end, but it's not the same flavour as the HE1000se obviously. The treble sparkle is subdued even with HP-EQ, there is an almost Sennheiser style veil to the timbre though with vocals which I suspect some will like very much, but it's only noticeable once the correct HP-EQ profile is applied, out of the box in bypass mode it's a big fat mess of nonsense quality.
They do look and feel really nice though, credit where due. Just wtf were they doing with the out of the box sound....
Edit 2*
I tweaked the Harman profile a bit in the app and boosted the 8.9k and 10k gain a little to add a shade of life to the upper end which seems to have helped:
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Caporegime
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I5 is at HK airport today!
Yeah for the retail price of £4000 you expect to have to endure zero faff.
Hmm might even arrive this weekend then if customs clears fast, it's EVRI handling the UK side of transit so should be quick.
I've come round to the fact that a perfect headphone doesn't exist, there's too many variables unless you mandate everyone gets the same shaped heads, ears and ear canals. With that I now embrace the idea I should EQ every headphone to meet my particular needs.All Audeze headphones require EQ, they sound like ass otherwise. Personally I think that making the end user perform the tuning is the lazy way out. With all that said I still want an LCD X
Saying that, I donlt actually mind that manufacturers get their own house sound, as long as I can adjust it into what I want, and it's relatively easy.
Currently listening to my DCA Noire XOs, and they're pretty great, even without any tuning. Although I do prefer the X9 profile slightly more. trying out Oratory1990s tuning for the Noire X, the closed back version, and it's great too. Listening to Mazzy Star, So Tonight That I Might See.
I'm currently listening to this:
It is the first song in my curated playlist since getting the LCD-5 that has actually wowed me (so far), the EQd LCD-5 is very intimate and I think that helps bring this song directly into my ears and tickle them with each strum of the guitar which is independently imaged in each ear. The HE1000se is imaged wider with this song and that's another flavour, both headphones play this song with excellent details and vocals.
It is the first song in my curated playlist since getting the LCD-5 that has actually wowed me (so far), the EQd LCD-5 is very intimate and I think that helps bring this song directly into my ears and tickle them with each strum of the guitar which is independently imaged in each ear. The HE1000se is imaged wider with this song and that's another flavour, both headphones play this song with excellent details and vocals.
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