The Best Headphones you can't buy! Audeze's LCD-R

[@bardenhick2121]

Glad to see more companies experimenting with ribbon drivers for headphones. I wonder if Audeze is doing a limited run as a sort of test program in order to see if customer interest is high enough to warrant a full production model.

[@thisrocks]

Interest is sure high enough. All 67 sold out. I think they’re waiting on feedback from the 67 ;)

[@MuhammadKharismawan]

why so limited? probably problem in either material, or reliability. still the first audeze headphone wih this driver. lets see how its QC fares.

[@GARYCOLEIV]

I got to here your exact LCD-R unit that you are holding, in your review, when Sankar (AUDEZE CEO) came down to Fort Lauderdale, Florida to let me and engineer Bob Katz listen to them on June 12th. I will say that this particular LCD-R unit is amazing. I agree with your review as I must say that this LCD-R unit was very smooth but very, very fast. Sankar brought me the same amp and LCD-R combo to listen. I use the LCD-4, LCD-X and LCD-2 at my friends studios when we mix our orchestral music. I must say that the LCD-R was amazingly fast and quite smoother that all the other Audeze headphones. Great and spot on review for the LCD-R!!!!

[@Currawong]

Cheers Gary. Your comments are appreciated.

[@gibgun]

The LCD-R are absolute keepers. Something so fast, delicately detailed and most importantly of all, so damn enjoyable to listen to!

[@mintgaming9198]

Just managed to get two pairs of these. Been trying since I saw this video. Thanks for introducing me to them.

[@patricksmith1026]

I gotta tell you, I was (am) a huge LCD-4 fan. I owned them for three years and miss them dearly, BUT these LCD-R’s I just got in the Mail have superior bass to the LCD-4. Noticeably faster and tighter bass. Just as articulate-if not more. And the LCD-R’s go much much deeper than I thought they would to be ribbons.

[@jacksonville4932]

Can you tell me if the lcd r can get as loud, and not clip at all? Sub bass wise, how do they compare to the LCD 4? Bass, sure. But subbass

[@henryscott4811]

lucky, one of 67 headphone

[@OriginalMindTrick]

Cool to know. Love the LCD-4 bass! The heft, texture and slam was the best thing about those headphones.

[@Druezy]

Awesome! I'm surprised you loved them as much as you did. Hopefully we get to see them dip into other technologies as well!

[@matthewhilty4209]

Thank You for your impressions. , Was able to snag a pair. I like the idea of a dip at 4K . Hopefully the weight won't be an issue. I'm hoping they have a sound signature between the STAX L300L and the Utopia. The styling is Badass.

[@thisrocks]

Lucky. I didn’t know they existed until they were sold out. At such a low production run, it would have been a guaranteed purchase.

[@ourfriendgus]

I found the weight to be a pleasant surprise with the carbon fiber top and changes to the pads, they feel like a refreshing change from the LCD-2c.

[@jacksonville4932]

Can you please tell me how the LCDR is? Do they ever clip at all?

[@mrfrosty3]

That fractal wood pattern is gorgeous, it reminds of the willow patterns seen in Japanese art and craft.

[@pekica019]

Where is the ribbon?

[@-havoc-tzu-3197]

Ordered before watching this video. Now I’m more excited haha.

[@hafgrim.]

Same

[@tcc5750]

How much did it cost? There is no price on the site anymore.

[@fadedlogic1]

@@tcc5750 then they probably sold out. I too have a confirmed order. Confirmed: Sold Out

[@loganholmes13]

@@tcc5750 It was $2500 for the headphones and amp

[@audioaficionado9494]

$2.5k isn't too bad for a top tier high-end setup. I'm loving my $850 Jot2 Sundara balanced kit.

[@themosyannakou6893]

Wow. This is exciting, too bad I’ll maybe never hear them

[@leoluck68]

Exciting! A bit too much for my budget though. Thanks for the usual great review

[@tcc5750]

What is the price? Site just shows sold out.

[@yungsonar2890]

@@tcc5750 $2500

[@aceofspades6667]

So Excited to see the future of ribbon drivers implemented in headphones.

[@klaymoon1]

Thanks for the great review/introduction. Can you tell us how good the resolution is compared to the updated LCD-X/XC?

[@Currawong]

I'll be reviewing the LCD-XC at least. I'm definitely keen to find out how much they've changed over the originals.

[@MRFUTURETECHNOLOGYGAMING]

I love the making us guess intro even though we can read the title

[@brandonburr4900]

Well that was quick. Sold out! Guessing the patreons got it first 😀 with these special limited quantity headphones I hope they keep driver failure down, unlike the much more expensive lcd 4z. Thanks!

[@theovonskeletor3709]

How are they with non acoustic music?

[@carminedesanto6746]

I had Apogee Sciaticas back in the day 😎

[@yogiwp_]

How's the dynamics and bass slam?

[@b00m3rh4nd_sol]

Curious how they might compare to HEDDphones AMT

[@tomas_m]

Since you casually mentioned it, where is it possible to negotiate Susvara for $3000?

[@Currawong]

Search! Ask a hi-fi store that stocks HiFiMan headphones directly if they can do a good price. They can't put other than the recommended price online.

[@cwichura]

Did you ever review the RAAL? I can't remember. If so, how would you compare these riboons to the SR1a? (Of course, there are many more ways to power the SR1a, given the HSA1(a|b), Jot-R and myriad of speaker amps into the conversion box...

[@Currawong]

I didn't, but I did try them enough at the Tokyo shows that I was seriously thinking of selling off my headphones and getting a pair.

[@christopherwright8179]

Fabulous review, and a very very tempting proposition indeed. The only limitation is the very small choice of headphone amplifiers that can be used. Will I not see their full potential if I stick with the Jotunheim-A? Thank you so much for this.

[@Currawong]

If you have a good speaker amp, as I do, that wont baulk at a 2 Ohm load, then it'll be potentially better.

[@soulfulfool]

best looking audeze headphones to date

[@marcorasero6003]

I read this news now :) Very good We await the review of the Dave and M-Scaler :) Could you please tell me in detail which signal, digital and power cables you use to connect your devices? Thank you

[@Currawong]

The cables I use are mostly DIY, with many using wire that is no longer available.

[@jamesj5469]

Is there a good reason to use a ribbon driver design vs something else

[@Currawong]

I forgot to mention it in the video, but the metal trace covers 98% of the driver, which I guess has an advantage in that more of the driver surface is driven.

[@jamesj5469]

@@Currawong okay cool

[@-Ambos-]

Since I like your reviews so much I would really like to see videos from you about USB interfaces like the singxer su-6. It´s hard to find anything about it but to feed DACs from yout pc with this switching to Coaxial should be a great improvement. Some say even more than a better power supply.

[@omni6409]

It looks really good, especially the wood.

[@04yellowjacket]

Now I have wood.

[@MrKrampyHands]

Oh yeah I’m about a week or 2 I’m getting that carbon fiber head band for my lcd2’s I’m pretty stoked to mid my lcd2 it’s gonna be awesome then hunt down carbon grilles and genuine leather pads

[@Puroplatino]

@Currawong what do you run those with? The Luxman? I was under the impression it only worked from the Schiit amp. Can you confirm this and also list some other amps that can run the LCD-R? Cheers Mate

[@Currawong]

An Audio-gd Master 10 from a Chord TT2/MS, or Audio-gd R-27HE.

[@marcorasero6003]

The Master 10 is an integrated amplifier that does not have a headphone output. How did you connect the Audeze to the Master 10?

[@Currawong]

Via an adaptor cable.

[@marcorasero6003]

@@Currawong Isn't there a risk of melting the headphones by connecting a power amplifier to a headphone? Did you put resistors on the cable to limit the power of the power amplifier? Thank you

[@nimzerz2422]

@@marcorasero6003 it is an integrated amplifier, meaning it has volume control

[@marcorasero6003]

@@nimzerz2422 Sometimes it's not enough to just keep the volume down. It depends on the power of the amp and the maximum power the headphones can tolerate.

[@nimzerz2422]

@@marcorasero6003 The volume control will reduce the amount of power going into the headphones, hence, lower volume

[@carlsitler9071]

I believe I have just gotten my foot into the audiophile door with my new M570 planars (wood cups) plugged into my Asgard 3 and Sanskrit 2. Know I can clearly hear how crappy some of my music is. But holy-moly! Yes - Close to the Edge.

[@xyanide1986]

Very curious to demo these some day.

[@ioreodream]

What does 'fast' mean in terms of the headphone?

[@Currawong]

The faster the driver can move, the more detail you hear, and the more overall clarity. This requires equally capable amplification.

[@allansh828]

damn it, they should mass produce these

[@gundum1o1]

Will you be reviewing the new flagship CRBN by Audeze??

[@Currawong]

Hopefully yes.

[@exodusvelo]

great video curra. get the bike!

[@lesthegreat]

Dam, I'm in the market for more headphones and amps at the moment. Would have purchased if available.

[@killeraudiofile8094]

Love the review, but I gotta ask: where are you finding the Susvara at 3k??

[@Currawong]

Other people have. Probably the best bet is to ask a regular dealer direct what the best price they can give is.

[@JMAudioEditions]

I gave a rave review on the GL1200 when I tested/reviewed them and I love those ribbon drivers with both the silver and the gold ribbon options- you can switch them out - I preferred the gold for more bass and more fullness... but they are Gold Planar and somewhat terrible with service and quality and look huge/ugly - while these LCR-R look gorgeous! hope they sound as good

[@jacksonville4932]

I never had the fazor touch my ears at all

[@jonathanr2830]

Very cool!

[@marcgii]

If Audeze insists you not publish measurements, then they probably have high unit to unit variability lol

[@Currawong]

It's more that a measurement on its own is close to meaningless if you don't know what equipment was used, what compensation was applied (if any) and how consistently the measurements are done. For me it was enough that I could get a fair idea of what I was seeing and how it related to what I was hearing, but posting it would result in people debating it and possibly misleading others. As for unit variation, you'd have to ask Audeze directly.

[@marcgii]

I looked into it and Audeze has a blog post about why they choose to not publish their measurements which is basically what Currawong says. While that view is understandable, I don't agree at all with the idea of with holding genuinely useful info because some people are ignorant. The G.R.A.S. rig is the industry standard. It'd be a different story if they were using some in house design. www.audeze.com/blogs/technology-and-innovation/the-problem-with-frequency-graphs-and-eq-compensation

[@RorroBejar]

Already sold out! Incredible and sad, I was about to get them.

[@justina9914]

On the bright side you saved 2.5k

[@i0001w]

Wow, you have Luxman Amplifier 🎉😎

[@Currawong]

It's borrowed from Stephane. I'll give it a quick review.

[@SiliDuffa]

@@Currawong G'day from down under! Yes please! I have too much gear. Need to consolidate and settle. I've been considering Luxman as a nice endgame dac/amp option. Looking forward to more awesome reviews. Also, have you heard of the Audio Technica AT-HA5050H?

[@dansaudioreviews]

Sold out in hours apparently. Tragedy.

[@lrmcatspaw1]

67 units only. Should have at least been 69. Also, 619 grams right? Thats too much for me 8().

[@sunaiphasuk]

They were sold out very quickly!

[@VBYTP]

It's this or upgrading to a nice R2R DAC from a D90... And I already have LCD-X... Decisions, decisions

[@shadouxg7150]

This definitely

[@VBYTP]

@@shadouxg7150 I just bought it myself. I figure I can resell for way more if I don't like it, plus even if I can't there's a 30 day return window. Hoping to love it tho as I won't be buying a Susvara anytime soon 😁

[@barbecuetechtips6024]

I'm against buying a headphone that is proprietary to an amp! Such as the Sonoma M1, LCD-R, Raal raal sr1a. I wouldn't touch a brick Audeze headphone anyway. No matter how great they sounded! I'll stick to electrostatic, dynamic, and other planar driver solutions.

[@Currawong]

It's not proprietary to an amp. You can put on a regular Audeze-compatible headphone cable and plug it into a regular headphone amp, though it may not be good for the amp. So far I've done this with a few amps, though I haven't turned the volume up loud as I don't want to damage anything.

[@barbecuetechtips6024]

@@Currawong its proprietary if they void your warranty if you change amps. Damaged goods.

[@jacksonville4932]

@@Currawong would the Benchmark AHB2 power amp be enough fir the LCDR?

[@xyzzyx6241]

Will you review the Audio GD A2? www.audio-gd.com/Pro/Headphoneamp/A2/A2EN.htm

[@carlsitler9071]

$2500 for headphones and amp but no dac? So $3000 to $5000 for the system? But I am mind blown with my new $500 system. Maybe my investments will pay off sooner than later.

[@archiemacdonald553]

wish i had the money .for this .typical of Audioholics to wish for things that are expensive .yuks 🤣🤣🤣

[@Dinrog]

sounds good, too bad theyre gone already lol