Audeze LCD-5 Review - Progress

[@beercn2]

I've seen a lot of your videos and the way you explain this review. The sound of excitement in your voice. One doesn't even have to understand a word you say to know how much fun you had with these headphones and how good they sound. No one can fake that. It's just based on tone of your voice and your body language it's different than every single video you have put out. For someone like your self who gets to listen that many flag ship head phones. If LCD-5 has this kind of effect on you, without your control I would say that's awesome . Thank you for the review.

[@muhammadmuflih5628]

You want to marry him or what

[@rlsmurfaccount6191]

Exactly why Im so excited to get these 5's! Resolve is so good at explaining, yet having a sense of enthusiasm to his voice. Usually, if he doesn't like a headphone, neither will I.

[@TiagrajI]

I got to listen to these at the shops. I was stunned. I even compared it to the susvara in the shop and stopped mid track to go back to listen to the lcd 5. So good

[@qqme2967]

Which one is better?

[@xylogeist91]

@@qqme2967 I prefer LCD-5 after listening to both

[@michaelkidd7811]

This comment doesn't just refer to this particular video- but virtually all of his videos. Andrew clearly has a passion for headphones and hifi more generally. His enthusiasm shines thru. I really enjoy his videos. He is informative with an extremely droll, dry self deprecating sense of humour. Simply the best!

[@rlsmurfaccount6191]

Completely Agree!

[@CheekyFest]

and he has a passion for EQ'ing headphones

[@04yellowjacket]

Excellent review. Love how you could hardly contain your enthusiasm. I listened to these for about 10 minutes +/- at CanJam SoCal and your video has reaffirmed my impressions. Like you seem to be in this video, I was very excited by them. When I first heard them I immediately started thinking "I am gonna have to sell a lot of gear to buy these puppies". For me they were better than the Susvara for exactly the reasons you describe here. Only for me the bass difference seemed a little more pronounced (again only 10 minutes with my own playlist). My precious.

[@VickyLovesHeadphones]

I love these wacky names Audeze uses to coin their tech - Fluxor magnets, Parallel Uniforce voice coils. Hell! Once this LCD hits 88 dB you're gonna hear some serious Schiit 😆

[@ryansemplexyz]

Magnetic flux density: the strength of the magnetic field in at a certain point. Audeze prides themselves for creating a magnetic structure that produces 1.5 teslas at the diaphragm trace on their previous LCD-4 models, and came up with the name as the marketing term for that accomplishment. Therefore, they call the tech "fluxor" because it's a lot easier than saying "our magnetic structure produces 1.5 tesla of magnetic flux at the diaphragm". Parallel unififorce voice coil: The voice coil is the electromagnetic device that turns EMF into mechanical motion. Instead of using a zig-zag pattern voice coil diaphragm like most planar headphones, they use strait lines, from one side of the diaphragm to the other. It has long been discovered that the best sonic reproduction comes from a plane where the entirety of the surface moves at a uniform velocity; this decreases noise and harmonics which in turn increase the audio fidelity. Therefore, they call the tech "parallel uniforce voice coil". It's not wacky; it's a technical description to the hardware.

[@danijel3227]

@@ryansemplexyz It's not wacky?? That is why she has 25 tumbs up and you 0 (Zero) (None).... It is wacky.

[@kyron42]

It's all about euphonics.

[@dangerzone8408]

@@kyron42 it's all about getting the best bang for your buck. And who doesn't enjoy a great bang for their buck.

[@rlsmurfaccount6191]

@@danijel3227 Well, you have no likes. what does that say about you? Point a finger, when 3 are pointing back at you.

[@BigMussMSFS]

Great review Andrew. I enjoy your videos, with the insight and the excitement you share. I'm going to get a TOTL headphone next year and will be checking out your reviews to get a shortlist to audition.

[@JTB--]

The most impressive thing about the LCD-5 is the 420 grams weight and how Audeze has figured out how to make a lighter headphone compared to something like the XC

[@kyron42]

So no need to attach large hydrogen balloons which I find incredibly inconvenient.

[@wafercrackerjack880]

That's not impressive, they should have done that years ago.

[@dark-california]

But apparently a really uncomfortable headset for long listen sessions ... ?

[@JTB--]

@@dark-california yeah many have said they don't like the clamp force on the LCD 5

[@dark-california]

@@JTB-- And suddenly so many on the used market For being a TOTL headphone ... 🤔

[@kortpr]

i liked the glasses joke. i just wanted you to know that.

[@Nitrium]

This is the review I was waiting for. Thanks Andrew.

[@jekken333]

For a 4k+ price tag, it's a shame that they still use the same adhesive to mount the ear pads.

[@piotrosinski-petestradamus6204]

Well, they did say they tried alternatives, but it changed the sound of the bass. So they went back to what worked best for them. I'm pretty sure they could've done what Meze did.

[@chunkylover5367]

That's the one thing that is such a pain in the ass with their headphones. I'm currently swapping out the old pads on my lcd4, and it's gonna take about an hour or two removing adhesive and restoring the leather.

[@olimphus26]

@@chunkylover5367 bruh it takes 10 minutes don’t be exaggerating Lmao.

[@chunkylover5367]

@@olimphus26 Not exaggerating with my lcd4. The old adhesive was so stubborn, and stuck to the housing.

[@olimphus26]

@@chunkylover5367 damn that sucks then

[@DirectorsGarage]

Great review!

[@newsigmundfreud3023]

👍🏻 😃 👋

[@robertreynolds2212]

Just purchased a used pair at an awesome discount. Can't wait to give it a listen bare bones and EQ later.

[@DeeneMuada]

the sound of these must be completely insane

[@metal571]

Audeze 2021: gIvE mE tHe ShOuT

[@daretobe957]

Finally someone mentioned the comfort with glasses! Love it

[@claudioagmfilho]

🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷👏🏻, Amazing, thanks for the review! Very informative...

[@_han.soso_]

excellent review once again :D

[@annarobertson8320]

Had Lcd 2 in 2018, sold them, but nothing comes close to Audeze, i just bought Lcd5 ,OMG 😊

[@herry1276]

Beautiful headphone. Can tell a lot of effort was put into designing it.

[@gregoryggood]

I wonder how this LCD-5s sound compare to ribbon based headphones like the RAAL-Requisite SR1a, the Gold Planar GL1200 and Audeze's own limited edition LCD-R.

[@ryansemplexyz]

The LCD-4 uses a refined version of the "ribbon" tech on the LCD-5. Edit: What I meant to say was the LCD-5 was a revised version of the LCD-R tech. I have both headphones sitting in front of me so this is extra embarrassing!

[@diudiamoustache7765]

@@ryansemplexyz Ryan, you missed everything - LCD-R is a ribbon driver headphone released by Audeze this year.

[@EssenceofPureFlavor]

@@ryansemplexyz umm no

[@ryansemplexyz]

@@diudiamoustache7765 Oh snap, I said LCD-4 instead of LCD-5, and LCD-5 instead of LCD-R. What I meant to say was the LCD-5 was a revised version of the LCD-R tech. I have both headphones sitting in front of me so this is extra embarrassing!

[@klaymoon1]

Great review. I wish Audeze will add the meta absorber on the next version to polish up the frequency curve.

[@fuzecap]

What do you mean by this

[@Tsukino_u]

​@@fuzecap something dca had done with their stealth headphones, by making a meta absorber that acts as a frontal resonator/diffuser without the typical drawbacks you get from cloth/foam frontal damping systems such as the reduction of leading edge and slam, while still maintaining distortion in check, problem is research and manufacturing cost (although should be 3d-printable, as well as the added problem of designing another headphone chassis from scratch

[@AF-rd2vf]

I’m keeping my LCD-4’s because they have the sound signature that I like…detailed with warmth and that bass.

[@teighan7829]

Nice, I bet they sound great

[@casualmime2792]

Yeah this seems like more of a side grade than an upgrade.

[@dark-california]

And ... comfortable vs the LCD-5 ... 😉👌

[@OblivionIce]

I could buy this guy 10 drinks and just listen.

[@sjqideez6626]

Thanks for this Andrew, it’s still nice to see your passion & excitement for the LCD-5 even after hearing quite a lot of headphones (although new toy syndrome is a real thing). Please do a video of the negative sonic effects applying digital EQ has on music playback (phase distortion, digital artefacts) , thanks again.

[@TheHEADPHONEShow]

Phase is less of an issue with headphones because they're generally minimum phase devices. So time domain information is proportional to frequency response information. The bigger issue is that it's difficult to EQ narrow peaks in the treble, because all the information above like... 7khz, is a bit of a positional nightmare to get perfect. So you can risk seriously messing things up by doing that. Low Q adjustments are safer in that regard. As far as other issues, you have to make sure pre-gain is negative proportional to whatever the max gain your adjustment has, otherwise you'll incur clipping issues. As far as digital artifacts, you shouldn't have to deal with that unless you're using something nonstandard in the output stack, like a virtual audio cable for example.

[@masterxyr]

@@TheHEADPHONEShow so the trade-off is really worth it as the audible positive differences far outweigh the negatives?

[@jacksonville4932]

@@masterxyr I'd say yeah but it depends on the can and whether or not they have a high harmonic distortion

[@annarobertson8320]

I listened to Lcd5 for 1st listen then switched to Meze Elite, the elite i had on my head for 20 seconds max, no hesitation in buying Lcd5 s

[@jm56481]

good job Anna

[@bobsykes]

Super informative review. It's maybe an unusual reaction, but this and other reviews of this headphone make me want to look for a used LCD-4. Have you listened to the LCD-4z that is still in production?

[@malinyamato2291]

I want to buy this but it is sooo weird that Audeze does not include a balanced cable at this price! it is 2022 and still, SE is the standard.

[@arthurhaywood2184]

How about Audeze making a straight-out-of-the-box proper sounding headphone & then let me further adjust it if I feel the need to? I still live in an predominantly analogue world when it comes to high end audio which makes adjusting after the fact either cumbersome or difficult. I just don't get Audeze's approach & to be honest, I find their headphones to be unimpressive & not worth the asking price. It's a brand that I want to like but......

[@Voidward]

I've not heard a single headphone in my life that didn't sound significantly better after EQ. You're just being stubborn and missing out as a result.

[@arthurhaywood2184]

@@Voidward Or perhaps you just prefer flawed headphones that you have to “fix”. I value tonality & timbre first. I find that those who prefer to equalize value technicalities first & then will try to fix tonality. If your running a digital system, cool but running an analogue system requires additional equipment which more will than likely does as much harm as good.

[@Voidward]

@@arthurhaywood2184 There is no such thing as unflawed or perfect headphones. It sounds like nonsense you say to convince yourself that the way you do things is correct. I value a lot of the technical aspect in a headphone, but it's specifically because unlikely tonality, you can't add or fix those things with EQ. The headphones either output them or they don't. Poor tonality would completely prevent me from enjoying any of those aspects however. It's a roadblock. But as I said, never in my life have a heard a headphones that I would use without EQ once I know how could it could sound when adjusted. You're leaving performance on the floor and using some flawed puritan reseaaoning for why you shouldn't bother.

[@Tacet137]

​@@arthurhaywood2184then get some digital grandpa, LCD-5 with EQ is close to HE-1 for a friction of the price

[@ideoidiom]

Is Susvara still your favourite headphone all things EQ'd? Does Susvara have better uppermids/treble after LCD5 is EQ'd?

[@dangerzone8408]

Good question.

[@xsouldriverx]

I just think they could have picked a prettier acetate than the old tortoise shell brown

[@chipsnmydip]

In reality it's pretty close to solid black.

[@zackw4941]

Hopefully Canjam will happen next year. I'd like to hear it. As for the cost of Audeze products, I recommend finding local dealers and asking about B stock units. I got my new LCD-2c for $550 and then my new LCD-4 for $2800.

[@ChrisKeyman]

Hello, which one has better sub bass?

[@zackw4941]

@@ChrisKeyman Between the LCD-2c and LCD-4? They have a very similar overall signature. What I would think of as the Audeze house sound. The 4 is simply a little bit better in every way, other than build quality, comfort and efficiency. Of all the LCD series, the 2c is probably the most durable and the lightest, because of the composite cups. Going from the LCD-2c to the LCD-3 to the LCD-4, you get more depth and clarity at each step. I'm not sure the 3 is really worth it over the 2, but the 4 feels more complete somehow. I've only heard LCD-X at shows and don't care for it. Others, I can't comment on.

[@bonanzabrandon6877]

I imagine if someone is looking at headphones in this price range today that the DCA Stealth is on their list. I know it's closed back but it is planar and has unique technology that would make for an interesting comparison.

[@stiggles98]

Honestly the stealth was just fine. It wasn't exciting to me at all; granted it wasn't *bad* at all either, just... vanilla.

[@Theatre_Of_Noise]

Always enjoy your reviews, but please discuss the best amplifier and dac pairings with headphones you review. Thank you!

[@brothatwasepic]

The LCD4 just screams luxury

[@AndyNicholson]

So when is the giveaway competition?............. because I do not have a chance of ever owning this lol

[@stiggles98]

I tried these at Canjam, and while they were very very good, I wasn't sold. They weren't comfortable on my head; heavy clamp and immediate pressure on and around my ears; also, the high end was just a little too sharp for my taste. I'd love a chance to sit down with them again in a quiet environment and with my own music, but overall, at that price bracket, I had some other preferences.

[@toraow]

What did you prefer? I'm a huge sucker for the Susvara and Diana TC. Both for different genres and use cases however.

[@stiggles98]

@@toraow Susvara was definitely better, as well as the D8000 Pro.

[@dark-california]

That's what I hear more and more Really a uncomfortable pair of headphones ! Also suddenly many pop up used around $ 3K ... ? Cheapest one last week $ 2,800.00 Is comfort the reason perhaps ?

[@stiggles98]

@@dark-california the low price is probably to do with the badly glued cable terminals.

[@dark-california]

@@stiggles98 Another issue I was really looking to get a pair But someone pulled out his connectors since they are glued as you say Next glued earpads And uncomfortable All this for a few thou ... 🤔

[@Manuel-cb5jj]

Good review and looks like a good headphone, but $4500 is quite unattainable ... On the other hand, the important thing 😄. Andrew, did I hear right the mention of topping A90?

[@markusbeck5133]

Dear Team , sorry very stupid question, how do you EQ the headphones ? Thanks and regards from Switzerland

[@kennethgross8079]

I have an LCD-5 headed my way. Some newby questions: What software do you use to tune your headphones? Is there an app in the iOS store that comes close to replicating this software? For my home theater, I am not aware of headphone amps/dacs that permit anything other than rudimentary frequency adjustments. I assume that I would need an equalizer between my source player (Oppo UDP-205) and my headphone amp??

[@casualmime2792]

When they say acetate they mean plastic right? I mean there are lighter verites and aluminum headphones out there. Like why use steel rods? It almost seems like they cut costs because the wood was more expensive. At 4500 moving to plastic seems like a misstep.Why not lean into carbon fiber at that price point?

[@barbaroja.mp3]

brilliant! wish I had the money

[@chrisw7188]

why should you "have" to EQ them? id argue they should come from the factory sounding perfect, given how close to the top spot they are

[@Foxrock321]

I just bought the LCD 3. Which I thought was a lot, ( even with an EBay discount). So we’ll see where I go from here….never spent this much for a pair of headphones..but spending $4500. For the LCD 5. The Point of diminishing returns comes to mind…

[@DJR5280]

I wish you had some EQ recommendations for the LCDi4

[@matthiasbroek8055]

A bit stiffer ear pads is good. With the lcd-x my ears are touching the inner surface of the ear cups (not the side pads but the planar/fazor part) because the pads are quite soft.

[@newdevilman1167]

Great video, got me wondering about whether I should EQ my cans or not. Also interested in your comment that Meze Elite is no comparison to LCD5. Although there are lots of criticism on the build quality of LCD5, I think Audeze will continue supply them like that(glue on connectors part).

[@michaelp.3485]

So two people on the echo chamber that is Reddit had an issue with their connectors and now suddenly this supposedly a big deal?! Get real. Hey my ZMF Verite also had a connector pull out of the cup too. I guess you better write off ZMF headphones also then.

[@newdevilman1167]

@@michaelp.3485 mate, I am writing this because there are postings from Korean head-fi communities as well. As a high end product consumer, QC is expected at utmost perfect. I am surprised you are this much forgiving to the brand and hostile towards fellow audiophile consumer. Don’t you think how you are reacting is inappropriate? DCS Stealth shipment to Korea are showing little poor craftsmanship on earpads sewing quality. So as a consumers you just swallow any issue as you don’t think is a major deal? You provide feedbacks so you get the quality for spending top dollars which you earn diligently. Get real, mate!

[@adrianmorrish8494]

This was a major learning point for me, I never doubted you of course 😁 but I did wonder why no one could make a high end headphone you we're satisfied with out of the box. So high up the chain do the technical limitations kick in? So my Sundara many say dosen't need much EQ although I do boost base a little and maybe a smidge around 2 and 7 k but it sounds great to me for the right music out f the box.

[@TheHEADPHONEShow]

Yeah the Sundara is really excellent, and adding a bass shelf makes it that much better

[@SpirallingOut]

I prefer the more classic LCD design. Particularly the LCD-X. I'm going to stick to saving for the 2021 revision & a WA7 Fireflies Gen-III. I just hope Audeze have either a revision of the LCDi4 or an LCDi5 large IEM in the works that doesn't need a cipher cable to sound good. P.S. The Susvara are a seven & a half thousand dollar headpone (here in Australia) with the same cheap square headband design as my shitty M1060's. Typical Chi-Fi.

[@elhijueputa8423]

I also have the LCD-X 2021 and I ordered the WA7 Fireflies.. should be shipping to me next week. Can't wait to try it. I currently only have solid state amps in the Singxer SA-1 and Burson Soloist 3XP. The LCD-X with EQ is definitely a baller headphone.

[@spartanV48]

I agree looks wise, but the LCD-5 is way more comfortable

[@brkly99]

A little bit of clamp is understating it. I had to take it off after 30 minutes. Hope they fix that

[@swiftshinobi8337]

Can you review the ibasso sr2, very punchy bass without bleeding into mids, gentle and Rich mids, treble is just there without being sharp and it even reacts to EQ like a planar!

[@arrakian]

Great review. I look for the same things in a headphone, but I won’t be EQing: there’s no global EQ on iOS, -yet. I need to get an updated computer; maybe then. 😋

[@9216deserter]

Of course there is... its called EQE and is the most amazing equalizer ever existed in iOS... Free your mind from Apple’s limitations... Jailbreak is the light ...

[@tomtang8708]

My guess is that, it is certainly not solely the level of high frequency that gives the sense of high resolution but it is the tuning of the frequency response. LCD5 has sufficient 500hz-5khz and over emphasized 3k which contributes to the sense of clarity. The shape of 1-3k and subdued 6-10k may help to make those region even more pronounced without being sibilant and edgy. I mean the shape and the balance of the response gives us the sense of high resolution, not solely the level of certain frequency. After EQ? Without showing the actual EQed frequency response, it is harder to discuss.

[@enjoshi-godrez8775]

Your point is debunked by the LCD4. Very sharp recession in the upper midrange that never recovers in the treble yet he still said its massively resolving pre EQ in his review. Things like impulse response are a real thing and the driver is simply more detailed regardless of what the FR is.

[@aldoantoniovicentesilva6996]

Which solid state amplifier and which tube amplifier would you suggest to match the specs of the Audeze LCD-5? Thanks for the attention!!!

[@aceofspades6667]

As someone who picked the 1266 Phi TC over susvara the LCD5 is on the shortlist of a flagship pairings. Also considering used LcD4 sub $2k a Final D8k pro at $3k and a used Utopia at $2.2k. Not sure what is the move to make. Weight does not bother me as I used an eames chair for listening.

[@haberdasherrykr8886]

Hello may I ask what was lacking in susvara for you

[@dittottid]

Could you please share the EQ that you do with LCD-5? I am quite clueless on how to EQ it and is seeking a good reference

[@chipsnmydip]

Got mine yesterday. Definitely the most detailed, dynamic and lifelike I've heard. But after 12 hours there is still a bit of midrange "nose" on these that sounds a little unbalanced and sub bass is a bit light. Not as wide or expansive as my Empyrean, nor the same bass weight. Clamp is real, but I guess you get over it. I'm not a fan of eq because it reduces the sound quality a bit, and I no longer have a playback chain that can do it anyway. I hope Audeze aren't building their phones around eq'ers because I'd much rather it sound right without signal manipulation and the artifacts that come with it

[@dnalekaw4699]

eq does not reduce sound quality

[@chipsnmydip]

@@dnalekaw4699 it absolutely does. I am a mix engineer. I've used a wide gamut of plugin EQs, analog eqs, mastering EQs. Only a handful of passive eq designs don't cause phase shift and phase distortion. Pretty much all digital EQ except maybe a rack mount Weiss unit audible reduce audio quality when engaged. Consumer stuff like Audeze Reveal sounds like garbage. Unless I have a hardware EQ like Weiss, GML or Pultec, equal in price as the LCD-5 I'm not going to be fixing my headphone FR.

[@dnalekaw4699]

@@chipsnmydip @Ian Brown as long as you aren't plugging massive fr nulls with high q filters the myth that eq degrades sound quality is most of the time just bollocks

[@chipsnmydip]

@@dnalekaw4699 I just said that my work involves using tons of EQ, usually on dozens of instruments individually, and then a little bit on the stereo buss. It is not a myth but a lived reality. EQ creates artifacts, as does most DSP in general. There is no perfect equalizer, especially if you need a parametric to fix multiple bands with big boosts and cuts. Like sure, if you use a passive analog EQ to boost really big shelves a decibel or two, but that's not what we are talking about.

[@BlackthorneSoundandCinema]

You're right. As close as possible without eq is the best. Most eqs really degrade quality with all kind of artefacts. I do a very gentle eq with Fab Filter Pro Q in natural phase mode and it ain't bad at all. You can load it in Audirvana.

[@marksnetkov]

When you say eq, would sonarworks eq parameters work for this?

[@captainlestenkof2300]

The thing is only has 14 ohms being put out. How come I'd need Amp? That's lower than most headphones I've seen the past couple years that put out at 32ohms. Just curious.

[@michaelp.3485]

Because the sensitivity is still lower than a lot of other headphones out there, at 90db/1mw. For comparison, the Susvara (one of, if not THE hardest to drive headphones out there) is 83db/1mw. The LCD-X, a relatively easy headphone to drive, is 103db/1mw. So the LCD-5 is pretty much in the middle, closer to Susvara than LCD-X regarding efficiency. So while the low impedance (ohms) means that you can theoretically run them out of a laptop headphone jack for example, all the characteristics of the headphone will be significantly suppressed.

[@captainlestenkof2300]

@@michaelp.3485 thanks

[@michaelp.3485]

@@captainlestenkof2300 You're welcome.

[@akeluify]

At such a low impedance the current requirement goes up a lot. Many devices wouldn't provide enough current on tap to properly drive such a headphone that really demands it if you want to extract your values worth.

[@zergolicious666]

got my um mest mk ii, time to save up for these babies looks like :D

[@eskamobob8662]

You've used sus on a 13r. That is plenty plenty for near totl slam on sus. A couple amps with some more but you certainly have a good idea of what's there. Just add a hair more snappiness and leading edge impact to the 13r

[@TheHEADPHONEShow]

Yeah you're right, I did hear it with an end game amp haha

[@soundeq5859]

great review, and very intriguing, can I ask which would you prefer to listen to without EQ the LCD5 or LCD4, especially when it comes to male vocals such as Leonard Cohen for example the song " you want it darker". Also could please talk a bit about the new lcd4 pads and what is excepted from getting the new pads.

[@Josh-os2px]

Good question because I just purchased a used Lcd-4 and the pads needs to be replaced was wondering which pads are worth buying?

[@NaveenVenkataraman]

Resolve, what's your take on the detail retrieval on these compared to the KSE1200?

[@rogerhuston8287]

Would you get the LCD5 over/instead of the Susvara? Or are you looking in addition to?

[@Blitztriech]

i really want to purchase an audeze headphones especially lcd-x but the weight makes me have a second thought

[@harackmw]

Yeah no doubt. I demoed the X and 2c and could feel it on my neck within 30 minutes. Not for long listening sessions.

[@kyron42]

So the bottom line is if you don't EQ or you don't care about sound quality LCD 5 may not be the best value.

[@fullyverified7491]

Don't care about sound quality?

[@mikedergalev]

EQ is not necessary. And u won't be missing out almost at all. It's just the guy likes to EQ, that's all🤗

[@kyron42]

@@mikedergalev EQ can make an average headphone sound much better and much more enjoyable.

[@mikedergalev]

@@kyron42 lcd-5 is no average headphones🤗

[@tdg176]

@@mikedergalev Not necesary but strongly advised or your missing out. Why spend £4500 and miss out?

[@pipe_dev_null]

Don’t like the black and brown rings. Don’t like that they still don’t have an easily replaceable ear pad. Other than that, these seem like real winners.

[@marc8vino]

I want to use the RME 2/4 DAC AMP for EQ. I will add a bas shelf with he basic bass knob at +3db? What frequency and what q should I add to the high trebles...2db at 10k? Would that gives these phones an accurate EQ? Thank You

[@The_Hipster_Cow]

Are you going to get the Audeze carbons in?

[@billyc3161]

How does the LCD-5 compare to the Abbys 1266 phi tc? When it comes to detail and such?

[@nortonfamily6711]

better, supposedly.

[@tdg176]

He literaly tells you in this video

[@GadZookz]

Regarding the parallel uniforce, because this Resolve has a beard does that mean this is the dark-mirror uniforce? 🤔

[@hankduncan8884]

What would a 2021 LCD-X compare to an LCD-5? Percentage wise, how much does it give you In comparison. Would it be accurate to say that the X is 80% of the 5? (detail retrieval, image clarity etc).

[@mikedergalev]

80%?? U must be kidding.

[@hankduncan8884]

@@mikedergalev Elaborate.

[@mikedergalev]

@@hankduncan8884 i would assume it's more like lcd-x is 40% of lcd-5. What you consider is impossible, even with all EQs of the world. Those price-tags are not just for looks, they are justified. I have Xs myself, happy and all, but i want ENDGAME stuff. Take your time save some cash and do yourself a pleasure🤗

[@dark-california]

@@mikedergalev End game maybe yes But definitely not 4.5 'better' vs the LCD-X Also it's not a comfortable pair if you want to use it for long sessions

[@mikedergalev]

@@dark-california i don't think long sessions are healthy. I myself listen to music for 2 hours, 3 max. Ok, what would u choose for endgame period?

[@kevinstarski1598]

So why the heck did they sound so lackluster to these ears in 2 different set ups at Canjam?

[@exol511]

What are your most used headphones? Chance is you are just used to whatever you listen to the most. Also I can think that a open back headphone might not get the best representation in a loud convention room.

[@eastgreenlander5016]

How do you EQ headphones? Using The dac or amp?

[@michaelp.3485]

Forget it. Deleted comment. Figure it out.

[@olenronning5868]

If cost was not an issue would you go LCD-5 with EQ or Susvara (no EQ)?

[@thefrator5275]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/f4GroJyPlLFnrpI - he'd buy a LCD-5 if it wasn't so clampy.

[@Voidward]

$5600 CAD before tax, $6400 after tax? Sweet Jesus, I think I'll have to keep being happy with my LDC2c.

[@BaldyBaeby]

Well, i had the LCD 4 for a long time. I've bought the LCD 2closed. I prefer the lcd-2cb without EQ. It's all subjective opinion. I might be crazy preferring the low tier audeze gear. Lcd5 are interesting, not the usual audeze tuning.

[@Voidward]

@@BaldyBaeby I don't think I'll ever trade or sell the LCD2c because it's a subbass monster. That's a party trick that few headphones do, and it's a fun one.

[@mikekay8463]

HI great video.Please excuse my ignorance, where do I find how to eq headphones and what equipment needed. Also I currently have the Obravo planar ear phones do you think the LCD5 would be an significant improvement on these?

[@dennisd9875]

Thoughts on comparison to the Audeze CRBN?

[@kevinstarski1598]

No comparison. CRBN smokes it.

[@dennisd9875]

@@kevinstarski1598 Do you have them or did you compare at CanJam?

[@TheHEADPHONEShow]

Resolve here. I definitely prefer the LCD-5. CRBN is for 'timbre', LCD-5 is more detailed to my ear.

[@kevinstarski1598]

@@dennisd9875 At CanJam. Heard both headphones on both different systems.

[@bahendri3722]

Will a Hugo 2 as amp be strong enough for the lcd5?

[@aldphillip2003]

You compared the Utopia with the Susvara with it's own separate video.. Now compare the LCD-5 to the Susvara.

[@TheHEADPHONEShow]

Without EQ, Susvara. With EQ... That's tough.

[@ofrantzvag]

Anyone tested the LCD-5 with the Little Labs Monotor? I´m looking for a small-ish amp with balanced xlr in. No need for a dac. Are there other good alternatives to the Monotor? The LCD-5 has pretty low impedance and sensitvity. I like Monotor features like mono button and so on. Cheers

[@barbarapearce7323]

Nice

[@ChrisKeyman]

The sub bass is better at this or at the lcd-xc?

[@TheHEADPHONEShow]

Lcd5

[@ChrisKeyman]

@@TheHEADPHONEShow but very expensive... What else would you suggest for good and pronounced sub bass? Price Less than 2000$ Thank you!

[@marv1nperator]

The cups look really cheap, at least in comparison to the 4 and considering the price.

[@marc8vino]

I just can't seem to get the punch and attack on these. I am using EQ on the DAC / AMP RME 2/4 and even tried the EQ in Apple Music lossless. No matter what I do I am missing the attack, slam or punch. Am I just too used to Focal Clears and Stellia's? I enjoy the smoother sound but I want to feel more energy from the bass drums and bass. Any suggestions?

[@marc8vino]

Sounds like utopia is what I might be looking for.

[@250Pants]

Hi Andrew, I have an all-analogue audio chain straight from my TT to ALO Audio Studio Six phono stage + amp. Any suggestions on how to add an analogue EQ unit to my setup? Thank you

[@hubertpoint10]

Shiit Audio has some analog EQ units :)

[@beercn2]

You use Peace + Equalizer APO correct if so are you just listening to everything in 44K without (Use Exclusive Mode) both in Tidal and Qobuz? Because when you switch that on the EQ is turned off. How do you get around that?

[@TheHEADPHONEShow]

You can use Qobuz without exclusive mode. ROON has more trouble with that, so just put the filters into ROON's EQ if you use that.

[@beercn2]

@@TheHEADPHONEShow Do you have a video that talks about roon and how to EQ it properly?

[@kyron42]

When are you going to start showing waterfall plots which help to give a visual representation of what you are hearing.

[@fullyverified7491]

Waterfall plots are too inconsistent on headphones to be conclusive of anything unfortauntely.

[@TheHEADPHONEShow]

CSD is somewhat meaningless, because headphones are generally minimum phase, meaning time domain information is proportional to frequency response. This subject has been discussed at great length, and the bottom line is that for headphones it's simply not important, nor is indicative of what it LOOKS like.

[@fullyverified7491]

@@TheHEADPHONEShow thank you for clearing that up properly

[@kyron42]

@@TheHEADPHONEShow Yes headphone transducers are mostly minimum-phase but so what. Waterfall plots clearly show resonances. How else do you explain disparity between frequency response and sound quality. Do you have a link with a clear explanation.

[@lextr3110]

@@kyron42 hehe look at his EQ.. he clearly like high mid resonance, this is why he doesn't care.. he call this "ear gain" hahaha

[@chefsteve8381]

Extra long straw ! NICE

[@vlad973]

You don't look weird.

[@Sebastian-gc2hc]

Get lcd ribbon or lcd electrostatic.

[@chefsteve8381]

The way headphone technologies are tracking headphones like this will become the new standard in a few more years, I'll wait till they cost $500 and not $5000 !

[@kyron42]

In a couple years you might pick up a bargain second hand.

[@danijel3227]

Are you a child? Born yesterday?

[@chefsteve8381]

@@danijel3227 Having a bad day ?

[@exol511]

It is not in the manufacturers interest to drop prices for luxury items unlike mass produced consumer items. This is not your PC or TV industry where you can get a vastly superior or equal product for less in just a couple of years. Especially with audio where there is a celling to how good it can get and there has not been nearly as many breakthroughs as in other industry. They will try to always keep the high end audio as a luxury. Even apple airpods max for example (which do not sound very good imo) are 480$ and they get clobbered by much cheaper hifi headphones. For the price to go down that much you need to be selling a LOT of products and with the cost of the components+labor a headphone like this is really inefficient to mass produce.

[@chefsteve8381]

@@exol511 i know what your are saying, but china will get a hold of things like this and just copy them like everything else... besides how far can we go, the human hearing can only hear to a certain level. I found stax some 30 years ago and still sound fantastic today.

[@mattmateo5730]

I think this will be my endgame... For a while lol

[@frankjenko1136]

So how does to stack up (overall) against the Susvara? You mentioned this topic briefly, but left us hanging in the end... ;-)

[@nortonfamily6711]

better bass/lower mid resolution, tactility, micro/macro dynamics. Resolution across the rest of the frequency response is similar, with the susvara taking a slight lead in the treble. Slightly less wide soundstage, than the susvara but close. Less neutral FR, but extremely straightforward to eq. Much easier to drive. Quite frankly, for me personally, the LCD-5 sounds like a much better buy. $2k cheaper, with a good number of advantages over the Susvara, and only a few aspects in which it barely loses to the Susvara.

[@haberdasherrykr8886]

@@nortonfamily6711 I think you are making your self believe what you want to be true, there's a commenter here named Ian brown that says, the sub-bass is not good at all (there's my inference. So take that bias as you will), the dynamics and tactility and all that are slightly (not vastly just like you reinstated to make yourself feel good are) better for mid bass to low mids Resolution is lacking and freequency response is neutral -ish sure but Andrew said that's not not good without eq and ofc the graph does not convey the missing aspects of what one can hear than what can be measured.

[@haberdasherrykr8886]

@@nortonfamily6711 Mid forward cans not straight forward which does not barely lose to susvara, it loses by a lot Also there's no need to state small lack of soundstage by reiterating it with saying "not a lot, just barely" That's what i used to do to make myself feel good/ validated for my purchase But i had to realize there's no replacement for displacement (you do get more for paying more) and that's the only way

[@nortonfamily6711]

@@haberdasherrykr8886 it takes only a couple of filters to EQ to neutral. That is objectively far easier to eq than something like an abyss headphone, and thus the fr isnt a problem for people who arent irrationally closed minded to the prospect of eq. If hes comparing dynamics and tactility to that of the HE-6, I think its entirely fair to say that the lcd5 has the susvara beat here. The FR, audezes reputation regarding bass, and resolves opinions all support the notion that subbass is top notch, which is far more convincing than one random dude in the comment section who may not have even gotten a proper seal with the pads. Resolve himself mentions that the soundstage isnt that much narrower than the susvara. If anything, given your last sentence, it sounds like you might be trying to validate the fact that you actually spent 6k on the susvara, and dont want to believe that something this much cheaper can directly compete with it on pretty much every metric of sound quality. I personally dont have a horse in this race; I dont own either headphone. I'm merely restating impressions ive heard comparing the two headphones.

[@haberdasherrykr8886]

@@nortonfamily6711 i too am horseless

[@olimphus26]

shots fired to those headfi users talking trash lmao.

[@mobcrusher4193]

Can you do a comparison video of the audeze lineup

[@MRFUTURETECHNOLOGYGAMING]

It's smaller the LCD 4 in size and in driver size con I miss the big 106mm driver and housing and 200ohms but not the weight but good job audeze everywhere else tho and nice joke Andrew

[@gunnarsandberg8132]

CAPS_name xD

[@plebmike8997]

Can someone point me to a good eq tutorial video?

[@deanbitle6086]

Try beginning with "How to EQ Headphones - Featuring Audeze LCD-X 2020 (not 2021)". This video is given by Andrew of the Headphone Show.

[@nikolaygramchev]

How does the LCD-5 compare to the HEDDphone? I find the FR graphs very similar except for the high frequency. Does the HEDD reprieve more detail?

[@Josh-os2px]

HEDD is hot doo doo 💩💩🔥

[@danhule]

420g weight.... nice XD

[@lrmcatspaw1]

ok. Now bring this to cheaper stuff Audeze....