My current headphone is the Arya with the Hugo 2 as amp/dac. Still enjoying this combo a lot but also looking forward to a next step.
For me the portability of the Hugo is perfect. I’m mostly listening on the couch not nearby audio gear.
Curious how the lcd5 will perform with the Hugo 2. Anyone an idea on how much is missed compared with a good dedicated amp?
Owned the ARYA while owning LCD-5.
Would say it will power LCD-5 just fine as there not super power hungry. Used to have the volume pot slightly higher for arya from memory to the LCD-5 but probably not by much.
Sound awesome from a rebelamp that has 1watt of power to be honest.
Been thinking about saving up for a Ferrum Oor but not sure if this is worth it as I am super happy how it sound with cheaper solid states.
Hey everyone!
Really liking my LCD-5, made me sell all my other planars lol
I’m now left with two headphones in my collection - the 5 and HD800S.
I feel like the 800 isn’t a real good complimentary pair to the 5s which I do most of my listening through.
I was wondering what you guys think could be a good pairing to them? It doesn’t necessarily have to be a completely different sound signature but it should feel like it stands on its own.
Is it a Susvara? HE1000SE? Meze Elite? Verite Open/Closed? D8000? go the tube route? electrostatics?
With all those questions, I think the best thing to do is find someplace where you can actually try this stuff out, as you are the only one who knows what kind of sound you’re looking for…
100% agree, although it’s impossible to find a place that really has most of this available (as far as I know at least) hence I’m looking for some guiding recommendations or thoughts of people that might have similar collections or tried other combinations…
I’m a proponent of one TOTL planar and one TOLT dynamic if one can swing it. Since you already have the planar, what about the Focal Utopia? You could also look into estats.
I can understand that logic but what would I gain from the Utopia over the 5? what’s are the main sonic differences and advantages?
I tried the Clear MG and didn’t like it much… is that indicative of what I’ll think of the Utopia? how about ZMF?
@orrman - Hi! I’ve got both Utopia and LCD-5 (Susvara, too) - to me, what the Utopia brings to the table like no other headphone I’ve heard is DEPTH. Certainly not as wide a soundstage as most cans, but the depth cues are amazing. With the right amp and music, it can be like floating around through the band. But both those headphones can really crank it and rock out, if that’s what you like!
What would you consider the right amp? I drive my 5s with a Denafrips Ares II balanced to HeadAmp GS-X mini. Also have a RME ADI-2 here for some occasions.
What’s your thoughts of the Susvara compared to the other two? I had my eyes on them for a while before the 5 but was worried about the recommendation of speaker amps when the 5 came out it struck the perfect balance of what I was looking for… but now I keep looking at them again lol
You’re asking the right (or wrong, depending on how you look at it) person about amps, 'cause I’ve currently got 4 headphone amps residing in my apartment! I used to use the RME as a DAC, btw.
Tubes are represented by an Auris Nirvana and an Eddie Current Studio B.
In the solid-state corner are the two most recent additions to the stable, an Ferrum Hypsos/Oor stack and a recently-released Enleum 23R, which is the updated version of the Bakoon 13R and then some.
Oh, and I pre-ordered a Donald North Stratus that should be showing up by sometime in the summer, I hope!
I have no idea what I’m keeping and what I’ll be selling! Between those, 3 headphones, and 2 DAC’s (MSB Analog DAC and Holo May), I gotta lotta serious comparin’ to do, that’s fer shure! 
When it comes to clarity, transparency, and ‘there’-ness, ain’t nuthing I’ve heard like the Susvara. It’s REALLY easy to forget you’re even wearing headphones, and not just because of the comfort. I’ve never heard eStats, either speakers or headphones, but it’s kinda what I imagine those might be like, a little.
Thanks that’s helpful and may I add you have quite the setup!
My feeling is that it’s going to take me quite a long time to move away from my current Ares II and GS-X mini. I’m not convinced I can justify to myself getting more expensive electronics instead of trying more headphones or getting new speakers.
That said, the LCD-5 sounds so damn good I don’t see a lot of reasons to get anything at all lol
Only real reason I want to make sure to have alternatives is so my brain can readjust once in a while and I get to enjoy each pair more and for a longer period.
I might try to audition the Susvara and Utopia somewhere as they seem to be the two options that keep coming back. That and maybe dipping my toes into the tube world with the 5s.
Damn you LCD-5 you’re such a good headphone haha
In terms of pairing, how do you find the lcd5 with the studio b? I’m interested in the lcd5 but am not too keen on getting another amp just to run it so was wondering if this would be a good match.
It sounds good to me on the LCD-5, with nothing apparently lacking. Sounds great with Utopia, too, but doesn’t have quite the juice for the Susvara.
Sorry, I know that’s a pretty lame description… But keep in mind that I’ve also got a $1400 pair of WE 300B tubes in there so I could get that Studio B to sound as good as it can…
Just got my LCD-5 measurements, doesn’t look like the others I’ve seen online? or maybe I’m not reading it right? any help would be appreciated. I’m mainly trying to figure out best EQ optimization and comparison to @Resolve and @Chrono proposed EQs.
Audeze sent you the compensated measurement, as opposed to the raw measurements that you’ve seen online/here. Audeze has their own in-house target curve, and a flat line on the graph would represent adhering perfectly to that specific target. In this instance, your headphone measurement deviates a little from the Audeze in-house target, mostly after 1 KHz.
Check out the Raw vs Compensated section from this write-up - it’ll better explain things: Measurements and Frequency Response in Headphones
that makes so much sense, thank you!
That is good to know. Glad to see more manufacturers producing easy to drive flagship planar.
What do you think of the WE 300Bs?
I sold my LCD-5 to invest more in my 2-channel setup.
I’m thinking of building a BH BeePree 2 and eventually upgrade the 300Bs to new WE.
They sound a whole lot better than either the Gold Lion or JJ 300B’s! They’re excellent. Could I have gotten something just as good for less $$$? Most likely so, though not with a 5 year warranty, and I didn’t feel like doing a whole lot of tube rolling…
When I first heard the Susvara, it reminded me of a planar 009, so much so that I didn’t get it because I had the 009 at the time. Mainly in terms of their shared ethereal character. There are certainly frequency and timbre differences - but that was the feeling I got. I later bought it when I moved to a dynamic/planar setup.
