Audeze LCD-X Open-Back Planar Headphone - Official Thread

Reyess · May 6, 2021, 10:27am

I do not recommend the Roon Audeze presets.

As seductive as a simple pre-built click to EQ a known model - built by the mfgr themselves sounds…

1.) I don’t think (to my ear) they’ve been updated for the newer stuff coming down the line (in Roon at least… I have not tried out Reveal Plugin outside roon)

2.) You’ll get far better results either doing it yourself (to your preferences) - or following one of the EQ’s posted up in this thread. My impressions of the Roon Audeze presets were that while they did some good, they almost didn’t go far enough for me in several key areas.

If Audeze were to update their presets to follow a common preference curve more closely, it could be worth it.

Keep in mind, however, that they market the X-series headphones as mixing\mastering cans first… so they likely wouldn’t want to follow my preferences… which adds a bass shelf, etc.

-Rey

robmcmyers · May 6, 2021, 12:02pm

How does one learn to start “doing it yourself” when it comes to EQ? I’ve tried various presets from people like @Resolve and @metal571 on my Audezes, but I have no idea how I would learn to create my own. Is it like coding (something I have the barest knowledge of) where you start with something someone else built and then slowly modify it, bit by bit, to see what happens? Or are there particular frequencies to start playing around with? I wish there were a thread where people were sharing eq presents the way they share recommendations for tubes.

generic · May 6, 2021, 12:10pm

Experiment for yourself. Move the sliders, twist the dials. One by one.

If you have a headphone test rig you might attempt to replicate a specific curve, but otherwise mess around until it sounds right.

I find that most problem setups relate to excessive treble or high frequency resonances. Some setups have limited deep bass and need a boost. Some (especially older, e.g., 1980s) studio mixes were tweaked into a “V” curve during production and benefit from the opposite now “^”.

Many people avoid or dislike EQ and try to find compatible hardware. This helps everything stay within their design and performance envelopes – too much EQ often sounds weird, distorted, or fake.

Nuance · May 6, 2021, 2:16pm

@robmcmyers To add to this, I find it necessary to have some sort of reference sound before beginning to EQ - something you feel is “neutral” or “accurate.” Once you’ve determined what headphone is your “reference,” see if you can find a frequency response graph of that particular headphone in order to visually see what that frequency response/tonality looks like. Get very familiar with that headphone’s “reference” sound, then begin EQing.

Trust your ears above all, even over the FR graphs; sometimes what you hear will be different than what the measurements show.

Edit: here’s a great resource on how to begin using EQ software:

Reyess · May 6, 2021, 8:17pm

I learned by taking an existing EQ someone built, and then messing with the sliders to adjust\decrease gain.

This taught me where different parts of sound existed in the EQ tools (think Frequencies) - and enabled me to then start listening to music on other Cans without EQ, and start to discern where there might be some ‘8k’ shout or that its too thin and needs a shelf below 100hz. Or maybe it’s bloated into the mids at 200hz too much.

That was my path though - yours may differ.

robmcmyers · May 7, 2021, 2:09am

All these things make sense. I guess I’d just love it if people were saying things like, “If you love the sound of acoustic bass, try playing around with these frequencies,” or “If you find the upper end of EDM a bit too sharp, try lowering these frequencies.” But I guess it’s all too headphone specific and music specific to give general recommendations like that, so I’ll just have to play around a bit on my own. But that’s fun too!

generic · May 7, 2021, 9:40am

Yes, for practical use the settings must be customized for your hearing, your headphones, your head fitment, your amp, and your DAC.

This chart can be found on many headphone sites and is probably the closest thing to what you have in mind:

Reyess · May 7, 2021, 11:24am

I think you’ve provided @robmcmyers exactly what he was looking for in an EQ Aide.

Awesome

robmcmyers · May 7, 2021, 2:16pm

Oh yes, that’s great! Thank you so much!

Nuance · May 7, 2021, 3:07pm

Harman also has a great little listening training program. I don’t know if it still works, but I used it when it was first released to train myself. Perhaps you’ll find it useful:

Interlude · May 23, 2021, 11:46pm

Could you please share the .CSV file? I would love to play with it.

bb1993 · May 27, 2021, 1:31am

Hey I’ve the 2021 LCD X for nearly a week, and am still trying to figure eq on it. I tried some suggestions from someone on reddit and it seemed to improve things drastically. But still looking for more brightness and clarity without any shout or grain. I do have the FR graph from Audeze though, to help control for unit deviation. It seems tweeking eq to this is harder than I thought.

Edit: just tried Resolve’s 2nd eq setting and it seems to massively improve things. Vocals are especially much more forward.

SRKRAM · May 29, 2021, 5:05am

I own a 2021 LCD-X and a 2020 LCD-2. They both have the same number of magnets, magnets are staggered on both, both use the same type of diaphragm. Is the trace the only difference in the driver?

gavcav · July 3, 2021, 3:35pm

Hi!

I’ve been emailing Audeze, and their Reveal+ plugin will have the new 2021 version of the LCD-X eq profile in the next few weeks, apparently.
They will also keep the previous eq curve for the previous version of the LCD-X (they weren’t going to do this until I suggested lol!)

Cheers
Gav

SRKRAM · July 6, 2021, 4:35pm

I like to keep my EQ simple to bring frequency response close to where it needs to be and then let my brain’s auditory subsystem do the rest.
These are the settings I’m using at the moment:

Analogue bell, 21 Hz, 1.5dB, Q2
Low shelf, 120 Hz, 3.5 dB, Q1
Analogue bell, 3950, 5dB, Q4.5

-Mark.

DeltaDeka · July 16, 2021, 2:56pm

Hello all! I’m here to drop my own take on EQ for the LCD X. It’s a mashup of oratory1990 mids/treble and Resolve bass, with tweaks here and there. Let me know what y’all think!

Nuance · July 16, 2021, 8:52pm

How did you get the FR measurement from Audeze? Is it from your actual unit, or just a general 2021 LCD-X measurement they had on file? Thanks.

04gto · July 16, 2021, 9:55pm

You just send an email to support@Audeze.com with your serial number and they will send you a graph from your individual model. Just like Sennheiser does with the HD800/S models. I have done this for two sets of LCD-XC’s, one LCD-X and one LCD-3. From my experience, they usually respond with your personal graph in twenty-four hours or less.

Nuance · July 16, 2021, 10:20pm

Thanks - that’s quite awesome! I’m thinking of pulling the trigger on the LCD-X when it’s back in stock at Headphones.com, so I’ll definitely contact Audeze for my measurements once they arrive. Do they also send the raw measurements, or just the compensated?

04gto · July 17, 2021, 4:27pm

I believe it is a raw measurement.(?) Maybe smoothed a little? The attached graph is from my 2021 LCD-XC. As you can see it is measured with the Neumann KU 100 during the QC stage prior to burn in and shipping. Although my understanding (from the Audeze discord) is that they are updating their measurement rig soon. I have always used these Audeze graphs to EQ my LCD’s with great results. Even though the 2021 does not ‘require’ EQ, every headphone can see benefits from EQ. For my taste the 2021 needs a +6 DB bass shelf.