Audeze LCD-XC over-ear planar magnetic Headphones - Official Thread

@Viperex76 I don’t have any planars so I can’t tell you which of those amps will drive them the best but I do have a couple of comments that may be helpful.

The Schiit Jot 2 and Asgard 3 are amps, so you would need to add a DAC, and that will bump up the cost. If you got one of these, the cheapest option would be to order a built in DAC card when you buy the amp. A more flexible option would be to get a separate DAC, which will be even more expensive. If you’re interested in tubes, the Schiit Lyr 3 could be added to your list too. All three of those Schiit amps are very good (and very good value for money) and one isn’t necessarily better than the others.

The Playmate 2 is an all-in-one DAC-amp but I just noticed that the standard unit comes with NE5532 opamps, whereas the rave reviews from me and other members were based on listening to Burson amps using V6 Vivid opamps, which would add another $200 to the price. I’ve never heard the NE5532, so I don’t know how different they are, but to give you an indication of how switching opamps can change the sound signature of a Burson amplifier, here is a really good comparison of some of Burson’s opamps. I’ll call on @Tom_Ato to give his advice, since he’s listened to all of Burson’s amps, and I’m wondering which opamps he was using in his Playmate 2.

4 Likes