A kind community member was able to send one in for us to evaluate, so big thanks to that person. What follows is my initial impressions of the LCD-R - I haven’t spent enough time with them for a full review or anything. Keep in mind this is from the Jot A only, and the impressions would likely be different from a different source.
Measurements done with the GRAS43AG-7:
Tonality assessment:
This is more reminiscent of the older Audeze LCD-4 style tunings, albeit with a bit more ear gain there than what I remember. It’s generally inoffensive given that the overall balance is the right shape, just a bit relaxed in the upper mids, and of course that quirk around 4.5khz. But the nice thing about this tuning is that you don’t get any lower harmonics that are emphasized over the upper harmonics, so nothing sounds compressed or congested as a result. Still, as with most Audezes, it benefits from some EQ. Here’s my initial profile to get it to where I like it.
I think this is still a bit relaxed relative to Harman, mostly just adding a bass shelf and filling in that upper mid / lower treble gap. Also, it’s worth noting that the harmonic distortion is totally fine on the LCD-R, and it took to EQ well - something I was worried about because of the typically high THD on other ribbon headphones (I’ve learned that there may be a reason for that, because the design isn’t actually ribbon in the sense that the SR1a is, or other ribbon headphones).
Subjective notes:
- Good detail (not top tier… but maybe it could be different depending on the source?), no haze or smear, no significant blunting of trailing ends of tones, but also not the most clear for this quality either.
- Also good separation and control during busy passages
- LCD-5 sounds more nimble for the snap and sense of immediacy for the initial leading edge, but the LCD-R has a different kind of ‘sweetness’ to the sound that’s difficult to put into other terms.
- There’s a kind of… thiccness to the LCD-R’s presentation, even after EQ - for better or worse.
- Decently spacious presentation with excellent layering and depth - like I’m currently listening to a jazz piano track, and the upper registers of the piano are panned front right and the LCD-R places them perfectly. Very incisive.
- Not the most impactful or slammy but also not particularly compressed sounding.
I can’t shake the feeling that the Jot A is holding these back a bit… maybe I’m crazy, but ever since hearing the SR1a off of one of the Raal amps it’s got me thinking and wondering how the LCD-R would do off of something else. I should caution anyone looking to run the LCD-R off sources other than the Jot A though since Audeze specifically indicate it to be run from the Jot A, and it’s not like other headphones. If you’re unsure, maybe ask Audeze what would be appropriate.
It’s not on the level of the LCD-5 or other flagship planars for technical chops (I guess it doesn’t have to be at the lower price tag?), and so reports of it competing may have been overblown a bit - again depending on the source. Without EQ, I could also see a preference for the LCD-R over the LCD-5, like for anyone who is sensitive to the upper mids or mid-forward nature of the LCD-5. I still think the LCD-X 2021 is the best tuned modern Audeze so far though.