I suspect pad changes had a hand to play here as well. I remember hearing a pre fazer 3 on a Ray Samuels darkstar and it was smooth as buttah.
I have always had a softer spot for the 2 thiug)c it just seems to do something a little special comparatively.
Have you had a chance to hear any of the new stuff?
Unfortunately still no word from Audeze on whether or when I can get ahold of an LCD-5 loaner. I currently still have a 2021 pleather LCD-X loaner which has been quite enjoyable other than the fazors occasionally touching my ears which doesn’t seem to happen on the leather version of the pads that are on my LCD-2. Only other thing I heard recently was a 2021 LCD-3, and it was much too airy above 10k, so not sure what’s up with that.
Yeah the shallower earpads improve FR but fazors touching is an issue. New X and XC were solid I thought. 5 is great - but I havent even been able to get one either!
in for a Euclid, cuz f*** it, I’m a weak little fanboy.
Dude, me too. Those were my exact thoughts. I was ready to move out of the game after LCD-5, but they pulled me back in with the hot Euclid deal. Here’s hoping Campfire doesn’t assault my wallet too.
Does anyone know if the LCD-R showed available inventory when this dropped today?
No, sorry. I got the email from Audeze at 1:08 p.m. here on the east coast and they’d gone by the time I went to the website at 1:54.
Thanks for the data point. I was wondering if there was a deviation from my understanding of 70 being made and 67 sold (if I recall) or if anyone was able to get lucky and buy one.
I’m planning on visiting Audeze here in Southern California next month to demo the lineup (specifically the LCD-5 and CRBN). My understanding is that they don’t have the LCD-R available for demo.
In Resolve’s interview with Sankar, I believe Sankar said that Audeze is going to look at making more LCD-R units once they catch up with demand for LCD-5.
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:
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.
I’d agree that the Jot-R is a limiter… how much maybe someone who has driven it with a different amp can say. I may try one of the RAAL amp with it to see what that changes.
what amp were you using with the LCD-5 for comparison?
This strange inherent sweetness is what makes me love the LCD-Rs so so so much tbh. It just makes horns (especially trumpet) and woodwinds (especially clarinets) magical.
As for how much the LCD-R is limited by the jot-A, I think its fairly significant. Nothing I’ve used LCD-R makes it a true TOTL competitor, but stuff like the WA22 and WA33 realy realy open them up. The WA8 is also quite pleasant actually, but I think its probably on a similar level to jot technically (just a very different sound sig).
Fwiw, the PDA isnt stable at 2ohm and the HSA-1B needs a hiss adapter when used out of the ribon port. That said, ive heard very very good things about the combo once a hiss adaptor is used.
I was curious about the status of the LCD-4 (and wondering if it was now on sale at a lower price) and saw from Audeze’s website that it’s no longer available. Audeze now directs us instead to the LCD-5 and the LCD-4z. That’s too bad, even if not entirely surprising. I’m leery about buying used, given the reports of unit-to-unit variations from a few years ago.
Representatives from Audeze said that it’s currently unavailable due to a parts shortage so they’ve shifted production lines to focus on their other product offerings, it’s not yet discontinued.
Sweet! That’s great news, I’m glad to hear it. Thank you!
They’ll also have Audeze refurbished units coming sometime soon.
Probably a delay due to the same parts shortage for the LCD-4s - they’ll need parts to refurbish those units I think.
That’s precisely why I was snooping around Audeze’s website! I’d love it if last year’s expensive flagship were to become available at an appreciably lower price, especially if this also meant for less of a loss if one were to sell it later - like buying used but without the risk. One concern, though, would be whether the refurbished unit was an older model from when unit to unit variations were sometimes supposed to have been a problem.
Audeze will probably figure that out or identify the change in some way. Their trade in price was $2k on low end so probably still going to cost significantly north of that.
