Are Audeze really that bad quality-wise?

That was a translation of a Russian modder's damning post:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/770678/instructive-and-sad-story-about-lcd-3-modification-attempt

 

Talked with a dealer yesterday and asked about Audeze QC. He told me that he's had a lot of troubles with LCD3s; LCD2s are fine. The most occurring LCD3 problem is driver failure, and it's repetitive. He also brought up that HD800 have had zero problems over five years (which is his whole business span). Then there are the reports of Audeze failures on SBAF and CS and HF. It's not hard to see there is a QC problem for them.

In this sense, I think it is quite reasonable to assume that when Audeze was devising the pricing of LCD3, the high failure rate has to be taken into account. Your guess how much out of the outragous price of LCD3 is to cover the custumor service, shipping, service, and replacement cost for LCD3 over a 3-year warranty period. Then top it off with some SQ inconsistancy.

 

I'll have a new pair in about a week that hopefully has the new driver materiel, I may consider sending it to you since I know lcd2 measurements are lacking. Are you east or west coast?

 

Does LCD-X have the same consistency problems as LCD-3 or 2.2f, by the way?

 

Nice. It's my second day with HD800 and my head hurts, physically. It's not even that bright, it just wears me out

 

Sennheiser open headphones break in like shoes. Don't stretch it yourself and will end up at optimal clamp for your head naturally. I've seen so many weirdly bent HD 580/600/650s. HD 280s are jaw clamp of death though but they're cheap and seal way better than crap like the Sony V6.

 

Oh, did not mean it like that. The comfort is great, I meant that I want to kill myself after a couple of hours of listening to them because of how tired I am from the sound they produce. I don't feel like they are overly bright (like some Beyers), but they just wear me out.

I was a HD600 guy for about 5 years, they were absolutely smooth and polite compared to this. I'm starting to get why people call HD650 their personal TOTL.

 

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They are ridiculously bright like Beyers though. The 6kHz spike actually makes them even more painful than DT 990s to me.

The HD 650 is my overall TOTL until I hear the HD 800 SCHWARTZ but I need to get an additional darker but almost equally resolving amp than the Magni for half of what I listen to. I am thinking of trying a Meier Corda Rock.

 

Before you do anything, I'd probably try to Anax mod it and EQ as well

 

How long (about) does this breaking-in process take. I just bought the HD 600. I had read about clamping pressure but never experienced it because was always listening to a broken-in model at a store or meet. My new out-of-the-box HD 600 does have an uncomfortable clamp. Not unwearable, but I do notice it and I would not want to wear them too long in a given sitting.

 

Just put up with it and eventually it will be fine and you'll appreciate how lightweight they are. Just make sure it doesn't rest on the upper part of your jaw bone and you have extended the baffles enough for your head. If the bottom of the pads are pushing up on hte bottom of your ears, extend it another notch.

 

Weight question

Rocking my new LCD-Xes and my neck really hurts from all the weight (600g AFAIR). There is that option to turn them in and get LCD-2s instead (490g AFAIR), but will it make a difference at all?

Asking here since there already seems to be a lot of Audeze folks in the thread.

Is 490g vs 600g tangible or I'm better off with LCD-Xes I already have and LCD-2s will still feel heavy like hell?

 

They are all relatively heavy - that's why it is laughable to call the EL8 portable and lightweight @ 460g.
I guess if you want something more lightweight go for one of the OPPOs or join a GYM.

 

Sure, but you're saying — LCD-2 won't make a weight difference, right?

EL-8 is not a very good phone in the first place, unlike the LCD line. Maybe they'll change it with the titanium version, but methinks driver will probably be the same.

 

So what do you think of the LCD-X, apart from the weight?

Took me a little while to get used to that part but never bothered me enough not to wear them for an extended period of time. What I notice more is that my left ear occasionally rubs against the fazor. My asymmetrical head and all.

 

Oh, good question.

Here's the thing. Taking price/performance rating into consideration, HD600 and HD650 are the best headphones in the world.

That is probably something most people here agree with, taking that every second thread is an HD650 appreciation thread.

There are also a lot of folks who prefer HD600 to HD650. Most of them reason by saying "same thing, only cheaper". I've had HD600 for about 5 years and initially I wanted something like HD600 with bass. No compromise, no dumbing down, just something with punchy, well-extended bass.

So I've bought HD650 and tried them for a month or two. Same source, same everything. I've liked HD600 better. I thought HD650 will have more bass — sure more low-end, but sub-bass still sucks and the extension is weak. At the same time, they are not very fun and engaging, and they sound slow. I listen mostly to electronic music (hence the bass requirement), and PRaT was too slow IMO to do IDM or trance music properly. YMMV.

The thing I've disliked about HD650 the most is that they make everything sleepy and digested.

HD600 is like coming to a nice restaurant, having some steaks and veggies and whatnot, using a knife and a fork, gnawing around your food

HD650 is like coming to the same restaurant, ordering meat and whatnot, and watching the garçon taking all the food you've ordered, shoving it down into a meat-chopper or mixer of sorts, and feeding you puree. Mashed food. Like the stuff they have on the space station, food from tubes. Nice and slow, nice and slow. Everything you throw at it, it's just mashed food that goes nice and smooth down your stomach.

From what I hear so far, it's been only a couple of days and I'm a bit ill so my hearing is off,

LCD-X is a true neutral (HD600 definition of netural) upgrade from HD600, with great, well-extended bass. HD800 is just a technical bright headphone. LCD-X is the direct upgrade.

It's a pity it costs that much and can break my neck, though.

 

I think perception of the HD600, HD650 and LCD-X depends a lot on the music listened to.

Still waiting for receive a major update to my DAC and amp, but after spending some time with a new HD650, I do feel they and the HD600 do resolve better with a more natural tone/timbre than the LCD-X for non-EDM music.

Still enjoying the LCD-X for its different presentation, but I still think they're overpriced all things considered.

 

HD 580/600 are shoutier and worse than the HD 650 for female vocals, falsetto, sparkly cymbals, noodly electric guitars, and poor recordings. The HD 650 is technically a tiny bit better (slightly less ringing and cleaner bass) and less offensive in FR but also lacks air with better recordings, the silver drivers at least. The differences are so small I don't think it's worth upgrading or purchasing another in the line if you have one that works that aren't black driver 650s. Saying one sucks and the other doesn't is so nutty it probably says something about the rest of your audio chain.

Audezes like the LCD-X suck for reproducing electric guitars in comparison to the Sennheisers. All the upper mid suckouts make your guitar rock and metal from the Beatles to Morbid Angel tonally inaccurate on them. The LCD-4 costing ten times more does not correlate with better fidelity but with Audeze not losing money if they have to replace the drivers and cups a few times.

 

All Audeze stuff is "overpriced", you have to make a profit as a company of a couple of dozen people, but still, LCD-X is unique. The best bass of them all, neutral-ish, no need for wood care, but seriously the ability to drive them without an amp is a killer. That goddamn weight, though.

Really the only thing to compare LCD-X to is the fine Chinese clone, Edition X, which has the same pricing (but more portability and better weight )