The Wonderful LTS v3 Moddable Headphone

LTS v3 Headphones Review



Hey folks, today we’re talking about LTS v3 headphones which I’ve evaluated in the past week. Thanks for the loaner opportunity!

I’d not like to reiterate how impressive the BQ and aesthetics of these headphones are, which were already well described from other posts in this thread.

Wearing comfort was mostly decent. The weight of 410g didn’t feel heavy. Padded headband was more comfortable than I thought. More padding on top or suspension straps might be my preference.. But I found the stock one fits better to me than Sennheiser 6x0 and Focal.

Here are the gears associated in my listening and evaluations:

• Dac: Gustard X18, Motu M4
• Amp: SMSL HO200 (low gain; unbal out), iFi Zen Can Signature (0db gain; unbal out)

I enjoyed the loaner pair very much. Those in the market between 500 and 1k usd should shortlist this. General sonic impressions below.

• Great tonal balance between upper bass and mid treble. Midrange might be overall a hair recessed yet decently full-bodied. I could hear mild bass hump and nuanced upper midrange, which I found fun and engaging.
• While LTS is far from bass-shy or bass-lean headphones, the lowest registers (i.e., perceivably below 50-60hz) sound attenuated and blurred. Rather common issues with electrodynamic headphones though.
• Highs might be a mixed bag.
  • Downside is they sound somewhat piercing -- there must be a narrow peak somewhere in the upper treble, likely 7k or 8khz. I sometimes heard a little too bright cymbals and too sizzling hi-hats. Sorta similar to the Borealis I heard back then (indeed more aggressive and upfront than Borealis). Unsure if it’s coming from peerless drivers or the specific angled position of this pair.
  • However, it wasn’t entirely bad. Images are reasonably crisp. HF or high mid-range information is heard more easily. For example, overtones, sheen, and clicks are more enjoyable with LTS than with many electrodynamic competitors.
  • I ended up applying a -3db high-shelf filter selectively depending on tracks.
• Details and dynamics are pretty much on par with other peerless driver products. Snappy transients were impressive but I’m suspecting that’s because of elevated highs. Weirdly and persistently (across different upstreams), the top end resolution wasn’t delineated enough to me even with its bright highs. But maybe that’s because I’m poisoned by sus..

Paring-wise, Zen Can was a better match in tone synergy, but LTS could scale impressively with HO200’s much higher resolution. It’s a little unfortunate that the loaner pair did not come with balanced cable (as my rig performs generally better with balanced headphones).

Lastly but not leastly, with LTS there is a great degree of freedom to tweak and modify the sound. I can easily see myself satisfying after slapping alternative drivers, applying different damping materials (, and then frustrating with thousands of trial and errors lol). ZMF or ETA also allow users to change things to dial in, but I am under the impression that LTS is more open and supportive to roll “drivers”.

That being said, as is, the loaner pair of LTS v3 is a pretty solid pair of headphones already. It can easily rival similarly priced “high-value” competitors such as Elex, Gen-G, and Borealis.

 

LTS v3 Review

Spoiler: Playlist

Anner Bylsma Prélude to Bach’s Suite for solo cello No. 1 in G major
The 5 Browns Malagueña from Andalucia Suite
Pamela Frank/Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra Mozart’s Serenade No. 7 for orchestra in D major
John Williams/John Etheridge Extra Time for 2 Guitars
Duplessy & The Violins of the World Kung Fu
Tool Chocolate Chip Trip
Kaki King Ingots
The Beatles Norwegian Wood
Eagles Hotel California (from Hell Freezes Over)
Carl Anderson Heaven on their Minds
James Brown It’s a New Day, Pts. 1-2
Earth Wind & Fire Shining Star
Los Lonely Boys I Don’t Wanna Lose Your Love (Live at Blue Cat Blues)
Led Zeppelin Moby Dick (from How the West was Won)
Daft Punk Giorgio by Moroder
Cream Badge
Ben Harper & The Blind Boys of Alabama Take My Hand
Horace Silver Quintet Finger Poppin’
Maynard Ferguson Birdland
Phil Woods Rain Dance (Live from the Showboat)
Bill Evans Trio Detour Ahead [Take 2]
Ray Charles/Count Basie Orchestra Oh, What a Beautiful Morning
Macy Gray Redemption Song
Joni Mitchell California

Ergonomics and stuff
I normally end here, but with the LTS v3 I have to start with ergonomics. For my head, these are extremely uncomfortable. I have to extend the headphones almost the entire way, which seems to create a hotspot on the top of my head that I am constantly needing to shift (and I mean constantly, like every 2 minutes).

Also, I must have dumbo ears, because my earlobes don’t easily fit in the round pads and I almost have to fold up my lobes to put these on my head. I find the oval ZMF/Audeze/Sennheiser style pads much more accommodating and comfortable. That said, I didn’t have a problem with getting a good seal… even with my glasses on the sound didn’t really change (which surprised me because the pads seem a little on the stiff side).


Pi2AES -> BNC -> Bifrost 2 -> SE -> BH Crack -> LTS v3
I thought I’d try this pairing due to people stating they thought the LTS was a little thin and this is my warmest/most organic setup. Not a good match, bass was boomy/flabby and mids sounded wonky. This chain lasted about 3 minutes…

Pi2AES -> BNC -> Bifrost 2 -> Bal -> Monoprice Liquid Gold X -> LTS v3
I haven’t found a dynamic that I’ve cared for out of this amp and this one is no different. Bass was lacking, treble was hot, and I heard the thinness that others have mentioned. This chain also lasted about 3 minutes…

USbridge Sig -> USB -> Walnut X.3 -> SE -> A&S Mogwai SE -> LTS v3
On the 300 ohm tap, there was just too much bass/boominess. On the 8 ohm tap, the bass seemed to almost disappear… mids and treble were stellar. The 32ohm tap… ahh… that’s it… 3 hrs and about 180 microadjustments later… I realize that it’s 3 hrs later and I just got lost in the music.

Bass on the 32 ohm tap is outstanding… full, impactful, tight, but could be just a little deeper to hit the deepest notes on tracks like Giorgio by Moroder, Hotel California and Take my Hand. Mids are very linear, full, and engaging. Treble still has a touch of tizz, but very listenable and not fatiguing at all.

PRAT out the wazoo with this pairing… these compete with my Auteur as the best I’ve heard out of the Mogwai.

Pi2AES -> i2s -> Holo Spring 2 KTE -> SE -> EC Studio B -> LTS v3
This is sounds like a combo platter of the 8ohm and 32ohm taps on the Mogwai. Bass was a little leaner, mids were similar (v3 ever so slightly thinner), and the treble gained a little tizz. I prefer the Auteur out of the Studio B, but the LTS are no slouch.

Pi2AES -> aes -> SFD-Mkii -> bal -> ECP 3F -> LTS v3
I really wanted to hear this combo because I wanted another SS datapoint (I consider the LauX a planar specialty amp). But alas, no balanced headphone cable and the use of Hirose connectors makes it exceedingly difficult to swap to a different cable. It seems like the shell could accept mini-xlr cables… would switching to a more “standard” connector be possible?


Random Thoughts

• After a lot of listening on the Mogwai and Studio B, to my ears the LTS are very similar in frequency response to my Cocobolo Auteurs (Eikon pads)… bass extends slightly deeper on the Auteur, treble has a touch of hotness on the LTS… but I’m splitting hairs.

LTS are much more open sounding, and throw a little wider soundstage, but imaging is strong on both… instruments easily picked out and no blob effect. Detail is similar, maybe a little more low-level detail on the Auteur.​

• These are what the I had hoped the Massdrop HD-8xx would be.

• I won’t mention the build quality… but I guess I just did… unbelievable and they rival anything else I own or have gotten thru the loaner program

Conclusion
I found these to be fairly amp picky and it’s pretty obvious that I love them on my Mogwai. Since these are billed as “the wonderful moddable headphone”, I assume the sound can be tailored to most amps and that what I was hearing on the Mogwai was representative of what the LTS are capable of at their best…. I just wish they fit my head…


Thank you @Tomislav_L for putting these out there and @rhythmdevils for organizing. The loaner program it truly a wonderful thing!

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Thinking last night... my best description of the LTS v3 would be to call it an open/dry version of the Auteur. If you like the wetness of the ZMF sound, then these may not be for you.