"Do your ears a favor," Says KnowTechie of Audeze LCD-3
May 04, 2021
"We’ve looked at their lowest price planars before, the LCD-1, which were full of clarity and a more premium sound than the price tag would have you believe. Now it’s time for one of the heavy hitters, the $1,945 LCD-3, which originally came out in 2011 and is the flagship of Audeze’s Origins series that continues the genesis of the LCD-2 that was their first product."
"Okay, so the LCD-3 are mostly tuned for a neutral response, so they don’t really accentuate any part of the frequency bands except that bump to the lower mids that give a pleasing warmness to the sound. The result of all the high-powered magnets and oversized voice coil? A lightning fast response, with sounds being distinct and never muddying or bleeding into each other."
"Ah, but they can be so much better. Audeze has created a blank slate here, for the end-user to EQ to their liking. Giving just a little bump along the lower ranges, from 20Hz to 80Hz or so gives that bass response so much slam that even the most jaded basshead who cut their teeth on drum n bass will be grinning like a loon."
"The question isn’t if you should buy the Audeze LCD-3; the real question is: can you afford to? See, while they’re technical marvels, acoustically sublime, and fan-freaking gorgeous, they do cost just a hair shy of two thousand dollars. That’s a lot of cash, but then you do get a lot of headphone for that, so it’s a fair trade-off."
"There’s a good reason the LCD-3 has been near the top of reviewers’ choice charts since its inception in 2011. Okay, I lied, there are a millionreasons why. If all the music you’ve ever listened to has been on dynamic headphones, do your ears a favor and at least sound test this set out, you won’t be disappointed."
