Audeze LCD-5: owners’ impressions

Owners of the Audeze LCD-5 describe a planar headphone with high resolution and an unusually clean midrange, but one that is sensitive to amplification, burn-in and clamping force. Below we summarise what they heard, how they compared it with the LCD-4, LCD-4z, Abyss Diana V1 and HiFiMAN HE1000SE, and what went wrong.

These impressions are summarised from owners’ posts on an audiophile forum. They are the subjective views of their authors, not measurements or claims of Demograf Audio.

Sound, range by range

Bass

• One owner found the bass fast, punchy and precise: slightly lower in level than the midrange, but never lacking, and at least as deep as the LCD-4z’s.
• Another rated it the most balanced bass he had heard from an LCD model, combining speed, punch, detail and weight.
• A third heard it sit level with, or just behind, the midrange on calm music and fade once electric guitars came in. Even with a tube amplifier it was too light for him on rock and metal.
• Next to the LCD-4, one listener missed the older model’s sense of foundation.

Midrange

• The midrange leads the presentation: slightly forward, very clean and close to neutral. One owner called it the most detailed midrange he had heard from any headphone.
• Where the LCD-4z’s mids are warm and honeyed, the LCD-5’s are transparent and clear.
• Its density suits electric guitar well.
• Through one solid-state amplifier, one listener found the mids and upper mids hard and mechanical; through a tube amplifier they became full and lively.

Treble

• Soft, clean and detailed. One owner would have liked a little more energy above 16 kHz, though nothing in the recording went missing.
• From an Astell&Kern SP2000 portable player, another owner found the treble of good quality.

Soundstage

• Intimate rather than wide; one listener found it smaller than the Abyss Diana V1’s.
• With Audeze’s lower-clamp replacement headband, one owner heard the presentation open up.

Resolution and detail

• Owners agree that resolution is high for an LCD model, and one heard it clearly ahead of the Diana V1.
• Several describe the sound as unusually rich in information, from fine detail to the larger scale of a recording.

Dynamics

• It can sound forceful with deep, punchy bass or delicate with fine vocal and instrumental textures.
• Through one solid-state amplifier it lacked punch, and on heavy rock the guitars masked the drums.

Tonal balance

• Two owners describe an even balance with no obvious peaks or dips. The 4 kHz region, recessed on the LCD-4z, is clear and full, which one owner felt gave vocals more realism.
• One listener heard cold, metallic timbres through his solid-state amplifier, and a warmer, more natural sound through a tube amplifier.

Music

• Two owners found it at home in any genre, with natural, unforced timbres.
• One recommends it with a tube amplifier for instrumental music, jazz and classical, and for listeners who do not want emphasised bass.

Compared with other headphones

vs Audeze LCD-4 and LCD-4z

Owners agree that the LCD-4 has more bass weight and a firmer foundation, while the LCD-5’s bass goes as deep but is tighter and lighter. One listener heard the LCD-4 as more cohesive, with saturated and natural mids; the LCD-5 was clearer and more detailed, but less natural to his ears, and he found the two models almost entirely unalike. Another compared the LCD-5 to a high-quality standmount loudspeaker that fills a room, and the LCD-4 to large floorstanders.

Against the LCD-4z, one owner preferred the LCD-5’s clearer mids, faster bass and the absence of the 4z’s dip around 4 kHz. Another liked the LCD-5 even less than either LCD-4 version.

vs Audeze LCD-24

One listener heard a similar balance, with cool mids and moderate bass, but found no obvious genre weaknesses in the LCD-24.

vs Meze Liric

Heard in the same session, the Liric impressed one owner while the LCD-5 disappointed him.

vs Abyss Diana V1

The LCD-5 resolved more, while the Diana V1 had better timbres, a wider stage and the edge on airy music. The LCD-5 was much easier to drive.

vs STAX SR-009 and Abyss AB-1266

One owner placed the LCD-5 alongside these two at the top of his personal ranking.

vs HiFiMAN HE1000SE

From the same portable player, one listener found the LCD-5 far more mature and composed.

What owners report

One listener went to a hi-fi shop’s showroom expecting a revelation and left puzzled. He heard high resolution and fine detail, but with his Yulong DA1 the timbres sounded cold and metallic to him; piano and soprano voice, in Tchaikovsky’s piano concertos and Mozart arias sung by Elsa Dreisig, lost their natural colour. On heavy rock the electric guitars turned into a wall of noise that swallowed the drums. With an Auris HA-2SF tube amplifier, using the DA1 as a DAC, the picture changed: voices and piano came alive, and guitars no longer drowned the drums. He suspects that the demonstration unit had not been run in. For listeners who love the body and cohesion of earlier LCD models, he sees the LCD-5 as a step in the opposite direction.

Another owner heard it in a shop through a makeshift chain, a phone streaming over Bluetooth to a small DAC and a Violectric amplifier, and was still impressed. He describes a nearly neutral balance with a slight lift in the lower mids and bass, but far less than the LCD-3 or LCD-4. He found the bass and midrange highly resolved and the stage intimate.

A third owner wrote after about 50 hours of use, listening mainly through a Chord Hugo 2 and also an Audio-GD NFB-10ES. The headphone is fairly light and sits securely. He found the pads less comfortable than the LCD-4z’s, but did not experience the strong clamping others reported. Before burn-in the sound was harsh, with shouty upper mids and flat bass; afterwards the harshness went. He found it smooth, detailed and suited to any genre.

An owner who had found the clamping force too strong asked Audeze for its newer headband, which differs only in lower clamping pressure. The company sends it to owners of the original headband on request. He reports that the sound became freer, with more fine detail and a larger sense of scale.

A listener at a demonstration liked the restrained looks, the small leather pads and the carbon headband, but found the clamping pressure too noticeable. From a desktop amplifier, and then from an Astell&Kern SP2000 with a 2.5 mm balanced cable, he heard a well-judged, detailed sound with natural timbres, and he valued the low impedance for portable use.

Reported problems

• Cold, metallic timbres through some solid-state amplifiers.
• On heavy rock, electric guitars can mask the drums.
• Harsh upper mids and flat bass before burn-in.
• Noticeable clamping force with the original headband.
• An intimate rather than wide soundstage.
• The metal mesh inside the cups can touch the ear and cause 50 Hz mains hum. One owner cured it by grounding the amplifier properly.

Summary

Owners agree on the LCD-5’s resolution, speed and clean, transparent midrange, and on how easy it is to drive compared with the Abyss Diana V1. They disagree on timbre. One listener found it cold and mechanical through a solid-state amplifier, while others heard it transformed by a tube amplifier, a proper burn-in and Audeze’s lower-clamp headband.

The stage is intimate rather than wide, and the bass is precise rather than generous. Listeners who love the weight and cohesion of the LCD-4 should audition both before choosing.