blorg t1_j9jb2d7 wrote on February 22, 2023 at 11:19 AM

Reply to comment by mindhead1 in My End Game, but I'm not sure I'm happy Any questions? by mghazik

Edition XS gets you there for under $500 (close to $300 in Asia). It's a better all rounder than the LCD-X IMO, and is much better tuned out of the box, particularly through the upper mids. LCD-X is very muffled sounding stock due to the upper mids recess. LCD-X is transformed with EQ though and does have slightly better bass (I'd say better than anything else I've heard), although the Edition XS is no slouch there either. Soundstage is also much better on the XS.

I have both and I enjoy both, but if I could only keep one it would be the Edition XS and it's not close. That it's so much cheaper is just the icing on the cake, for me it's a better headphone even if it was priced the same.

mindhead1 t1_j9jdmwj wrote on February 22, 2023 at 11:49 AM

LCD-X “muffled?” We all have different ears. I have the 2021 version and “muffled” is not a word I would use to describe them.

Balanced and detailed come to mind when I think of the LCD-X. Also, great bass when powered with a good amp.

I haven’t tried the Edition XS yet and doubt there are any more Hifiman headphones in my future. Too many build quality issues with previous sets from them.

ZMF, DCA, Focal and Meze 109 Pro all need sampling first. But I get it $500 - $1500 for headphones is a lot of money and not everyone can afford that.

blorg t1_j9jerk5 wrote on February 22, 2023 at 12:02 PM

You can look at the frequency response, it is ~10dB below Harman at 4kHz. That's pretty muffled to me.

Or compare with the HD6XX which you own. That, to me, is just about perfectly tuned in the mids. It is not the most technically proficient headphone in existence, but the mids tuning, for my preference, is on point. The LCD-X is WAY recessed, comparatively.

https://crinacle.com/graphs/headphones/graphtool/?share=Harman_AE_OE_2018_Target,HD650_S2_(2020)(fresh_pads),LCD-X(2021)

You can like this and find it warm, dark, relaxed, smooth, all this stuff. I find a -10dB chasm in the upper mids to sound muffled, and I correct it with EQ. It's a great headphone... after EQ.

Anyway, more just making the point you don't NEED to go to >$1,000 to get to "significant improvements". The Edition XS can be total end-game, I have several >$1,000 sets and it competes at that level despite costing much less. I'm not saying the LCD-X is bad either, I wouldn't have bought it if I thought it was bad. I bought it for the bass, and it delivered on that, it has the best bass of anything I have. But it needs EQ to fix the muffled upper mids, IMO.

jfleysh t1_j9jx3gq wrote on February 22, 2023 at 2:37 PM

u/blorg I agree with you 100000%. I own a Focal Clear OG, Arya Stealth, and I received the LCDX a couple days ago. When I first put them on I was so frustrated because it sounded so unbelievably muffled when compared to the Arya Stealth. I couldn't believe the hype for these things.

Then I added Oratory's EQ which raised the 4k frequency by a ton and it opened up the headphone a LOT. I think now it definitely compares to the Arya. I still think the Arya does everything the LCDX does and includes extra soundstage so I'm not sure I'll keep these. I'm still comparing the bass between the two so we'll see.

I had the Edition XS before the Arya and it felt cheap to me and also was so easy to fall off the head. Sound was great though.

johnwall47 t1_j9lc19v wrote on February 22, 2023 at 8:26 PM

Yea idk what they mean the LCD-X stock tuning is absolutely muffled as fuck. But since they respond so well to EQ I don’t rlly hold that flaw against them. If ur spending that much ur already working on improving the margins of sound quality and EQ is just another part of that, not a major inconvenience at all