The show is so exciting to watch. No other audio channel creates such entertainment with the topic of hi end audio, only informative ones. Very much appreciate what you do and will follow every episode!:)
Thanks Jacob! I'm considering it for the future. I'd need a few other headphones in here and I'd need to buy a few again- like the Stellia which greatly disappointed me. Right now the Liric is my favorite closed back, but I have several in the top tier that I've yet to experience. Cheers!
@@DirectorsGarage no kidding! So far the Liric has been not only my favorite closed back but one of my favorite headphones period! Like you the Stellias where also a big let down but I've yet to try the Z1Rs or the Stealths... Best of luck!
man i gotta say, the video was great and I cant wait to see the rest. Got the lcd 4 a few months earlier used and I do not regret my purchase. The used prices are amongst the lowest Ive seen for a flasgship and to me it probably holds up well to the big guys.
Great start! One can glean a lot from this first part, and I like that you take a moment to recap the ranking in each category as it can be hard to track sometimes just by listening alone.
I'd love to do it-- especially the Aperio, but I'd need someone to donate a set for review, or Audio 46 or Warwick would have to see this show and send one over.
Thanks for this great undertaking I really appreciate you it is a TON of work. But there is no way that Abyss is more comfortable than lcd 5. Thank you again for the video.
Great video and definitely looking forward to the next part. The only one of those that I haven't heard yet is the Atrium, of them my top headphone is definitely the CRBN followed closely by the Susvara (though the 1266 on an insane amp can be godly). This is beating a dead horse here, but as of now my favorite (non-system) headphone is the X9000 and it is a shame it wasn't here for it (I do not blame you for not wanting to drop the cash on it, lmao). After this shootout is done and you've sold off the excess gear, it would be worth looking into some of the Aluminum ribbon headphones. The RAAL SR-1A has a bass response unlike anything else I've ever heard (in any transducer form, not just headphones).
All I’ll say is this: I sold my Susvara, Final d8000, DCA Expanse, and LCD 4Z….and I still own the ZMF Atrium. And the only reason I ever sold my Auteur was to purchase the Verite. And I only sold my Verite to get the Atrium.
I love the Atrium. It's a different sounding headphone to me, in a very compelling way. The Atrium is still one of my most-used headphones. Really enjoyable and a great listening experience. It doesn't hurt that it's 1/3 of the cost of some of these headphones.
Great companion! Truly appreciate you expertise and honesty. The only comment that is totally different from every other reviewer is about the lcd-5 having a big soundstage. Most people put it a tad bigger than the Utopia. We know it’s precised in term of placement but a small bubble around the head. Is it model variation? Or amp paring? Would love to hear your take on that matter.
I don't see any of this as a massacre. I LOVE the Atrium. It's one of my very favorite headphones. When you start combining these categories, I think it holds up very well-- at 1/3 the cost of others in this shootout. It most definitely belongs in this field.
@@DirectorsGarage Thats nice to know, I lack points of reference because I haven't heard most of the other headphones. Can't wait for the coming parts, thanks for doing this!
Would love to see a shootout of headphones on OTL amps. The planar headphones you’ve reviewed here are for solid state and hybrid tube amps, but the Atrium sounds FAR better on an OTL tube amp.
I used my WA5LE as a part of reviewing the headphones. The Ferrum Oor stack was my other main amp. I'd love to do an amp shootout, but to do it I'd have to get a lot of manufacturers to lend me some gear! I'll go broke! But my channel is too small for them at this point.
Hello DG, Would you please tell us what is the best headphone for Rock and heavy metal music? I would like to see ranks those headphones for the different genre of different music like pop, classical music, rock.. Etc... Thank you 🙏
I used several. The Ferrum Oor stack was my main. It has the most finesse of all of my amps. But I also did some tube listening on the WA5LE, and I used the Chord here and there to double-check what I was hearing. Obviously the CRBN was on the Blue Hawaii only. It's my only electrostatic amp.
Alot of these categories are very amp and source dependant for certain headphones ... For example ... The Susvara on an ifi Ican pro or signature can actually be slammier than many of these.
I've heard most of these headphones. The performance of TC, Susvara, LCD5 and Utopia are very very close and I can live with any of them. ZMF and Meze are too far from neutral so they sound a bit too uncanny for me. Edit: I've only listened to Verite and Verite closed. Its speed is not on the same level as the others and I prefer properly driven Stellia over them.
Man I just want to hear Susvara once in my life though I could never afford it to own. I've settled with the Arya and Atticus as my endpoint for open and closed, they are pretty much the best at what I want at the most I can afford.
None of these headphones show as much promise as their price would indicate when it comes to frequency response. Audeze and HiFiMAN are getting close though, just need to clean up those treble dips a bit.
J-Money, thanks for watching-- appreciate it! If you follow this show, I'm one of the few who don't like to get into graphs and charts. Several reasons -- other people do it better, for one. It's hard to make a chart entertaining-- and I want to entertain first here-- charts are boring to view. And I don't think a chart fairly tells the story of a headphone. A headphone, especially at these prices, is an experience. I like to bring the experience and story to a product. How do they make me feel? What emotion do they bring with them? How do they present my favorite music? You can't graph those things. Yes it is subjective, for sure, but it makes for a better show, which is what I love to make.
Lcd-5 might score high in a lot of the categories but it basically has no treble or bass so is a snoozefest. It's also a smaller headphone with smaller driver, it kinda has a Diana like soundstage, not the biggest.
@@michaelp.3485 I've had almost every audeze in the last 10 years of headphone collecting. I love my lcd-3/X and lcd-4 more than any hifiman. The Lcd5 is the first LCD without the audeze bass, big L and is as dark as a lcd-2 classic. I recently brought the 4 to canjam and everyone else was saying the same stuff to me about the 5. I've had the Lcd5 and eq'd it to match the other audeze and unfortunately it just sound smaller. I've even tried 2 different pairs to confirm there's no unit variation. The audio store owner I got it from also tells me people also agree when the audition the lcd-5. The number of second lcd-5 on the market is incredibly high right now.
The 009S was in last year's shoot out. I was hoping for an X9000 for this year, but my pockets only go so deep! This channel loses money like crazy, so choices have to be made.
Love this shootout, and really appreciate the brevity of the format. I was intrigued by your prior video on the LCD 4, so I took some extra time with one at CanJam SoCal. And that peaked my interest so much, I got one. And it has really blown me away. It's a big step up from what I've had before. I don't have much experience with TOTL headphones, but man...what a magical sound. I noted your pads are perforated. Did you do that pad swap? Do you know what they are?
The LCD-4 is now the LCD-4z. On the advice of other viewers, I opted for the earlier LCD-4. There are many out there on eBay or Head-Fi. Don't pay more than $2200. If you're patient you can score a pair for $2000.
@@DirectorsGarage I am hoping to find a new set (NOS) somewhere just for the newness and the warranty... there were a couple guys posting the other day that at least one of the drivers on his LCD-4 went out... so Audeze can fix those, and match the drivers left/right, but Audeze quoted for the repair $2000... that was an I opener for me... if I bought a used pair at $2000 and had to have them repaired and it cost me another $2000 I would not be a happy camper ...
And its pronounced “Tim Bray”. I get it that everyone thinks it’s pronounced “tamber” but then it should be spelled like that If you’re going to spell it like Tim Bray then I will read it like that. Spell it correctly if you want people to say it as Tamber.
![ปฏิเสธไม่ไหว (Crush on you) - LIPTA feat. No One Else [TEASER MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/VC689EgdSIw/mqdefault.jpg)
We need another shootout as you've collected quite a few new ones, and an updated ranking will be fun to watch.
The show is so exciting to watch. No other audio channel creates such entertainment with the topic of hi end audio, only informative ones. Very much appreciate what you do and will follow every episode!:)
Thank you! I wish I had time to post more. These shows take a lot of time to make.
Great choice making this a multi-part comparison! Loving the in depth content.
Cool, been waiting all week for this
underrated channel
I'd love to see a closed back shoot out!! Great vid!
Thanks Jacob! I'm considering it for the future. I'd need a few other headphones in here and I'd need to buy a few again- like the Stellia which greatly disappointed me. Right now the Liric is my favorite closed back, but I have several in the top tier that I've yet to experience. Cheers!
@@DirectorsGarage no kidding! So far the Liric has been not only my favorite closed back but one of my favorite headphones period! Like you the Stellias where also a big let down but I've yet to try the Z1Rs or the Stealths... Best of luck!
man i gotta say, the video was great and I cant wait to see the rest. Got the lcd 4 a few months earlier used and I do not regret my purchase. The used prices are amongst the lowest Ive seen for a flasgship and to me it probably holds up well to the big guys.
Love the LCD-4. And a fantastic value on the used market.
21:33 Nailed it! I definitely won't have clicked on a 50min video! Subscribed! Great video, looking forward to the next part!
What headphones you choose for mixing and mastering ? lcd-5 ? susvara ? lcd-4? hd800s ? ...
I would be totally up for that closed-back shootout.
Oh boy so excited 😊.
You "crack" me up! Great video.
Mr. Pete--------->
aging hippie
Great start! One can glean a lot from this first part, and I like that you take a moment to recap the ranking in each category as it can be hard to track sometimes just by listening alone.
Yes, that's something I noted when I did the last one. It was too hard to track. I hope this made it easier.
Have you considered trying or reviewing the Warwick acoustics bravura electrostatic headphones. I've heard really good things about it.
I'd love to do it-- especially the Aperio, but I'd need someone to donate a set for review, or Audio 46 or Warwick would have to see this show and send one over.
Thanks for this great undertaking I really appreciate you it is a TON of work. But there is no way that Abyss is more comfortable than lcd 5.
Thank you again for the video.
Based the shape of the reviewer's head, I think it's true for him. A big-headed friend of mine tried 1266TC and couldn't shake them off🤣.
What are you trying to say? 😂
Great video and definitely looking forward to the next part. The only one of those that I haven't heard yet is the Atrium, of them my top headphone is definitely the CRBN followed closely by the Susvara (though the 1266 on an insane amp can be godly). This is beating a dead horse here, but as of now my favorite (non-system) headphone is the X9000 and it is a shame it wasn't here for it (I do not blame you for not wanting to drop the cash on it, lmao). After this shootout is done and you've sold off the excess gear, it would be worth looking into some of the Aluminum ribbon headphones. The RAAL SR-1A has a bass response unlike anything else I've ever heard (in any transducer form, not just headphones).
Oh, the desire is there for the X9000. The cash is not! I have to sell some of the current inventory to afford them.
The suspense, is killing me. 😂
Grand job, Sir Michael.
👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
🏎️ 🔥🔥 To Be Continued….
All I’ll say is this: I sold my Susvara, Final d8000, DCA Expanse, and LCD 4Z….and I still own the ZMF Atrium. And the only reason I ever sold my Auteur was to purchase the Verite. And I only sold my Verite to get the Atrium.
I love the Atrium. It's a different sounding headphone to me, in a very compelling way. The Atrium is still one of my most-used headphones. Really enjoyable and a great listening experience. It doesn't hurt that it's 1/3 of the cost of some of these headphones.
Waiting for part 2 👍
enjoyable video, well segmented and to the point. very surprising rankings in places. utopia second to last for dynamics. really?
Great companion! Truly appreciate you expertise and honesty. The only comment that is totally different from every other reviewer is about the lcd-5 having a big soundstage. Most people put it a tad bigger than the Utopia. We know it’s precised in term of placement but a small bubble around the head. Is it model variation? Or amp paring?
Would love to hear your take on that matter.
Subscribed. Great channel
I looked forward to this!
Even though my boy Atrium got massacred, I still love it on a quality otl amp. And that aged cherry finish... 👌👌
I don't see any of this as a massacre. I LOVE the Atrium. It's one of my very favorite headphones. When you start combining these categories, I think it holds up very well-- at 1/3 the cost of others in this shootout. It most definitely belongs in this field.
@@DirectorsGarage Thats nice to know, I lack points of reference because I haven't heard most of the other headphones.
Can't wait for the coming parts, thanks for doing this!
Would love to see a shootout of headphones on OTL amps. The planar headphones you’ve reviewed here are for solid state and hybrid tube amps, but the Atrium sounds FAR better on an OTL tube amp.
I used my WA5LE as a part of reviewing the headphones. The Ferrum Oor stack was my other main amp. I'd love to do an amp shootout, but to do it I'd have to get a lot of manufacturers to lend me some gear! I'll go broke! But my channel is too small for them at this point.
Is the ZMF the Atrium or the Caldera? He called it the Caldera at beginning and then called it Atrium later
Utopia has the slam of the TC on a synergistic chain, and no hint of glare. I'm surprised it didn't compete for the top for dynamics.
Hello DG, Would you please tell us what is the best headphone for Rock and heavy metal music? I would like to see ranks those headphones for the different genre of different music like pop, classical music, rock.. Etc... Thank you 🙏
Interesting questions! I'll consider doing that in a future episode. I love talking music. Thanks for watching, Ali
right here waiting ( richard marx )
What amp did you use to test these, sorry if I missed it.
I used several. The Ferrum Oor stack was my main. It has the most finesse of all of my amps. But I also did some tube listening on the WA5LE, and I used the Chord here and there to double-check what I was hearing. Obviously the CRBN was on the Blue Hawaii only. It's my only electrostatic amp.
Alot of these categories are very amp and source dependant for certain headphones ... For example ... The Susvara on an ifi Ican pro or signature can actually be slammier than many of these.
My Z1R, T1 and ADX5000 look like a pleb in this kind of crowd.... 🤣
Like cameras, the best headphones are the ones you are listening to!
And my theiaudio Elixir, shuoer s12. And sennheiser 280 pro look pleb next to yours
Final D8000 Pro? Deserves to be there imo.
Agree! I just can't afford to have everything. Hoping to get a pair in the next year.
So entertaining! Just like a movie. Maybe won’t overtake Top Gun: Maverick for best movie of the year, but close 😉😉😉
I'd like to thank the Academy... 😂
When I try to justify upgrade from edition xs to arya stealth. 😂 Wow thats really endgame stuff you have here
I've heard most of these headphones. The performance of TC, Susvara, LCD5 and Utopia are very very close and I can live with any of them. ZMF and Meze are too far from neutral so they sound a bit too uncanny for me.
Edit: I've only listened to Verite and Verite closed. Its speed is not on the same level as the others and I prefer properly driven Stellia over them.
Man I just want to hear Susvara once in my life though I could never afford it to own. I've settled with the Arya and Atticus as my endpoint for open and closed, they are pretty much the best at what I want at the most I can afford.
Wow Michael brought out his nuclear arsenal
Wow man...
None of these headphones show as much promise as their price would indicate when it comes to frequency response. Audeze and HiFiMAN are getting close though, just need to clean up those treble dips a bit.
J-Money, thanks for watching-- appreciate it! If you follow this show, I'm one of the few who don't like to get into graphs and charts. Several reasons -- other people do it better, for one. It's hard to make a chart entertaining-- and I want to entertain first here-- charts are boring to view. And I don't think a chart fairly tells the story of a headphone. A headphone, especially at these prices, is an experience. I like to bring the experience and story to a product. How do they make me feel? What emotion do they bring with them? How do they present my favorite music? You can't graph those things. Yes it is subjective, for sure, but it makes for a better show, which is what I love to make.
@@DirectorsGarage Hey no problem there, still a great video!
Lcd-5 might score high in a lot of the categories but it basically has no treble or bass so is a snoozefest. It's also a smaller headphone with smaller driver, it kinda has a Diana like soundstage, not the biggest.
Buy Beats if you can't handle neutrality. Audeze doesn't give a shit what you think; they will still be around long after you.
@@michaelp.3485 I've had almost every audeze in the last 10 years of headphone collecting. I love my lcd-3/X and lcd-4 more than any hifiman. The Lcd5 is the first LCD without the audeze bass, big L and is as dark as a lcd-2 classic. I recently brought the 4 to canjam and everyone else was saying the same stuff to me about the 5. I've had the Lcd5 and eq'd it to match the other audeze and unfortunately it just sound smaller. I've even tried 2 different pairs to confirm there's no unit variation. The audio store owner I got it from also tells me people also agree when the audition the lcd-5. The number of second lcd-5 on the market is incredibly high right now.
@@michaelp.3485 they’re just headphones bruh and folks are actually allowed to post opinions.
Damn i tap out at 22.000€ on headphone gear lol...
👍
Why don’t u add a stax headphone and end this shootout of Audeze bias
The 009S was in last year's shoot out. I was hoping for an X9000 for this year, but my pockets only go so deep! This channel loses money like crazy, so choices have to be made.
Love this shootout, and really appreciate the brevity of the format. I was intrigued by your prior video on the LCD 4, so I took some extra time with one at CanJam SoCal. And that peaked my interest so much, I got one. And it has really blown me away. It's a big step up from what I've had before. I don't have much experience with TOTL headphones, but man...what a magical sound.
I noted your pads are perforated. Did you do that pad swap? Do you know what they are?
where did you find a set of LCD-4 .... I'd like to get a new set but they are hard to find new in the box...
The mod was done by the guy who owned the pair before me. They are either ZMF or Dekoni. Well made and comfortable. I see no reason to change them.
The LCD-4 is now the LCD-4z. On the advice of other viewers, I opted for the earlier LCD-4. There are many out there on eBay or Head-Fi. Don't pay more than $2200. If you're patient you can score a pair for $2000.
Yeah, I found mine on head-fi, a few chips in the cups but otherwise good condition, ~$1900
@@DirectorsGarage I am hoping to find a new set (NOS) somewhere just for the newness and the warranty... there were a couple guys posting the other day that at least one of the drivers on his LCD-4 went out... so Audeze can fix those, and match the drivers left/right, but Audeze quoted for the repair $2000... that was an I opener for me... if I bought a used pair at $2000 and had to have them repaired and it cost me another $2000 I would not be a happy camper ...
instead of "realism" the word is "timbre"
And its pronounced “Tim Bray”. I get it that everyone thinks it’s pronounced “tamber” but then it should be spelled like that
If you’re going to spell it like Tim Bray then I will read it like that. Spell it correctly if you want people to say it as Tamber.
!