These are simply the best sounding headphones I have ever owned (and I've owned and sold a lot of them). They are sublimely smo...  Read More

These are simply the best sounding headphones I have ever owned (and I've owned and sold a lot of them). They are sublimely smooth, yet detailed without the least bit of harshness at all in the highs. You can really notice this in the vocals which when compared to other headphones, which sound a lot smoother and less thin or grainy. These have a very good bass presence although they are not bass head headphones. I would actually before a bit more bass as I'm a bit of a bass head myself although I've been able to get these to sound how I like them by adding a bit of bass boost via my eq settings. The mids are very smooth and tube-like while the treble is very articulate yet imparts no sense of graininess or harshness whatsoever.The design of these is very cool with the wood earcup surrounds and leather ear pads and head band.My one complaint is that these are quite heavy so wearing them for long periods of time can tend to get a bit uncomfortable. That said, you should probably give your ears a rest periodically anyways so that is a reminder to take them off every once in a while during long listening sessions.Note- I have the slightly older non fazor version of these, which is 50 Ohms-works well with my headphone amps.  Read Less

I will disclaim that I've only heard these a half-dozen times, but each listening session was from a real audiophile's audiophi...  Read More

I will disclaim that I've only heard these a half-dozen times, but each listening session was from a real audiophile's audiophile rig. First time I heard this was from a setup using a reel-to-reel source; definitely not an iPod or Macbook.In many ways they appear very similar to the LCD-2s, but you definitely notice that they're a slightly different beast. LCD-2s are reveled by most 'newer' audiophiles for having a great balance of lows, mids, and highs and perform well across many different amps. Many, more traditional, audiophiles seem to be more skeptic of Audez'e headphones, especially given that they have come out with many different updates/revisions to the LCD-2 line. I understand that a lot of this stems from them being a newer company so in some ways it's impressive that they have come this far this fast. That said, I have experience first hand, a decent amount of variation in sound from the same model, same revision, using the same equipment.Back to the LCD-3. Given that I was pretty fond of the LCD-2s, I thought the $1,000 added cost of the LCD-3s would further refine the sound stage, produce more accurate bass, and really make the mids and highs more dynamic. Unfortunately, my experience was not close to that and I came away feeling pretty left down. Each time I've had a listening session I've come to the same conclusion that they're pretty good, but only marginally better than the LCD-2s, and in my opinion, not better than either the HE-6 or HD800s. I will caveat that by saying that if you really enjoy the dimension of the LCD-2s, you'll probably like the LCD-3s as well. They're beautifully designed cans, and it is evident that Audez'e put a lot of time and effort into making them more than just a minor step up from the LCD-2s, but I can't help but wonder that all the extra revisions, type of wood, and other options that Audez'e offered with the LCD-2 created the high price tag for the LCD-3s.If money isn't an object, then by all means pick these up, try them out, and see if you like them. If you're on a budget, and are potentially thinking about upgrading other parts of your stack as well, I would definitely go for the LCD-2, HE-6 (hard to drive), or HD800 (my all-around favorite). The T1 would also be worth considering although, I think it comes a little behind the LCD-2, but many people feel otherwise. For those who can afford it, it's definitely worth having in your collection just because it has that 'wow' factor, but I'd rather buy a nice Stax setup for that kind of investment.  Read Less

These are simply the best sounding headphones I have ever owned (and I've owned and sold a lot of them). They are sublimely smo...  Read More

These are simply the best sounding headphones I have ever owned (and I've owned and sold a lot of them). They are sublimely smooth, yet detailed without the least bit of harshness at all in the highs. You can really notice this in the vocals which when compared to other headphones, which sound a lot smoother and less thin or grainy. These have a very good bass presence although they are not bass head headphones. I would actually before a bit more bass as I'm a bit of a bass head myself although I've been able to get these to sound how I like them by adding a bit of bass boost via my eq settings. The mids are very smooth and tube-like while the treble is very articulate yet imparts no sense of graininess or harshness whatsoever.The design of these is very cool with the wood earcup surrounds and leather ear pads and head band.My one complaint is that these are quite heavy so wearing them for long periods of time can tend to get a bit uncomfortable. That said, you should probably give your ears a rest periodically anyways so that is a reminder to take them off every once in a while during long listening sessions.Note- I have the slightly older non fazor version of these, which is 50 Ohms-works well with my headphone amps.  Read Less