Help with picking AMP/DAC for LCD-2C

[Maiooo]

Hello,

New member here, been lurking around for the past few days trying to find a good setup for my LCD-2Cs. I hope this is the right place to post

I've only recently discovered this forum and find it refreshing to move past what "feels" right to a more measured approach. The former is something I've thrown a lot of money into over the years and I'm tired of reading differing subjective opinions on other resources which only fuels buyer's remorse and "upgradeitus".

I am by no means technical and I find that the amount of info on here can be quite overwhelming, I was therefore hoping that you could help me with a few recommendations that work well with my Planars.

From my reading I've gotten it down to a few options and combinations:

1. Geshelli Erish with the Schiit Modius
2. Monoprice THX887 with ?
3. RME ADI-2 FS

These options are obviously at very different price points. I do not mind spending a bit of extra right away to make sure that I end up with something really good. I do quite like the idea of having an all-in-one unit as the RME but I've never used DSP before and all extra settings seem a bit confusing to me. The THX amps seem like amazing value with great power output. I do not know what DAC would go well here. The Geshelli is very enticing in that it seems very simple and straightforward. Not sure if this amp is the best combo with Planars though?

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thank you!!
/Anthony

 

[maverickronin]

If you can afford the ADI-2 DAC the DSP features make it well worth it.

The Schiit Modius would match the Monoprice THX as well.

The LCD-2C aren't a very difficult load or particularly insensitive so Erish will have plenty of power if you want to stay on a budget.

 

[Maiooo]

If you can afford the ADI-2 DAC the DSP features make it well worth it.

The Schiit Modius would match the Monoprice THX as well.

The LCD-2C aren't a very difficult load or particularly insensitive so Erish will have plenty of power if you want to stay on a budget.

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply!

Happy to hear that it seems like I've found some good alternatives.

Do you think there would be a big difference in sound with these 3 combos? I wouldn't mind spending the extra cash if it justifies a difference in sound quality.

 

[3125b]

You might also want to consider the new Topping stack option of A30Pro and D30Pro - probably around 500-600$/€ for the two.
The A30Pro has plenty of current capability for even the most inefficient planars out there (with the LCD-2C not being one of them) and a very high output voltage of 16Vrms or so for high impedance loads.

Honestly, there are many good choices out there. You don't need the DSP capabilities of the RME if you are using a PC as the source, but if you use anything else, it might be worth it.

 

[Techno Peasant]

I have the LCD-2C's, and can say that they greatly benefit from the added power of balanced output. I'm currently powering them with a Drop THX AAA 789 amp and Soncoz la-qxd1 DAC, and can say that the DAC and balanced out have made the most noticeable improvements.

Good luck, and have fun with your LCD's!

 

[maverickronin]

Do you think there would be a big difference in sound with these 3 combos? I wouldn't mind spending the extra cash if it justifies a difference in sound quality.

They all measure excellently and (excluding the RME's DSP) should sound the same with the LCD-2C.

The Erish and Modius would be the budget option, especially if you already have a balanced cable foe the LCD-2C.Th Aechel 2.5 Pro might be better if you don't already have a balanced cable or have other unbalanced headphones you'd like to use with it.

The Monoprice THX is more versatile. It has a negative gain setting, 4 pin XLR, 1/4", and 1/8" TRS which will work better with any more sensitive headphones or IEMs you may acquire in the future.

The RME would be the most versatile. Not as much power as the Monoprice THX, but it has perfectly matched digital volume control, a separate low noise/low power 1/8" output for other more sensitive headphones and a tone of useful DSP options which will improve pretty much any headphone.

Also, something I should have already asked before, what are you currently using your LCD-2C with?

 

[roskodan]

The biggest improvement to the LCD2C is DSP aka EQ. These have the same, if not even worse, issue the LCD-X have. Make sure to get an amp that has decent power at 70 Ohm (LCD2C impedance), since you'll need it for extra headroom when EQ-ing. Check the EQ threads for more info on software, EQ-ing. I like AutoEQ InnerFidelity and oratory1990 settings for EQ. Using also my modified hybrid AutoEQ InnerFidelity ASR profile.

EQ Software for Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS/iPadOS and Android.

List of Amir's Headphone PEQ filters

 

[Maiooo]

Thank you all, really appreciate the input!

I'm currently using an X-can V8 that I mainly used with my HD650. I'm running its internal DAC as well which is quite old at this point and I've read that it's not the best performer. I've also heard that tubes and planars do not really go together either? I guess this is a hybrid amp so that might give it a bit more power I guess.

I do not have any balanced cables right now so going with the budget alternative would also mean getting some of those.

Appreciate the recommendations about Topping but I'm actively trying to avoid purchasing any products from Chinese companies. This might disqualify the Monoprice as well. Haven't looked into where that one is made.

I've never used DSP or EQ with any audiogear before as I've previously bought in one the whole "pure" approach they keep selling. I'm keen to try it out though.

 

[roskodan]

Seems good on power, 1W at 70 Ohm. Definitely try EQ first. I use Equalizer APO with PEACE GUI on Windows, piece of cake. If only because it's really FUN!

 

[Techno Peasant]

Good points all around, about the EQ. This is something I tackled recently, and can offer some insight. Audeze offers a legacy version of their Reveal EQ plugin for free, which seems to fill the gaps in their freq response. Here's a link if you're interested:
https://audeze.zendesk.com/hc/en-us...gacy-Version-of-Audeze-Reveal-plugin-for-DAWs

This can be used with Equalizer APO, Audirvana, and most likely many other audio players. One thing to note though, if you end up using the Reveal plugin, the boost in EQ to the high and low end will cause the levels to clip at 0.0dB gain. In Equalizer APO, you can add a pre-amp gain stage to the chain, before the VST plugin (Reveal), and lower the gain until the levels no longer clip. For example, in the Reveal plugin I have "mix" set to 60% and gain at 0.0dB, because I find the highs to be too sibilant/harsh at 100% mix. At 60%, I have the pre-amp gain stage in Equalizer APO set to -2.15 to avoid clipping.

Let me know if you run into issues with this, and I can help.

 

[Maiooo]

Seems good on power, 1W at 70 Ohm. Definitely try EQ first. I use Equalizer APO with PEACE GUI on Windows, piece of cake. If only because it's really FUN!

Yeah it seems to drive them well in terms of power. I am a bit concerned because I hear fairly loud pops in the headphones when I power the amp on. If I disconnect the 6,3mm before powering the amp I hear a high pitched ringing noise when I plug in the headphones instead. This only happens when powering the amp on, after that it sounds allright!

 

[maverickronin]

I hear a high pitched ringing noise when I plug in the headphones instead.

This is microphonics from the tube stage. Replacing the tube will probably reduce the ringing.

 

[Maiooo]

This is microphonics from the tube stage. Replacing the tube will probably reduce the ringing.

So it shouldn't be anything to worry about?

I did replace the tubes about a year ago and it hasn't been used that much.

 

[maverickronin]

So it shouldn't be anything to worry about?

The ringing won't hurt anything. Depending on personal tolerances, it may be annoying though.

The pops may be a problem for some headphones, but the HD650 and LCD-2C are pretty robust.

I did replace the tubes about a year ago and it hasn't been used that much.

Microphonics can vary from tube to tube. Some may be very microphonic even when they are brand new and still have full gain, so just changing to a different one may help. Or it may be the particular design of the amp couples lots of vibration through to the tubes. Did the last ones ring just as much? There are silicone vibration dampeners sold for various sized of tubes as well but I'm not sure how well those actually work.

 

[Racheski]

No reason to buy the Monoprice 887 when the Drop 789 is $100 cheaper. If you want to go American, personally I would recommend the Magnius/Modius stack and be done with it for $400.

 

[Maiooo]

I ended up getting the RME.

The idea of having an all-in-one unit with DSP was very tempting.

So far I think it sounds great. I just set it up an hour ago and haven't done any settings at all yet. I could instantly hear a big difference in sound which I think comes down to the DAC. Very happy my purchase so far!

I have messed around with "loudness" as I accidentally pressed it on the remote I quite like the sounds of it but I'm not quite sure what it does. I've heard that loudness is a setting to be avoided on amps in general. Don't know if that's bullshit or not though.

Finally I want to thank all of you for taking the time to give me some advice, greatly appreciated!

 

[maverickronin]

I have messed around with "loudness" as I accidentally pressed it on the remote I quite like the sounds of it but I'm not quite sure what it does. I've heard that loudness is a setting to be avoided on amps in general. Don't know if that's bullshit or not though.

A loudness funtion increases the bass and treble to account for the ear's lower sensitivity to more extreme frequencies. This makes something played at lower volumes sound louder than it really is.

Old receivers and what not with a loudness feature were hit or miss since it didn't take into account the sensitivity of the speakers you were using with it and was usually just a button which turned it on of off.

The RME's implementation is much better. The boosts change smoothly and automatically over a 20dB range, you set the volume at which the boosts start to flatten out, and you can set the maximum bass and treble boosts as well.

 

[Maiooo]

A loudness funtion increases the bass and treble to account for the ear's lower sensitivity to more extreme frequencies. This makes something played at lower volumes sound louder than it really is.

Old receivers and what not with a loudness feature were hit or miss since it didn't take into account the sensitivity of the speakers you were using with it and was usually just a button which turned it on of off.

The RME's implementation is much better. The boosts change smoothly and automatically over a 20dB range, you set the volume at which the boosts start to flatten out, and you can set the maximum bass and treble boosts as well.

Oh I see, that makes sense. It does sound good

Another question, which I've seen in a lot of different threads after googling, is about sample rate. I installed drivers from RME's website after reading the manual but later read that they're not needed for detecting sample rate automatically. I uninstalled the drivers and are now using drivers for win 10 but the DAC still doesn't change sample rate from Foobar. It's stuck on 44,1. Do I need to install some plugin for Foobar?

 

[Maiooo]

Nevermind, I'm an idiot Got the Wasapi plugin for Foobar and now it works. Man what a great sound, dunno how it could improve at this point. Listening to Muddy Waters - Folk Singer and wooow.

Thanks again!