Contrary to popular belief, they are sensitive (70R / 101dB/mW SPL) and don't need close to the 1W-4W that Audeze used to recommend. Being planars the load is purely resistive. What they DO need to bloom is plenty of voltage, and I was curious as to whether the UL provides sufficient? What is the maximum V out of the jack?

As I haven't managed to find any data online or on these fora I thought I might enquire here?

 

I already have the lovely Solo UDLE and am planning to purchase a pair of Audeze LCD-3 which has the following power requirement:

Would welcome any suggestions please  

Similar load to my K1000 with a much higher electrical sensitivity and the drivers are closer to the ears. First glance from me says: will drive it fully with no problem. You won't max out the Solo.

So, 1dB out, I'm afraid!

P.S I couldn't help but laugh at Graham's slightly sarcastic regret that 121dB couldn't be achieved.

morris_minor wrote: I use LCD-2s with the Solo ULDE and they sound great!

Same here.

I have found this to hold true for SOME amp/headphone combinations, but as always YMMV.

I would be interested to hear other members' opinions but my take is that the significance of power output over all else when it comes to headphone amplifiers is grossly overemphasised. 

Max voltage swing will affect dynamic range when you try to turn the volume up. If insufficient, dynamic range can be audibly compressed.

Can the amp maintain the voltage swings? Is it stable enough or does the designer quote peak power rather than stable average power. As power is a rate and you can choose any duration of time to measure an energy transfer, you can greatly skew a measurement of real power. A bit like a velocity-time graph with an absurdly huge acceleration (very steep gradient), but only absurdly huge when consider a short time duration of micro-seconds (for example) and realise that it will not and cannot be maintained over a larger time interval.

Is the load suitable for the amplifier? So called "impedance matching" or "damping factor". If not, the desired frequency balance will not be achieved.

Et al

problem is most vocal critics don't understand squat about proper, relevant measurements and the interpretation thereof! For them more is always better, regardless of how the numbers were derived.  

Component matching and synergy between gears is a dark art sometimes, and every so often a system sounds wonderful even though the numbers might suggest it should not. All part of the fun of this hobby.

Which is why I like to learn from experienced people who have been there and heard that and understand what really makes a difference. 

"We can't give a scientific explanation, it just sounds better!"

There may well be something to that, but it's not technology, it's psychology.

Agreed. I think there is science in Graham's design process, whereas my listening process is subjective. I wonder if there is a bit of fetishisation of specs happening on those sites, like obsessing over a car's maximum speed or engine horsepower. rather than the driving experience?

Anyway in other words the amp's output should be sufficient so it goes as loud as you want without struggling with peaks. I bought my LCD-2's some years back and was really sceptical about the 4 watt headamps they described in fan threads as my portable HD player could drive them well in the shop and I don't even run my loudspeakers at 4 watts! The DAK Novo I had initially and then my Solo Ultralinear had no trouble making the music from my LCD-2's go really loud, although I enjoyed it more at a lower volume level and still do.