Audeze Headphones for Mixing/Mastering with Justin Gray - LCD-5, CRBN, LCD-4, LCD-4z, LCD-XC & LCD-1
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- Опубліковано 29 лис 2024
- My name is Justin Gray. I am a mix/mastering engineer and producer from Toronto, Canada. This video is focused on exploring my extensive Audeze headphone collection from the perspective of mixing and mastering.
In this video, I discuss the LCD-5, CRBN, LCD-4, LCD-4Z, LCD-XC & LCD-1 headphones.
The video is intended for producers and listeners alike. I have years of experience working with these headphones in a critical music production environment, and I wanted to share my throughs on their respective strengths from both a production and audiophile side.
Please visit my website for more about my studio, and work. I look forward to connecting.
www.synthesissound.com - Mixing and Production
www.immersivemastering.com - Mastering
Playlists: Please visit my website to find links to Tidal, Amazon, and Apple playlists, which feature highlights of my work in Sony 360RA, Atmos, and Stereo.
Instagram/Facebook:
@synthesissound
@immersivemastering
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Justin Gray is endorsed by Radial Engineering, Audeze Headphones, D'Addario Canada, Source Audio, Markbass & Godfrey Guitars.
This video should of been on television as a documentary. One of the most pleasant informative presentations for describing the headphone experience I've ever come across. Thankyou for the details and thankyou for helping me understand what I need to be doing to my music as well as helping me make greater decisions in the mixing and mastering.process. I look forward to meeting you oneday. Peace, light and love.
This is one of the best overviews and descriptions of headphones I have ever seen so far. Detailed and easy to understand even for me (I am not a sound/mixing/mastering engineer) but I am obsessed with headphones (if my bank account allows it), too. For me it is important to learn that each headphone of the Audeze range has its own purpose. By the way, my everyday headphones are the Neumann NDH30, the Austrian Audio Hi-X65 and the Austrian Audio Hi-X60.
The headphones from heaven
I’m interested in the LCD-x headphones and watching this video gave me an appreciation of why they are considered the best bang for your buck cans out of the full size line up.
Headphone reviewers really need to take notes this is how you do it 👏
Good morning from Guelph ☕️😎
I just picked up the LCDX 2021 ..and they’re are phenomenal…a tad wonky in its tuning ..but there is something about headphones like speakers that they have their own sonic signature.😊
Great video and very informative
Take care.
wow, what a thoughtful overview/comparison! thank you!
Amazing video Justin!
The best Audeze line review I have seen.
Love the LCD-4s; for mastering. They match my stereo mastering speaker system's frequency response, and cost 10x less!
Thank you for the valuable info!
My pleasure. Thank you.
I have become addicted to the audeze sound. Seriously thinking selling the rest of my collection
Thank you for your perspective and use case 🤙
Very, very helpful. As a newbie into Dolby Atmos and Spatial Audio, I am looking for an upgrade of my Apollo S4X open backs, which I have trusted for stereo mixing and mastering. As I research Audeze and a variety of reviews, your set up and experience is the closest to my imagination for my own personal journey and as with the pursuit of that headphone truth that we aspire to make a reality, watching this video is in itself (for me) a confirmation and ‘flatline’ of reference. Thanks for the effort in producing this video. Best regards, Stuart (SCN Productions)
Thank you Stuart.
I listened to Audeze LCD 5 and compared them to the Meze Elite at my local high end electronic store and I tell you, the Meze is simply the most comfortable Headphones I’ve ever felt but to me the LCD-5 overall sound quality is more superior. LCD-5s are outstanding!!!
Exactly what i needed, thank you very much !
Audeze are the best. Thanks for this comparison information Justin!
Very intersting and amazing review! Have you tried the LCD-X and LCD-500?
For mixing and mastering, do I go for the LCD-X or should i save a bit more for the MM500?
I'm sure people have told you, but you have a beautiful voice!
Thank you :)
Good work bud
This a fantastic video. I am setting up a high-end telehealth suite for telehealth psychotherapy, in which I would value being able to pick up detailed emotional information in speech (also I work for hours at a time). Between the LCD-5 and CRBN, which would you recommend for that use case?
Hello, I mix and master with MM500's straight out of my mac book pro which seems to drive them easily. I need a comparable closed back that could also help keep things portable. Great channel btw, any suggestions?
Good question. A tough call. I like my LCD-XC alot, but I would not consider them portable (they are quite giant. The Neumann closed-back can sound pretty good. I also like my focal Listen-Pro, but I would not consider them a fully professional mixing-level headphone. I still think there is room in the market for a sub 1000 closed back, that is portable and flat. Hope to see a great planar magnetic option come to market (MM500 closed back would be well received I would imagine).
Thank you for your honest reviews. What are your thoughts on the MM500 compared to the LCD5 and LCD4?
It is a great headphone! (the M500). I think it gets closer to the LCD-5 than the 4. It is quite open and clear. Not quite as open in the top end, and therefore a touch smoother overall. The soundstage is also not quite as open/wide.
That said, like the LCD-X, the M500 is a very good headphone, and really fantastic value
Valuable vid, thanks. How do LCD-X compare with all you listed?
The LCD-X are likely the best balance of quality and cost out there. They are not quite as honest in the mids and highs as the LCD-5 or CRBN IME. I would use them for mixing for sure, but for me I would want to average them with another pair for mastering work. The X’s are just a bit brighter overall, which can be very inspiring to work on, but I found (in my testing) the need to make a few more adjustments to balance with speakers when I worked on them for longer periods. This is all in the realm of subtle of course!
For the cost to quality ratio, I don’t think the X’s can be easily beat. Hope that helps.
Great video Justin! Let me ask you this, I'm sure you know how difficult mixing is in a home studio, listening accurately to low end is really difficult and bla bla, If you were starting to mix and master in a home studio, which pair of headphones you showcased would you pick? Thanks
LCD-5's :)
Hey Justin great video! Given how much you like the binauralisation on these headphones, I'm curious what technical advances you think we need before binaural-only mixing becomes a feasible option. Do we need better room simulation, head tracking, haptics, better HRTFs, binauralisation outside of the sweet spot, is there a level of detail you don't get on headphones yet, or something else? With people such as Glenn Schick saying that we've passed the point where headphones can be a perfectly acceptable alternative for mixing and mastering stereo, I'm curious if you think we'll cross that boundary with immersive at some point, and how close or far that might be
Thank you, and great question. This could be a video itself :) The next few years will yield massive advancements in this area. That said, in the world of Atmos, binaural is only one piece of the pie. Therefore, we should never look to replace speaker-based mixing entirely. Will it be more and more possible to achieve translation with headphones only? Yes. Will headphones be able to truly eclipse/replace an immersive system? I don't think so (at least not in the near future)....unless the art was itself designed for a binaural experience of course. I don't see speakers and headphones in competition with each other. They are different lenses, that show different things. Certainly, headphones are more important by the year, hence why I am so dedicated to using them in my work.
thank you
Audeze fanboy a bit….? Well I’m in the same boat 😂 love their products and appreciate a detailed video in regards to Atmos as I am starting to mix in Dolby Atmos as well.
Have you used LCD X, thoughts ?
Fanboy indeed! The LCD-X are likely the best balance of quality and cost out there. They are not quite as honest in the mids and highs as the LCD-5 or CRBN IME. I would use them for mixing for sure, but for me I would want to average them with another pair for mastering work. The X’s are just a bit brighter overall, which can be very inspiring to work on.
For the cost to quality ratio, I don’t think the X’s can be easily beat. Hope that helps.
@@justingraysynthesis9082 How about the Manny's vs. the LCD X for referencing during mixing and mastering?
Hey Justin long time no see since Humber. Super stoked to see you doing so well with the mixing and mastering. Have you had a chance to try or compare these with the MM-500 new models? I'm looking into getting a single bullet for mixing in my apartment. Keep it up!
So nice to hear from you and thank you, my friend! The MM-500 is impressive. I have compared them several times, and I do recommend those headphones. I think they are likely the best value available right now. There is a certain level of upper-frequency clarity and speed that the LCD-5 has, which the 500 doesn't quite reach, but I think the 500s are world-class headphones, and I would be happy mixing on them. Hope that helps.
@@justingraysound Thanks so much! They didn't end up being available in Vietnam at moment (and was gonna be months) so I went with the LCDX and I'm blown away. Might have to pick up some more at some point but these seem to be like they are gonna get the job done for a long while!
@@JaredLucow-h4w Enjoy. The LCDX truly are an amazing headphone!
are the mm500 the best for mixing?
The LCD-5 are IMO, but the MM500 are incredible for the price. Incredible!
@@someoneacomputer1905 Hey. Thanks for asking. I have no financial incentive or requirement to recommend them in this video. I am an affiliated artist with Audeze, which means as a professional I have had access to some cost savings (how most endorsements work), but all of the headphones I have in this video, I purchased myself. Ultimately, I made this video because I wanted to. I had quite a few of my Audeze headphones before being affiliated with them as an endorsing artist, and eventually, it was my love for their headphones in my own workflow that led to me having a more direct relationship with the company.
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I currently own the LCD-XCs. I am curious about an upgrade. I am thinking 4z, MM-500, or MX4. What are your thoughts? (This is for music enjoyment, not professional work). I'd appreciate any feedback.
For music enjoyment, of these headphones, I would choose the 4z. That said, the MM-500 are probably the best price-to-quality ratio. They are also the lightest/smallest of the bunch. I just really love the 4z, and how they sound.
@@justingraysound Thank you! This is the nod in the right direction I needed. I appreciate you helping me.
Do you think LCD 2 are worth it ? 😊
They are one of the most lovely cans for home enjoyment listening. They are a bit bass-heavy / dark to be a mastering-level headphone. They are still miles ahead of most mixing headphones though. At this point, I would suggest the MM500 in that same price range.
Thank you, I forgot to say it is for mixing. Now I m more thinking about LCD X or MM-500
I got to say, I went to the streaming sites from your website to listen to the music that had been mixed and every single tracks volume level was driven so high to the point of distortion, yikes! What's up with that? Tested on several high-end DACs and HPs and the problem is just that the volume level is mixed too high on the track. Some of the music would have been very appealing to me if it wasn't for the distortion 😒
Can you be a bit more specific? I QC every file I have put on streaming, and I am very confident this is not an issue. I appreciate your drawing attention to it but would be curious if you could identify a specific song, so I can listen and confirm. Please feel free to email directly as well through the website. I appreciate your time.
Hello again. This comment has been on my mind. I wanted to follow up and see if I can help to find what it is that caused the issue you experienced. As a mix and mastering engineer, I certainly deliver robust masters, but I always remain focused on delivering masters that prioritize clarity, and dynamic range. As such, I am confident that there must be something external causing the issue you experienced, but I would love to figure it out. Mostly so you can have a good listening experience to some good music, but also because I am always open to figuring out issues like this. As an experiment (if you have time), you could listen to a song directly on my website, and then the same song with your streaming service. In both cases, I do not think there will be any audible distortion, unless a DAC is being overloaded by accident, but I can guarantee that the files I chose to feature on my site all have healthy headroom and peak clarity. If you hear distortion there, there is something going on technically worth exploring. If you do not, and then you do hear it on the streaming service, I am curious what streaming service, and which normalization setting you may, or may not have chosen. Again, thank you for your time, and if you wish to reach out via my website, I would be happy to get to the bottom of the issue. Have a great day.
I feel the need to chime in on this thread. Having just listened to your interview with Matt Boudreau I became interested in your work. I just visited your website, listened to the tracks provided and completely disagree with the posters assessment. The tracks presented are beautifully mastered, w/superb dynamics and tastefully eq'd, no evidence of distortion. I sincerely appreciate your contribution to the Music and Recording Arts community. Cheers!
Thank you. I am sure that the OP had an issue with their playback system. I just wish they had a chance to hear everything properly :) Appreciate the follow-up comment.@@SlickBMD
Did you try neumann ndh 30 for mixing and mastering?
I finally had a chance. I like them, but I do prefer the highs in the Audeze LCD-5's. I also found the 30's did not fit my head just right, but that is of course completely personal.
That's a lot of money for those headphones and power amps. You must be making some good dough! Or going into debt.
Just messaged you on IG!