Gotcha, thanks for the info. Do you think the $75 upgrade is worth the sound improvement?
Every little bit helps but honestly it’s a minimal improvement. They’re hybrid amps so the sonic difference isn’t nearly as dramatic when you tube roll on it. For now I’d skip it and use the Electro Harmonix until they die, just replace them then.
Save your money for a balanced DAC… like a Geshelli Enog 2 pro. If only there was someone in the community that was selling one at the moment. 
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Wouldn’t I get more of a sound improvement from tubes than a DAC? I’ve read at a certain tier DACs don’t really improve the sound, and the Topping E30 is considered a great DAC.
That amp is a hybrid, with a solid state output stage. Tube rolling is not such a big deal in that case.
A balanced DAC would at least raise the gain . This wouldn’t matter if you did careful volume matching, but it would give you a perceived bump in sound quality if you’re like most people. It would also help eliminate ground loops, but if you don’t have a problem with that, you don’t need the solution either.
I’d stick with what you got and enjoy — you don’t have junk! And buy new headphones if you have money burning a hole in your pocket — that’ll give you most bang for buck in changing sound at least.
Thanks for the reply! I feel like the LCD-X is a great headphone, so I’ll stick w/ that for now 
As for buying a new DAC… what is a recommended quality balanced decently-priced DAC?
I had my Geshelli Enog 2 Pro attached to the LP for a long time. Getting rid of my DACS now that I bought a high end DAC.
It is! But for some reason in this hobby one headphone usually doesn’t cut it:
That looks like a lot of $$ sitting on a table. I guess that’s the rabbit hole of this hobby 
Indeed! But, you can deal hunt and buy used. Everything you see there was either bought on a big sale or second-hand.
And it goes…so…deep
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I wasn’t thinking of upgrading your headphone! Just getting something else for variety. Totally not needed if you’re a one-headphone kind of guy. You’re a rare breed if so
There are so many DACs out there that I don’t know where to begin … you have a suggestion for an Enog2; I’d look at the Topping D70… but there are a bunch more.
I also think your E30 will stand up, so long as you don’t need different features/connectivity on the source side, and so long as you don’t have any ground loops. The “perceived” improvement I mentioned from increasing the gain can be replicated by turning the volume up on the amp, in most instances!
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This is the way.
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So, I’ve been experimenting with Tidal/Amazon Music HD, and am trying to get the most high-quality sound I can get from them, but it seems like to have the sample rate changed automatically of the track being played, I have to use exclusive mode. This bypasses Equalizer APO (obviously), which is a problem for me since I have my LCD-X’s heavily EQ’d. What is the solution for EQing when you use exclusive mode? From my research, it seems like only a service like Roon or a very expensive DAC like RME ADI-2 is the only way. If so, that’s unfortunate :’(
Note, Amazon Music doesn’t automatically change sample rate of the song in exclusive mode for whatever reason. Must be a bug. Also, my Topping E30 doesn’t support Tidal’s MQA so I just don’t even use the Master tracks… lots of debates about if it’s even good.
Stupid suggestion, but hardware EQs/DSP?
I have a bunch of thoughts here and some questions. To really help you out, we need to know what “LCD-X’s heavily EQ’d” means. What have you adjusted from stock and by how much? Other thoughts:
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If all you use is a bass boost, I’d consider flipping the E30 for an iFi Zen. It has a good bass boost on it. If you do more than bass boost…
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Hardware EQ is the best EQ option when using exclusive mode. These can be simple external EQ boxes like the Schiit Loki or the internal EQing of the RME ADI-2. Some pro models give balanced connections so you could use a balanced dac with your Liquid Plat. They’re big and ugly, though, and may not be the most transparent (beyond the intentional messing with the sound). You could also look into one of the MiniDSP units. If you do the MiniDSP I recommend getting one with digital output because MiniDSP units typically don’t have great dacs. A MiniDSP could process the signal and the you could use your E30 still as a dac.
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Next best EQ option is to use a software app that allows for EQing with exclusive mode. Foobar does this, but only for local files. Audirvana 3.5 allows you to use VST 3.0 plugins for EQ, works with exclusive mode, and has Tidal and Qobuz (but not Amazon) integration. Audirvana runs 75USD. There are free, but often limited, EQ plugins and there are some paid plugins that will give you improved functionality. I know Audeze has some EQ presets for LCD-X. Those might be available as VST plugins as well.
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You’ve stated previously you love the LCD-X, and I don’t question that. What I’m wondering is under “heavy EQ” if it’s truly the best match for your tastes, though. I encourage you to give thought to if you might be better off selling LCD-X and using that money to get something closer to your preferences without EQ. I’m not an anti-EQ person, but I do think EQ should be minimal and simple. It sounds like you’re adding quite a bit of complexity. Among the users of HFGF I’m quite confident we can find you a pair of headphones at your budget that is a better match for your preferences and will make overall system operation smoother for you. Food for thought.
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When I say heavily EQ’d, I mean using oratory1990’s EQ here. This really makes my LCD-X’s sound much better.
I think I’m just going to skip exclusive mode altogether and be happy w/ CD lossless quality. I think I’m going too deep into this lol.
Also, it’s commonly known that LCD-X’s need EQ unfortunately for them to really shine.
My Genalex Platinum Gold Lion 6922 came in today! I found a few comparisons between the Lions/Electro Harmonix stating the Lions are much better so I figured why not, not too much of an investment After putting them in and letting them warm up, I checked out a few songs I use as a reference.
I know the standard is to burn in tubes, but these tubes sound perfect right out of the box. I’m noticing bass is more pronounced and crisp, along with treble not being as sharp. Sound stage seems a tad more open as well. This is definitely an upgrade for me 
Thanks to @db_Cooper for recommending me to a great seller!
Just got in my balanced cable from Hart Audio (thanks @WaveTheory)! I can tell sound is a tad more crisp, not substantial, but it’s there. Overall, I’m really satisfied with the recommendations from you guys. Thanks everyone that pitched in!
Now, I’m on the fence for buying a RME ADI-2 so I can run Tidal in Exclusive Mode w/ an EQ so my LCD-X’s follow the Harman Target Response Curve as that makes them sound much better. I know there’s Roon, but that is $700 for a lifetime subscription which is hard to swallow. At least RME ADI-2 is hardware and is system-wide.
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Glad you’re enjoying! And happy to help. Don’t hesitate to ask us if you ever need something else.
The ADI-2 is an attractive product if you’re into EQing. Out of curiosity, have you tried Qobuz? IMO it sounds better than Tidal and you don’t have to worry about MQA. Initially the Qobuz library wasn’t as robust as Tidal’s but they’ve really improved it in the just over 2 years they’ve been live in the US. The ADI-2 would still be needed for exclusive mode and EQing even with Qobuz, though.
I just downloaded Qobuz to try it out, and realized there’s no Dark Mode :’( That’s horrible… the UI blinds me lol. So much… white.
Lol. That is a drawback. I forget about that because I’ve been using Audirvana to handle my Qobuz streaming. Audirvana does have a dark mode.