Audeze LCD-2 "Vegan" Earpads - feedback, installation & mini-review - Page 6

For those interested in how the vegan LCD2 measure against the leather LCD2...



Vegan on the left, leather on the right.

Very similar, but the vegan maintained a higher amount of treble, if slightly, as I mentioned. That paired with the pad differences, is probably why I felt the vegan version to be slightly less warm with more sparkle. The area between 1khz to just over 2khz has a bigger drop on the leather than the vegan as well... about 4db in the section after 2khz.
Edited by Mad Lust Envy - 3/11/13 at 6:44am

So are these pads being mostly purchased here simply for the improved comfort or also for a moral reason?

Double post

Comfort on my part. Cows are delicious, but they suck on the skin.

I ended up putting them back on my LCD3s. I can't listen to them for too long with the stock leather pads. I just find they get too hot to be comfortable. 

It DOES slightly affect the sound. Normally the LCDs sound sort of like you are right there with the performer. This moves you to front row in the concert hall. The soundstage improves but the sound feels less immediate. 

Is it worse? Maybe a bit. But I like being able to wear them comfortably for a significant amount of time. With the leather pads I would start to get uncomfortable after literally like 25 minutes. Kind of unacceptable. These the clamping force feels a little worse, given that the LCD3 pads are so comfy, but my ears don't get hot at all. I was also worried that the heat / humidity would slowly rot the diaphragm. 

Edited by MightyChimp - 3/20/13 at 1:12am

That's how I feel. It's a different kind of awesome, but the vegan does take away a bit from the LCD2 intimacy for more soundstage and clarity in the upper range.

I'm a vegetarian and the opportunity t increase the proportion of the kit I own which is meat free was appealing.

I think you actually might be right about clarity in the upper range. i think it might be because the slightly more laid back sound gives the music a bit more room to breathe.  I was trying to follow the piano in Beethoven's Kreutzer III finale presto and I found the notes got a little muddy with the leathers.  I think it loses a bit of sparkle though. 

 

admittedly the vegans lower the WOW factor a bit, but I think they are more comfortable not just in terms of physical comfort, but also given that it is a little more laid-back, more comfortable on the ears for long listening sessions. 

 

I like that the sticky rings stay on the ear pads so that you can actually swap them pretty easily. 

Edited by MightyChimp - 3/20/13 at 2:21am

Really? I honestly don't wanna DIY the leathers when I want to swap, but if I can get someone to do it, and then it becomes easy to swap afterwards, I would order a pair of leathers for when I want that intimacy.

Ya you should really try it.. It's a different experience altogether. And honestly, for pure musicality I think it's superior.

The vegans make them much better for passive listening / work though. 

 

(These comments are about the lcd3, i don't have lcd2s)

I definitely need to get these pads.  My ears gets real hot.  It is a shame that such quality sounds cannot be enjoyed for longer duration.  Hopefully this will 'fix' the shortcoming.

 

-J