2359glenn | studio - Page 115

Yep..how'd u guess we go to leidseplein? Hope u will have a long new year party also..my bro had to work tonight poor guy.

 

'cause that is where I go when I'm in Amsterdam to celebrate the new year. There are lot's of ground fireworks. But the ground is wet so lots of people, music, drink, and really good vibes.

 

Grab some oliebollen! Helps prevent a hangover. :)

I already had some oliebollen..yummy..cant drink to much..as i am the bob (the non drinking driver) for tonight and dont wanna crash my baby ( my car )

Happy New Year to all

I have a question for my esteemed friends here.  With tax return and a few other aides coming soon it may finally be time for me to (gasp!) spend money on actual headphones for once rather than amps for same pair I've had forever now.

 

I cannot, for the life of me, decide between the LCD-2 and the HE-500.  I have read reviews, read threads, read opinions, over and over and the two fight each other to a draw every time.

 

What I need is a perspective that is not my own, and since I've rambled on time and again about how I hear various tubes and things maybe you all can give me an angle on it that I may have missed.

 

I'd love to hear everybody's thoughts, because frankly I'm lost. 

I've tried to like the LCD-2, but it's always seemed muddy and dark to me. I really didn't care for the LCD-3 much either. While it did sound much better, I think it's not my cup of tea.

Granted, I've always compared both to the HE-6 under meet conditions. And I truly love the HE-6. I've toyed with the idea of the 500 to use with my less powerful amps and maybe capture some of that magic away from a speaker amp/vintage gear. I'd really love to try one with the OTL.

I would recommend using the headphone loan program from TheCableCo or ask someone local to borrow a pair. When I try a new pair out, I like to give it a week or two so my wars adjust to the new sound. When I flip between the HE-6 and W3000, I dislike the one I'm moving to for a few days.

Sorry if my rambling makes the situation worse

 

If your into detail and imaging I would try the HD800  for imaging they can't be beat.

They can sound bright to some people but the OTL tames this with the right tubes.

I sold a OTL amp to someone that prefers the HD800s and OTL to a stax system.

I know they are a little pricy so it is best if you can barrow a pair or get a pair on loner

I am more in agreement with Watts that the LCD-2 is way too rich and dark for my needs. If you like a rich sound pick the LCD-2 or a more airy sound the HE500. Then is would be a easy chocie to make.The HE-6 is the best of the 'Orthodynamic' planar-magnetic type currently available and second place is quite a bit behind, just my opinion. If I was getting another pair of cans I would take a another look at the AKG K550 which is more suitable on a greater range of amps than the above two cans you mention.

My biggest issue is really lack of experience with other headphones.  I don't know if I would like a different sound signature because I've really only heard one aside from cheap headphones.  I live in the sticks, so borrowing locally is out.  I probably should have mentioned that my absolute spending ceiling is 1K, even that is a major stretch.  I'll be eating ramen next month after I buy them, but I have been wanting a new set of cans for a loooooong time and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel so I'm doing it as soon as I'm able to.

 

What I'm seeking is maximum realism and transparency without a tonal balance that sounds dry or kills emotional engagement.  I want to take the realism up a notch over what the K701 is capable of and maybe get a bit fuller and richer sound without sacrificing the airy quality I like about them.  I never even liked my headphones until I owned the OTL, it made the treble and midrange enjoyable for the first time with the right tubes.  I think my phones sound awful with every solid state amp I've ever plugged them into, and the WA6 was a compromise in many ways.

 

So logically I keep thinking HE-500, but something keeps wispering to me that I might really like the current version of the LCD-2.  My biggest concern about the LCD-2 is that it will sound too thick and not have the sense of air I want.  My biggest concern about the HE-500 is that, looking at the frequency graphs, its "presence bump" in the treble range is actually even higher than the K701s so they might have the same sense of edge and sibilance I want to get away from right now.

 

I'm not sure which voice to listen to. 

 

I do appreciate the comments this far.  Thanks!

Edited by Xcalibur255 - 1/2/13 at 12:18am

Not to add to even more the mix, but I love my T1s from the OTL. I loved them from the Valhalla and Crack too. There is something about the T1 and any OTL I guess. Shoot me a PM if you want to hear more.

On a completely unrelated note, I'm sitting here way past my bedtime (and dreading work in the morning) listening to a Philips Holland ECC33 on loan to me from a fellow member.  Given the tiny little plates inside it I was expecting something mild and polite.  Wrong.  This tube is an absolute monster.  I intend to post a full and detailed writeup in a few days after I spend more time with it, but I can already say that for instrumental music this is far and away the best I have ever heard in my life in terms of dynamics, realistic timbre and note attack.  Better than the Tung Sol black glass round plate.  Better than the Marconi Osram B65.  Better than the Mullard ECC32.

 

I am mightily impressed.

 

How do you define rich?

 

I find the LCD-2s/3s to be the most enjoyable headphones I have ever heard (other than the Sony MR-10s).  They deliver the music with such ease.  They are definitely not bright, but I wouldn't call them dark.  Granted, it is all relative, but most dynamic headphones are way too bright for me.  The LCDs are pretty even throughout the frequency spectrum, and given that most lack real bass, they do a pretty good job of it.

 

YMMV