Audeze LCD-2.2 vs LCD-3 ?!

http://www.head-fi.org/a/comparisons-of-the-lcd-3-and-the-lcd-2-rev-2

Quote:

Originally Posted by MEDO 

i was hoping for simple opinion not a whole threads or articles but thanks anyway. i mean by that is when you're trying to compare tow headphones you're gonna have to focus on the subtle things, but i don't care about that. for example if i listened to them blindfolded would i consider the LCD-3 as a better headphone or a slightly different flavor, i wanna know is there a huge difference between them. notice that i don't have an expensive gear ( >300$ ).

In that case just skip over the review and only read the conclusion. 

"Both are outstanding headphones and two of my personal favourites. Both are voiced with the same Audeze DNA and both offer a true to life sonic experience like no other headphone I’ve heard. With that said, I do prefer the more evolved sound of the LCD-3s. Again, the differences here are not massive, but enough for me to keep my LCD-3s (and sell off my LCD-2s)."

I wrote my own review of the LCD-3 comparing the two: http://www.head-fi.org/t/594426/mini-review-audeze-lcd-3-vs-lcd-2-r2-sr-007-et-al

Quote:

Originally Posted by MEDO 
i wanna know is there a huge difference between them. notice that i don't have an expensive gear ( >300$ ).

I have no idea why anyone would want to spend upwards of ~$2K on a headphone and then use it on sub-$500 gear. That makes no sense. There are plenty of much lower-cost headphones that will sound just as good. Plus a headphone like the LCD-3 will just reveal the limitations of budget gear too and won't sound as good on it. Waste of money if you ask me, when you can just get one of the classic ~$300 headphones like the Senn HD600.

Nods.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MEDO 

i was hoping for simple opinion not a whole threads or articles but thanks anyway. i mean by that is when you're trying to compare tow headphones you're gonna have to focus on the subtle things, but i don't care about that. for example if i listened to them blindfolded would i consider the LCD-3 as a better headphone or a slightly different flavor, i wanna know is there a huge difference between them. notice that i don't have an expensive gear ( >300$ ).

Quote:

Originally Posted by brokenthumb 

 

In that case just skip over the review and only read the conclusion. 

 

 

"Both are outstanding headphones and two of my personal favourites. Both are voiced with the same Audeze DNA and both offer a true to life sonic experience like no other headphone I’ve heard. With that said, I do prefer the more evolved sound of the LCD-3s. Again, the differences here are not massive, but enough for me to keep my LCD-3s (and sell off my LCD-2s)."

Thanks brokenthumb, I was busy at my daughter's 8th birthday party tonight.

MEDO: It's a wiki, not a thread for discussion. This wiki was my A-B comparisons with the LCD-2 rev.2 vs. the LCD-3s; nothing more. But if all you have is $300 of gear upstream, I'd seriously hold off either headphone and look for something else like Asr mentioned, the HD600 or HD650 maybe? The Q701 was quite good too.

If OP happens to be looking specifically for the LCD-2 signature (especially the great low extending bass), it's ridiculous to offer something like HD600/650/Q701 as alternatives.

You are going to take much bigger hit settling for "worse" headphones than worrying about marginal source differences (assuming anything decend is used). You could even have ODAC/O2 for <$300. But I guess this is the "High-End" forum..

The OP doesn't state why they are looking at the Audeze in particular.  But spending $995 or $1945 on headphone for $300 upstream gear is nuts.  I personally would put the bare minimum entry point at $500 amps, and $1000 DACs.  Below that, get the much less expensive, more forgiving, former top cans... D2000, 650, 880 or even an IEM like the UM3X.  Once upon a time we'd say THOSE were pointless without great upstream gear.  It used to be 10:1 ratio suggestion.  For it to be 1:3 is just odd.

I've never heard the LCD-3, but the thoughts of upgrading to the 3 have been squashed the more I listen to my wonderful system. I have no reason to upgrade because this system is perfect for me. It all cost me $4000 +.

That's just me but this system kicks that much butt to not upgrade. If I do, it would be quite a while from now.

Is it being suggested here that an M-Stage is not good enough for an Audeze LCD-2? That the enquirer should rather drop back to an HD650? If so I strongly disagree. The LCD-2 is just not that hard to drive, and in quality terms I believe only marginal gains exist above the M-Stage, whatever the "amp is all" brigade may say. My advice to the OP: get the LCD-2, use it with your M-Stage and you're very unlikely to regret it.

MEDO never said, until now, what he already had.  Just that it was $300.  At that level, stick with the D5000.

Not having completed my comparison review ;)  My LCD-3 came back from RMA this week and I'll be running the comparison this weekend.  

If you have to buy another headphone, list what you want to change about the D5000 and adjust accordingly.  The Audeze cans are FLAT from 20-1000 and to great bass out of them takes a monster.  On lesser amps it will sound sterile compared to a D5000.  I wouldn't be surprised if what you didn't like in the T1 would have been different on say a Woo WA2.