LCD2 versus STAX SR507
The LCD2 is remarkably good at handling only so-so produced pop and rock records, here I recall for example Modest Mouse's lo-fi stuff. I normally describe the LCD2's bass to others as akin to having a subwoofer in one's head. Bass lines in reggae and hiphop simply detonate down low. Mids stay nicely open and attack sharp. Personally I would describe the highs as recessed though reports vary so widely on head-fi I can't confidently state if this is the case across all LCD2s. The way the LCD2s locks on to the groove on tracks like Radiohead's "15 Step" or Neil Young's "Cinnamon Girl" is addictive. (A bit of bass detail and control is lost in my system because of the known limitations of my amp.)
The SR507's acoustic bass excels; I would never call it lacking and it's easy to hear the air under the deepest notes. The lack of visceral attack on electrostatic phones takes some getting use to but once one fully appreciates their effortlessness owners will continue to return to them. Their perfect transient attack, perfect tone and texture and unflappability in complex passages are welcome qualities. I feel confident to declare - as was repeated to me years ago on head-fi - STAX are pretty much the perfect classical phone (except for solo classical piano which the LCD2 just edges it out because it nails an acoustic piano's weight, an instrument I already play). The highs are extended and effortless and utterly unfatiguing. But heaven forbid one should ever plays a substandard recording - it will make your ears bleed. Using a tubed amp with the 507 means even the solo violin recordings of Bach's Sonatas and Partitas come across realistically textured, warm and extremely detailed, proving one can have the best of both worlds.
A track on which both tie is The Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack's "This is Halloween". The LCD2 seem to offer more PRAT, solidifying the lilting drum beat of the song while keeping the chorus' complex harmonies intact. On the other hand the 507 let the whole sonic picture breath with oddles of detail. Each instrument and vocal is in its own space, easily discernable to the ear, while playfully letting the song's melody weave and interact slightly more nimbly than the LCD2s.
Equipment summary: The LCD2 (w/ foam pads and angled inputs w/ APS cable) is used out of a Yamamoto HA-02 while the SR507 is plugged into a stock Wooaudio GES all out of a Marantz KI Pearl SACD player with power conditioning handled by a lower-range Shunyata unit.
