[sokolov91]

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I guess that means that I don't prefer bright cans (see above Ed8 fan) but i prefer the 800s to the LCD2 by far, so it isn't the bright can preference argument it is that the presentation is so unnatural.  The bass in it is good, if they could just integrate it correctly.

Most ultrasones are rather bright and midbass heavy, no?
 
EDIT by the graphs @ headroom the ultrasone E8 is actually brighter overall than the HD 800 before 10kz and they are close thereafter. They also lack some low low end the HD 800 puts out so who knows(not so sure how it plays out with the closed nature though - never heard them)

 

[oqvist]

 
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Most ultrasones are rather bright and midbass heavy, no?
 
EDIT by the graphs @ headroom the ultrasone E8 is actually brighter overall than the HD 800 before 10kz and they are close thereafter. They also lack some low low end the HD 800 puts out so who knows(not so sure how it plays out with the closed nature though - never heard them)

One of the reason I preferr the tube amp for them. To give them some kind of low end. They don´t extend that low not at all like Pro 750 or 900. They are certainly on the bright side as well at least on my solid state amps. It´s a bit funny that a "portable" headphone does best on tube amps but whatever works

 

[rgs9200m]

I find it curious that HD800s sound awesome with no heightened treble on most of my SACDs but can be screaming-bright in the upper mids with a lot of regular redbook  CDs.
Maybe you are right Sokolov when you hypothesize that the 800s are "excited" by certain frequencies (maybe those associated with digital glare or hyped-up digital recording methods).
 
And I've mentioned before how nice the 800s sound with the Beatles 2009 box set. I listened to the whole box on the 800s and loved it. Not so with any other Beatles CD (and many other discs).
 
The 800s are just a strange animal. Very Chameleon-like. They morph into all sorts of things. I just can't get a handle on them. They're like some girls I have known.
 
It's funny how the magazine reviewers never mention this.
 
 

 

[dallan]

I actually mostly listen to the Ed8s on my v200 which is and extremely warm SS amp.

 

[Skylab]

I was listening to the Ed 8 primarily with the Leben, which while a tube amp, is not overly warm by any means. Not even sure I would call it warm at all - if so, only a touch. The Ed 8 don't sound bright to me, although they do have a little extra sizzle in the treble. The LCD-2's utter lack of such treble anomalies is what I like about them most. They are much flatter, measurably, than most other headphones, throughout the treble, and this makes them a pleasure to listen to, for me.

It really is interesting to me that Dallan and I both like the Editon 8 so much, and yet are at opposite views where the LCD-2 and HD800 are concerned. Human hearing really is a funny thing.

 

[dallan]

^Yeap

 

 

[sokolov91]

Quote:

I was listening to the Ed 8 primarily with the Leben, which while a tube amp, is not overly warm by any means. Not even sure I would call it warm at all - if so, only a touch. The Ed 8 don't sound bright to me, although they do have a little extra sizzle in the treble. The LCD-2's utter lack of such treble anomalies is what I like about them most. They are much flatter, measurably, than most other headphones, throughout the treble, and this makes them a pleasure to listen to, for me.

It really is interesting to me that Dallan and I both like the Editon 8 so much, and yet are at opposite views where the LCD-2 and HD800 are concerned. Human hearing really is a funny thing.

What do you think of my comment about the S - logic? Do you find it takes some isolated listening to "break in" and is weak in a/b?
 
Been a while since I have owned an  Ultrasone but the effect was pretty pronounced and the large ultrasone thread seems to have many similar impressions. Just wondering.
 
A lot of your photos feature a D7000/D5000 do you still use them much or are they largely replaced by the ED8?
 
Sorry for the interrogation but come to think of it I was just wondering after some time how similar you find the DX700 to the LCD-2. They are probably the headphone I regret selling the most. Had a lot of promise (not trying to make you feel guilty lol!). Then again, I kinda view all other headphones as superfluous now vs LCD-2 although the HD 800 are growing on me lately.

 

[Skylab]

I have never believed that a quick a-b of headphones is of any use whatsoever. Amps, yes. Headphones, no.

I photographed the D7000 a lot because they are pretty . I almost never use them though. They sound pretty good, but the Ed 8 and DX1000 are better, IMO, and the complete lack of isolation rally render the D7000 pretty useless.

I used the Edition 8 for quite a while as my main nighttime headphone (which must be closed so as not to disturb the wife). But they have been replaced in that duty by the R10

 

[purrin]

Just my 2 cents:
 
Had a chance to hear the LCD-2 on a variety of setups at the Bay Area meet. Conditions were not always optimal, but I had a chance to get some quality time with them in the early morning and late afternoon. Maybe it's because of all the hype around them, but I was a little disappointed. They are not bad 'phones all at; in fact they are rather good. I actually enjoyed them my PWD/Peak setup (which I can't say for many of the other setups there.)
 
But if one of your criteria for headphones is resolution or the ability to reproduce low level details, the LCD-2s are not it.
 
I had rythmdevils (the ortho guy) and pcf (the Joe/buttoned Grado guy) at my table for most of the afternoon, so I got to compare a lot of different 'phones on my rig.  (I'm not going to comment on the HD800 since most of us here know what they can do, although I am starting to wonder if there was a manufacturing change that reduced the 6kHz bump.) Listening to Bob Marley, the LCD-2s were not able to reproduce fine bass texture, compared even to say an HP1. This seems to be consistent with others have indicated. Also, to my ears, the LCD-2s did not have a certain level of immediacy - they sounded over-damped. Of course "immediacy" is highly subjective, and my disappointment may have been in part to n3rdling's STAX SR-Omega/O2<-BH rigs and Frank Cooter's SR-507<-DIY amp the with glowing blue mercury vapor rectifier tubes.
 
Still I'm not willing to discount the LCD-2, just that I'm no longer itching to get one ASAP and probably won't follow up on it once my place in line comes up (there also seems to be a quite few pair going on sale in the last week or two.)

 

[sokolov91]

Quote:

Just my 2 cents:
 
Had a chance to hear the LCD-2 on a variety of setups at the Bay Area meet. Conditions were not always optimal, but I had a chance to get some quality time with them in the early morning and late afternoon. Maybe it's because of all the hype around them, but I was a little disappointed. They are not bad 'phones all at; in fact they are rather good. I actually enjoyed them my PWD/Peak setup (which I can't say for many of the other setups there.)
 
But if one of your criteria for headphones is resolution or the ability to reproduce low level details, the LCD-2s are not it.
 
I had rythmdevils (the ortho guy) and pcf (the Joe/buttoned Grado guy) at my table for most of the afternoon, so I got to compare a lot of different 'phones on my rig.  (I'm not going to comment on the HD800 since most of us here know what they can do, although I am starting to wonder if there was a manufacturing change that reduced the 6kHz bump.) Listening to Bob Marley, the LCD-2s were not able to reproduce fine bass texture, compared even to say an HP1. This seems to be consistent with others have indicated. Also, to my ears, the LCD-2s did not have a certain level of immediacy - they sounded over-damped. Of course "immediacy" is highly subjective, and my disappointment may have been in part to n3rdling's STAX SR-Omega/O2<-BH rigs and Frank Cooter's SR-507<-DIY amp the with glowing blue mercury vapor rectifier tubes.
 
Still I'm not willing to discount the LCD-2, just that I'm no longer itching to get one ASAP and probably won't follow up on it once my place in line comes up (there also seems to be a quite few pair going on sale in the last week or two.)

My HD 800 are one of the newest (serial is in the 9200) pairs and very much have a nasty peak at 6 khz very close to 5 dB. They do have 5 dB more than the old ones @ 100hz where the graph begins.
Funny you should say they sound over dampened as lots of people complain about resonance or underdampening and this seems to be the exact opposite lol.

 
What are you main headphones and amp for a reference?
 
Also, what "fine details/textures" exactly are you referring too? Got a hunch it is located in the midbass range and without the bump most headphones have it does not sound as prominent as it usually does through less linear gear for better or worse.
 
Edit: I see that southpark rendition has a bad case of california eyes lol.
 

 

 

[Currawong]

I'd say, definitely the O2/BH rig would have made the LCD-2s sound less detailed.  They still remain the detail kings, IMO.  Also, the original Omegas are, IMO, the most amazing-sounding headphones I've tried to date.
 
The bass detail question is interesting. The LCD-2s indeed measure such that they should have incredible bass detail.  I remember the HE-5s would smear around the mids on complex music. The only other good headphones I have here at the moment are the Symphones Magnums, which don't resolve any more bass detail than the LCD-2s as far as I can tell. It wont be until I get O2s again I can really do any significant testing. It makes me wonder if there is more to the technology of ortho design that we don't know about.

 

[purrin]

 
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My HD 800 are one of the newest (serial is in the 9200) pairs and very much have a nasty peak at 6 khz very close to 5 dB. They do have 5 dB more than the old ones @ 100hz where the graph begins.
 

 
Hmm, maybe production tolerances? I saw other folks at the meet intently comparing HD800s side-by-side. What is interesting though is I found the bass volume of some of the HD800s I auditioned sufficient compared to one that I heard then they first came out.
 
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Funny you should say they sound over dampened as lots of people complain about resonance or underdampening and this seems to be the exact opposite lol.

 

 
To clarify, it feels like the driver is too dampened. I also do hear resonances (micro-echos) which sound like the result of the enclosure - sound waves bouncing off the rather large wood cups (whereas the HD800 seems pretty solid in this regard.) Back to the driver: that almost too-perfect-to-be-true CSD plot of the LCD-2 make me think they are indeed over or perhaps very dampened. It's obviously not a lively looking graph.
 
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What are you main headphones and amp for a reference?

PS Audio PWD and Apex Peak / Volcano w/ Shuguang BT tube. This was from my own rig which I felt mated with the LCD2s significantly better (possibly the best) than many of the other rigs out at the meet. The PWD is pretty detailed and definitely not soft or "Grey-Poupon mustard Rolls TV commercial" polite. The Apex / Peak with the BT tube sounds more solid state than tube with great bass control, texture, and treble extension.
 
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Also, what "fine details/textures" exactly are you referring too? Got a hunch it is located in the midbass range and without the bump most headphones have it does not sound as prominent as it usually does through less linear gear for better or worse.
 

I'm referring to the harmonics - the little fuzzies with go with the bass. pcf and I thought the LCD2s sounded great with K.D. Lang (...49th Parallel), but felt low-level information was left out from the reggae bass lines of Bob Marley (various tracks off Legend). These low-level details were heard on other phones (HP1, PS1000, HD800, W1000X, etc.) I had two pairs of LCD-2s at my table. rhythmdevils was comparing his pair with pcf's. He felt that pcf's pair were more clear sounding. I couldn't tell the difference, but probably because I wasn't as familiar with them as he.


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Edit: I see that southpark rendition has a bad case of california eyes lol.
 

 
Heh. 

 
As I said, I'm not willing to give up totally on them and would definitely like more time in a home setting - just that priorities have changed for me. It's a good 'phone, but IMO a little very hyped-up. That $1k can go towards an O2/BHSE, an SR-507, or even an HP1/2. There is a reason I purposely avoided 'stats for the longest time. I actually had the Lambda Signatures in the early 90s (not the 404s as I may have said previously b/c I don't think the 404s existed back then - doh!). They were great in many regards but I sold them because they were too bright. I guess my kids will have to pay an extra semester of college for themselves.

 

[purrin]

 
Quote:

The bass detail question is interesting. The LCD-2s indeed measure such that they should have incredible bass detail.  I remember the HE-5s would smear around the mids on complex music...

It's definitely not a smear. The bass was plenty tight. From my perspective (having built all my speakers since '98 and owning sophisticated measuring equipment,) the drivers themselves sounded (and measured*) over-dampened. In this case, perhaps the massive movement from the pulsing reggae bass line is preventing the small harmonics some registering in a sufficient manner to be heard.
 
*It's debatable if we can infer much from the Audeze provided CSD graphs, but it's at least one objective piece of information we can use.
 
Now I apologize if I like to rag on popular stuff (including even the HD800 in this thread), but I personally I find the bad reviews of and complaints about stuff of more value. I would hope readers take into consideration the negative opinions and calibrate them accordingly to their own priorities and criteria for good sound.

 

[IPodPJ]

Quote:

 Also, the original Omegas are, IMO, the most amazing-sounding headphones I've tried to date.

I think most people that have heard them would agree with that.  I certainly do.  They have incredible imaging, but just need a little more bass.

 

[purrin]

Quote:

I think most people that have heard them would agree with that.  I certainly do.  They have incredible imaging, but just need a little more bass.

Off topic, but towards the end of the meet, after hearing the SR-Omega, O2, SR-507 powered by Blue Hawaii's and glowing blue tube DIY amps, more than a few of us (with LCD-2s, HD800s, etc.) were saying "ahh crap, we gotta move in that direction."
 
My wife did say that under no circumstances will I ever be allowed to have glowing blue rectifier tubes in the house. I don't know if it's their cost, hazard, or both.