[verber]

 
Quote:

That being said, I agree pretty completely with Maxvla's review, based on both meet impressions, and listening impressions at home.  I've owned both the HD800 and LCD2 Rev 1, and I vastly preferred the former.  The LCD2 just lacked air and space in a serious way -- nothing subtle about it.
 
On another note, am I the only person who doesn't find the HD800 to be finicky about amplification?  I've tried the HD800 at home on an Asgard, Valhalla, Lyr, WA2, Sonett, and GS-1 -- they all certainly sounded different, but the core HD800 sound was still there.  I think the headphone sounded good on all of those amps.  In meet listening, I've also heard the HD800 on other highly-regarded amps like the ZDSE, Mjolnir, and BHA-1 -- these amps may offer subtle, definitive improvements, but I didn't hear anything dramatic.  I really don't think it takes a zillion-dollar amp to make the HD800 sound great.

I also found Maxvla's review matched my experience. My, somewhat harsh, summary of the LCD2 is heavy on the head, heavy on the sound.  The two things I would ding the HD800 not featured in the review is that I think sometimes the "air" is artificial, and that I have noticed that the amount of detail available is more dependent on sound level than with other headphones. When playing music very quietly (such as what I might use when listening to music for background) it seems like the HE-500 and any pair of Stax I have used have more detail than the HD800, but that changes when I move the sound level up to my normal listening levels at which point the HD800 has more detail than anything I have listened to with the exception of the SR-007 and SR-009.
 
I also haven't found the huge different in amplification once I found something that had adequate power.  Sure, the DACport, HP-P1 and the Dragonfly weren't adequate by themselves, but there were a large number of amplifiers, budget to high end which I thought drove the HD800very enjoyably. Sure, the >$3k EC amps, B22,  and the Headamp GS-X running fully balanced sounded better than the built in single ended amp in my Lavry DA-11, Headamp Gilmore Lite, or Asgard, but even the Objective2, was able to drive the HD800 well enough that I could enjoy listening to them.
 
--Mark

 

[jeffreyfranz]

You know what I think is really cool? It's how we don't have the high priests of audio telling us what to think about our favored components. All these divergent opinions, people hearing very different things in the same HP, loving or hating Component X or Y-- we go back and forth with no final answer, but it's all us. We discuss and we decide. We don't have reviews handed down from on-high that tell us to love a $150,000 turntable or $200,000 speaker. I can remember when, if Harry Pearson said a ARC preamplifier or Infinity speaker was S.O.T.A., that was like, the law. This, what we do here on Head-Fi, is fresher and so much healthier. I hope it stays this way. 

 

[sinkr]

I've never had the pleasure of listening to the HD-800s, but I immediately felt the urge to upgrade from my HD-650s to LCD-3s after a coworker kindly let me audition his LCD-2s for an entire day.  Obviously there is a big difference between the HD-650s to the LCD-2, so this assertion probably isn't much of a surprise, but after some research, I decided to go with the LCD-3s, because I wanted to go with a "no regrets" purchase (as in, buying the LCD-2, then immediately wanting the LCD-3).  For the most part, I'm very pleased with what I've experienced in the LCD-2/3 arena.
 
In a way, I'm afraid of what I might experience with the HD-800s, because the consensus seems to be that they provide a largely different experience.

 

[longbowbbs]

Quote:

I've never had the pleasure of listening to the HD-800s, but I immediately felt the urge to upgrade from my HD-650s to LCD-3s after a coworker kindly let me audition his LCD-2s for an entire day.  Obviously there is a big difference between the HD-650s to the LCD-2, so this assertion probably isn't much of a surprise, but after some research, I decided to go with the LCD-3s, because I wanted to go with a "no regrets" purchase (as in, buying the LCD-2, then immediately wanting the LCD-3).  For the most part, I'm very pleased with what I've experienced in the LCD-2/3 arena.
 
In a way, I'm afraid of what I might experience with the HD-800s, because the consensus seems to be that they provide a largely different experience.

This IS Head-Fi...You know you'll want both....

 

[Andrew_WOT]

Quote:

Obviously there is a big difference between the HD-650s to the LCD-2, so this assertion probably isn't much of a surprise

Honestly, I didn't find the difference that big, more like refined version of HD650, enough to warrant the upgrade though. Wondering if anyone else felt the same way.

 

[paradoxper]

Quote:

Honestly, I didn't find the difference that big, more like refined version of HD650, enough to warrant the upgrade though. Wondering if anyone else felt the same way.

To a point, I also agree. Likewise, I feel the LCD-3 is an incremental improvement v LCD-2.
 
But what they bring in overall enjoyment is easily x2 better.

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

To a point, I also agree. Likewise, I feel the LCD-3 is an incremental improvement v LCD-2.
 
But what they bring in overall enjoyment is easily x2 better.

Well stated. But the imaging especially, I found more than an incremental improvement. For me it was the deal maker!

 

[LugBug1]

Quote:

Honestly, I didn't find the difference that big, more like refined version of HD650, enough to warrant the upgrade though. Wondering if anyone else felt the same way.

Yeah certainly not $600 improvement. But thats the problem we have at the mo with the pricing of headphones. There is a lot to spend to get passed the current mid-fi (older flagships) to get 'some' improvement.
 
I've took a step back into mid-fi with the K701's at the mo and I'm really enjoying them! It's crazy to think that I'd have to spend about $1000 more to upgrade to the HD800's... for the little improvement.  

 

[RustA]

Quote:

Yeah certainly not $600 improvement. But thats the problem we have at the mo with the pricing of headphones. There is a lot to spend to get passed the current mid-fi (older flagships) to get 'some' improvement.
 
I've took a step back into mid-fi with the K701's at the mo and I'm really enjoying them! It's crazy to think that I'd have to spend about $1000 more to upgrade to the HD800's... for the little improvement.  

 
Well, if you are planning to own only one pair of headphones, it definitely make sense to spend a lot to get the one that will suite you the best... But if using several headphones, I don't think it makes that much sense.

 

[LugBug1]

Quote:

 
Well, if you are planning to own only one pair of headphones, it definitely make sense to spend a lot to get the one that will suite you the best... But if using several headphones, I don't think it makes that much sense.

Agreed.

 

[preproman]

Nothing in the hobby makes sense.  It's all about what you want and can afford.

 

[Silent One]

And then........there's 

 desire! Sometimes Marketing, Forums and friends will have you wanting stuff you can ill-afford to purchase. And one does it anyway with the swiftness of an addict seeking relief. The purchase gets done, it usually does but at the cost of something else, dare to say something else...important. 

 

[sinkr]

Quote:

Honestly, I didn't find the difference that big, more like refined version of HD650, enough to warrant the upgrade though. Wondering if anyone else felt the same way.

I don't know...  I fell in love with the LCD-2s when I did my listening test.  I found that there was greater detail and more soundstage and higher resolution, but maybe I was just dying to drop a bunch of money on a new toy, so...

 

[sinkr]

Quote:

This IS Head-Fi...You know you'll want both....

Yes, which is exactly what scares me!

 

[Frank I]

Quote:

And then........there's 

 desire! Sometimes Marketing, Forums and friends will have you wanting stuff you can ill-afford to purchase. And one does it anyway with the swiftness of an addict seeking relief. The purchase gets done, it usually does but at the cost of something else, dare to say something else...important. 

So true. LMAO it is worse than the heroin addict being strung out. Seems like we are always scheming to get more stuff.  Once we get out of debt we then start working ourself back into it again. At least

 thats the way it been for me.