I haven't got time to read through the whole thread, which looks interesting, but in answer to the original question it's an emphatic "No" from me, at least when it comes to the Audeze LCD-2 headphones that I own. To me they were a big improvement (other people seem disagree about the magnitude)...

Cables can be used for system fine tuning. I've tried a few, the most expensive being some €250 silver interconnects. Their most obvious effect, to my ears, is akin to an equalizer. My silver cables brighten the sound and cause emphasized sibilance in my system. I no longer use them. Silver has...

Quote: There was no need for that. No doubt hyperbole is rife, but you don't know me, so why don't you leave it to everyone else to make up their minds.   I am at pains to point out that the LCD-2 is the exception for me, something that was really worth the money invested. This is all...

To be clear, I wasn't talking about the width of the stage as a whole, but the width of each perfomer, which I feel is more narrowly delineated within the stage with the LCD-2. Still, I think we must basically be talking about the same thing and you prefer the HD650. Noted. To me the...

Quote:   Quote:   Unsurprisingly I'm with pp312 on this. In fact, his post describes exactly how I feel about my copies of the LCD-2 (rev 1) and HD-650, currently driven from a Bryston BP-25 amp and Metrum Octave DAC. As I've said elsewhere, this is (pretty much the only) one thing...

Quote:   So odd. I take it from your signature that you own and have lived with the equipment you're talking about.   I don't feel strongly about most gear I've owned or heard, except for the LCD-2. I simply hear more with it. More subtlety, easier to follow lyrics, easier to hear...

I don't have the actual experience to recommend a headphone for this purpose (somebody else will, I'm sure), but I use a Behringer DEQ2496 to equalize my Audeze LCD-2s. This is relatively cheap; I don't know your budget, but it's actually very cheap for the functionality you get. Opinions on...

Quote:   I second that. I own the HD-600, HD-650 and (non-cracked) LCD-2. The HD-600/HD-650 would be a total let down after the LCD-2. The only thing they've got going for them, compared to my LCD-2 rev. 1, is a more accurate, less dark frequency response, even the HD-650, but their sound...

I'm a folk musician and I have a pair of LCD-2s, though I'm not sure that qualifies me as an audiophile. To my chagrin people more often compliment me on my sound, rather than my playing. However I don't think there is a correlation between musicians and audiophiles in general.   Going off...

FWIW I measured my LCD-2, both sides separately, and use the results to correct the FR with a graphic equalizer. My left and right channels are not evenly matched in the 2-5kHz region. Turning on the equalizer, to correct this, results in a slight sideways shift of the soundstage. I therefore...

I am not a recording engineer, just a guy who owns the Sennheiser HD600, HD650 and Audeze LCD-2, which I use with professional equipment, a Benchmark DAC1, Bryston BP25 pre-amp (as a headphone amp), as well as a Behringer DEQ2496 and, recently, Metrum Octave DAC. Out of those three I think there...