This headphone has a M-shaped frequency response, with mid-bass and lower-treble most emphasized. Tone is just a bit warm but not as warm as HD650. In terms of resolving, imo it is slightly better than HD650, probably on par with LCD3, but worse than Beyer T1 and HE6. Vocals are good but not forward, especially male vocals (may be a pro or con depending on your preference). The foams provided muffle the sound so my impression is based on vanilla (no foam)

This headphone is a little bit bright with elevated upper-mid (less bright than HD800). Soundstage is good (i think it is about as good as as DT880's). This headphone is relatively easy going, i think what it excels the most at is being quite detailed and fast without getting fatiguing or too analytical (unlike HD800). This headphone is not the best for rock, pop or bass-heavy music though.

I think this headphone pairs better with an OTL tube amp (in my case, Xduuo TA-26) than a SS amp (Schiit Ragnarok 2). When plugged in Rag 2, it sounds thin, too bright and lacks bass. TA-26 makes it sound more lively and tames the prominent upper-mid spike (around 4-5Khz) a bit. I think another problem with the HD800 is that there is also a bit of ringing in that frequency too, further accentuating that upper-mid spike, so it can become very tiring after listening to violin or cymbal after a while.

If you like your music sound life-like, sweet and warm, this pair of HPs is a no brainer Not really pros or cons: - Intimate soundstage (think HD650) - Will not pair well with OTL tube amp. A powerful SS amp would help LCD3 reach its full potential - Very good for rock, pop and bass-focused music, good for acoustic music and not good for jazz and classical I would say LC3 is NOT an one-size-fits-all headphone. So try to demo before purchase. Compared to the HD650, LCD3 is less vocal-centric but imo superior in most other aspects

With EQing, maybe this headphone may work well. I personally prefer not to use EQ so I had to let LCD2C go.. LCD2C is not great for classical, jazz, folk and acoustic music in general but good for genres that require big bass (think EDM, some types of rock, pop, etc.)

Imo these headphones can be rated 2-4 stars due to personal taste. If you enjoy bright, energetic headphones, these can be 5. If you prefer warm, smooth sound these can be 2-3 stars. Comfortability is a huge negative for me

Imo this headphone is outclassed by Hifiman he400i, DT880 and many more similar priced headphones