Reviews by shawn_low

shawn_low

500+ Head-Fier
Pros: CHEAP! Clarity.
Cons: Build quality. Thin cables
There's so much said about these.
 
I was positively enamoured with my Etymotic ER4Ps. I still am.
 
But I picked up a pair of RE0s cheapish. And sold my ER4Ps because these were half the price and almost as good.
 
The RE0s are smooth, clear, fast.
 
The only knocks against them are:
 
1) the fit of the different tips. They aren't as good in isolating sound as the tri-flange on the Etys. Also, I haven't found a perfect fit with any of them. And some are a real pain to put on.
 
2) The cable is really thin and feels fragile. I can imagine they wouldn't last if they got caught on something and yanked.
 
Otherwise, price-perfomance ratio puts these way ahead of single-driver designed IEMs.

shawn_low

500+ Head-Fier
Pros: Looks great, well constructed, fully featured, good value.
Cons: Nasty wall wart (some versions were recalled). Wish they had beefy toroidal power instead!
Not an in-depth review by any means...
 
The Dacmagic has been raved about by all and sundry (Stereophile, Computer Audiophile, What Hi-Fi...oh wait, that doesn't count).
 
Still, the DAC has been popular these last few years with good reason.
 
Clean dynamic sound. A wealth of features (dual sets of optical/spdif inputs, USB, balanced and RCA output). WOW! In a tiny package too. Lots of funky features (different 'phasing' to alter sound and it also takes sample rates up to 96khz. Nice!
 
Only downside is the wimpy wall wart PSU. Ugh. My version had the PSU that needed to be replaced. Good service from Cambridge in replacement though.
 
I only wish the next iteration has a good beefy toroidal PSU built inside the case. I can live with a larger size! Or Cambridge should offer a better PSU.
 
Otherwise, bang for buck!

shawn_low

500+ Head-Fier
Pros: Looks fantastic.
Cons: Comfort level is low and cable is stiff. Needs good pairing.
OK, this is a quick placeholder review.
 
I didn't have more than a couple of hours with these and they were sitting in good company.
 
Dac was a Metric Halo ULN2.
 
Stax O2 out of an exstata.
HD800 out of a B22 and SPL Auditor.
 
First off, the LCD2 comfort level was AWFUL! It's stiff and clamps onto my average-sized head with such force I had to continually adjust it. I couldn't listen to it for more than 5 to 10 minutes. Such was the level of pain it inflicted on the side of my head.
 
The O2 and HD800 were spades ahead in comfort-level.

The LCD2 cable, a starquad cable (a microphone cable I believe) was stiff and just got in the way.
 
Sound is arguably the most important factor but in this case ultimately moot because I won't put use them no matter how good it sounds...I'll end up with a headache.
 
On the B22 and SPL Auditor, the LCD2 were sluggish, veiled, dark and had a recessed midrange. It just sounded terrible. I really wanted to like them.
 
Surprisingly, jacked into...wait for this...an RSA Predator (as a DAC and headamp), the sound signature completely changed. The veil disappeared and things were clearer. Out of a Cavelli CTH hybrid?. Similar results. Just clear. 
 
But soundstaging was small compared with the O2 and HD800.
 
I would have listened more but couldn't bear to have them on my head. Perhaps that will change with time but for now, I'll pass.
 
Seems like these are 'flavour of the month' on HF. Let's see if they have the chops to survive the long haul.
 
Said owner of the LCD2 (not me) has already gone on a hunt for an amp to pair with these.

Potential buyers should thus take note of two things:
 
1) Comfort. 
2) Needs to be paired with a matching amp. Your high-end amp might disappoint. Solid state high-end amps such as the B22 and midrange-ish Auditor didn't do well.
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