[ahnafakeef]

Has anyone here used an LCD-2 with an O2 amp? I have the amp and am looking forward to getting these headphones, so please share your experience to help me finalize my decision. Thank you.

 

[CanadianMaestro]

Burson Soloist does a great job with LCD-2.2. So does the BHA-1 in balanced.

 

[ahnafakeef]

  Burson Soloist does a great job with LCD-2.2. So does the BHA-1 in balanced.

Thank you, but I was hoping to get something MUCH cheaper.
 
So I'll rephrase - what is the CHEAPEST amp that will sufficiently power an LCD-2?
 
Thank you.

 

[CanadianMaestro]

Thank you, but I was hoping to get something MUCH cheaper.

So I'll rephrase - what is the CHEAPEST amp that will sufficiently power an LCD-2?

Thank you.

Tough call.

WA6. BH Crack.
Not sure about Polaris, check their specs at Garage1217. It certainly drives the Senn and T1 cans, but not sure about planars.

Edit. Polaris drives my HE560 very well, but 560 is a single-sided Planar mag, whereas LCD is double.

 

[ahnafakeef]

Tough call.

WA6. BH Crack.
Not sure about Polaris, check their specs at Garage1217. It certainly drives the Senn and T1 cans, but not sure about planars.

Edit. Polaris drives my HE560 very well, but 560 is a single-sided Planar mag, whereas LCD is double.

Thanks for the suggestions. The BH Crack seems to be a fairly low-priced amp. Quick question - does it require the user to assemble it?
 
Also, what specs must an amp meet to be able to properly drive an LCD-2?
 
Thank you.

 

[Rob80b]

  Thank you, but I was hoping to get something MUCH cheaper.
 
So I'll rephrase - what is the CHEAPEST amp that will sufficiently power an LCD-2?
 
Thank you.

One more for the Bryston BHA-1/Audeze synergy…but I was pleasantly surprised how they also sounded quite fine direct off the headphone jack from my iMac..if you’re looking for much cheaper look for something with the highest current…there are a lot of affordable amps out there. One of my favorites was the Shanling PH100, very well built with lots of output, quite reasonably priced off ebay.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SHANLING-PH100-HEADPHONE-AMPLIFIER-PH-100-HEAD-AMP-/220554411981?hash=item335a113fcd
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/475918/shanling-ph100/30#post_6564193
 
 

 

[CanadianMaestro]

  Thanks for the suggestions. The BH Crack seems to be a fairly low-priced amp. Quick question - does it require the user to assemble it?
 
Also, what specs must an amp meet to be able to properly drive an LCD-2?
 
Thank you.

Yes assembly, but apparently it's easy. There's a guy here, DDDamian, who has experience. Contact him. He also has LCD-2.
 
Specs: You need juice.

 

[CanadianMaestro]

  One more for the Bryston BHA-1/Audeze synergy…but I was pleasantly surprised how they also sounded quite fine direct off the headphone jack from my iMac..if you’re looking for much cheaper look for something with the highest current…there are a lot of affordable amps out there. One of my favorites was the Shanling PH100, very well built with lots of output, quite reasonably priced off ebay.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SHANLING-PH100-HEADPHONE-AMPLIFIER-PH-100-HEAD-AMP-/220554411981?hash=item335a113fcd
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/475918/shanling-ph100/30#post_6564193
 
 

 
Have never heard the Shanling, so don't misunderstand my comments.
Does it have the crystal-clear resolution and imaging as something higher up the ladder $$? I'm wary of using a $200 amp to match with a $1K headphone like LCD-2.2.
Just curious 

 

[Rob80b]

   
Have never heard the Shanling, so don't misunderstand my comments.
Does it have the crystal-clear resolution and imaging as something higher up the ladder $$? I'm wary of using a $200 amp to match with a $1K headphone like LCD-2.2.
Just curious 

ReH100
 
It's not a Bryston and it's single ended but IMHO it did compete with quite a few of the the under $1k SS amps, it took the Bryston to replace it in my setup.
I did give it to a friend so I should be able to borrow it and see how it pairs with the LCD2.2s as it did a nice job powering my hungry AKG K501s/K701s and the Senn HD580/600s.

 
Should note that Shanling is highly regarded for their product, price performance and have a strong following.
In Canada it was labeled the PH1000 and originally imported by Charisma Audio here in Ontario.
http://www.charismaaudio.com/?page_id=1084

 

[Rob80b]

   
Have never heard the Shanling, so don't misunderstand my comments.
................

Just to go off topic for a bit...but you may have seen their CD players...hard to miss....I've never heard one though.

 

[CanadianMaestro]

  Just to go off topic for a bit...but you may have seen their CD players...hard to miss....I've never heard one though.
 

 
Dang, and all that time...I thought that was a miniature Millenium Falcon!

 

[jodgey4]

Tough call.

WA6. BH Crack.
Not sure about Polaris, check their specs at Garage1217. It certainly drives the Senn and T1 cans, but not sure about planars.

Edit. Polaris drives my HE560 very well, but 560 is a single-sided Planar mag, whereas LCD is double.

 
 

  Thanks for the suggestions. The BH Crack seems to be a fairly low-priced amp. Quick question - does it require the user to assemble it?
 
Also, what specs must an amp meet to be able to properly drive an LCD-2?
 
Thank you.

 
These aren't good choices for the LCD-2. The WA6 probably needs twice the rated power to be sufficient, and the BHC is an OTL design which is horrendous for planars.
 
Schiit Magni 2 Uber or Asgard 2 (for smoother Class A amplification), Audio-GD NFB-3AMP, etc. is what you should be looking for. The Polaris would be a great choice.
 
The BHC requires assembly unless bought used or through a private member who assembles for a fee.
 
0.5W+ is recommended for the LCD-2 IMO, Audeze says 1W+. That's for a ~60-70ohm purely resistive load.

 

[MRC001]

  These aren't good choices for the LCD-2. The WA6 probably needs twice the rated power to be sufficient, and the BHC is an OTL design which is horrendous for planars.
 
Schiit Magni 2 Uber or Asgard 2 (for smoother Class A amplification), Audio-GD NFB-3AMP, etc. is what you should be looking for. The Polaris would be a great choice.
 
The BHC requires assembly unless bought used or through a private member who assembles for a fee.
 
0.5W+ is recommended for the LCD-2 IMO, Audeze says 1W+. That's for a ~60-70ohm purely resistive load.

I agree the LCD-2 doesn't need nearly as much power as Audeze recommends - their recommendation of 1 watt is at least 10 times higher than you really need.
The LCD-2 needs about 0.2 mW for 90 dB SPL (which is very loud).
1 Watt is 5,000 times more power. That's 37 dB louder, which is 127 dB SPL, which will fry your ears & melt your brain.
Even a measly 100 mW is enough for an LCD-2, if the amp produces that 100 mW cleanly and effortlessly. That 100 mW makes 117 dB SPL, which is loud enough to cause hearing damage with less than 1 minute of exposure. Anyone who listens that loud would soon lose his hearing.
 
The LCD-2 is an efficient, purely resistive load that is easy to drive, and 70 ohms isn't too low an impedance for any solid state amp. Tube amps will need an output transformer - an OTL tube amp won't drive a 70 ohm load well.
 
The amp driving LCD-2 doesn't need a lot of power. It just needs to be clean, very clean. Audeze's recommendation stems in part from the fact that a powerful amp loafing along at less than 1% of its rated power is probably clean. That's often true, but not always. Most of the time, with the LCD-2, a cleaner amp will sound better than a more powerful one.

 

[ahnafakeef]

  I agree the LCD-2 doesn't need nearly as much power as Audeze recommends - their recommendation of 1 watt is at least 10 times higher than you really need.
The LCD-2 needs about 0.2 mW for 90 dB SPL (which is very loud).
1 Watt is 5,000 times more power. That's 37 dB louder, which is 127 dB SPL, which will fry your ears & melt your brain.
Even a measly 100 mW is enough for an LCD-2, if the amp produces that 100 mW cleanly and effortlessly. That 100 mW makes 117 dB SPL, which is loud enough to cause hearing damage with less than 1 minute of exposure. Anyone who listens that loud would soon lose his hearing.
 
The LCD-2 is an efficient, purely resistive load that is easy to drive, and 70 ohms isn't too low an impedance for any solid state amp. Tube amps will need an output transformer - an OTL tube amp won't drive a 70 ohm load well.
 
The amp driving LCD-2 doesn't need a lot of power. It just needs to be clean, very clean. Audeze's recommendation stems in part from the fact that a powerful amp loafing along at less than 1% of its rated power is probably clean. That's often true, but not always. Most of the time, a cleaner amp will sound better than a more powerful one.

I'm sorry that I've to ask but I'm not particularly educated on audio equipment - by the measurements you mentioned, how will the O2 fare in driving an LCD-2?
 
Also, if it's possible, please tell me how much (a percentage number would work) of the LCD-2's potential I'll be able to extract with an O2 amp.
 
Thank you.

 

[Lohb]

Maybe they just mean 1 watt of HEADROOM so your amp is not taxed out.