[Fernando Pancho]

Have you considered the Capella? In the Beresford thread some people own the LCD-2 and say it sounds fabulous with the Capella. I myself cannot afford the LCD-2 but the bass on the Capella is terrific. You can even adjust it for best performance. I think all headphone amp should have such a control so that all headphones can perform to their best.

 

[Amish]

  What balanced DAC would you recommend with the BHA-1, preferably under $1500 (and honestly, preferably a lot cheaper than that even, but I'll spend that much if necessary)?

 
I'm the wrong guy to ask this question. I have a pretty good DAC but it is not balanced. I would love to have a balanced DAC but I love my Pagoda so much I just can't stand the thought of pushing it to the side.
 
That said; using a balanced headphone cable is what is needed for sure. I use a 4-pin jobbie instead of the dual 3-pin cables.

 

[Joong]

Krell ksa5 clone is very good match to LCD-2.2.
SMSL dac M8 is very good economical solution for the phones.
Chinese presence is strong in this auiophile world.
Let these cheap amp and dac pair run your phones.
The prices are many times less than you expect.

 

[aqsw]

An old schitter here. , but you have to try the Oppo Ha1. A swiss army knife of headphone amps. Built like a tank, and WOW, does it ever sound good with my LCD 2.2 pre fazor.
It really is that good!

 

[x RELIC x]

+1 ^^^^^

 

[pippen99]

Anyone here attend Canjam Socal and listen to the Cavalli Liquid Carbon.  It goes on sale for a limited production run tomorrow at $599.  It's rated at 1500 Mw output.  Will that drive the lcd-2f adequately?

 

[madwolfa]

  Anyone here attend Canjam Socal and listen to the Cavalli Liquid Carbon.  It goes on sale for a limited production run tomorrow at $599.  It's rated at 1500 Mw output.  Will that drive the lcd-2f adequately?

 
I drive LCD-2F from Schiit Asgard 2, which is rated at 1000mW output. It has tons of power to spare even on low gain.

 

[diamondears]

I have definitely read the reviews of the BHA-1, and it's certainly tempting. I know it's a great amp. But I also read many complaints about sizzling treble when in use with bright headphones.

Of course, I do have the option of EQing some of the treble down, but it would feel kind of wrong to spend well over $2000 on, say, the HD 800, BHA-1, and some DAC, and then artificially neuter it. I do obviously want to optimize my listening experience with the LCD-2, but amps are pricey enough that I don't want to buy this now and then have to go and throw down another $1000-2000 on another amp while also spending $1000-2000 on another pair of headphones.

I am willing to give it a shot; it might be a long time before I buy a different pair of headphones. It's also quite possible the HD 800 is simply not for me (though I have not auditioned it yet, so can't be sure) and should be avoided.

What balanced DAC would you recommend with the BHA-1, preferably under $1500 (and honestly, preferably a lot cheaper than that even, but I'll spend that much if necessary)?

Audiolab.

 

[Lohb]

  Anyone here attend Canjam Socal and listen to the Cavalli Liquid Carbon.  It goes on sale for a limited production run tomorrow at $599.  It's rated at 1500 Mw output.  Will that drive the lcd-2f adequately?

Triple post, steady there ! Someone will answer if you wait...

 

[jodgey4]

The 2F needs 0.5W+. Older versions need 1W+. That's all according to Audeze, which seems to be a lot of power when you do calculations, but IME, it helps with quiet sources and tracks. So I still think it's a good guideline.

 

[mrip541]

How is the LCD2 with the Lyr 2? How does the bass come out?

 
I just switched to the Lyr 2 and immediately thought THIS is what I've been missing! LCD-2f is just effortlessly putting out ridiculous bass.

 

[nayajoeun]

@Fernando Pancho
 
+1 for the Capella.
 
Have tried the following w/ the LCD2f's:
 
JDS C5
O2
Magni 1
Cayin C5
Emotiva Mini-x A-100
Capella
 
 
The Capella has been the best performer so far from memory. Very transparent, best bass response of the lot. Love the tweakability, especially in tuning the bass response.

 

[buson160man]

 My recommendation in my case is a recapped vintage (circa late seventies) monster receiver. I purchased a 16 5 concept receiver that was recapped and it works very well with the LCD-2 v2. This beast weighs in at sixty seven pounds and puts out 165 watts rms per channel into 8 ohm loads. I do not use it with speakers I purchased it to use specifically with headphones. It also works really well with my akg 701 phones.
   I do not know how much  power it pumps out with headphones but it gets much too loud beyond the 9 oclock position of the stepped attenuator on the unit. The sound with my LCD 2 is extremely powerful sounding much more than just about any high powered dedicated headphone amp that includes the cavaliis.
   One downside is that this beast is large and heavy not exactly easy to move around.
 I bought it specifically to use with my headphones but it did sound pretty good with speakers. It was recently recapped when I bought it so the sound has improved since I purchased it with the caps breaking in. I also upgraded the fuses on the back panel to two isoclean 7 amp fuses(one for each channel) obviously this receiver has the ability to put out lots of power .
  I was fortunate to land this unit for just short of a thousand dollars. The prices on some of these old vintage monsters have been rising the last few years.

 

[Rayoki]

   
I just switched to the Lyr 2 and immediately thought THIS is what I've been missing! LCD-2f is just effortlessly putting out ridiculous bass.

what tubes are you running? if you are running stock then you are in for a pleasant surprise when you pick up a "nicer" pair of tubes.

 

[MarioD]

To the OP - depends on what you're looking for - transparent sound or just entertaining sound. Regardless, here are my 2 cents... LCD-2F (no experience with pre-fazor) is not as great as its price tag suggests. As you improve your rig over time, you will reach the LCD-2 limit very quickly. If you have already spent the cash on the phones and you're rather looking for an entertaining sound, here's a funny suggestion - buy an Asus Xonar U7, buy a long high quality USB cable, wind it 5-6 times around a ferrite core and plug it into your computer. The sound you'll get for a hundred bucks will be about 60-70% of what you'll get from a 10K+ system with these particular headphones. IMHO I would not invest loads of money into a rig around the LCD-2. It doesn't exactly live up to the hype, but you will never know that unless your source, converter and amp are all hi end.
 
PS: The X and 3 are a whole different story.
 
Regards,
Mario