I agree about the T1 and the HD800 in relation to the O2, but disagree about the LCD2, which I've owned for a couple of weeks now. It is an excellent headphone but, as I've said in the main LCD-2 thread, the stock cable compromises the sound in ways that sound like what you're reporting - you will have to upgrade it to make the comparison fair (which I have done, in fact I'm using a spare/replaced O2 Mk 1 cable). Or did you hear the Audeze with the ALO cable?
I hesitate to make comparisons because my amps for the two phones are very different. For the Stax I have a custom-built T1 design using better parts which sounds quite a lot more open than the T1. For the Audeze I have tried a couple of custom SS amps - the best is a no-compromise discrete design, and fed by it the Audeze sounds quite amazing.
I know this may not be very helpful, but in any case, with this equipment, to my ears the Audeze sounds more accurate and "colorful"/richer as regards timbre, faster and more dynamic, and considerably more detailed than the O2. Tighter and deeper bass, more extended highs, very coherent presentation overall, very low distortion.
I've lived with the Stax for 4-5 years and have loved their sound (and still do, for classical music especially). But if I really want to know what's on a recording (so far I haven't listened to vinyl, only CDs and SACDs, through my modified Sony XA777ES), and just for the pure pleasure of listening deeper into the music, I'm going to the Audeze.
Also FWIW, two frineds here have heard my Audeze for short periods. One is my amp-building friend, who doesn't own the O2 but really likes his Lambdas (I think he has the Pros). The other is an engineer who has used the Orpheus for a number of recording sessions (he doesn't own them) and who commented that the Audeze pretty accurately represent the sound of a 300 voice choir he recently recorded (and this was through a couple of less good hp amps he owns - I can verify that the sound was nowhere near as good as through my friend's amp). Both of them are buying the Audeze.
I've listened in a store to all the other top-of-the-line dynamic competition, the HD800 with Cardas cables, through different amps, so not under controlled conditions, but none of them convinced me they were close to rivalling the O2. Unless the best amps for the Stax are a lot better than mine, the Audeze certainly does that at least.
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