So, what do you think of them? Can we expect a name change to ParaLoganAudeze?
Sorry -- I never really answered your question about what I think of them. First a bit about where I'm coming from, then more details about how they sound (to me!)
First couple of times of litening to the LCD2 Closed I wasn't too impressed. I know it's a very controversial opinion (just like politics), but I love the three Grados I've heard (two of which I bought and have thousands of hours on each). I agree that their house sound tends to lean towards thin or "lumpy" bass, usually a weak low bass with a boosted mid bass that can bleed into the mids themselves. And that they can have a shouter upper mid or lower treble. But the GH2s are the first can that gave me a sense of listening to a decent hifi system (sans the realistically WIDE soundstage and the physical rumbling of bass in your chest and the floor / couch). The peaks on the GH2s are much milder than a lot of the low to mid end Grados that some people have heard and written off the entire brand because that's what a lot of people in the head-fi community do! What I love about them is the airy, open sound that beats the Senn HD-580 and all of the HD-600 series to me. They are a bit more in your face due to the mid emphasis but have great instrument separation and more bass extension than what I think a lot of people assume. So enough about the GH2, I just wanted to give you a reference for what my ears are used to and my preferred "tuning".
So after having them since Saturday and putting probably 30+ hours on them while working, a few things changed. My ears can now resolve the tuning differences better, for better and worse. For instance, I still immediately notice the cans are closed back. Not because they lack "width" or sound bad, but because the enclosure has inevitable reflections in the midrange that causes a coloration that I don't think is possible to completely hide. But it doesn't bother me as much as it first did, and doesn't really bother me anymore because of the
sharp attack and dynamics these have. I will say, these are much "flatter" and more neutral than I expected. I expected to be blown away with the bass due to Adeze's reputation (and planars in general), but it's done in a tasteful, non invasive way. For some songs the Grados sound bassier and more closely match my floor standing speakers downstairs until I turn the 30Hz slider up on VLC when listening to the LCD2-CBs. At that point, I can feel air escaping around the pads and see my vision distorting from my glasses slightly vibrating lol. Point being,
the bass isn't artificial or boosted -- it's just there on tap when you demand it and I love that about them!
I also love the surprising soundstage these have. They may not beat other higher end open-backs, but it's fun to hear ambient noises in recordings and pause the music because you think a bug is in the room or your kid is playing with your miscellaneous WIP electronic projects laying on the floor. As a mentioned to someone else, the width of the stage is great but there is a bit of a haze in resolving the precise location of the instruments compared to the GH2s. It's like taking a TV and using a large magnifying glass just SLIGHTLY out of focus to make it appear larger, but not actually increasing details (if that makes sense!)
I'll say they are super fun and great to listen to -- especially for electronic music and some very well recorded rock with a punchy kick drum. I haven't been able to narrow down which characteristics of music make one pair my preference over the other. It's not directly related to genre or band. Neither can sounds good with poorly recording music, but sometimes one is more forgiving than the other. Which is why I'll keep both pairs and be very happy to do so!
I guess it sounds critical, but
really I am thoroughly enjoying them. It's an adjustment period and I tend to over analyze stuff, comparing to other references. I can't pick which one is "better" or my favorite yet -- it's been too soon! But I'll admit, I find myself reaching for these first thing in the morning over the Grados for the time being.