[MattTCG]

  I was in the same situation a few month ago, now that i bought the hd800 i do kinda regret buying it (just a very small amount). HD800 sound's sound stage is extremely large, but after awhile you realize its actually not that much bigger than lcd2's sound stage (i don't even have the fazer stuff, my definition of soundstage is how big the room playing the sound is). Then you find out that HD800 even though has that great sound stage and clarity is quite fatiguing to listen to long term(2-3 hours or more). 
 
HD800 is better technical wise(can't really argue with this) and is much more comfortable than LCD2, weight and fit wise but for late night gaming and studying LCD2 wins. [size=13.1428575515747px]So now that i have many hours(1 year on lcd2 and about 3 month with hd800) on both headphones i have to say if i can only keep one its going to be LCD2.[/size]
 
Okay of course you can eq hd800 to get rid of the highs but... why buy the headphone if you are going to eq, and everything is out of schiit asgard 2 and bifrost (i don't think amp and dac makes that much difference unless you go tube, just my opinion...)
 
one extra note stax 009 isn't that much better than lcd2 and hd800 get any one of these and you won't be missing out by much XD
 
[size=13.1428575515747px]Hopefully this is enough to convince you to keep your money in your pockets lol[/size]
 
everything is my opinion 

 
IMO, the Asgard 2 is not the right amp for the hd800. It's as picky as anything on the planet when it comes to amp/dac. Even the Vali will sound better for the hd800 and the Valhalla 2 better still. Just a suggestion. The 800 will surprise you on the right setup.
 
Oh, I'm back in the lcd-2 club!! 

 

[SomeGuyDude]

  I was in the same situation a few month ago, now that i bought the hd800 i do kinda regret buying it (just a very small amount). HD800 sound's sound stage is extremely large, but after awhile you realize its actually not that much bigger than lcd2's sound stage (i don't even have the fazer stuff, my definition of soundstage is how big the room playing the sound is). Then you find out that HD800 even though has that great sound stage and clarity is quite fatiguing to listen to long term(2-3 hours or more). 
 
HD800 is better technical wise(can't really argue with this) and is much more comfortable than LCD2, weight and fit wise but for late night gaming and studying LCD2 wins. [size=13.1428575515747px]So now that i have many hours(1 year on lcd2 and about 3 month with hd800) on both headphones i have to say if i can only keep one its going to be LCD2.[/size]
 
Okay of course you can eq hd800 to get rid of the highs but... why buy the headphone if you are going to eq, and everything is out of schiit asgard 2 and bifrost (i don't think amp and dac makes that much difference unless you go tube, just my opinion...)
 
one extra note stax 009 isn't that much better than lcd2 and hd800 get any one of these and you won't be missing out by much XD
 
[size=13.1428575515747px]Hopefully this is enough to convince you to keep your money in your pockets lol[/size]
 
everything is my opinion 

 
Definitely helpful for me. As I sit here awaiting the mail, I have that feeling in the back of  my mind of "uuuugh, where am I going from here..."
 
I was reading a bunch on InnerFidelity, and I've really come to feel that once you're in the upper-echelon of headphones and really hyper-analyzing them, you find yourself poking and prodding at extremely minor issues. I mean, reviews of the pre-Fazor Audeze cans were all absolutely stellar. Then the Fazor happened and now people are talking about all this magnetic interference and the problems it creates. What, was that not an issue earlier? 
 
Will post impressions the instant mine come in. XD

 

[exsomnis]

   
Definitely helpful for me. As I sit here awaiting the mail, I have that feeling in the back of  my mind of "uuuugh, where am I going from here..."
 
I was reading a bunch on InnerFidelity, and I've really come to feel that once you're in the upper-echelon of headphones and really hyper-analyzing them, you find yourself poking and prodding at extremely minor issues. I mean, reviews of the pre-Fazor Audeze cans were all absolutely stellar. Then the Fazor happened and now people are talking about all this magnetic interference and the problems it creates. What, was that not an issue earlier? 
 
Will post impressions the instant mine come in. XD

 
Both the pre and post Fazors sound absolutely fantastic and for my money beat everything else in their price range.  But as it always is with hifi, people strive for perfection and while it's not by leaps and bounds, the LCD2s can be outdone.  Having heard them I'm hoping some LCD3s are in my future but I can tell you that my LCD2s are easily keeping them at bay.      

 

[Matias]

I have spent some time comparing LCD-2F and LCD-3F and LCD-X side by side in a good system (Calyx Femto DAC, Luxman P1u amp, SR PowerCell conditioning). While 3F and X are indeed superior, 2F holds its own very very well. It is the best value of the range, no doubt about it. Tonality is close to 3F, just loses in resolution, microdynamics, etc. But very close indeed. As everything in this hobby, diminishing returns.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

Welp.
 
I'm a convert.
 
Macbook Pro -> Musical Fidelity V-DAC -> Schiit Lyr (stock tubes) -> LCD-2 = the happiest of SGD ears.
 
For the last year I've been saying I would never get anything that requires an amp. Then I went and got a desktop setup and thought (hey, might as well). These are exactly what my ears had been waiting for.

 

[OkawaiiO]

for those people thinking about lcd 3. lcd 2 with fazer sounds almost just as good as lcd3. i personally dont think its worth it at all, lcd x on the other hand actually sounds better(better as in like 5-20% at this level nothing is much better than other). I personaly think lcd x is audeze's flagship. Im pretty sure many others do as well.

 

[Matias]

I disagree. LCD-X has a little more bass and is easier to drive because of higher sensitivity, but LCD-3F has better microdynamics and overall resolution. Now it depends on what you prefer, it is a tradeoff. But both are very very close, I could live happily with X if I didn't know 3F. Score 10 versus 9.9.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

I'm pre-fazor and while I have no doubts it's better... I don't know how. Like there's nothing missing here, haha. I'm seriously in awe.
 
I put them through my usual battery of tests, and I think the pair I had tried before was much less bass-heavy than the ones I received. The pair at HiDef sounded great, but the low bass just felt feeble. These do NOT have that issue. No, they don't have a place in the Basshead thread by any stretch, but they're not supposed to. What I have here is a set where nothing at the low end is lost. At all. 

 

[SomeGuyDude]

Yep. I just... yep.
 
Optical cable for the DAC/Amp coming in tomorrow. Now I look for an aftermarket cable for the LCD-2 itself, this one's got some stress and I'd rather have one ready than wait until it goes.
 

 
EDIT: what cable DO y'all like? I'm glancing at the Toxic cables, because I'm reallllllly not liking the look of $500+ cables. More like "what's a good product to replace an ailing cable?"

 

[pdrm360]

 
Oh, I'm back in the lcd-2 club!! 

 

[Ekul61]

Anyone know the sound diff from the 2.2 compared to the he-400

 

[SomeGuyDude]

Anyone know the sound diff from the 2.2 compared to the he-400

 
ASSUMING the two pairs of HE-400 I listened to were indicative of the product as a whole (I was clearly wrong on that one pair of LCD-2's), the Audeze is just bigger in every possible sense. Bass more potent, soundstage bigger, highs smoother, the list goes on. I was rather underwhelmed by the HE-400, and that pair of LCD-2's I should confess, but put together like this the LCD-2's are really a new experience.

 

[TMRaven]

When I a/b'd the he-400 and lcd2.2 (pre fazor), the he-400 had slightly more bass presence, but didn't hit the 30hz quite as assertively as the lcd2.  The he-400 was a darker headphone throughout the midrange, because the lcd-2 had more upper mid/lower treble presence (lcd2 far more neutral in that area)  LCD-2 has far less mid-upper treble than the HE-400.  This is where the two differ the most: the HE-400 has far too much mid-upper treble while the LCD2 has too little.  The HE-400 has a more open, airier and larger soundstage compared to the 2.2.  Fazor upgrade might even that out a little bit.

 

[MattTCG]

Anyone know the sound diff from the 2.2 compared to the he-400

 
Similar bass presentation with the lcd 2.2 offering better extension and accuracy. While both headphones have a somewhat darker presentation the he400 has a treble tizz and most will find annoying. The mids on the lcd2 are in a whole different league and wonderfully reproduced. 

 

[Ekul61]

So it sounds like they might have the clean treble of the 400i. With rhe bass of the 400?