Hi all,
I have been a happy owner of the Audeze LCD-2 for about a month now.
I picked mine up at an authorized dealer for a steal of a deal. I bought the Rosewood. I believe these would be the latest model with the Fazor. I have no previous experience with any of the older LCD-2 models so I have no basis for a comparison in terms of what the new ones do over the old ones.
I auditioned the HD-600s, HD-700s and the Hifiman HE-300s and HE-400s before making up my mind. As soon as I put on the Sennheiser's those were OUT.. I did not like the bright presentation at all! They sounded artificial to my ears. The Hifiman's were much more like what I was looking for, with a more natural presentation in the midrange and softer treble. Then of course I heard the LCD-2s, and even though the HE-400s were only $350, the extra $600 I spent on the LCD-2s was well worth it in my opinion. No they were not 3x as good, but the more natural presentation and superior bass response and overall better sound made me fork out the extra cash. That, and they were right within my budget so I was happy to spend the extra to get that better sound.
Anyway, I've been an avid speaker listener for 2 and a half years now, enjoying high end vintage audio (and some higher end modern audio) so I have become accustomed to good sound. This was part of my reason for going the extra with the LCD-2s (although, it sure would have been nice to buy the LCD-Xs or LCD-3s). I sold a pair of Kef LS50s and had to replace them, and decided I was going to replace them with headphones as I felt they would serve me better for the purpose I had intended for the LS50s. I also loved the way the LS50s sounded and wanted something similar. To my ears, the LCD-2s are very similar in quite a few ways.
I won't go into any sort of technical ramble or try to use any audio terms to describe what I'm hearing, but the LCD-2s just sound right to me. They get the quintessential bass department downright groovy and extended, the midrange is natural and very open sounding, and the treble, although not highly detailed, is extended enough and does not fatigue my ears at all which is exactly what I wanted. Although I have to admit, I was a bit concerned with the darker nature of these headphones at first, but after they broke in the treble response improved quite dramatically and now I am enjoying them to the fullest. To my amazement these are the best sonic reproducers I have in the house, and that is saying something for me! I own some good audio gear so these LCD-2s are doing some wonders in the sonics department.
All in all I am really, really happy with my decision. I love a product that does what it is advertised to do. The guys at Audeze clearly care about their product and its sound. In other words, they're not just pretty looking headphones. The biggest endorsement I can give them is they are ousting out some speakers that cost the same amount as a car back in the late 70s hooked up to much better electronics than what I am using with the LCD-2s. It's amazing how far technology has come in audio, especially with headphones. Sure, I could have spent less, but when you hear what you can get with these LCD-2s, and you have the cash, I don't see why not.