[linglingjr]

  Hey guys, i have a question. I recently bought a used pair of rosewood LCD-2 revision 2 headphones. There are a few scratches and gouges/dents on the wooden part. Is there anything i can do to fix it up? I can post pictures to give you guys an idea of what i have to deal with. Not much of a carpenter so i have no idea what i'd have to do. Maybe hire someone who has experience in wood finishing?
 
Btw, they sound fantastic!

I don't know how deep the damage is, but you'd want to sand it down progressively using finer and finer grit sand paper until you achieve a smooth uniform surface.  You'd also have to re apply the stain and finish.

 

[cav1sa]

Holy ****, my LCD2Fs are here. I think going from HD650 to LCD-2 may even be a bigger improvement than going from DT770s (which I can't stand any more) to the HD650s was a year ago - truly impressive!
I picked these (just like the 650's) purely based on a ton of online research, without demoing them and both choices turned out to be spot on, largely thanks to communities like this one. Thank you all!

 

[Loquah]

Congrats!!
I travelled a different path to get here, but owned HD650s previously and now own LCD-2s and they're the perfect HD650 upgrade.

 

[diamondears]

Holy ****, my LCD2Fs are here. I think going from HD650 to LCD-2 may even be a bigger improvement than going from DT770s (which I can't stand any more) to the HD650s was a year ago - truly impressive!
I picked these (just like the 650's) purely based on a ton of online research, without demoing them and both choices turned out to be spot on, largely thanks to communities like this one. Thank you all!

Congratulations. Enjoy your new speakers.

 

[diamondears]

It does. The 2 dB reduction in sensitivity on the old LCD-2 requires about 58-59% more power to reach the same volume, while the 70 ohm rating of the Fazor only reduces the delivered power to about 71-72% of 50 ohms.

Put another way, the 91 dB/mW LCD-2 requires 79.43 mW to reach 110 dB, which is 1.99 Vrms at 50 ohms. The 93 dB/mW LCD-2F requires 50.12 mW to reach 110 dB, which is 1.89 Vrms at 70 ohms. The old model requires 5% more voltage and 58-59% more power, going purely by manufacturer specs.

BTW, lower impedance also means more current to reach the same voltage (it's more power, and power is current times voltage). This puts additional strain on the amp, and noise, distortion, crosstalk, and other unwanted stuff increases. Amp voltage output before clipping also sometimes goes down at low impedances because of this, if it can't handle enough current. Contrary to popular belief, high impedance headphones are actually easier on the amp, they just don't get as loud given the same sensitivity.

HI,

How would you gauge if the amp can handle the greater current requirement of a low impedance HP? Is the mW spec reliable, or should you look at something else more specific?

Cheers.

 

[lestatdi]

  Holy ****, my LCD2Fs are here. I think going from HD650 to LCD-2 may even be a bigger improvement than going from DT770s (which I can't stand any more) to the HD650s was a year ago - truly impressive!
I picked these (just like the 650's) purely based on a ton of online research, without demoing them and both choices turned out to be spot on, largely thanks to communities like this one. Thank you all!

 
Same here... HD650 to LCD2F and i think i just found the most perfect headphone for me! And im using only a little O2/ODAC here. I cant imagine what a really good amp can do for these.

 

[cav1sa]

Highfive!
Funny you mention the O2. I've been trying to figure out a solid amping solution and I'm stuck. On one hand you have people saying amps are there to amplify the sound and that's all there is to it (the objective crowd).
Then there are those who say good specs are just part of the picture, that great amps are transparent, but also have some intangible qualities, which allow the headphones to reach their full potential. Somehow this applies to SS and tubes as well.
I'm really inclined to ignore the "subjective crowd" and write off their recommendations as exaggerated, irrational. But then I see similar statements from very serious people who possess a tremendous amount of experience and knowledge and I'm not sure what to think any more. So I'm stuck with my e09k amp (still loving the headphones and enjoying every moment I can use them), not sure what to do next.
I'm fairly certain I don't want tubes again, something about paying a ton of cash for built in distortion that's always on doesn't work for me. Leaning towards some SS amp, but I'm hesitant to spend a few hundred bucks on something that will potentially yield a minimal improvement over what I already have. What are you thinking about getting next?

 

[saxelrod92]

  Highfive!
Funny you mention the O2. I've been trying to figure out a solid amping solution and I'm stuck. On one hand you have people saying amps are there to amplify the sound and that's all there is to it (the objective crowd).
Then there are those who say good specs are just part of the picture, that great amps are transparent, but also have some intangible qualities, which allow the headphones to reach their full potential. Somehow this applies to SS and tubes as well.
I'm really inclined to ignore the "subjective crowd" and write off their recommendations as exaggerated, irrational. But then I see similar statements from very serious people who possess a tremendous amount of experience and knowledge and I'm not sure what to think any more. So I'm stuck with my e09k amp (still loving the headphones and enjoying every moment I can use them), not sure what to do next.
I'm fairly certain I don't want tubes again, something about paying a ton of cash for built in distortion that's always on doesn't work for me. Leaning towards some SS amp, but I'm hesitant to spend a few hundred bucks on something that will potentially yield a minimal improvement over what I already have. What are you thinking about getting next?

hey, so I started on a fiio e11, then went burson soloist sl, and now I'm staying with violectric V281. kind of a huge increase in price from each upgrade. and granted for some the difference in sound wont be worth that price. but there was definitely a noticeable improvement every upgrade that made it worth the money to me. both objectively with measurements, and subjectively. The thing that needs to be taken into consideration (and this is going off subjective experience, and some of what i noticed reading the schiit blog posts) is that every part, and every configuration of these parts will do something to the sound. either good or bad. A lot of the time these are very tiny differences, but other times it can be large differences, and of course having higher end headphones means you will be more prone to hearing these differences. So in the end every amp manufacturer is offering you their design, and the parts they used to make it, which creates the certain type of sound they are selling. Generally since its an amp, everybody is trying to make it sound with as little coloration as possible, as well as low distortion, etc, stuff like that. So you end up with minor differences between brands. Also having enough headroom by having lots of spare power is helpful if the amp have a high noise floor, because you can have the volume knob set lower, which would have less hiss/noise, and still achieve full volume. Also with more expensive amps, for the money you start to expect to be able to drive any headphone with them, so they have to build more features to accommodate different impedances, and sensitivities, to ensure it will sound great, and power anything.

at the end of the day, you are shoving an electrical signal through a bunch of parts, and how those parts interact with that signal, in the configuration they are in, will ultimately affect the final sound. I think it would be a bit unusual to assume that just tossing together the checklist of parts needed to make an amp into a case, will achieve identical results as something that has some serious engineering and quality parts in it. And of course context is everything. you will never have a massive change in your sound like you will changing a headphone, instead think of it like fine tuning the sound you want out of your headphone. Because no matter what amp you use, your headphone is still going to pretty much sound like its supposed to.

 

[cav1sa]

Thanks, that makes perfect sense and I agree completely. I don't doubt there are differences in SQ between amps. I'm just not clear how big these differences are. I'm perfectly happy spending several hundred bucks on great headphones, because the difference between good and great headphones are monumental. I expect my return on investment on an amp is going to be lower and I'm fine with that, as long as it's still somewhat reasonable. I guess I just need to find a retailer with a solid no questions asked policy, try a few options and see what happens.
 
Sweet Jesus, that Violectric V281 looks amazing. Are you running your LCDs from balanced outputs? Compared to 1/4" does it sound a lot better?

 

[sling5s]

   
Same here... HD650 to LCD2F and i think i just found the most perfect headphone for me! And im using only a little O2/ODAC here. I cant imagine what a really good amp can do for these.

  Highfive!
Funny you mention the O2. I've been trying to figure out a solid amping solution and I'm stuck. On one hand you have people saying amps are there to amplify the sound and that's all there is to it (the objective crowd).
Then there are those who say good specs are just part of the picture, that great amps are transparent, but also have some intangible qualities, which allow the headphones to reach their full potential. Somehow this applies to SS and tubes as well.
I'm really inclined to ignore the "subjective crowd" and write off their recommendations as exaggerated, irrational. But then I see similar statements from very serious people who possess a tremendous amount of experience and knowledge and I'm not sure what to think any more. So I'm stuck with my e09k amp (still loving the headphones and enjoying every moment I can use them), not sure what to do next.
I'm fairly certain I don't want tubes again, something about paying a ton of cash for built in distortion that's always on doesn't work for me. Leaning towards some SS amp, but I'm hesitant to spend a few hundred bucks on something that will potentially yield a minimal improvement over what I already have. What are you thinking about getting next?

I didn't think possible but(to my ears)  I thought the O2 even made the LCD-2 sound flat, sterile and dry.  It may have good specs. but just not a musical amp to my ears. 

 

[mogulmaster]

  Thanks, that makes perfect sense and I agree completely. I don't doubt there are differences in SQ between amps. I'm just not clear how big these differences are. I'm perfectly happy spending several hundred bucks on great headphones, because the difference between good and great headphones are monumental. I expect my return on investment on an amp is going to be lower and I'm fine with that, as long as it's still somewhat reasonable. I guess I just need to find a retailer with a solid no questions asked policy, try a few options and see what happens.
 
Sweet Jesus, that Violectric V281 looks amazing. Are you running your LCDs from balanced outputs? Compared to 1/4" does it sound a lot better?

I just went from the e09k to the ifi micro iDSD. I'm not lying when I say it's a huge upgrade. My roommates who don't care about audio at all were amazed at the difference. The sound just has more energy to it and is more engaging and bigger, epic! Really every sonic attribute improved (imaging, detail, extension, transparency, etc..).
 
I tried a few top flight electronics (like the new Schiit Ragnarok stuff) with my LCD2s at RMAF this year and the iFi was closer to them than the e09k in performance. I can't even go back to the fiio now lol, it sounds lazy and muddy compared... Sorry, if you can't upgrade for some time haha. I should say that my retailer offered 12 month zero interest promotional financing. That's what I did. So for a unit that's 500 bucks it's like $40 a month. 

 

[diamondears]

I didn't think possible but(to my ears)  I thought the O2 even made the LCD-2 sound flat, sterile and dry.  It may have good specs. but just not a musical amp to my ears. 

What's the player and DAC you're using? The O2 is a perfect amp--the shortest wire with gain. That's why it is transparent, and why you can hear all the differences when you change anything upstream. I'm pretty sure that when the sound sounds flat out of the O2, its a function of the gear before it (upstream), not the O2.

IMO and IME, one should invest in a DAC more than an amp because a DAC affects the sound more than the amp. It's in the DAC where the "processing" SHOULD take place, not on the amp as the amp should just be a wire and gain. That's whybits called "AMPLIFY-re". And the O2 IMO is the perfect amp, regardless of price...err, because of it's price.

DACs--invest in it and choose wisely, specially the digital filters and the processing that comes with it.

My 2 cents.

 

[diamondears]

I just went from the e09k to the ifi micro iDSD. I'm not lying when I say it's a huge upgrade. My roommates who don't care about audio at all were amazed at the difference. The sound just has more energy to it and is more engaging and bigger, epic! Really every sonic attribute improved (imaging, detail, extension, transparency, etc..).

I tried a few top flight electronics (like the new Schiit Ragnarok stuff) with my LCD2s at RMAF this year and the iFi was closer to them than the e09k in performance. I can't even go back to the fiio now lol, it sounds lazy and muddy compared... Sorry, if you can't upgrade for some time haha. I should say that my retailer offered 12 month zero interest promotional financing. That's what I did. So for a unit that's 500 bucks it's like $40 a month. 

I agree the iFi micro iDSD is amazing. Even the nano version. I don't think there could be a better portable at any price. iFi audio pretty much gave all the other portable manufacturers a run for their money...and fuming mad...

 

[saxelrod92]

  Thanks, that makes perfect sense and I agree completely. I don't doubt there are differences in SQ between amps. I'm just not clear how big these differences are. I'm perfectly happy spending several hundred bucks on great headphones, because the difference between good and great headphones are monumental. I expect my return on investment on an amp is going to be lower and I'm fine with that, as long as it's still somewhat reasonable. I guess I just need to find a retailer with a solid no questions asked policy, try a few options and see what happens.
 
Sweet Jesus, that Violectric V281 looks amazing. Are you running your LCDs from balanced outputs? Compared to 1/4" does it sound a lot better?

Actually I'm in the process of selling that pair of LCD-2's because they are the pre-fazor and didnt have enough impact or speed to the sound. Right now I'm testing out the mrspeakers alpha prime, got until next week before the return policy ends. and if I dont stick with those I will get the fazor lcd-2. The alpha prime I am running in balanced, and the lcd-2 I only had in 1/4in. With this amp, it has two full single ended amps stacked on top of each other inside, so when you use the balanced out you get two amps worth of power and sound, where single ended is just one or the other. I will say it seems to sound a bit stronger, like better imaging, and obviously there is twice the power too, and it just sounds like the way an expensive amp should sound. Single ended is amazing too, but you could tell its a bit better in balanced output. I wouldn't buy this amp if you dont have a balanced connector for your headphones. also at this price range I gained ease of use and flexibility. I have used this amp with hd800s, lcd-2, he-560, denon d5000, and now alpha prime, and it always adapted for them, so I didnt have to consider synergy issues or power issues. I just plug in the headphones and it works as if it was made only for that headphone. Honestly any amp more that 2 grand seems extreme to me, like I can justify what I got for this money, with this amp, but it would be real hard to justify 2-5 times that amount for something that barely improves, and if anything just changes the flavor slightly. Honestly at this point you're just paying for piece of mind, knowing that what you hear through your headphones is pretty much the way those headphones should sound ideally. But if you find an amp that does the job and you like the sound a lot, at a much lower price, then thats just as good really.

 

[cav1sa]

That good, huh? The cost seems pretty reasonable for a feature packed DAC/amp combo. I guess I'll be doing more research over the weekend Thanks for the suggestion, it's very much appreciated, especially since you upgraded from the amp I'm using now!