[socks mk2]

[redacted]

 

[Outpost31]

I had a schiit modi rev A and it well... was a piece of schiit if you na mean. Bright with everything. Even their Asgard 2 was unbearably bright with the modi rev A. Not just on bright headphones, but any/all I tried. Replace the dac in your chain imo.

Never had that issue with my matrix mini-i pro (which has 2 filters for treble roll off; slow or sharp).
Edit: My old FiiO E18 line-out was preferable to the Modi Rev A as well.
Edit 2: Dare I say my old Xonar Essence STX was preferable to the Modi Rev A.

I get that this is polarizing, but the Modi is the worst dac of the 3 that I've owned imo. USB power is awful and noisy to make things worse for the Modi (and E18).

Yeah I did try my other dac I own, which is the Dacmagic XS USB, which was no where near as harsh but didn't sound great.
I guess I'll have to look for something else, any recommendations for one with a warmer, less bright sound would be appreciated.
Also after some advice from you guys, I spoke to a tube seller on ebay and he also suggested changing my stock Lyr tubes, so I bought a pair of Mullards, hopefully that'll help also.

 

[Ampeezy]

The sound overall is pretty much perfect it's just at higher volumes I find that it hurt my ears (duh), like it becomes too bright. Anything that'll take the edge off, give a more thicker/warmer sound I'll give it a try, never really used an eq so I'll have to look for some guides.
I definitely agree that low quality mp3s are an issue, even spotify premium on some tracks just sounds terrible imo. I have quite a bit flac music so it's not all bad but even then some albums just sound harsh to my ears.
Compared to my fidelio x2s which I didn't have any issues with anything I threw at it (grindcore, doom metal, classical, rock etc...).
Maybe they're just not made for my ears, I'd rather try to rectify the issue than give in.

Might seem counterintuitive given the warm reputation these cans have, but i have mine connected to the little dot mk iii tube amp as a pre amp then to the burson soloist. That might sweeten the highs for you as they have done mine. Even very sibilant tracks are very bearable now. Still quite open sounding, with no observable loss of detail imo.
 
EDIT: I use 6n6p-IR gold grid power tubes, and NOS Mullard m8161 driver tubes 

As always YMMV

 

[Music Path]

  The original 2F drivers had awful reliability. I think after the CEO left they did a re-design. After my left driver failed they told me the same thing. Hoping that I never have an issue again.

Seems the drivers had problems with high voltage amps. When was the re-design made? I might have the older version :/ 

 

[Hachiko270296]

All these dead drivers. Audeze are an absolute joke!

 

[Malfunkt]

All these dead drivers. Audeze are an absolute joke!

the problem with Internet forums is you are going to hear more from the people that have issues and less from all the customers that don't have any issues.

They are no Sennheiser, that's for certain - but that company has decades of manufacturing and research experience behind them. Audeze has made some great products in the sound department and are improving from a manufacturing perspective.

We shouldn't give manufacturers a pass if there are issues, but they get my respect for what they've achieved in such a short period.

 

[Zenja]

If the drivers were re-designed recently, I wonder how/if the frequency response changed? I tried listening to a tone sweep on mine (bought within the last month) and the graph of the frequency response in the treble that's been measured for the Fazor version doesn't correspond to what I hear. It's similar, but the peak frequencies are somewhat different and it doesn't seem to be nearly as peaky as the graph would suggest.
 
Also, I have a hypothesis about why the drivers could be breaking for some people. The drivers are big, thin membranes that aren't very strong. The cup that the ears go into seals quite well around the head, and as far as I know, there's nowhere for the pressure to vent easily (this is a guess, I could be wrong about this). Since the leather pads are very thick and soft, they can squish in quite a bit, so if you press on the headphones while they're on your head, or pull them off quickly, the pressure could potentially put a lot of flex on the driver and damage it (the only give there is for the pressurized air to go to is moving the drivers). Because of this, I think it's best to try to avoid pressing them against the head too much, and maybe even pulling them off really fast.

 

[jodgey4]

  If the drivers were re-designed recently, I wonder how/if the frequency response changed? I tried listening to a tone sweep on mine (bought within the last month) and the graph of the frequency response in the treble that's been measured for the Fazor version doesn't correspond to what I hear. It's similar, but the peak frequencies are somewhat different and it doesn't seem to be nearly as peaky as the graph would suggest.
 
Also, I have a hypothesis about why the drivers could be breaking for some people. The drivers are big, thin membranes that aren't very strong. The cup that the ears go into seals quite well around the head, and as far as I know, there's nowhere for the pressure to vent easily (this is a guess, I could be wrong about this). Since the leather pads are very thick and soft, they can squish in quite a bit, so if you press on the headphones while they're on your head, or pull them off quickly, the pressure could potentially put a lot of flex on the driver and damage it (the only give there is for the pressurized air to go to is moving the drivers). Because of this, I think it's best to try to avoid pressing them against the head too much, and maybe even pulling them off really fast.

Frequency response changes in later LCD-2 models could be any combination of the following: driver tuning, materials, and Fazor introduction. From my talks with Audeze, it's nearly impossible to figure out the cause, though one could certainly ask. Also, measuring past 8kHz is nearly impossible to do with any level of accuracy or reliablilty. Audeze has changed how they measure headphones, as well, in this time period.
 
Also, the LCD-2 is an open headphone, so I don't think this is the cause of driver failure. The circuit traces are simply prone to shorts/opens, from what I've heard.

 

[Malfunkt]

Took a bit of a break from my LCD2 as I was enjoying my MDR-7520s so much. But I'm back to using them almost religiously. They have that 'one more song' effect. You just get curious to put on another piece, just to hear how it is presented.
 
Right now I'm listening to Max Richter's 'Sleep' (well, just a part of it, it is 8-hours long after all!) through my O2/DAC for a 'proper' listening experience. Great album for those looking for neo-classical / electronic / ambient fare. Highly recommended and under-rated composition. (side note: check out Max wearing HD650/600s during the performance.  http://pitchfork.com/news/61389-max-richter-performs-sleep-live-for-eight-hours-sets-guinness-world-record-on-bbc-radio-3/)
 
Recently, I've started using them away from my desk amp setup, and have been quite impressed how well they can sound right out of an iphone 6. Taking it even further I connected them to my PS4 Dual-shock wireless controller output. In this case it is the sound is being sent wirelessly via a compressed codec that I have to say is very good. It won't be your first choice for music listening, but playing Fallout 4 or the Witcher 3 has reached another level of immersion with the LCD2. 

 

 

[Hachiko270296]

the problem with Internet forums is you are going to hear more from the people that have issues and less from all the customers that don't have any issues.

They are no Sennheiser, that's for certain - but that company has decades of manufacturing and research experience behind them. Audeze has made some great products in the sound department and are improving from a manufacturing perspective.

We shouldn't give manufacturers a pass if there are issues, but they get my respect for what they've achieved in such a short period.

It's not just on here it's everywhere. The inconsistency of the drivers, the cracking wood, the driver issues. It's actually embarrassing. They can't even get the consistency of their older models correct and they are already putting out the LCD-4. They've done nothing to fix and of the problems and it's been what, 5 years?

 

[Matias]

Actually they found issues with their supplier of films for the diafragms and changed it, but still there are many headphones out. They are doing the best they can do now to quickly change the drivers, everyone agrees that their customer service is excellent.

 

[Hachiko270296]

It's been going on 5 years....doesn't matter how good the customer service is if you have to keep going through the trouble. They need to focus on making a quality product.

 

[retskrad]

Is the Lcd-2 rev 1 bright? How is the bass? After using bright headphones, I would like a planar version of the hd650, but close or even darker. Is the lcd2 rev 1 for me?

 

[Blotto80]

Is the Lcd-2 rev 1 bright? How is the bass? After using bright headphones, I would like a planar version of the hd650, but close or even darker. Is the lcd2 rev 1 for me?

I have the Rev 1 and don't find them bright at all. I've had and loved the HD650 and would say the LCD-2 does everything it did but better. That same silky midrange but more resolving, the same warm treble but with more extension, the same crisp bass but hits way deeper and way harder.

The places where the 650 excels would be comfort and sound stage. The LCD-2 is heavy and as such doesn't disappear on your head the way the 650 does, I would strongly recommend the vegan pads, 100% improvement over leather in the comfort department. The soundstage of the LCD-2 is a little closed in, that's the one sonic flaw in my mind but hey, if you could get a perfect headphone for $1000 there wouldn't need to be the higher end.

 

[Hachiko270296]

Is the Lcd-2 rev 1 bright? How is the bass? After using bright headphones, I would like a planar version of the hd650, but close or even darker. Is the lcd2 rev 1 for me?

The HD650 is a better headphone than the LCD-2 in most every way minus extension on the bass. I love the pre fazor but with a good amp the HD650 leaves it behind IMO. It's darker than the 650.