The Socialist Nerd
100+ Head-Fier
Yesterday's fresh journey into sound:
Audeze LCD-2 Impressions Thread
- Thread starter DefectiveAudioComponent
- Start date
The Socialist Nerd
100+ Head-Fier
It's because of that I may consider replacing my Samsung Note 9 with the LG V40 Thin Q so that I can handle the high-impedance headphones without having to worry about an external DAC at all.
Last edited:
Lohb
Headphoneus Supremus
Yesterday's fresh journey into sound:
"Here ya go"....... https://www.head-fi.org/threads/audeze-lcd-2-closed.884076/page-23#post-14859735
LCD2CB has its own thread.
I own them too.
frogmeat69
100+ Head-Fier
The JDS Labs Atom amp has a transparent sound, good amount of power, and is $99, you could try that with your Aune and not be too far into the rabbit hole. I am enjoying it with a Topping D50, and has worked well with all of the cans I have tried so far.
Stephen77
New Head-Fier
I bought a demo Audeze Deckard from Best Buy about a year ago for ( YUP!! ) $250. I LOVE it!! The bass is nice and tight, the mids very neutral. I use Sonor Works TRU-FI App which adds some nice warmth
and depth to the sound. I read a lot about the Deckard, it's a solid performer for the price point. I'll never sell this baby - it's a collectible now, they don't make them anymore. Highly recommended.
blackdragon87
Headphoneus Supremus
Another good option is the 99 liquid spark
My pre-fazors died a while ago 
. Just got the drivers replaced with fazors and they definitely sound livelier with a little less heft on the low end. Great service and communication from audeze the whole process was painless
. Just got the drivers replaced with fazors and they definitely sound livelier with a little less heft on the low end. Great service and communication from audeze the whole process was painless
DefectiveAudioComponent
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2008
- Posts
- 3,030
- Likes
- 128
My pre-fazors died a while ago
They do have great service. Did they replace the earpads (or just the dust protectors) as well, what version did you have?
The earpads have to be removed to reach the driver (they are glued on) so they were replaced. I think mine was a 2014 LCD2, pre-fazor.
I think, for certain people with certain usage scenarios the LCD2C can be very close to endgame, if not endgame.
Let me elaborate.
The 2C has excellent bass, regardless of price range. It has a huge and powerful sound while never piercing. Quite neutral, but out of the relatively neutral cans it is still on the dark/warm/wet side. Upper mids and treble is a bit subdued which makes it divisive. On the one hand this makes the 2C easy on the ears, good for long term and relaxed listening. On the other hand some air and brightness is missing sometimes but this is very much music genre and personal taste dependent. The trick that the 2C does extremely well is while it offers a relaxed sound, it is never, ever boring: partly because of the excellent and entertaining bass.
I mostly listen to modern music, electronic ambient and other music genres where space, layering and bass is mission critical. For this type of music I think it is hard to find anything substantially better than the 2C. For acoustic and classical music I could easily find better. Most TOTL headphones are focusing on live acoustic music; the lifelike reproduction of analogue instruments and voice. While the 2C is not bad at this at all, there is quite a few headphones out there that can do it better. None of them has the bass quality (and quantity) of the 2C though. They all roll off, lack energy or power with the previously mentioned genres.
For acoustic music I would prefer the Aeolus for example. For orchestral I think I would prefer the HD800s for its spaciousness and imaging. With my music however I prefer the 2C to those. Choosing headphones according to your listening habits is essential.
If you are still with me and you still choose the 2C, we need to talk a bit about scalability and upgrades. If you like the timbre and sound presentation of the 2C and mostly you listen to those music genres where the 2C excels, after some time upgraditis will still catch you.
To my experience if you want a headphone upgrade, you will have to pay 3-5 times more what you paid for the 2C to get some improvement. The LCD4 sounds better, but it is 6 times more expensive and much heavier. The Empyrean sounds better but it is 4.5 times more expensive. Paying that much for not more than a 20-30% overall sound improvement is highly wallet and ear dependent.
If you fit in the sound preference/music genre profile I have just described, similar to me you will prefer the 2C to the Focal Clear, Elear, LCD2F, LCD3, HD800S, ZMF Aeolus, Verite, Atticus, Eikon, HEXV2, Sundara, HE6SE, HD650, NightHawk, etc. (If you are interested in certain comparisons, feel free to ask me.)
Of course this hobby is highly personal, so my taste might not reflect yours perfectly, but if you are still reading my post you know whether we are moving along the same lines or not.
Back to upgraditis. So, if you don't want to spend 4-6 times more on a justifiable headphone upgrade after the 2C, what are your other options? Well, it is upgrading your amp and DAC which in my opinion is an equally justifiable route if you are smart. For 2-3 times the price of the 2C you can literally turn your LCD2C into a near TOTL performing headphone by upgrading your DAC and amp.
The 2C improves a lot with good equipment. Clarity, tightness, punch, resolution, spaciousness all improve.
DACs improve timing, clarity, 3D space. Amps improve texture, body, thickness, power. My Qutest destroys Mojo as a DAC. My Taurus MKII is a significant improvement over my CMA600i as an amp: cleaner bass, cleaner treble, more tightness, clarity and space.
If you are more or less settled down on the sound of the 2C, improving your gear is probably the better way forward.
2C out of affordable gear like a Mojo or iFi Micro iDSD BL sounds ok, but the improvement out of a quality full sized gear literally turn these headphones into an upgraded version of themselves. 2C 2.0 if not 3.0.
This hobby is very relative and everyone must find their own way as no two people will have the exact same preferences. It is wise however to know what you can expect from a headphone, DAC or amp upgrade. Thickness of wallet is a weighty part of this equation but experience and wisdom are also very important when you make decision about a purchase.
This post is indented to save you time on the experience level and fly you to audio Nirvana just a tad quicker.
Let me elaborate.
The 2C has excellent bass, regardless of price range. It has a huge and powerful sound while never piercing. Quite neutral, but out of the relatively neutral cans it is still on the dark/warm/wet side. Upper mids and treble is a bit subdued which makes it divisive. On the one hand this makes the 2C easy on the ears, good for long term and relaxed listening. On the other hand some air and brightness is missing sometimes but this is very much music genre and personal taste dependent. The trick that the 2C does extremely well is while it offers a relaxed sound, it is never, ever boring: partly because of the excellent and entertaining bass.
I mostly listen to modern music, electronic ambient and other music genres where space, layering and bass is mission critical. For this type of music I think it is hard to find anything substantially better than the 2C. For acoustic and classical music I could easily find better. Most TOTL headphones are focusing on live acoustic music; the lifelike reproduction of analogue instruments and voice. While the 2C is not bad at this at all, there is quite a few headphones out there that can do it better. None of them has the bass quality (and quantity) of the 2C though. They all roll off, lack energy or power with the previously mentioned genres.
For acoustic music I would prefer the Aeolus for example. For orchestral I think I would prefer the HD800s for its spaciousness and imaging. With my music however I prefer the 2C to those. Choosing headphones according to your listening habits is essential.
If you are still with me and you still choose the 2C, we need to talk a bit about scalability and upgrades. If you like the timbre and sound presentation of the 2C and mostly you listen to those music genres where the 2C excels, after some time upgraditis will still catch you.
To my experience if you want a headphone upgrade, you will have to pay 3-5 times more what you paid for the 2C to get some improvement. The LCD4 sounds better, but it is 6 times more expensive and much heavier. The Empyrean sounds better but it is 4.5 times more expensive. Paying that much for not more than a 20-30% overall sound improvement is highly wallet and ear dependent.
If you fit in the sound preference/music genre profile I have just described, similar to me you will prefer the 2C to the Focal Clear, Elear, LCD2F, LCD3, HD800S, ZMF Aeolus, Verite, Atticus, Eikon, HEXV2, Sundara, HE6SE, HD650, NightHawk, etc. (If you are interested in certain comparisons, feel free to ask me.)
Of course this hobby is highly personal, so my taste might not reflect yours perfectly, but if you are still reading my post you know whether we are moving along the same lines or not.
Back to upgraditis. So, if you don't want to spend 4-6 times more on a justifiable headphone upgrade after the 2C, what are your other options? Well, it is upgrading your amp and DAC which in my opinion is an equally justifiable route if you are smart. For 2-3 times the price of the 2C you can literally turn your LCD2C into a near TOTL performing headphone by upgrading your DAC and amp.
The 2C improves a lot with good equipment. Clarity, tightness, punch, resolution, spaciousness all improve.
DACs improve timing, clarity, 3D space. Amps improve texture, body, thickness, power. My Qutest destroys Mojo as a DAC. My Taurus MKII is a significant improvement over my CMA600i as an amp: cleaner bass, cleaner treble, more tightness, clarity and space.
If you are more or less settled down on the sound of the 2C, improving your gear is probably the better way forward.
2C out of affordable gear like a Mojo or iFi Micro iDSD BL sounds ok, but the improvement out of a quality full sized gear literally turn these headphones into an upgraded version of themselves. 2C 2.0 if not 3.0.
This hobby is very relative and everyone must find their own way as no two people will have the exact same preferences. It is wise however to know what you can expect from a headphone, DAC or amp upgrade. Thickness of wallet is a weighty part of this equation but experience and wisdom are also very important when you make decision about a purchase.
This post is indented to save you time on the experience level and fly you to audio Nirvana just a tad quicker.
chimney189
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2016
- Posts
- 2,366
- Likes
- 697
I think that I would have kept the 2C if it were not for treble glare issues, and this issue happened while it was plugged into a Cavalli Liquid Carbon.
Maybe I had a defective pair, but the person that I sold it to hasn’t complained.
Maybe I had a defective pair, but the person that I sold it to hasn’t complained.
MDR30
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Sep 8, 2009
- Posts
- 993
- Likes
- 205
I think, for certain people with certain usage scenarios the LCD2C can be very close to endgame, if not endgame.
Let me elaborate.
The 2C has excellent bass, regardless of price range. It has a huge and powerful sound while never piercing. Quite neutral, but out of the relatively neutral cans it is still on the dark/warm/wet side. Upper mids and treble is a bit subdued which makes it divisive. On the one hand this makes the 2C easy on the ears, good for long term and relaxed listening. On the other hand some air and brightness is missing sometimes but this is very much music genre and personal taste dependent. The trick that the 2C does extremely well is while it offers a relaxed sound, it is never, ever boring: partly because of the excellent and entertaining bass.
I think that I would have kept the 2C if it were not for treble glare issues, and this issue happened while it was plugged into a Cavalli Liquid Carbon.
Maybe I had a defective pair, but the person that I sold it to hasn’t complained.
Wrong thread, this is for LCD2.
My bad. Perhaps admins can move the post pls?
jj69
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2003
- Posts
- 693
- Likes
- 106
Anyone have experience with the current "leather free" version of the Shedua LCD2? Are the pads the same as the much hyped "vegan" pads that were all the rage a couple of years ago?
Also wondering if leather free version is preferred over the regular leather version???
Also wondering if leather free version is preferred over the regular leather version???
Ken G
500+ Head-Fier
I have the LCD2CB with the leather free and I liked them so much I updated my regular LCD2’s with the leather free.
They are not the same as the original Vegan pads (which I think might have been a type of suede). Audeze upgraded all of their pads about 2 years ago with the LCD2C and LCD-MX4 being the first to have the new non-leather and leather respectively. The new pads are thicker than the original and use memory foam. The originals wear out pretty badly after a few years and the newer ones are more durable and should last longer due to the memory foam.
I recently bought a new LCD3 Maple which have the newer leather pads and they are very nice but I still prefer the non-leather because they are a bit bigger and require very little maintenance. The non-leather really look like leather but have a bit more of a matte look than the true leather version.
The pictures in the link below should give you a sense of the visual and size differences between the two current versions of New Audeze pads for sale.
https://www.moon-audio.com/audeze-lcd-deluxe-earpads.html
Users who are viewing this thread
