Audeze LCD-2 Orthos

[NapalmK]

Congrats! Glad to hear you're enjoying them. They really are something special which is why my little collection is going to get much more cozy. I'll probably only end up with the modified T50RP and one dynamic.

 

[Duckman]

Initially I found them very clampy and heavy.
 
Stretched them over a couple of weeks -  left them overnights and while at work stretched between a few books, just a bit wider than my own noggin.
 
The clamp has become far more bearable and much less of an issue for me.
 
The weight I can do nothing about, but luckily I don't often listen for long stretches or, when I do, it is usually while lying down.
 
 
Quote:

I'm a little worried with LCD-2 'potential' (cause I don't have yet) clamping.  We will be able to bend the headband or metal or something  little like HD650 so it won't clamp so much?

 

[vrln]

The clamp is perfect for me. I´m suprised how well they distribute the weight... By the way, I posted my initial impressions on the LCD-2 on the "LCD-2 vs. HD 800" thread, as I ended up comparing them side by side. 
 
I´d sum up my thought by saying that if you have an issue with bright tinny sibilant sound so common in dynamic headphones (HD 650 is the exception), the LCD-2 is exactly what you want Congratulations to Audeze, I had my doubts, but you surpassed my expectations! Very, very, very satisfied with the LCD-2 and looking forward to what these guys do in the future (consider me among the first to sign up for an LCD-3 someday). If Sankar & co are reading this, you really deserve the success you´ve gotten

 

[RedBull]

Quote:

So, my replacement blocks finally arrived after over two months of waiting for them. Great!
 
Except the new screws that attach them to the headband have been left out. ....Oh, come on!
 
Until they arrive I can't do a damn thing. The old screws are too big and wont fit in the new blocks all the way. Now my LCD-2 lies disassembled in its box, as I realized the screw issue after the fact. No real point in reassembling them either, since the old blocks are totally broken now.
 
Heaven knows when Audeze will get around to sending these screws out now. Either way, this is the longest I've ever had to go without being able to use a pair of headphones I've paid for after purchasing them.

Eeeew, that's an unbearably long time to wait, but luckily you have so many headphones to choose from 

 
Quote:

Initially I found them very clampy and heavy.
 
Stretched them over a couple of weeks -  left them overnights and while at work stretched between a few books, just a bit wider than my own noggin.
 
The clamp has become far more bearable and much less of an issue for me.
 
The weight I can do nothing about, but luckily I don't often listen for long stretches or, when I do, it is usually while lying down.

How long do you usually listen per session?

 

[Duckman]

Not sure really. Maybe an hour at the most. This will probably change once Leben arrives

 

[jamato8]

I listen a few hours at a time and I have a neck bad enough that they wanted to fuse 2 levels at one time. It is a good workout. :^)

 

[RedBull]

OMG, an hour can cause neck pain?  that doesn't sound very good to me, as I can listen more than an hour, don't worry, I listen on low volume.  Especially on the weekend, can be like 2-3 hours, while reading head-fi 
 
Sound like I need to exercise more, especially to strenghten neck muscle. 

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

OMG, an hour can cause neck pain?  that doesn't sound very good to me, as I can listen more than an hour, don't worry, I listen on low volume.  Especially on the weekend, can be like 2-3 hours, while reading head-fi 
 
Sound like I need to exercise more, especially to strenghten neck muscle. 

I use mine for 2-3 hour sessions with zero discomfort. Are they heavy? Sure, but the weight distribution and earpads are pretty good.

 

[NapalmK]

Quote:

I use mine for 2-3 hour sessions with zero discomfort. Are they heavy? Sure, but the weight distribution and earpads are pretty good.

Same. I listened to mine 6 hours the first day I got them and 2-3 hours at a time after that. I'm used to the weight now and they are actually very comfy to me. The pads are pretty much perfect for me and the headband is much better than I expected.

 

[pp312]

Quote:

Quote:

Quote:

Quote:

I'm a little worried with LCD-2 'potential' (cause I don't have yet) clamping.  We will be able to bend the headband or metal or something  little like HD650 so it won't clamp so much?

As someone who eventually let go of the HD650 partly due to their unbearable clamp, I can say that I can deal with LCD-2's clamp fine. As it's been said, it's not neither too clampy or too loose. 

I must say if you let go of the 650s for that reason, you let go of them too soon. The 650s take about two weeks to loosen up and then, unless you're a total balloon head, they become one of the most comfortable phones ever manufactured. Or...you can just bend the metal. I fail to understand why this is such an issue with so many people (and I won't get into the subject of a certain amount of clamping force being necessary to maintain bass response). 

There's a few reasons at work here from my perspective (which I should have mentioned earlier, to be fair):
 
- I owned the HD650's for a year or so, and they never really loosened up enough to be comfortable for me. Trust me, I gave it plenty of time.
- Bending the metal, from my experience, was a temporary solution, not a permanent one.  The metal headband actually has strong memory and always bends back in its original shape after a few days. Didn't like having to do that once every few days.
- The leather pads of the LCD-2 seemed to give me more "give" and less pressure that the HD650 velours put on side of my face.  For the same reason, I actually prefer the pleather pads of HD25 over velour... most velour pads seem a little too hard for my liking.
- I actually do have a larger head than average, I think.
- This is more of a personal reason, but I do have problems with headphones that have oval-shaped cups in general, due to me having a minor case of TMJ. Those type of pads unfortunately line along my jaw line, making it painful. 
- LCD-2's pads have wider contact surface, which seemed to distribute the pressure more evenly.

Fair enough, though I would have to challenge your point about the metal having a strong memory. I never had to bend it as I found the 650s perfectly comfortable after two weeks, but it's been a standard remedy for those in your situation and no one has yet complained of the clamping effect returning; and frankly, I find it hard to believe it would in anything like so short a time (a few days! Nah...). Not that it matters, of course, as you now have a phone that suits you better, but I wouldn't want newbies reading this to rule out the 650 based on the difficulties you had.  

 

[pp312]

Quote:

Regarding differences in sound, they are certainly evident, but I won't be letting the Senns go anytime soon.  On certain recordings, I prefer the HD650's for their very spacious soundstage which the LCD2's don't quite match.  However, in terms of resolution & accuracy, I'm hearing subtle details & nuances with the LCD2 that have never before been audible with my gear.  Audibly lower distortion & bass that is stunning in its depth & clarity also raise the LCD2 above anything else I have heard. 
But they are both excellent headphones & I enjoy listening to them equally.
 
As others have observed, perception is very much in the ears (& mind) of the listener.

Your comments are very helpful for a 650 owner like myself trying to decide if an LCD-2 investment might be worthwhile. And I have to say, after reading them, that I'm not inclined to make the change. It isn't just that you don't rave about the Audeze over the 650--I'm sure there's still a substantial improvement. It isn't even the money, though your comments would seem to suggest the 650 is overall better value. No, my problem remains build quality and long-term reliability; and the number of posts here about replacement parts having to be sent out and arriving without screws etc do nothing (as a denizen of far-away Australia) to allay my fears. Now that we've established that the LCD-2 is a kind of silkier, more organic 650, if I'm reading right, could someone provide a brutal assessment of the LCD-2's construction quality--let's say its ability to survive a two foot drop onto a hard surface, which I've done several times with the 650 without damage. Sorry if this has been all covered, as I'm sure it has, but I'm not inclined to search this whole thread.      

 

[RedBull]

MacedonianHero, NapalmK, have you tried Grado PS1000?  are you ok with the weight? 
I get headache, literally due to pressure on the top of my head, just within 10 mins, it is a horrible headphone, I mean, physically!!!
 
HD650 elongated oval shape + ferocious clamp is quite disturbing, I always have to rearrange its sitting position not to press my jaws join, its not quite comfortable, or maybe I have a short face??? 

Hope LCD-2 is not another jaw clamping device.
 
rolotube, LCD-2 soundstage is smaller than 'spacious' HD650? ??? this is the first time I read statement like this about LCD-2.  Are you sure?

 

[DefectiveAudioComponent]

I would NOT recommend that. I haven't tried it of course, but I'm thinking the wood would break. I am very careful to put mine back in the box when I don't use them. It's so easy to trip on the cable...
 
Production flaws is a risk, and it's not as easy to go replace it as if you had bought it in your nearby store, even though they have a good record here of fixing all issues (Not only Audeze, but I think Hifiman has a good reputation too). That risk is something one has to accept if one wants the LCD-2 (or the HE-series of orthodynamics).
 
Quote:

could someone provide a brutal assessment of the LCD-2's construction quality--let's say its ability to survive a two foot drop onto a hard surface, 

 

[jamato8]

 
[size=medium]

Quote:

could someone provide a brutal assessment of the LCD-2's construction quality--let's say its ability to survive a two foot drop onto a hard surface, 

​

[/size]

Why would you want to drop a wooden headphone or for that matter, any headphone from 2 feet. I realize of course you don't want to drop it so I don't see the validity.  It makes as much since as testing your skull. It may survive, it may not. 

 

[rhythmdevils]

If you are someone who is prone to dropping things, then it is a valid concern.  I know I'm a bit annoyed by how careful I feel when I'm handling the LCD-2's