Audeze LCD-2 Orthos

[rhythmdevils]

I forgot to mention the best part.  When I put on Goldmund (very sparse, simple piano) her jaw dropped and I could see my room disappear in her mind as she was lost in the music for a moment.  She was like "I can hear the clicking of the piano keys and the foot pedals!!!" (it is mic'd in a way that reveals all the sounds coming from the piano, and there's a lot of silence for those sounds to come out)  She doesn't get excited very often about anything, so that was cool. 

 
I agree with everything you said SP, I think people who haven't thought much about it can have a very pure sort of view just from being open minded, if they are the right person of course and are musically inclined, etc. 

 

[sokolov91]

well to continue this trend, both my mother and sister were huge fans of the HD 800 on their first listen. My sister ultimately likes the LCD-2 more and my mom the HD 800. Took them a few listens to realize how amazing the LCD-2 are whereas the soundstage of HD800 easily wows non hi-fi peeps.
 
Personally I think the LCD-2 is indeed more detailed and accurate then the HD 800.... but damn that soundstage is sublime...The initial detail to my ears really is a boosted treble at work.
 
Both my sister and mother were blown away with voices on the LCD-2 fwiw,

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

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I am listening with the RSA 71b and the ability of the LCD-2 to keep up with anything I throw at it is exceptional. The music/sound on hard rock that is complex to large orchestral pieces is stunning. I am listening with a balanced dac feeding the 71b. I have been searching for a system that could do organ justice but up until this point I hadn't found anything to really keep pace with the resonating deep bass and intricate harmonics. The LCD-2 was ok but with this current amp I am hearing the overtones and nuances I have heard in live. No, it isn't the same as, nothing is, not even on the best speaker systems but there is a quality here that is able to define the moment that makes this a very, very enjoyable. 

Excuse me, an SR-71b?  How'd you manage that so fast?  Maybe it's better you don't answer that...  

 

[jamato8]

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I am listening with the RSA 71b and the ability of the LCD-2 to keep up with anything I throw at it is exceptional. The music/sound on hard rock that is complex to large orchestral pieces is stunning. I am listening with a balanced dac feeding the 71b. I have been searching for a system that could do organ justice but up until this point I hadn't found anything to really keep pace with the resonating deep bass and intricate harmonics. The LCD-2 was ok but with this current amp I am hearing the overtones and nuances I have heard in live. No, it isn't the same as, nothing is, not even on the best speaker systems but there is a quality here that is able to define the moment that makes this a very, very enjoyable. 

Excuse me, an SR-71b?  How'd you manage that so fast?  Maybe it's better you don't answer that...  

It is one two demos. Skylab has the other. This one is out in the middle of 1 million square miles of ocean. 
 

 

[milosz]

The more I listen to headphones in my collection that have boosted highs (Hifiman HE-6, Sennheiser HD800,) the more I like my LCD-2's.
 
I like the "sweetened" detail and air of the Hifiman HE-6 and Sennheiser HD800  but you know I like to listen fairly loud (87~90 dB) and I adjust loudness for power in the bass and mids; when I am listening to HD800s or HE-6's at 87 dB in the midrange it seems to me I am bathing my ears in 95 dBs of treble.  It makes my ears hurt.
 
The same midrange level of 87 dB on the LCD-2 seems to me just right- nice and loud but with these phones the treble is not riding at a higher SPL atop the mids. 
 
These LCD-2's just seem right to me in their neutrality and natural portrayal of  timbre. Oh yeah, and the bass kicks ass.
 
But I have GOT to get some other wires for these LCD-2's.  These stiff wires, with their rattling and scraping mechanical sounds, just are not good.  Something SOFT and thinner would be great.  And something costing less than the price of a used car....
 
(DIGRESSION:  Most of the cars I have owned in my 40 years of driving have cost less than the LCD-2's.  For example, I bought an old Tercel "wagon" in 1993 for $800 and drove it until 1999, when I sold it for $1,000.  I never had any problems with that old ugly car. Everything worked fine- air conditioning, electrical stuff, EVERYTHING.  In fact, it is still driving around Chicago here, I saw it lurching north on Western Ave. about three months ago.  I KNOW it was my old car, I recognized the dents. Beater car means never having to say you're sorry!)

 

[jamato8]

I notice that with most of my phones if I listen louder than normal my ears ring for a while, not pleasant and not something I like to do but some music just doesn't sound right at medium volume. With the LCD-2 I don't get the ringing when I play at a louder but still sane level. What I get is just dynamic driving music. Blues guitar comes across great. I am listening to John Mayall, 70th Birthday Concert. Great fun, it is. I saw him live at Whiskey Agogo year ago. Too bad I didn't appreciate who I was seeing and listening to but I did enjoy Bacon Fat more (the warm up blues performer). 

 

[oqvist]

I get ringing when listening to loud on the LCD-2 like any other headphone when listening at to high SPL for to long. The LCD-2 is more treachorous then most due to the low distortion and less of a treble peak I suppose. It´s not one of the headphones that start to warn you when bumping the volume up.

 

[nigeljames]

I used to get ringing even at normal listening levels with the K701's but never with LCD-2's, HE-6's or ALO-780's.

 

[jamato8]

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I get ringing when listening to loud on the LCD-2 like any other headphone when listening at to high SPL for to long. The LCD-2 is more treachorous then most due to the low distortion and less of a treble peak I suppose. It´s not one of the headphones that start to warn you when bumping the volume up.

Yes, you have a point. The dynamics can come on fast. I guess I just monitor the loudness and maybe what I think is loud isn't as loud as many might listen because I really value my ears. I was listening years ago to Ragged Glory on some very modified horn speakers I have on a good tube amp and the sound was just so great. When I got done with the CD, my ears were in pain. Stupid. They rang for day or so but luckily it was a warning and my hearing is still excellent as I have also been to concerts but when the music is too loud I put something in my ears. 

 

[Danz03]

While I agreed that the LCD-2s are more accurate than the HD800s, I don't think they are more detailed. For example, with classical music, the breathing of the cellist or foot pedal noise are much clearer (whether it's intended or not) on the HD800s.
I think most younger people would prefer the LCD-2s to the HD800s.
 
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well to continue this trend, both my mother and sister were huge fans of the HD 800 on their first listen. My sister ultimately likes the LCD-2 more and my mom the HD 800. Took them a few listens to realize how amazing the LCD-2 are whereas the soundstage of HD800 easily wows non hi-fi peeps.
 
Personally I think the LCD-2 is indeed more detailed and accurate then the HD 800.... but damn that soundstage is sublime...The initial detail to my ears really is a boosted treble at work.
 
Both my sister and mother were blown away with voices on the LCD-2 fwiw,

 

[MrGreen]

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I think most younger people would prefer the LCD-2s to the HD800s.

Er, how so?

 

[sokolov91]

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I think most younger people would prefer the LCD-2s to the HD800s.

Er, how so?

 
i am going to assume he meant due to the treble balance... HD 800 would be too much for youngins

 

[jamato8]

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I think most younger people would prefer the LCD-2s to the HD800s.

Er, how so?

Maybe older people need the treble spike I read about? (I have not heard the HD800 so I am going by what I have read and not experienced).
 
I also found it an interesting supposition. 
 

 

[rgs9200m]

My short take on LCD2s:
 
Pros:
 
The bass is fine, controlled and deep and detailed.
 
The treble is fine, sweet and liquid.
 
Soundstaging is wonderful, with lots of micro and macro details, convincing image separation and boundaries, along with realistic shape and size and differentiation.
 
As for tonality, there is no grain, and things are not held back or blunted.
 
They are heavy but very comfortable, even for long sessions. Headband and earcups are well padded and pleasing, and the stock cable is fine, not too heavy or bothersome and not subject to microphonics.
 
They do well with solid state amps, and don't require tubes to sound lush.
 
Cons:
With vocals and piano and some other things in the midrange and upper midrange,
there is a kind of syrupy quality or ringing that can be annoying, especially compared to Grado PS1000s, Senn HD800s, and Beyer T1s,
which all seem more controlled in the midrange, especially the PS1000s, which sound rock solid there and is one of the things I really like about them.
Otherwise, pace and timing are fine. But still, piano decay is not as firm as I would like, and female vocal could be a little more recessed for my taste.
The LCD2s have better low bass (deep and expressive) and highs (mellow but with lots of color and sweetness) and better staging than any of the other 3 phones.
As of now, the PS1000s and T1s are still my go-to phones, but I will play around with the LCD2s some more with cabling and such because they do so much right.
 
***UPDATE***  I have since gotten ALO balanced cables and these negative qualities are gone. Somehow the ALOs cured these problems and now the LCD2s are superb. (See my post below (#7776) for a revision.)
The ALO cables really transformed the LCD2s into something much superior, much more controlled and refined, especially with vocals and the midrange in general. I love these cables.
 
System: Rudistor RP010B amp, EMM CDSA cdp, Stealth Indra ICs, TelWire and Stefan Endorphin power cables,
and sometimes a Val Alstine Ultra+ EC tube amp (upgraded with nice RCA 6CG7 tubes) added to the loop for some tube-goodness, treble-reduction (the Van Alstine has maybe the best tone controls
I have ever heard, great for the the 800s, PS1000s, and T1s), and remote volume control.

 

[Danz03]

Yes, with no offense intended. I think that's why so many people complained about the HD800s, from being painful to listen to, to a bit treble heavy. Or how some people think the LCD-2s have recessed treble.
 
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i am going to assume he meant due to the treble balance... HD 800 would be too much for youngins