Audeze LCD-2 Orthos

[K3cT]

Quote:

The LCD-2 will be the first Ortho that you will have heard that embodies all of the best attributes of the best electrostatics and none of their shortcomings.

Stop tempting me to withdraw a CC loan, kwkarth.

 

 

[kwkarth]

Sorry, I can't seem to help myself.  

 

[tim3320070]

I have still to ascertain whether there is a trial period or return policy from this thread or an email I sent 2 weeks ago- anybody?

 

[immtbiker]

When is the planned production release of these headphones?
 
It seems to be a long time since the announcement. 
If Kevin says that they are that good, I have to see what these sound like.

 

[tim3320070]

Got a response- seems the "trial" period is 15 days with 20% restock fee. Basically sell it on your own  if you are not happy with it. Yet to see anyone close to unhappy though.

 

[kwkarth]

Quote:

When is the planned production release of these headphones?
 
It seems to be a long time since the announcement. 
If Kevin says that they are that good, I have to see what these sound like.

They are released to production.  Orders are being taken and filled.  Looks like production is a bit slow right now, but it is happening.
 

 

[vcoheda]

i asked what the wait time was. was told 1 month. wonder if that's realistic. these headphones sound interesting.

 

[kwkarth]

Quote:

i asked what the wait time was. was told 1 month. wonder if that's realistic. these headphones sound interesting.

Well, response, I suspect, has been beyond what they expected, and there are always production issues that crop up only after production starts.  Hopefully they'll get supply issues sorted out sooner rather than later. 

 

[Lunatique]

Quote:

Having mainly listened to music through the OM2 Mk1s and an OTL amp based on the Stax T1 design for the last four years, I have to say that their midrange could not be described as devoid of richness - "organic" or "natural" are the words I'd use for those phones too, especially with acoustic music. Their mids are in a completely different league than the Lambda series, nor do they have its typical upward tilt (as I said before, to me they are somewhat reticent in the highs). I haven't heard the more recent, less expensive Stax phones apparently based on the Lambdas. Nor have I heard any orthos. So it will be an interesting comparison.
 

 

I listened to an 007MKII with a 717 amp just a couple of days ago, and its mid-range was what blew me away the most. So organic, textured, and expressive. The treble was not nearly as sharp/bright as on the D7000--in fact I would say it sounded pretty warm, but still very articulate and detailed--very unique. The bass was surprisingly authoritative, which I was not prepared for because I always read that the electrostats were bass-shy. I think Stax's new design of the larger driver really changed that. Pound for pound, the 007MKII's bass was about as full and rich and substantial as the D7000, even if the 30Hz region isn't as loud as on the D7000. Many other headphones I've tested where the 30Hz region isn't as loud in "perceived" loudness would end up sounding less full in bass overall compared to the D7000, but not the 0007MKII, and that impressed the hell out of me.
 
That said, I'm really interested in the LCD2. It just might be my next purchase, since it'll cost far less than a flagship Stax setup or even an Edition 8, which I've also heard many praises for. Maybe I'll end up buying all three eventually and compare them and then only keep what I love the most, but that's a lot of money I don't really have.

 

[AppleheadMay]

Quote:

From the Luxman specs, it should do well.
As you can see, like most amps, each time you double the load impedance, you halve the power delivery capability of this amp, so we can see from the published spec. below, the amp will deliver 1/2 watt into 32 ohms, which means it should deliver 1/4W (250mW) into 64 ohms.  The LCD-2s are 50 ohms nominally, so the amp should come close to delivering (about 340mW) into a 50 ohm load.  So it should do pretty well.  Just remember, the LCD-2s can handle a max input of 15 watts.  300mW should give you better than 115 dB which is way louder than you'll be able to stand.
 
[size=smaller] SPECIFICATIONS[/size]

[size=smaller] Continous effective output                 2W+2W/8Ω[/size]

[size=smaller]                                                       1W+1W/16Ω, [/size]

[size=smaller]                                                       500mW+500mW/32Ω [/size]

[size=smaller]                                                       27mW+27mW/600Ω[/size]

[size=smaller] Input Sensitivity/input Impedance      unbalanced: 1.0V/26KΩ and balanced: 1.0V/67KΩ[/size]

[size=smaller] Total Harmonic Distortion                   0.0025% (1KHz), 0.02% (20Hz~20KHz)[/size]

[size=smaller] Frequency Response                         20Hz~20KHz (+0, - 0.1dB), 5Hz~170KHz (+0, - 3.0dB)[/size]

[size=smaller] Signal-Noise Ratio                            115dB (IHF-A)[/size]

[size=smaller] Input/Outputs[/size]

[size=smaller]                                                       Input: 1 balanced pair, 1 unbalanced pair[/size]

[size=smaller]                                                       Output: 2 headphone jacks and 1 pair through RCA [/size]

[size=smaller] Power                                              19W[/size]

[size=smaller] Dimensions (mm)                            (82) W x (40) x 40[/size]

[size=smaller] Weight:    (Kg)                                 18.3 lbs      (8.3)[/size]

Thanks for explaining it to me kwarth. I guess the P1-u will drive most phones without problems, apart for the K1000 of course.

 

[jjinh]

Quote:

i asked what the wait time was. was told 1 month. wonder if that's realistic. these headphones sound interesting.

Yes they do sound interesting... I should stop coming here

 

[sachu]

Going to get to listen to these babies after a long time again tomorrow night. Meeting up with a bunch of god folks at Ken's 32 Ohm Audio store. Will get to try out his cable on the LCD-2 against the stock cable...fun times indeed!!

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Stat systems sound devoid of richness to the midrange..at least to these ears. Then most stax headphones also are to treble happy, they make my ears bleed apart from a select few. 
 
The orthos strike a nice balance bringing the best of the dynamics and the stat world to the table. Excellent bass response and the clarity in the highs, but have a very unique midrange and since i can't put it any other words right now, sound organic. This to me is their main appeal.
 

I don't agree with this blanket statement, as my Woo WES > O2 Mk1 is clearly not devoid of richness to the midrange nor treble happy, and the bass response is excellent.  With the right setup they can sound wonderfully organic.

 

[sachu]

I was speaking relatively...

 

[Currawong]

Damn you all. 
 
Ordered.