[kwkarth]

Quote:

It wasn't erroneous, KW, it was language, tone and demeanor unbecoming someone of moderator status. 
 
USG

Please be specific, like I said, I'm stupid.  I do not understand what the burr is under your saddle.

 

[Kabeer]

Quote:

Can't wait for my Leben (either can my Harbeths) to come out and play

! You should go straight to the speaker taps and try 15 watts of ultra-linear goodness! I will of course when it arrives....I wonder how quiet it actually is at the taps?

Im not running a tube amp, but Im running a 20 year old solid state 25w per channel (proper watts) British speaker amp straight out of the taps. No resistors or any of that wimpy stuff .
 
Works great, no background noise.

 

[kwkarth]

Quote:

...
 
People have been after Kevin (kwkarth) for being out of character...I don't think that is fair assessment. If you were in his shoes (moccasins) and have lived with the phone awhile you might be stride for stride in opinion, and in defense of the of this Ortho...Just my two cents. 
 
I was a Boo-Bird when these first appeared (the HE-5 left a bad taste in the mouth). Spouting all over the place the superiority of the 800! I had to alter my opinions, and in effect change my recommendations for effective headphone listening...I won't be the only one when it's said and done.

Thanks man.  Much appreciated.

 

[achristilaw]

 
Quote:

Im not running a tube amp, but Im running a 20 year old solid state 25w per channel (proper watts) British speaker amp straight out of the taps. No resistors or any of that wimpy stuff .
 
Works great, no background noise.

Yeah Baby, now your cooking with ga.., an arc welder....I LOVE IT! Went to the taps of the F3 the other night, It (the Audez'e) doesn't need that much! Not near that much...But it's fun to fly on occasion, instead of taking the Bus...
 

 

[IPodPJ]

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I had these phones in house for 5 days and I have to say, I was very impressed by them. Impressed enough to immediately order a pair. This coming from someone who stopped looking for headphones after getting HD800's. Two things to note beyond the fantastic sound quality. They feel heavy and uncomfortable when you first use them. Compared to the HD800's these are definitely heavier and chunkier. This really concerned me at first, but after a few days I got used to them, and was able to enjoy extended listening sessions without discomfort. The second thing is these seem to be amp/gear dependent. I first tried them with my Grant Fidelity 300B integrated. They were fine, but the high end seemed very rolled off, and the bass was loose. The only other single ended amp I had on hand was a CKIII. Much to my surprise the phones sounded much better on this amp. After a few cable swaps I started to hear what these phones are really capable off. The high end is very natural with maybe just a touch of roll off, and the bass was strong and deep. Instruments sounded right, and had great texture. Soundstaging felt smaller then the HD800's, but very realistic and accurate. Overall they are a pleasure to listen to and definitely give the HD800's a run for their money. Only time will tell which one will take the top seat in my house.

 
John,
Maybe we can get together soon.  I'd love to have a listen to these.
 

 

[thisbenjamin]

.

 

[dukja]

Quote:

Right.  They are really good, and (IMO) competitive with other top-tier headphones.  Does that make them perfect? Of course not.  I already am pretty sure some people will find the bass too much, and some will find the treble too soft (and I have said so several times).
 
And while the comfort has improved, if I could have just one headphone, it would still be the T1, as I find it significantly more comfortable (and very close in performance).
 
I like the LCD-2 a lot - but they will not be for everyone.  NO headphone is.

@Skylab
 
Thank you for your input.  For a person who likes the soundstage and pinpoint focusing accuracy of balanced DT880/600 out of Phoenix, do you think that he/she will like the softer (according to you) presentation of LCD-2?
 
I have tried HE5-LE and returned it due to two main issues: the texture of the mid-high (a little bit too gritty to me) and the focusing of the soundstage (vague even with balanced system).  The high freq. component that contributes to the sparkling and airy feeling is not to my liking as well.  Therefore, I wonder if LCD-2 is right phone for me.
 
@anyone
 
Who may be kind enough to educate me why there is about 10dB drop after 1 kHz in LCD-2's freq. response?  (It seems many dynamic phones also has that step down at 1 kHz but they also have peaks beyond 1 kHz.  LCD-2 has almost flat regions before and after the step down.) 
 
Many thanks!

 

[Skylab]

 
Quote:

Quote:

@Skylab
 
Thank you for your input.  For a person who likes the soundstage and pinpoint focusing accuracy of balanced DT880/600 out of Phoenix, do you think that he/she will like the softer (according to you) presentation of LCD-2?
 
I have tried HE5-LE and returned it due to two main issues: the texture of the mid-high (a little bit too gritty to me) and the focusing of the soundstage (vague even with balanced system).  The high freq. component that contributes to the sparkling and airy feeling is not to my liking as well.  Therefore, I wonder if LCD-2 is right phone for me.
 

Just to be clear - I do NOT think they are soft - but I think that some people, who like a sharper presentation, will.  With my Leben, I think they are remarkably flat.  But with some of my OTL tube amps, the treble is indeed a little soft, due to the interaction of those amp's high-ish output impedance and the LCD-2's low impedance.  But again that does not make the LCD-2 soft.
 
With the SS Meier Concerto, the LCD-2 are also very neutral.  What they are not at all is bright in the treble.

 

[MikePio]

Hey Skylab, Comparing the LCD-2's and the HE-5LE's are the Audeze's in a different league, or do the LE's do a good job giving them a challange? Thanks

 

[kwkarth]

Quote:

 

Just to be clear - I do NOT think they are soft - but I think that some people, who like a sharper presentation, will.  With my Leben, I think they are remarkably flat.  But with some of my OTL tube amps, the treble is indeed a little soft, due to the interaction of those amp's high-ish output impedance and the LCD-2's low impedance.  But again that does not make the LCD-2 soft.
 
With the SS Meier Concerto, the LCD-2 are also very neutral.  What they are not at all is bright in the treble.

I agree.  Many people mistake accentuated treble for quickness and detail.
 

 

[kwkarth]

Quote:

@anyone
 
Who may be kind enough to educate me why there is about 10dB drop after 1 kHz in LCD-2's freq. response?  (It seems many dynamic phones also has that step down at 1 kHz but they also have peaks beyond 1 kHz.  LCD-2 has almost flat regions before and after the step down.) 
 
Many thanks!

Did you get a chance to read the links to articles about this earlier in this thread?
 
The published curves for the LCD-2 reflect the LCD-2 designer's interpretation of a free field / HRTF contour.  The flatness of the "curve" is a characteristic of the driver's inherent strengths.  The contour / step above 1k is a result of careful damping.
 
To most people's ears, they sound pretty natural.
 
Here's the link to the stereophile article about headphones, equalization, and hearing.
http://stereophile.com/features/808head/
 

 

[santacore]

Quote:

John,
Maybe we can get together soon.  I'd love to have a listen to these.
 
 

Sure buddy, happy to share when I get them again. Unfortunately I had to return the pair I was borrowing to the owner, so it will be a bit.

 

[Equus]

I remember getting a pair of hand-me-down Infinity speakers from a cousin when I was a kid.  I was wowed by how lively and exiting they sounded.  Later, after studying music some and tuning my ear a little, I realized how artificial the presentation was.  Now I don't have that same taste and sparkly treble tends to fatigue my ears pretty quick, but there's definitely those out there that look for that.  With limited gear, the LCD-2 treble is pretty clean, non-sibilant, and clear in presentation, which only gets better with better synergy with the amp.  Since taste and opinion is not an absolute, I'm sure there will be people who find it lacking.  But then again, there's the folks who live on my street who like blasting their car subwoofers so my apartment windows rattle, so it takes all kinds. 

 

[IPodPJ]

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Sure buddy, happy to share when I get them again. Unfortunately I had to return the pair I was borrowing to the owner, so it will be a bit.

Oh.  I thought you had bought a pair.
 
It will be interesting to see over time if people find them better than the HD800.  The weight would be a big issue for me.  My DHC Complement cables add a bit of weight to the HD800.  The SQ is worth it though.  However I would want to upgrade the LCD-2 cables as well and the combined weight would probably make it unbearable.  And if they clamp hard, I don't think I could tolerate that either.  I'm definitely interested in hearing what all the fuss is about though.

 

[achristilaw]

 
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Alan you missed the point of my post, buddy. Its not that *I* think the LCD-2 have any issues at the frequency extremes - I personally do not. But I have learned that what I think sounds phenomenal to me will still not appeal to everyone. No matter how good you think they are, there are going to people who disagree.

 
Of Course! My point is that transistors are the norm for Ortho's, not the exception! And, I feel it's more of a spectral shift, not just frequency attenuation (hard for people to digest that haven't lived with the phone a bit), that the Audez'e renders it's particular balance.

And the weird part (yeah it's weird), I would be one who would need the upper frequency rise to add presence or detail. After a little flex and a new cable I was taken aback by the reduction of resonant hash (yes, by direct contrast to phones I own) and the relaxed clarity available.
 
When I managed the full of the acoustic weight, and the whole of the tonal bodies from both the Piano and Violin, I was hooked! And then the resulting reference change and listening preference remarks. Some like Vanilla....some like Chocolate...I like both.