[Danz03]

Most 'professional' microphones are neither neutral nor accurate. In fact some of the mot used studio microphones are popular because of their coloration, like most tube mics. I don't think you can make a statement saying that the LCD-2s are not accurate just because a recoding you made of your mom using a 'professional' microphone didn't sound like her. The distance between her and the mic can alter the frequency response by a lot: too close you get proximity effect, too far you get coloration from the room reverb. I can easily make Dianna Krall's voice as deep as I want by merely close miking her. It would have been more convincing if you compared the LCD-2s with a pair of reference monitors. If you think you can correct the LCD-2s by just using EQs, in theory you could even make beats studio sound perfect too just using EQs, why spend money on expensive headphones?

Quote:

I don´t think the lcd-2 are neutral in a absolute level. But they are perfectly linear in a relative level. That is, as you can see from the graph, the frequency is ruler flat from 10hz to 1khz, so you can hear for instance, the bass notes very linear. With some speakers or other headphones, you can hear some notes of the electric bass more emphasized than other notes. This doesn´t happen with lcd-2. But the bass/midbass/mids are too prominent. You can hear female vocals too deep. That´s what some people have been loving about Diana krall, and the other female singer whose name i don´t remember. If you like it, it´s ok, but if you want a neutral voice, you don´t get it. I´ve even tried that with my mother´s voice recorded with professional studio microphones, it was deeper than in real life. While people may like this, this is not neutral in my opinion.


But it´s very easy to solve with an equalizer. For instance, as i wrote in my previous post: I´m applying -3db to the frequencies up to 1khz, -1db to 2khz and 16khz bands. To my hears also, this sounds much more similiar to my speakers, that are very flat (i have their frequency response measurement).


This is much more natural, and similiar to real life. I´m trying to buy a tube amp for more musicality though. But still, i want the frequency response to be as neutral as possible.


When i first heard about the he-6 being more open, i was worring that i made the wrong choice in buying the lcd-2, but with the EQ (wich is free if you use your computer as the source), i can easily tailor these headphones to my tastes.

 

[jamato8]

I think that a high quality reproducer of sound will take to an eq more than a cheap one as it has more range, if truly high quality and made to reproduce the full audio spectrum in a quality manner to begin with (quality being the key word here). Having said that, I never use an equalizer but sometimes it is ok for fun but for me, not when truly listening. My last preamp I built only has one input switch and even that is one I custom made of ultra high purity dead soft silver. 
 

 

[DefectiveAudioComponent]

Equalizers can be fun. Although, I feel no need to equalize my LCD-2.
 

 

[jamato8]

Ok. :^)
 
Beautiful wood on that one. It would be nice to see a few different angled shots of the phones. 

 

[Cya|\|]

Quote:

Most 'professional' microphones are neither neutral nor accurate. In fact some of the mot used studio microphones are popular because of their coloration, like most tube mics. I don't think you can make a statement saying that the LCD-2s are not accurate just because a recoding you made of your mom using a 'professional' microphone didn't sound like her. The distance between her and the mic can alter the frequency response by a lot: too close you get proxy effect, too far you get coloration from the room reverb. I can easily make Dianna Krall's voice as deep as I want by merely close miking her. It would have been more convincing if you compared the LCD-2s with a pair of reference monitors. If you think you can correct the LCD-2s by just using EQs, in theory you could even make beats studio sound perfect too just using EQs, why spend money on expensive headphones?

 

 

I agree on some of that. Fact is, my brother doesn´t have a tube preamp to color the sound...
And we talk about some minor UNlinearity. But i have to lower the bass on the lcd-2 by 3db, and that´s a range that extends from 10hz to 1khz. My brother´s mic is much more linear than that. He also know about the distance, but thank you for writing that. He studies in a music school, and is being trained to be an audio technician.
But about the final sentence, let´s not say stupid things, that is, i never said that EQ is everything. Or else why do YOU think i bought the LCD-2 in the first place, instead of some cheapos in the super market? Don´t want to add anything to that, as you can get to the conclusion.

 

[Danz03]

The thing is, even the most linear microphones in this world are not absolute linear, +/-3dB is actually not that unusual for a top class microphone, I worked as a sound engineer so I would know (I really hate quoting that, but it seems if one doesn't, one doesn't get taken seriously or could be disregarded as a troll). That's why even well recorded classical music needed to be EQed afterwards to compensate for the inaccuracy of the microphones, placement or even signal degradations because of long cables etc. I'm not doubting your brother's expertise in making accurate recording, but using that to judge the accuracy of a pair of headphones is a bit unfair and that's why I said the most simple and effective way to do it is to compare them with a pair of reference monitors. They may not be as accurate as 100% real life but saying that the LCD-2s are not neutral seems to me a bit pointless because I don't think there are many or any headphones around that are more accurate.
I personally don't use EQ with my headphones because I believe that a lot of good headphones were designed deliberately to have a certain sound signature, like the HD800s, whereas the LCD-2s were designed to sound as accurate as possible, so using EQ to change the sound signature seems to me as defeating the intentions of the headphones designers. 

 
Quote:

I agree on some of that. Fact is, my brother doesn´t have a tube preamp to color the sound...
And we talk about some minor UNlinearity. But i have to lower the bass on the lcd-2 by 3db, and that´s a range that extends from 10hz to 1khz. My brother´s mic is much more linear than that. He also know about the distance, but thank you for writing that. He studies in a music school, and is being trained to be an audio technician.
But about the final sentence, let´s not say stupid things, that is, i never said that EQ is everything. Or else why do YOU think i bought the LCD-2 in the first place, instead of some cheapos in the super market? Don´t want to add anything to that, as you can get to the conclusion.

 

[wuwhere]

I pre-ordered on Nov. 4th, I emailed them asking for ETA on the 6th, I received a response from Sankar on the 7th that they are trying to get all pre-orders cleared this month, which I assume includes mine.
 
Quote:

I didn't get an order form on the LCD-2 but got an email that I was on the preorder list, when I asked to make sure I was on it. I was also told in an email that they are trying to get the time down to 3 weeks. 
 
Where do you get a good equalizer for the computer? I have a Mac laptop. 

 

[TigzStudio]

Indeed your pair looks like a different finish almost, a little more matte than mine but very nice looking!!
 
Quote:

Equalizers can be fun. Although, I feel no need to equalize my LCD-2.
 

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

Indeed your pair looks like a different finish almost, a little more matte than mine but very nice looking!!
 
Quote:

Equalizers can be fun. Although, I feel no need to equalize my LCD-2.
 

 

I'm always skeptical of photographing wood. It never turns out on the photo the way it does in real life.

 

[rhythmdevils]

Quote:

I'm always skeptical of photographing wood. It never turns out on the photo the way it does in real life.
 

Hopefully that will be rectified soon

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

Quote:

I'm always skeptical of photographing wood. It never turns out on the photo the way it does in real life.
 

Hopefully that will be rectified soon

Well if anyone can....we shall see (and as you said, hopefully soon).

 

[jamato8]

Get a polarizing filter and use photo shop. Or for the easiest solution, send them to me. 

 

[Currawong]

It struck me recently as rather obvious that what microphones here and what the audience at a performance here would be rather difference, since they would be in different places. Thus the idea of doing one's best to re-produce the effect of being at a live event with audio gear is somewhat questionable. I did once buy the DVD of a live performance purely because I knew the sound would be better than when I had actually been there.
 
Anyhow, arguing about what is "neutral" with regards to headphones is impossible as our ears all reflect sound differently.  Interesting information about microphones though.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

I didn't get an order form on the LCD-2 but got an email that I was on the preorder list, when I asked to make sure I was on it. I was also told in an email that they are trying to get the time down to 3 weeks. 
 
Where do you get a good equalizer for the computer? I have a Mac laptop. 

I have audio hijack pro installed, and I have an 10 band EQ for it that works well.  But I think it's a plugin the Apple OS supplied and may not be any better than the one in iTunes, except that I can EQ any thing coming out of the system audio with Audio Hijack Pro.  The full version of Amara has an EQ as I understand it, and that should be much better.  I only have Amara mini with no EQ.

 

[DefectiveAudioComponent]

Quote:

Quote:

Indeed your pair looks like a different finish almost, a little more matte than mine but very nice looking!!
 
Quote:

Equalizers can be fun. Although, I feel no need to equalize my LCD-2.
 

 

I'm always skeptical of photographing wood. It never turns out on the photo the way it does in real life.

This photo has been brightened a bit. The wood is also slightly out of focus. Here is a more fair photo (of the other side of it). It's still not exactly real-life....