omniweltall
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Maybe because you used this dac/amp to drive the HD650?
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Audeze LCD-2C Classic - Impressions Thread
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I did a back and forth last night between the LCD2-C and HD650. I’ve been reading this thread for about a week now and the comparisons between these 2 HP’s keeps popping up. I’m running both through a balanced system with balanced cables. Same genre and as close as I can get volume level by memory, seeing the 650 is much harder to drive.
To me they’re polar opposites. Maybe it’s me and my ears are all jacked up, but the similarities stop at the comparison questions in this thread.
I’ll start with the mids as they clearly go to the 650 just because it’s their strong point and they’re balanced perfectly. Not to much in your face or not to far in the background. But they just don’t have the clarity compared to what I hear in the Classic. The Classic’s mids are pushed back just a tad versus the 650’s but they’re more dynamic and detailed. They just have more sparkle and clarity where the 650 is silky smooth, buttery and very easy on the ears. As much as this is an oxymoron because I said it was clear, when it’s all said and done, I’ll take the classics and I never thought I’d ever say that. Just personal preference.
The bass is a slam dunk for the classics. Very neutral, VERY fast with a slamming and impactful subbass, some of the best I’ve personally heard because there’s little to no midbass bump. This emphasizes the sub to me at least, where it just hits harder. The 650 has good depth in the bass but it’s all in the midbass, no subbass at all so to speak, slow, fat and a bit bloated. But I like it.
Clear choice to me is the LCD.
The treble. Another slam dunk for the LCD. The 650 has a huge roll off but has very natural sounding cymabals and overall rolled off in its overall presentation. Nothing is accentuated. They keep their detail even though female and even male vocals are quite muffled. Again I like them and depending on what I’m listening too, I can listen to them all day and night because there’s zero fatigue. The LCD are a bit grainy but I love their detail and are not anywhere as dark and rolled off to my ears as I’ve read so many times. Again it may be my old man ears but they hit the sweet spot with detail, extension, realism (even though they do get a bit grainy) and also zero fatigue. I absolutely love the treble on the classics.
These are just quick high level, not a lot of
meat on the bone impressions only after a good solid 2 days of listening. It should be noted I listen to a lot of poorly recorded albums and tracks (some really good recorded music too) as progressive metal and Djent aren’t mainstream AT ALL and the money these musicians posses more then likely doesn’t cover for the best studios and engineers. Both these headphones can be quite forgiving for this kind of music and the reason why I’ll never get rid of either.... at least at this point. Both HP’s are pure enjoyment and i could listen to either all day without fatiguing out or get uncomfortable.
I forgot, I was expecting this iron clad torture device that would clamp on my head causing immediate neck surgery but I was pleasantly surprised how comfortable these were. I don’t feel much weight as the suspension headband works perfectly and causing me zero issues. The 650 is like wearing a band of feathers on your head as they are some of the most comfortable HP’s you can wear other them maybe the AFO which is another awesome headphone. Nope, don’t want to compare them yet.
I gotta say, it doesn’t get any better for upper MidFi right now as I just don’t feel the need to drop a couple of bills on all these high prices cans I’ve always kinda salivated over. With the correct chain (MJ2 and Gumby gen5) and “ “that” certain correct tube, just pulls it all together and gives me my own personal high end set-up. The LCD2-C and 650 are 2 June headphones and I’m glad to have both on my stall.
Take all of this for what it’s worth as that was a major babble
To me they’re polar opposites. Maybe it’s me and my ears are all jacked up, but the similarities stop at the comparison questions in this thread.
I’ll start with the mids as they clearly go to the 650 just because it’s their strong point and they’re balanced perfectly. Not to much in your face or not to far in the background. But they just don’t have the clarity compared to what I hear in the Classic. The Classic’s mids are pushed back just a tad versus the 650’s but they’re more dynamic and detailed. They just have more sparkle and clarity where the 650 is silky smooth, buttery and very easy on the ears. As much as this is an oxymoron because I said it was clear, when it’s all said and done, I’ll take the classics and I never thought I’d ever say that. Just personal preference.
The bass is a slam dunk for the classics. Very neutral, VERY fast with a slamming and impactful subbass, some of the best I’ve personally heard because there’s little to no midbass bump. This emphasizes the sub to me at least, where it just hits harder. The 650 has good depth in the bass but it’s all in the midbass, no subbass at all so to speak, slow, fat and a bit bloated. But I like it.
Clear choice to me is the LCD.The treble. Another slam dunk for the LCD. The 650 has a huge roll off but has very natural sounding cymabals and overall rolled off in its overall presentation. Nothing is accentuated. They keep their detail even though female and even male vocals are quite muffled. Again I like them and depending on what I’m listening too, I can listen to them all day and night because there’s zero fatigue. The LCD are a bit grainy but I love their detail and are not anywhere as dark and rolled off to my ears as I’ve read so many times. Again it may be my old man ears but they hit the sweet spot with detail, extension, realism (even though they do get a bit grainy) and also zero fatigue. I absolutely love the treble on the classics.
These are just quick high level, not a lot of
meat on the bone impressions only after a good solid 2 days of listening. It should be noted I listen to a lot of poorly recorded albums and tracks (some really good recorded music too) as progressive metal and Djent aren’t mainstream AT ALL and the money these musicians posses more then likely doesn’t cover for the best studios and engineers. Both these headphones can be quite forgiving for this kind of music and the reason why I’ll never get rid of either.... at least at this point. Both HP’s are pure enjoyment and i could listen to either all day without fatiguing out or get uncomfortable.
I forgot, I was expecting this iron clad torture device that would clamp on my head causing immediate neck surgery but I was pleasantly surprised how comfortable these were. I don’t feel much weight as the suspension headband works perfectly and causing me zero issues. The 650 is like wearing a band of feathers on your head as they are some of the most comfortable HP’s you can wear other them maybe the AFO which is another awesome headphone. Nope, don’t want to compare them yet.
I gotta say, it doesn’t get any better for upper MidFi right now as I just don’t feel the need to drop a couple of bills on all these high prices cans I’ve always kinda salivated over. With the correct chain (MJ2 and Gumby gen5) and “ “that” certain correct tube, just pulls it all together and gives me my own personal high end set-up. The LCD2-C and 650 are 2 June headphones and I’m glad to have both on my stall.
Take all of this for what it’s worth as that was a major babble
marcan
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This pads graph (which I saw few weeks ago on another forum) convinced me to get back the original pads. Better bass/subs. Why would I sacrifice the LCD's perfect bass?!
That was my initial thought too.
I am quite interested in these new pads but tbf I can't be bothered by swapping them when I am completely satisfied with the stock sound. If it was a 'clip on' system I'd do it, otherwise I am not too bothered.
That was my initial thought too. But if you look at the graph it actually rolls off only below 30Hz which we hardly ever reach anyway. Apart from that roll off the rest of the bass is ever so slightly elevated with the Dekoni pads and the treble seems to be more even/balanced.
I am quite interested in these new pads but tbf I can't be bothered by swapping them when I am completely satisfied with the stock sound. If it was a 'clip on' system I'd do it, otherwise I am not too bothered.
If you were into classical and jazz music and wanted the timbres of the instruments to be correct
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marcan
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If I was mainly listening to classical and jazz I wouldn't have an LCDIf you were into classical and jazz music and wanted the timbres of the instruments to be correct
Fegefeuer
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I'm fine with the leather pads, on the PC I just use the reveal plugin via EQ APO
I was going to say the same thing. Not that the LCDs are poor with these genres (they’re actually fantastic IMO), but there are better headphones at equivalent cost if classical/jazz is your go-to music.If I was mainly listening to classical and jazz I wouldn't have an LCD
SilverEars
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Well, you'd think the dark nature of the LCD2C would work fine with jazz. Jazz genre doesn't seem to reveal headphone characteristics all that much, and seems to play fine with dark headphones, or even well with particularly certain types of dark headphone response. It's a slower paced genre and you won't be testing out speed either.If I was mainly listening to classical and jazz I wouldn't have an LCD
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I received the HD6xx last week and I find them to be doing very well on my tube amp, with indeed a smoother sound, less edgy than the Lcd2c on vocals specifically.
Problem is...the HD6xx is pretty much behind everywhere else from my opinion (build quality, bass, clarity, spacialization etc.). The HD6xx are not burned in yet (might change my opinion later?) but the Lcd2c sounds like another class. Although I totally understand why the HD6xx are so popular. They are a steal at 200$. And very very enjoyable on tubes.
Also, I got through a long listening session yesterday with the Focal Clear and they're just amazing. Loved them very much. They definitely are a class above the Lcd2c from my opinion.
However and as suspected, I find them to complement the Lcd2c very well. Just like angel and demon.
My taste would go for the Clear with classical, acoustic and jazz. And go for the Lcd2c for electro, hip-hop, rock...and jazz as well.
Focal clear is next on my list!
Problem is...the HD6xx is pretty much behind everywhere else from my opinion (build quality, bass, clarity, spacialization etc.). The HD6xx are not burned in yet (might change my opinion later?) but the Lcd2c sounds like another class. Although I totally understand why the HD6xx are so popular. They are a steal at 200$. And very very enjoyable on tubes.
Also, I got through a long listening session yesterday with the Focal Clear and they're just amazing. Loved them very much. They definitely are a class above the Lcd2c from my opinion.
However and as suspected, I find them to complement the Lcd2c very well. Just like angel and demon.
My taste would go for the Clear with classical, acoustic and jazz. And go for the Lcd2c for electro, hip-hop, rock...and jazz as well.
Focal clear is next on my list!
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My Massdrop LCX + SDAC just arrived. Together with Norne Draught V3. Initial listening results are very good. Lots of power to spare. Anybody else tried LCD2C with Massdrop LCX + SDAC?
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omniweltall
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I haven't tried this yet. But I got a feeling this combo gonna be dang good. Even the colors match.
My Massdrop LCX + SDAC just arrived. Together with Norne Draught V3. Initial listening results are very good. Lots of power to spare. Anybody else tried LCD2C with Massdrop LCX + SDAC?
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Anyone has any experience with this eBay seller? I am hunting for a 4pin balanced cable and this one seems to be ok just wanted to double check.
Textfeud
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I've been listening to the LCD2C for roughly 10 hours since I got them, and they are a weird one. On most songs they sound great. Lovely bass (very tight and controlled), good lower mids. But put on female vocals and these sound so recessed and thin. The high mids and lower treble must have a massive dip. Put on male vocals and everything is fine. I installed the Audeze reveal plugin and listening to that now via Audirvana and it's much much better with female vocals. Glad there was a fix for it.
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gimmeheadroom
Headphoneus Supremus
Does the LCD-2C use the same cable connectors as the LCD-2? I just got a pair of these and the first thing I noticed after the "wow" feeling is the cable is too short for me to sit comfortably anywhere in my room.
Can anyone recommend a good cheap cable for these around 100 Euro? I mean quality construction and reasonable materials. I don't need and don't want to pay for exotic materials.
Can anyone recommend a good cheap cable for these around 100 Euro? I mean quality construction and reasonable materials. I don't need and don't want to pay for exotic materials.
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