Hi all - I just got my LCD2Cs this weekend from a fellow Head-fi'er and have had a day and a night with them. I'd heard such mixed opinions on them - all generally 'good', but different takes on their bass levels, particularly deep vs mid-bass) that I was hesitant to take an LCD2 detour on my planned Aeolus path. I'd read some reviews that said these were way to bloomy and bassy, and others that were disappointed by their bass (ie Headphonesty's, which said "
The [LCD2] are not for basshead, but I’m not sure they could even satisfy people looking for above average impact, despite the superb extension.").
I prefer a warm, liquid, bassy sound signature so I wasn't sure what I was getting but I figure I should learn, and if I didn't like them I could sell them off and put that towards the Aeolus. I recently sold my Nighthawks, which I thought were great but I just didn't love enough to compete for head time. I read a review that said the LCD2Cs were the successful implementation of what the Nighthawks wanted to be, and I actually agree with that quite a bit.
I wanted an open-back to pair with my EMU Teaks, which has the full Lawton mods (Lawton cups with both cup & driver dampening).
I've tried them with the following gear:
Modius, with:
- THX-789
- Little Dot Mk2
- Bravo Ocean
Modi Multibit/EITR, with:
- Magni Heresy
- DarkVoice 336SE
First, the bass is just very different from the EMUs. I think its a dynamic vs planar driver difference, which is the root of why I think various people call this both a) overly bassy and b) not bassy enough. This what I would consider a lot of planar bass - punchy more than thick, sub-bass rumble more than mid-bass warmth. High quality (amazingly high quality) but just not the enveloping, wet and warm bass I get from those EMUs (and I assume the other Fostex/Denon lines). Maybe the best way to frame it is "equal but different".
My favorite pairing so far is with the Tubes - particularly the DarkVoice and (surprisingly to me) the Bravo Ocean. On the Bravo, the separation and clarity was amazing, whereas the THX feels a little smoothed over overall. I have never found the Bravo to be my favorite at anything, so this may be a first (maybe because its a relatively powerful Class A amp).
I listen either on my work laptop (the Modius setup) or my iPad/iPhone (the Mimby setup). Work won't give me my Admin pw, so I am unable to use any software EQ, including Reveal+, so I'm kinda pissed off at not being able to hear them through that. Is there any way to use Reveal+ on an iPad?
The seal is crazy, and makes me feel like I'm underwater with some sort of pressurized helmet. It's such a powerful seal that it makes me feel a little dizzy sometimes, when I get the wobbly crinkle. I can feel it in my eardrum. It's nothing toooo crazy, but it really does make listening to them feel like an immersive experience. Fit is nice, I don't find them too heavy, but they do have a lot of clamp for me (I have a big head and they sizing screws (?) are fully expanded. The weight is very equally distributed but I do hope that clamp tones itself down as I stretch them out from standard wear.
That brings me to the one drawback, I think - that crinkle has me so paranoid about repositioning or perfecting the seal that I baby them and feel a little nervous listening to them. I also have the Sundaras (which are basically just so different that I think I'll keep them as a brighter counterpart, though I've been tempted to sell them now) but the Sundaras don't have that seal issue/feature and I just feel like I can reposition without any worries.
I've looked all over but I don't see any "care and feeding"-type instructions for the LCD2Cs - I've seen all the warnings about sealing/resealing under the pressurized seal, but is there any guidelines for not f'ing these up? They're only a month into warranty so I'm not too worried about having to go down the warranty path but its like a nagging little bird sitting on my shoulder.
Much easier to EQ bass back up then the mids.
