[HTSkywalker]

I recently eq’d my Audeze LCD-2C to Harman via peq using Oratory1990 presets. It feels like audio reproduction can’t get much better than this. Feels like being on the skytop. Any experience/thoughts in this regard?

Sorry to break it up for you but it can always gets better , good though that you are satisfied but most of us here became addicts and keep shelling more money on audio gear......Just the nature of the addiction

 

[MrDAndy]

I use exactly the same setup. Ifi Gryphon powers these headphones superbly! I even tried connecting the Gryphon through the line output to the ZEN CAN amplifier and did not hear any difference at all.

I have a JDS Atom Amp 2 and also tried connecting the Gryphon to it; the experience of music as a whole remained pretty much the same

 

[Neweymatt]

I recently eq’d my Audeze LCD-2C to Harman via peq using Oratory1990 presets. It feels like audio reproduction can’t get much better than this. Feels like being on the skytop. Any experience/thoughts in this regard?

Sorry to break it up for you but it can always gets better , good though that you are satisfied but most of us here became addicts and keep shelling more money on audio gear......Just the nature of the addiction

... and that's kind of the odd thing about it. When I first got my LCD-2C over 3 years ago, I messed around with EQ quite a lot, trying to find the "best" sound possible with it.

But since then I've purchased a quite a few other things, especially in IEM-land, that give me wide variety of different tunings, timbre, focus etc, so now I don't really bother with EQ anymore with the LCD-2C and just enjoy it as it is and appreciate it for how different it is to other things I've got.

 

[funkyfish]

I recently eq’d my Audeze LCD-2C to Harman via peq using Oratory1990 presets. It feels like audio reproduction can’t get much better than this. Feels like being on the skytop. Any experience/thoughts in this regard?

I refused to eq for quite a while, but started doing it at some point. I was blown away about how much better my LCD-2C sounded. If I make a direct comparison, it almost sounds like crap now without EQ. The good thing is that it still sounds good to me when I don't eq first though

 

[Dan821]

... and that's kind of the odd thing about it. When I first got my LCD-2C over 3 years ago, I messed around with EQ quite a lot, trying to find the "best" sound possible with it.

But since then I've purchased a quite a few other things, especially in IEM-land, that give me wide variety of different tunings, timbre, focus etc, so now I don't really bother with EQ anymore with the LCD-2C and just enjoy it as it is and appreciate it for how different it is to other things I've got.

I have the same with EQ and 2C. Just enjoy the lush difference. And how would you compare them to Empy 1 in terms of sound signature and technical performance ? Would they be the upgrade or comlementary hp?

 

[HTSkywalker]

I refused to eq for quite a while, but started doing it at some point. I was blown away about how much better my LCD-2C sounded. If I make a direct comparison, it almost sounds like crap now without EQ. The good thing is that it still sounds good to me when I don't eq first though

That's the thing about equalizers, never start a music hearing session with them if you plan to switch to un-equalized at some point. But to be fair, pure audio will always have its magic once driven through good components.

 

[HTSkywalker]

And if you want to get blown away, get an Astell & Kern music player and match it with a good Westone Mach 70 IEM

 

[BlackD]

I've heard that the LСD-2С with 2021 pads don't require EQ. This is exactly what I have. And I think they sound great without any EQ.

 

[MrDAndy]

I've heard that the LСD-2С with 2021 pads don't require EQ. This is exactly what I have. And I think they sound great without any EQ.

Good for you! Nothing “requires” eq, it’s just a powerful tool to make all your wishes come true LCD-2C has the magic property to be one of the headphones with the lowest distortion on the planet, that makes it perfect to use it with eq if one feels like it, it responds very well. It always sounds very natural and very clean, a real quality product!

If you on the other hand are in search of true fidelity aka “high fidelity” as in “it seems I am at the concert” then the stock tuning of the 2021, as much as it is pleasant, it’s not neutral. It’s very much coloured. In this case you want to try a Harman eq, but the good news is this headphone holds up in a superb way

there’s kinda no headphone in the market that doesn’t need eq to reach the harman target (except dan clark’s stealth and expanse and e3) because it’s very difficult to implement it as a stock tuning, but with eq given a quality headphone such ours one can easily reach it with very much satisfaction.

Of course this makes sense if one is on a quest for true fidelity, at the end of the day what matters is getting pleasure from our music how we like it. In the future I will also try and tweak my eq to a personalized taste, seems like fun and the idea of having a personalized headphone? Pure luxury

 

[HTSkywalker]

Took me sometime and research but by now I can highly recommend the Schiit Lokius with both balanced and unbalanced I/O if you are interested in a hardware EQ. Total transparency.

 

[dsrk]

Good for you! Nothing “requires” eq, it’s just a powerful tool to make all your wishes come true LCD-2C has the magic property to be one of the headphones with the lowest distortion on the planet, that makes it perfect to use it with eq if one feels like it, it responds very well. It always sounds very natural and very clean, a real quality product!

If you on the other hand are in search of true fidelity aka “high fidelity” as in “it seems I am at the concert” then the stock tuning of the 2021, as much as it is pleasant, it’s not neutral. It’s very much coloured. In this case you want to try a Harman eq, but the good news is this headphone holds up in a superb way

there’s kinda no headphone in the market that doesn’t need eq to reach the harman target (except dan clark’s stealth and expanse and e3) because it’s very difficult to implement it as a stock tuning, but with eq given a quality headphone such ours one can easily reach it with very much satisfaction.

Of course this makes sense if one is on a quest for true fidelity, at the end of the day what matters is getting pleasure from our music how we like it. In the future I will also try and tweak my eq to a personalized taste, seems like fun and the idea of having a personalized headphone? Pure luxury

Well said. It's all comes down to personal preferences. Some like it without EQ and some with EQ.

I personally like it more with EQ than without it.

 

[pk4425]

The LCD-2C remains the only one of the many headphones I've sold or traded that I miss. May pick up another pair this summer ...

 

[Neweymatt]

I have the same with EQ and 2C. Just enjoy the lush difference. And how would you compare them to Empy 1 in terms of sound signature and technical performance ? Would they be the upgrade or comlementary hp?

Well, if you like LCD-2C, then you'll almost certainly appreciate the 'upgrade' to the Empyrean OG. One immediate thing that jumps out at you is the improvement to detail and resolution, followed by the wider and deeper soundstage. LCD-2C is a bit "grainy-er" and more intimate by comparison.

Tuning-wise they are similar, with the Empy "fixing" the LCD-2C's recession around 4k, so you could say the Empyrean is not as "dark" sounding as an un-EQ'ed LCD-2C. Both have incredibly satisfying bass, with the Empyrean having a little more mid-bass that makes it a bit warmer and even more engaging.

For the kind of second-hand prices you can find these days on the original Empyrean, it's a no-brainer.

The LCD-2C remains the only one of the many headphones I've sold or traded that I miss. May pick up another pair this summer ...

I keep looking at mine and sometimes wondering if I'd sell it, but the pleather of the pads and headband is all falling apart, so I'd have to replace those. At that point the sunk cost just wouldn't be worth it, so they stay! Might give it to one of my kids one day sooner than later..

 

[dsrk]

Well, if you like LCD-2C, then you'll almost certainly appreciate the 'upgrade' to the Empyrean OG. One immediate thing that jumps out at you is the improvement to detail and resolution, followed by the wider and deeper soundstage. LCD-2C is a bit "grainy-er" and more intimate by comparison.

Tuning-wise they are similar, with the Empy "fixing" the LCD-2C's recession around 4k, so you could say the Empyrean is not as "dark" sounding as an un-EQ'ed LCD-2C. Both have incredibly satisfying bass, with the Empyrean having a little more mid-bass that makes it a bit warmer and even more engaging.

For the kind of second-hand prices you can find these days on the original Empyrean, it's a no-brainer.

I keep looking at mine and sometimes wondering if I'd sell it, but the pleather of the pads and headband is all falling apart, so I'd have to replace those. At that point the sunk cost just wouldn't be worth it, so they stay! Might give it to one of my kids one day sooner than later..

Empyrean OG is better no second thought about it. But when it comes pure satisfaction of BASS quantity and SLAM when EQed, nothing comes close. It sounds better than many bass head headphones when you push the lower frequencies to crazy level. 2C is a guilty pleasure and it's not neutral lovers IMO.

For me, It's not going anywhere.

 

[Rayzilla]

Any recommendations for replacement pads? My vegan pads are flaking up. I would prefer to go with leather or at least something that doesn't flake up like the OG pads do. And the pads need to be glued in?