Stream of consciousness impressions of the Audeze LCD-2 Classic (two days of listening so far).
Quick note for those who aren't familiar with my preferences: I love bass and treble causes me fatigue very easily.
These are just going to be bullet points as I use the headphones. I'll only edit the bullet points if I answer one of my own questions.
- Note that I just bought these and picked them up at Audeze HQ because they're less than 20 minutes away. I could technically return them, but would likely only do so if they seem faulty in some way (they do allow 30 days money-back though).
- I don't get why people are bent out of shape about the introductory holiday pricing. Lots of beloved manufacturers offer earlybird pricing (ZMF, Eddie Current, Cavalli, to name a few). Given, most of them are more boutique than Audeze, but I don't see it as a problem.
- Build quality is rather good. These don't look ultra sexy like the Focal Clears, but they are very solidly built.
- Initial comfort level = very high. Like a head cloud. A cumulonimbus cloud. Thank you for the ear room, Audeze!
- Firing up my headphone test playlist... Is the right driver ringing? What? Maybe not. Guajira Antiguan-Flamenco Mystico by Gino D'Auri is the culprit. It's actually ringing on the guitar that I've never noticed so prominently. A quick swap to the Focal Clears and it's still there, but much less pronounced. Some sort of frequency emphasis on the Audeze? Channel swapping yields the ringing on the left driver, so it's not an issue with the right driver.
- Bass. Quite good for an open headphone. The Focal Clear has similar bass quality, but the LCD-2C wins. I actually don't hate electronic music with them (I usually don't bother with open cans and anything electronic. I always switch to closed/IEMs).
- There seems to be a bit of a resonant hash somewhere in the treble. Maybe mids too.
- I need to stop switching between these and the Focal Clears because the latter are so much clearer. They're very different headphones.
- These definitely have some wool on 'em. A bit of fog. More of a veil than my modded HD650s. A dense head cloud, just like the comfort.
- I like these for heavier rock and modern pop more than the Clears. The Clears emphasize the junk in many of these recordings. LCD-2C are way more forgiving and can be played louder without burning my ears.
- These sound to me like what the AudioQuest Nighthawk wanted to sound like (Note: I don't hate those cans like a lot of people do, either).
- Going back to build quality. These are sort of industrial in their build. I feel like I can safely set them down wherever and even drop them on the floor without freaking out. This is something that has served me well over the years with the HD650s.
- Why do I love these headphones already? They're veiled. Dark. They're kinda dull. They don't do many things better than the Sennheiser HD650. And I have a demo pair of Focal Clears sitting right here too. The Clears sound better. But I want the LCD-2 Classics on my head anyway.
- People complaining about how much these weigh must be frail individuals with small heads and minimal brain matter. I know I'll regret typing that tomorrow when I have neck pain. Update: Nope my neck doesn't hurt.
- I'm not usually inclined to fix a headphone's frequency response with EQ these days, but for some reason I feel like I should keep these and optimize the frequency response.
- I totally get what "blobby soundstage" means now. On some songs it's like there is a gap between the music in my head. Weird. Update: Day 2, I'm not hearing this as much. Brain adjustment, most likely.
- Weird crinkle sound when the earpads seal (p.s. these pads seal big time even though the headphones are open). Looks like that's a thing with LCDs. Drivers moving? Shrug.
- These are better than HD650s for pop. Not my favorite genre, but it does do something better than them. Electronic and hip hop as well.
- I have less to say about these than the Clears because I keep forgetting I'm typing stream-of-consciousness impressions. That is a good thing. With the Clears, every time I had to adjust the headphone placement or turn the volume down a bit to reduce fatigue, I contemplated another bullet point.
- They're starting to sound more neutral to me on day 2. Probably because I'm acclimating to them, not because I burned them in overnight.
- Found another type of music I like with them over HD650s. Classical with harpsichords has never been my jam, but I'm digging Brandenburg Concerto No 5. with the Audezes. I think I also prefer classic rock with these. Tom Petty is relaxing right into my heart with them.
- When I bought these I thought to myself, "it's safe. You can return the things for a full refund if you need to. No biggie." I don't plan to return them. While not immediately impressive like Focal Clears, they really grew on me.
- I need to find a longer cable for them. I suppose I should just find aftermarket connectors and make a longer balanced cable. The stock cable is not long enough to listen in my recliner.
- These have me interested in the LCD-MX4 and LCD-4 (if they ever drop down to a much more reasonable price).
- I wonder if they're going to do a Reveal profile for these. It's weird that they launched these headphones and the plugin almost simultaneously but don't have a profile for it. The LCD-2 profile does not work for them. It makes them sound distant and a little tinny.
Why I would buy the Audeze LCD-2 Classics:
- Legit Audeze LCD planar magnetic headphones for well under four figures? Yes please.
- I've heard LCD-2s in the past that I coveted and others that I thought were lame. These remind me more of the former than the latter. And at $599! Even at $799 they're a good price.
- Much better bass quality and extension than my Sennheiser HD650s.
- They do certain genres better than the HD650s. They're complementary to my main cans while still excelling with my my main amplifier (Cavalli Liquid Crimson).
- They are very comfortable to wear. These are my favorite earpads (FYI, I haven't used Aeons or newer ZMFs).
- These synergize with the gear I already have for my Sennheisers. That means I don't have to rethink my chain substantially (a Schiit Gungnir Multibit is almost inevitably in my future though... If only a black one could be procured when the time is right).
Why I wouldn't buy the Audeze LCD-2 Classics:
- They are dark and cloudy. I like to think of them as cumulonimbus clouds. Dark, heavy, cloudy, fluffy, warning of impending showers perhaps. I detected a substantial veil on these when I first started using them, especially after using Focal Clears for a few days prior.
- $600-$800 is still a lot for headphones.
- People claim that drivers on Audeze cans are prone to failure or mismatch. Audeze is said to have good customer service, but it's still a crapshoot whether you get something that sounds as good back if you have to replace anything (WARNING: This is second hand information at best).
Some quick preliminary EQ: 20Hz, Q 0.7, Gain +7.5; 1100Hz, Q 6.2, Gain -2; 5000Hz, Q 8.2, Gain +3; 7500Hz, Q 4, Gain -2