actuallyI read here and there that the LCD2 is not neutral especially compare to the Focal Clear or the HD800. Or those are technically better than the LCD2.
I beg to differ. subjectively I think the LCD2 with a very good amp (balanced gets the best result for me) isn't that far from neutrality and probably more neutral than the Clear or the HD800. I would say those are hyped in the trebles. People tend to believe that more trebles is more neutral which is not true, I don't even talk about the listening fatigue.
Now let's take a look at it objectively. First absolute neutrality doesn't exist in the real world. For me neutrality is a
not compensated frequency response as flat as possible with a low distortion.
So if you look at the graphs we can see that the frequency response on the LCD2 is damn flat from 5hz to 1khz Which means more than seven octaves nearly perfectly flat. So we can say that the LCD2 probably have the most neutral bass response on the market nowadays. If we look higher, there are up and down but the curve is not far from flat till 10k. In the hand the Clear and the HD800 have a big bump between 2k and 8k, not very neutral. Moreover this is the more sensitive part where you have the presence but also the aggressivity. Which lead to listening fatigue. So the Clear or the HD800 maybe more impressive at first sight but it might lead to a shorter music enjoyment.
Now let see at the other graphs (phase, square, distortion, impulse). Phase on the LCD2 is perfect, the others are not. Square at 30 is better on the LCD2. For the distortion the LCD2 has a remarquable clean bass especially at 100db. on the rest of the spectrum the distortion is very low and often better that the other 2. Square at 300 is cleaner on the LCD2.
So why people continue to pretend that the LCD2 is not neutral or technically inferior when it's the contrary.
Here are the graphs (I took the LCD2rev2 because the LCD2C isn't on Innerfidelity yet and the LCD2C seems to be very close to the LCD2rev2).
LCD2rev2
Focal Clear
HD800
So it may be a question of taste but not neutrality.