Audeze LCD-2C Classic - Impressions Thread
May 15, 2019 at 7:45 AM Post #5,131 of 7,331
The X2 reminds me more of say a ZMF Atticus with more grainy, brittle treble. I couldn't pick a 2C upgrade it's more of it's own thing. To me I've yet to hear a headphone minus the Abyss that sounds as big as the LCD-2C.

I hate the term big as it doesn't really help explain them but thats the best I've got. A lot of people recommend the 2C to HD650 owners bit they're ompletely different. HD650 to me sounds leaner, like youd expect from a dynamic driver with some upper mid bite and a smooth treble. The newer HD650s with the black box sound brighter, rougher more HD600 like.

I feel though that there's no upgrade to the 2C. The 3F is too inconsistent I've heard some that sound worse and the ones that had superior resolve ended up being brighter with a different timbre. The fazors do tend to make the sound cleaner but it removes the bloom, which for me gives some atmosphere inside those cups, kills the character.

The way the headphone game has evolved this type of sound is a thing of the past hence why Audeze will always have fazord products in their main LCD line.


I recently got the try the Meze Empy and I loved the bass, it was fun, okay quality, resolve sucked or it's price and it had a steely character, with a weird treble but it was fun. I thought the classic was overall a a better headphone because of timbre and enjoyment and resolve was close.
 
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May 15, 2019 at 8:06 AM Post #5,132 of 7,331
I think, the Empy is quite source dependent, maybe even more so than the 2C.

Out of a TT2/MScaler combo they sounded a bit more resolving than the 2C. I found the bass pretty much equally good but the Empy was better balanced. Also upper mids and treble had more air without being harsh at all. Brighter, more insightful upper frequencies but still smooth and buttery.

Overall the Empy is a better headphone to my ears than the 2C but definitely not £2100 better.

To me this shows how exceptionally good value the 2C is.

I agree that this tone and timbre is rare these days. I also prefer the 2C to some technically better £1000+ headphones. It is just more enjoyable and technically not too far from TOTL. Bargain sound with a good amp.
 
May 15, 2019 at 12:30 PM Post #5,133 of 7,331
Hi guys,

Just got a LCD-2C in trade for my Klipsch HP-3 (great headphone but sound was so much like my Pioneer SE Master 1 that it seemed redundant) and so far very impressed with it. First foray into the Audeze line - this after owning or auditioning over 60 headphones - glad I made the move.

Anyone using the old Vegan pads on this? I have a pair of brand new Vegans and am considering the pad swap to test it out. Assuming the stock pads are held on by the double sided ring/tape that came with the Vegans? Having not owned an Audeze I'm in the dark on this.

Also - anyone running these out of speaker taps? I did that with my HE-6 and would like to try it with these via a XLR connector I have from the HE-6 days. Worth a try I'd guess but wanted some input.

TIA
 
May 15, 2019 at 12:55 PM Post #5,134 of 7,331
Did anyone hook into the Project Ember 2 with 2C ? I just wonder if it would be too warm/smeared imaging with that set-up ?
I may go back to 2C if I like Sony MDR-Z7s...one open/one closed...loved that mellow upper end for long-term listening.

When I had the LCD2C, I really enjoyed it with the Project Sunrise 3. I also think the Sunrise is better than the Ember overall, though.
 
May 15, 2019 at 12:58 PM Post #5,135 of 7,331
Hi guys,

Just got a LCD-2C in trade for my Klipsch HP-3 (great headphone but sound was so much like my Pioneer SE Master 1 that it seemed redundant) and so far very impressed with it. First foray into the Audeze line - this after owning or auditioning over 60 headphones - glad I made the move.

Anyone using the old Vegan pads on this? I have a pair of brand new Vegans and am considering the pad swap to test it out. Assuming the stock pads are held on by the double sided ring/tape that came with the Vegans? Having not owned an Audeze I'm in the dark on this.

Also - anyone running these out of speaker taps? I did that with my HE-6 and would like to try it with these via a XLR connector I have from the HE-6 days. Worth a try I'd guess but wanted some input.

TIA
2C needs half the power than the HE6 but sure, give it a try. Just make sure the volume is turned down when you start. :)
 
May 16, 2019 at 6:24 PM Post #5,136 of 7,331
Anyone have any experience with the sonic characteristics when swapping between the stock, dekoni velour, and dekoni sheep skin fenestrated ,or any experience with changes using either of the pads compared to stock. Just want to see if the changes I’m hearing is lining up with what others are also hearing.
 
May 16, 2019 at 6:27 PM Post #5,137 of 7,331
Anyone have any experience with the sonic characteristics when swapping between the stock, dekoni velour, and dekoni sheep skin fenestrated ,or any experience with changes using either of the pads compared to stock. Just want to see if the changes I’m hearing is lining up with what others are also hearing.

I bought my set with the Dekoni velours already on them, but I would be very interested in what you think of the fenestrated sheep skin ones.
 
May 22, 2019 at 1:06 PM Post #5,138 of 7,331
How much better can it get?
The question that pushes us into further and further purchases, upgrades as soon as we have got some money to spare. :)

There is nothing wrong with this as long as we find the fragile (financial) balance between hobby and addiction.
To answer our question; the two main factors here are money and hearing. You can have the most sophisticated hearing, without money you will never find out how much better it can get. The same is true for the audibly less blessed rich audiophiles. They might be able to buy a few sets of 'dream gears' but they will never really appreciate or hear what their gear can really do.

If you can't hear the difference between DACs for example, you can count yourself (financially) lucky. You will never have to face the self-consuming debate of upgrading your £1000 DAC to a £3000 one.

I guess my point is that an upgrade depends on the individual. What's the money you can spare? How good is your hearing? There is always better. The question is if you can hear the improvement and find that improvement financially justifiable under your personal circumstances.

We could spare a substantial amount of newby questions like: 'Is this gear better than that?' 'Is this a worthwhile upgrade?' if people actually followed some common sense. I know, I know, people never will...

There are no rules. Try as many headphones and amps as you can and decide yourself. Especially after some time in this hobby you will read completely controversial opinions on the same gear. After a certain level you just have to try it yourself, there is no other way...

Some equipment of course stand out as good value for money under any circumstances; any ears and (almost) any budget. According to my experience the LCD2C is one of them. For £599 UK retail price they are a bargain. They easily compete with headphones up to £1500-1800 depending on your sound and music preference.

It is good to keep in mind, that the 2C improves a lot with better amp and DAC. If you like the sound out of a sub £6-800 gear, you might be better off improving your DAC/amp instead of looking for another headphone as an upgrade. Just a humble advice from my few years of audio experience.

IMG_20190509_183216684.jpg
 
May 23, 2019 at 3:54 AM Post #5,139 of 7,331
I've been up all night because we've had severe storms with tornados coming through so I've been listening to a lot of music while watching the tv. I hadn't used my 2C much lately so now was a good time, plus I have a new amp/dac setup in the JDS Labs EL stack. I find the 2C sound better with this setup than it did on my Schiit stack. The EL stack sound more natural and cleaner than the Schiit which sound much warmer. The 2C has better sounding highs now with just an overall cleaner sound. It's not a night and day difference over the Schiit gear but it's enough that you can hear what separates them from one another. I think all my headphones sound better with this amp/dac combo and the 2C has the biggest change which is great.
 
May 23, 2019 at 2:25 PM Post #5,140 of 7,331
If there is a can of worms I definitely don't want to open is the one labelled "cable upgrades".

IMO you should just go for a well built cable and ignore all the marketing bullsh*t.

Since the 2C doesn't come with a balanced cable I had to buy one. I tried a £250+ silver cable, Audeze's own stock balanced cable for £149 and an aftermarket cable for £75 made by a reputable seller.

I did hear a slight difference between them but that difference was marginal. Perhaps I just imagined it. Even if there is an audible difference it definitely doesn't worth £/$ hundreds.
What you pay for in a good cable is ergonomics. Tangle free, microphonics free, an easy and good feel at everyday use. It is way more tricky to achieve this than it sounds like.
I did like Audeze's own cable but I sold it as I found there is better for cheaper.

I was also able to choose colours which I think look pretty fab. :)
IMG_20190523_191011729.jpg
 
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May 25, 2019 at 3:09 PM Post #5,141 of 7,331
Hey Guys,

I'm looking to buy a LCD2C in the next couple of months (sometime between now and August) and this will likely be an end game headphone for me. The price point for LCD2C is really at the very most that I see myself being willing to spend on a headphone.

I'm not opposed to buying new, but what would be a good price to look for for a good condition used pair? I've seen some varying prices on these.

I'm a fan of darker bass heavy headphones, and I like the quickness of planars - so I think these will be up my alley.
 
May 25, 2019 at 5:35 PM Post #5,142 of 7,331
Hey Guys,

I'm looking to buy a LCD2C in the next couple of months (sometime between now and August) and this will likely be an end game headphone for me. The price point for LCD2C is really at the very most that I see myself being willing to spend on a headphone.

I'm not opposed to buying new, but what would be a good price to look for for a good condition used pair? I've seen some varying prices on these.

maybe somewhere around 500 for a used pair, good luck with your search
 
May 25, 2019 at 6:15 PM Post #5,143 of 7,331
Guys,

Got the Audeze XLR cable for a test to run these out of speaker taps (have done this with the HE-6 and HE-400) using an adapter Ted's Headphone Lounge made me a while back. Running them out of a low power vintage Pioneer SA-608 (45 wpc) amp in my family room system (one of 4 different head fi systems around the house) and love the sound even more than from the speaker taps. I'm probably going to keep the Audeze dedicated to this for a while. Glad I gave it a try.
 
May 25, 2019 at 8:32 PM Post #5,144 of 7,331
Hey Guys,

I'm looking to buy a LCD2C in the next couple of months (sometime between now and August) and this will likely be an end game headphone for me. The price point for LCD2C is really at the very most that I see myself being willing to spend on a headphone.

I'm not opposed to buying new, but what would be a good price to look for for a good condition used pair? I've seen some varying prices on these.

I'm a fan of darker bass heavy headphones, and I like the quickness of planars - so I think these will be up my alley.
I find the bass on the lcd2c to be very good. Goes right down to 20 Hz. It's tight, clean, undistorted bass. But I don't hear them as "bass heavy".
 

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