[JoachimL]

Hi. I might acquire some new open headphones.

I listen mostly to worship music, some post-rock, and chamber music / classical music.
Also, I write music, and record demos at home from time to time.

I've owned a pair of LCD-2 classic's. I found the sound pleasant, but a bit bass heavy,
and a little too rolled off in the treble. This might be because I'm used to Grado 325i's,
which are bright and lacking in sub-bass.

I like headphones that give an intimate and beautiful presentation of vocals.
I very briefly tried Hifiman Sundara, and think they did vocals very well.
However, I found the sound stage too narrow.

I'm thinking of buying second-hand. My current options are HE-500, and maybe
LCD-2 w/fazor or LCD-3 pre-fazor if I stretch my budget. I don't have the opportunity
to try out the HE-500 or LCD-3 pre-fazor before buying.

If the headphones are not suitable for recording music, I could perhaps get a pair
of cheaper headphones for that purpose later.

I don't think I'd want to buy Focal, Grado, or Sennheiser.

I have a TTVJ slim DAC/amp, and don't want to upgrade amp at the moment.

Thanks in advance for recommendations.

 

[Monsterzero]

Although I really enjoyed my HE500s they need more power than the LCD-2s and I dont think your current amp is going to be enough to bring out the 500s the way they can sound.
I also owned the LCD-2 pf at the same time and I agree theyre dark sounding,but as I mentioned before not as demanding on an amp as the 500s are.

don't think I'd want to buy Focal, Grado, or Sennheiser.

Any particular reason?

You might consider the Mr.speakers Aeon Flow open or closed.

 

[JoachimL]

Hi. Thanks for recommending the Aeon Flow. I've been curious about those.
I tried Focal Elear and Clear, I think. Didn't like their signature.
Sennheiser... I've tried the baby orpheus, HD800S, and HD-650.
The HD800S was nice, but had a "zing" in the treble on acoustic guitar.
HD650 I thought was a bit boring. Baby orpheus wasn't too "musical",
if I recall correctly. I don't have the money for higher end Grado's
(gs2000e).

 

[chimney189]

I would not venture into LCD-3 territory if you thought that the Classic was too bass heavy.

 

[JoachimL]

Thanks. Was a little tempted by the LCD-3 because of the price.

 

[Monsterzero]

Hi. Thanks for recommending the Aeon Flow. I've been curious about those

This popped up today. Might be of interest to you.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/like-new-refurb-aeon-holiday-sale.894432/#post-14631235

 

[auvgeek]

ZMF Aeolus?

 

[Monsterzero]

I've owned a pair of LCD-2 classic's. I found the sound pleasant, but a bit bass heavy,

ZMF Aeolus?

If OP found LCD-2 too bass heavy he wont like the Aeolus.

 

[buke9]

Hi. Thanks for recommending the Aeon Flow. I've been curious about those.
I tried Focal Elear and Clear, I think. Didn't like their signature.
Sennheiser... I've tried the baby orpheus, HD800S, and HD-650.
The HD800S was nice, but had a "zing" in the treble on acoustic guitar.
HD650 I thought was a bit boring. Baby orpheus wasn't too "musical",
if I recall correctly. I don't have the money for higher end Grado's
(gs2000e).

The He-500’s will need a bit of power. They are different than the HD-800S but for me the 500’s can hold their own to me one of the best headphones under 1K$.

 

[JoachimL]

Haven't decided on a pair of headphones yet, so I figured I could pose a few more questions.

I tested the Aeon Flow open - thanks for the recommendation. I liked it quite a bit.
Wish the vocal presentation was slightly less forward. Also a little wider sound stage would be nice.
But I found the level of detail and separation, and general character nice. Also it was super
comfortable to wear. I guess those should be sufficient reasons to buy a pair. I'd like to hear,
though, how the AFO compares to HE-500 (I can't test the HE-500 before buying).

Also, are there other headphones similar in sound to the Aeon Flow open, that have a slightly
less forward vocal presentation, and a wider sound stage?

 

[ChaChaRealSmooth]

Haven't decided on a pair of headphones yet, so I figured I could pose a few more questions.

I tested the Aeon Flow open - thanks for the recommendation. I liked it quite a bit.
Wish the vocal presentation was slightly less forward. Also a little wider sound stage would be nice.
But I found the level of detail and separation, and general character nice. Also it was super
comfortable to wear. I guess those should be sufficient reasons to buy a pair. I'd like to hear,
though, how the AFO compares to HE-500 (I can't test the HE-500 before buying).

Also, are there other headphones similar in sound to the Aeon Flow open, that have a slightly
less forward vocal presentation, and a wider sound stage?

I'm surprised that you liked the AFO; to my ears it's noticeably more mid-bass heavy and warm than the LCD-2 Classic (rolled-off treble, fast, bass in line with the mids; this is also confirmed by various measurements done on these headphones by InnerFidelity). Perhaps you just like the timbre of the AFO better; Audezes tend to sound fast with great resolve, and are warm due to a function of a slight attenuation in the lower treble.

The HE-500 is going to be more treble-heavy than any planar you listed. I personally don't like Hifiman; I've always heard them as more tinny and plastic. YMMV.

Going back to your first post, I do NOT recommend the pre-fazor LCD-3 judging by your comments on the current LCD-2 Classic, but the current LCD-3 might be a fit (I hear it as less warm than the current LCD-2). There's a really good price on a new one here: https://www.audeze.com/products/audeze-holiday-special-2018

Hope this helps!

 

[JoachimL]

Hi. Thanks for your response, and the link to the holiday sales.
However, a new LCD-3 is out of my price range.

 

[BassandSnare]

I have both the LCD2 and HE500. Although I prefer the HE500 to my LCD2, I personally would recommend a LCDX. Of the 3 my LCDX seems to get the most use as I like their sound the best overall.

 

[audiofil]

My vote goes to the HE-500, especially if vocal and classical music is your thing. I'd invest the rest of the budget in better upstream gear (dac or amp) and better pads.
Pads will make a huge difference in the sound signature of these headphones, which I think works to its advantage as it will give you more freedom in terms of tuning the sound via pads to your own liking. And, of course, it will make a world of difference in terms of comfort.

For predominantly vocal/classical music I'd skip the LCD2 or 3. I've owned and loved the former for modern/rock music, but never for classical. The 3's were never to my liking especially because of their poor price/performance ratio compared to the LCD2 or other sub 1k planars.

LCDX, on the other hand, is a very strong contender with a bit more technical competency than all the above and shares those sweet mids that HE500 does so well. I don't enjoy it as much as HE500 on classical (especially symphonic) but I think it has a slight edge on vocal music and other genres. Overall the X's are the superior headphone, but I find it more demanding on the upstream gear. It scales the most of all the planars I've owned or listened to and it's capable of really astounding performance, but it will cost a pretty petty.
I've recently tried them on an Auralic combo (Vega + Taurus) and was surprised how much better they sounded compared to my Ifi idac2 + ican SE or even my Cayin IHA-6.
As much as I liked the sound improvement, the thought of having to sell my entire gear lot 2 times over just to be within reach of that level of performance puts a shadow on the pleasure of owning an LCDX.

Long story short, if I can only choose one, it will be the HE-500, without a doubt.