[drwlf]

  Welcome to the Sextett club!

What amp are you using?

Thanks!
Working on the amp section, not too great from my desktop m9XX solution, but quite lovely out of an old vintage Sony and a tube B&O!
 
I was expecting the midrange to be wonderful, but what about the holography! That's what struck me the most on the initial listens, though haven't had the greatest amount of time to test them out yet. The midrange lives up the to the discussion here, the tone is quite natural, and seems to work well with metal/guitar-driven music, there's this electrifying sass going on. I did get carried away a bit, and pumped up the volume, perhaps then some minor issues seemed to manifest.

 

[Tom Blake]

one is stock the other has Lawton Level 1 mod.

Yeah got a pair on here with some cosmetic dings for $699. Are the Lawton Level 1 mods worthwhile? The previous owner had applied Dynamat and felt to the interior of the cups but I am thinking the Lawton Level 1 treatment might be better.

 

[jmills8]

Yeah got a pair on here with some cosmetic dings for $699. Are the Lawton Level 1 mods worthwhile? The previous owner had applied Dynamat and felt to the interior of the cups but I am thinking the Lawton Level 1 treatment might be better.

Level 1 is the tune up and angle pads. I would say a slight improvement.

 

[ibage]

I figured Id ask here. Looking at possible endgame cans in about a year but I like to get my research going sooner than later. For prog and power, which is more suiting, LCD-2 or HD800? I've been a fan of Sennheiser and I have the HD600 and HD700. I enjoy both but I particularly like the mids of the HD600. Anyone able to chime in here?

 

[SomeGuyDude]

  I figured Id ask here. Looking at possible endgame cans in about a year but I like to get my research going sooner than later. For prog and power, which is more suiting, LCD-2 or HD800? I've been a fan of Sennheiser and I have the HD600 and HD700. I enjoy both but I particularly like the mids of the HD600. Anyone able to chime in here?

Let me throw a wrench in here and say the Elears may very well do better than either of those two. If you prefer the 600 to the 700 then the 800 isn't going to be what you want given that the 800 is basically a supercharged 700 (complete with a pretty gnarly mid/treble valley). I can't speak on the fazor version of the LCD-2 but I remember absolutely adoring mine, however the Elears were a step above. 

 

[ibage]

  Let me throw a wrench in here and say the Elears may very well do better than either of those two. If you prefer the 600 to the 700 then the 800 isn't going to be what you want given that the 800 is basically a supercharged 700 (complete with a pretty gnarly mid/treble valley). I can't speak on the fazor version of the LCD-2 but I remember absolutely adoring mine, however the Elears were a step above. 

It might be worth mentioning that I do enjoy the detail of the HD700 over the HD600. Are any of the pairs mentioned above as (or more) detailed as the HD700?

 

[SomeGuyDude]

  It might be worth mentioning that I do enjoy the detail of the HD700 over the HD600. Are any of the pairs mentioned above as (or more) detailed as the HD700?

The 800 and Elear definitely will be, it's possible the fazored LCD-2 is more detailed than before but I doubt it'll hit that mark. 

 

[Dobrescu George]

  It might be worth mentioning that I do enjoy the detail of the HD700 over the HD600. Are any of the pairs mentioned above as (or more) detailed as the HD700?

HD 800 is, but you might not be best friends with the signature. 
 
I thought that the signature is friendlier than the one of HD700, but that is up to your tastes. 
 
I would recommend including ie800 from sennheiser, LCD-4 and TH900. 

From this list, I strongly recommend trying anything LCD before buying. The sound is awesome and detailed, but the weight is considerable and you might find yourself unable to use them properly . Neck fatigue is a thing even when testing it for a few hours... 

 

[mysticstryk]

I figured Id ask here. Looking at possible endgame cans in about a year but I like to get my research going sooner than later. For prog and power, which is more suiting, LCD-2 or HD800? I've been a fan of Sennheiser and I have the HD600 and HD700. I enjoy both but I particularly like the mids of the HD600. Anyone able to chime in here?

Don't bother with the LCD-2 unless it's pre-fazor. Your 600 on the proper setup will resolve better than the LCD-2 fazor.

The 800 can sound fantastic with metal, but it requires you mod the 800 and invest in a system that has great synergy with the 800. The 800S would be a better buy if you don't want to mod.

Also take a look at the Eikon. Zach is a big fan of the Senns and it shows in the way he tunes his new dynamics.

Honestly I'd stay away from the LCD series by Audeze completely unless your buying pre fazor (or have $4k to drop on the LCD-4). The 800/800S and both of ZMFs new dynamics out resolve and have a more coherent tonality than the entire (current) LCD lineup (minus the LCD-4 as I haven't heard that one). Just make sure you put as much research into the gear you buy to pair with as you do your headphones.

Edit: Also check out the Ether (I prefer the original with the 1.1 tuning kit but some prefer the new Flow). Original Ethers can be had at a good price in the used forum. I'd buy used but only because the new $1.8k price for the Flow version is a little much for what you get, but I'm biased here towards the cheaper Ether 1.1.

 

[ibage]

I'll drop the LCD-2.
 
What kind of signature does the Elear have and hows the soundstage?
 
What kind of mods are we talking for the HD800? Is it worth doing to save the chunk of cash over the 800S? 
 
As for the two ZMF models, how big are the differences?
 
 
I do appreciate the answers. I'll be picking up an amp soon and it's going to be based on what I get later down the line.

 

[JuanCamiloso]

The Elear has a warm signature. They are very dynamic, punchy and enjoyable. I find that they reproduce the guitars and drums quite nicely. They have a slight dip in the upper mids, which would make the female vocals sound a little bit baffled... However, you could use a little bit of EQ around 4kHz for that. Regarding the soundstage, it is narrow, just a little bit bigger than the HD650, if not the same. If you want to listen to classical music or something that requires a wider soundstage, you may look elsewhere. I really enjoy the Elear and I think that they go well with my favorite genres, which are black, pagan and thrash.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

  The Elear has a warm signature. They are very dynamic, punchy and enjoyable. I find that they reproduce the guitars and drums quite nicely. They have a slight dip in the upper mids, which would make the female vocals sound a little bit baffled... However, you could use a little bit of around 4kHz for that. Regarding the soundstage, it is narrow, just a little bit bigger than the HD650, if not the same. If you want to listen to classical music or something that requires a wider soundstage, you may look elsewhere. I really enjoy the Elear and I think that they go well with my favorite genres, which are black, pagan and thrash.

That's kind of what I'm thinking for myself. Different subgenres but same basic idea. 

 

[ibage]

Any word on the ZMF soundstage? From what I see, they have the sounds I'm looking for but I like a wider soundstage. 
 
That said, are the higher tier Beyers worth a look?

 

[JuanCamiloso]

Regarding the beyers, I like the T5p 2nd a lot for my office. The have good soundstage for being closed headphones. However, I do enjoy more the Elears for metal.

 

[shuto77]

Any word on the ZMF soundstage? From what I see, they have the sounds I'm looking for but I like a wider soundstage. 

That said, are the higher tier Beyers worth a look?

The Beyerdynamic DT1990 is a good choice if you like a V-shaped signature. But, it's only single-ended, so you can't upgrade to a balanced setup down the line without extensive modification.