[tameral]

Loki + Hemp

Deficiencies on the Hemp correspond with EQ possibilities on the Loki +

Dial down 2k; Boost the sub bass a few decibels; maybe a couple decibel turn down of the high treble or leave it alone

Better than the Focal Clear and the LCD-X I own, on metal at least. Alive.

 

[gazzington]

Just ordered a vc in olive wood to go with my rad 0. That’s me some with spending for a long time!

 

[Stompy]

How does the LCD2F handle very crazy extreme metal, such as tech death like first fragment, obscura, archspire, etc in terms of bass? I've been told by someone that the LCD2F is too slow in the bass department, not tight or quick enough. What are the pros and cons of the LCD2F for prog, death, and metalcore and just metal as a whole? And most importantly, how does it compare to the LCDX? I intend to borrow the LCDX from a store for 2 days and demo at home, but finding the LCD2F to demo is impossible for me so I need some pros/cons and comparisons.

 

[monkey4054]

Need a metal headbanger to confirm this @crinacle says that Final D8000 are "bright". Is that correct?

https://crinacle.com/rankings/headphones/

Late reply on this, but I find this strange. The D8000 to my ears is warm and laid-back if anything... not bright or sibilant at all.

 

[Mightygrey]

Late reply on this, but I find this strange. The D8000 to my ears is warm and laid-back if anything... not bright or sibilant at all.

I also found the D8000 pretty laid-back, and super smooth.

 

[Garney]

How does the LCD2F handle very crazy extreme metal, such as tech death like first fragment, obscura, archspire, etc in terms of bass? I've been told by someone that the LCD2F is too slow in the bass department, not tight or quick enough. What are the pros and cons of the LCD2F for prog, death, and metalcore and just metal as a whole? And most importantly, how does it compare to the LCDX? I intend to borrow the LCDX from a store for 2 days and demo at home, but finding the LCD2F to demo is impossible for me so I need some pros/cons and comparisons.

I've never heard the LCD-X but the LCD-2F does well with fast metal passages. The planar bass can keep up with most black metal and death metal I listen to. I'll give it a go with some of the tech death bands you mention and report back.

 

[frozenOx]

Sold my Hemp, picked up the R70X. Hemp cable and loose fit just turned me off after the honeymoon period were over. Found myself with damn PortaPros on clips more and more often, so decided to sell and find something better for long sessions.

Sennheisers just never got along with me, the clamp on them even after breaking in would always have me taking them off after an hour because of the way the pads sat on my ears I think. Was debating DT1990 vs AKGs and remembered reading about the R70X. Found them for a good price open box and had some reward dollars so why not try them out.

They are a LOT like the HD600, slightly less refined but still very good on a decent amp. Not as fast as the Hemps were but the bass is so much better than Hemp or Sennheisers that I've used (6XX, 58X, 580, 600). Soundstage is pretty similar to the Senns but the imaging is like that of a Beyer. They can keep up with Archspire well enough. Not fatiguing at all, but not nearly as dark as the 6XX. I like the treble much more than the 58X/600. Because they're a bit rolled off in the treble, black metal sounds very good. But it's not so rolled off that anything else sounds bad. So a very, very good set of dynamic cans for metal. The bass is phenomenal though, if you play bass you'll love these. It's not boomy, a very good ratio of quantity + quality + tonality.

They work well across a variety of amps, but do not sound as refined on lower powered sources. There's a very high impedance spike around 100Hz and 10K+. So similar to the Senns in that they do scale. It's not drastic though like the Senns, either they're amped properly or they're not. I like this a lot, because I can still drive them well enough off my anemic Pixel 4a if I really want to, or listen to a receiver with high output impedance without any issues.

 

[Garney]

@Stompy I listened through First Fragment Dasein on the LCD-2F. The bass is plenty fast and keeps right up with the triggered double bass. The guitars have a nice bite to them and the solos cut through clearly above the twangy bass lines and fast percussion hits. I do use a bit of EQ with the LCD-2F, a slight bump at 4k, that helps the midrange not sound so flat. Certainly works well here with the guitars. Impressive soloing across this album I might add (first time hearing this band / album).

The LCD-2F is a somewhat dark headphone, and as such, cymbals don't have a ton of sparkle to them. I generally prefer this as I'm treble sensitive and can't stand glaring / piercing hits, but you may find cymbal hits somewhat muted / lackluster on the LCD-2F. Unsure if that's also the case with the LCD-X.

 

[Benno1988]

Late reply on this, but I find this strange. The D8000 to my ears is warm and laid-back if anything... not bright or sibilant at all.

I also found the D8000 pretty laid-back, and super smooth.

Somewhat like the Empyrean, it has quite a bit up top. But its peaks, and how well it does its treble, sort of doesn't push it in your face.

Have found his assessment of the D8000 odd though. "Bright". Yikes. The D8000 Pro is Bright, but it has a significant tilt, bass several DB down, treble several up.

 

[Stompy]

Thank you for testing that kind of music on the 2f. Unfortunately I tried the LCD-X today and quite quickly realized that it's simply too damn heavy for me. I feel like the LCD-2F would be great for me but I just can't wear it.

 

[Stompy]

What do you guys think of the Aurorus Borealis for metal, particularly death (tech, prog, melodic), prog, metalcore? I have been looking for literally months for a perfect pair for me to listen to metal with and this one seems like one of the few viable ones after all this time researching. I'm honestly a little concerned about the mid peak though and I'd love any comments on how well the bori does metal overall.
,
Also, open back ZMFs, what do you think of those?

 

[headpmaniac]

This is a long, long, thread, and I don't know if this has been asked, but how the AKG K702 behave for metal (mainly for Thrash metal, think late 80s - early 90s, with that scooped guitar sound: Exodus, Forbidden, Anthrax...)?

 

[Stompy]

Actually I just wanted to answer my own question real quick: I've now had the Auteur and Aeolus for a few days as a home demo and yeah they just... do not sound good with metal. Way too laid back. Also tried the Arya, I could see it being good with classical for some people but for me I just don't like it overall due to the complete lack of dynamics, it's very, very boring, but also has great soundstage and pretty good resolution for the price.

I will probably go with Audeze in the end even if it means my neck will hurt in the beginning. Nothing sounds as good with metal for me.

 

[Benno1988]

Actually I just wanted to answer my own question real quick: I've now had the Auteur and Aeolus for a few days as a home demo and yeah they just... do not sound good with metal. Way too laid back. Also tried the Arya, I could see it being good with classical for some people but for me I just don't like it overall due to the complete lack of dynamics, it's very, very boring, but also has great soundstage and pretty good resolution for the price.

I will probably go with Audeze in the end even if it means my neck will hurt in the beginning. Nothing sounds as good with metal for me.

Tried the Final D8000 yet?

For me it's been the best for metal and prog yet. And I've had all the ZMF, Audeze, Empyrean etc.

 

[Callidus]

What do you guys think of the Aurorus Borealis for metal, particularly death (tech, prog, melodic), prog, metalcore? I have been looking for literally months for a perfect pair for me to listen to metal with and this one seems like one of the few viable ones after all this time researching. I'm honestly a little concerned about the mid peak though and I'd love any comments on how well the bori does metal overall.
,
Also, open back ZMFs, what do you think of those?

The Bori did metal just fine. Personally though they were a bit too exhausting for long sessions, but they are really good all-rounders that suits all genres. ZMF cans are my favorite though for rock/metal since they warm/relaxing and everything just sounded right. Aeolus are my personal favorite since they sounded great on both of my amps (Valhalla 2 and Jotunheim 2), and Auteur sounded amazing on my Valhalla 2 but too wide on my Jotunheim 2, wide to the point of being distracting.

So honestly, if you wanna save a few hundred bucks, go with the Bori. If you can spend the extra and want looks as well as great sound, you can't go wrong with Aeolus. If you plan on getting/have a tube amp and can spend a bit extra, Auteur. There's really no right answer to this though since they're all great headphones and it becomes subjective at this point.

EDIT: Just saw your follow up post. It's a shame you didn't like the ZMF ones, but I can understand them being too laid back for some. I personally see it as a plus since I like to relax with my music. I would recommend the Borealis if you're wanting more exciting cans if those are still on your radar. As far as Audeze, I've only used the GX and can say they sound good with metal with no EQ, but great with metal after a boost in the upper mids. GX is the one widely regarded as having the best tuning of Audeze, so take this as you will.