Much thanks to Justin at headamp for being so kind as to offer many people such as myself a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to try headphones like this out at such a cheap price.
he-400 is noticeably smaller than lcd2
Build Quality, Presentation and Comfort:
Upon first receiving the LCD2 in the mail, I was very pleased by its durable looking carrying box. The headphone itself looks very elegant, built with beautiful dark rosewood and oh so supple leather padding. As an entire package of sound and build alone, I think the aesthetics and presentation of the LCD2 is what strikes me the most. I feel it definitely looks and feels like a 1000-dollar headphone. I had a similarly profound reaction to the HE-400 when I first got it, but there wasn’t a literal beneath-my-breath ‘phwaaaaaa’ when I opened it up like I did with the LCD2. The HE-400 feels like a rock, perhaps more-so than the LCD2. In fact if I had to toss one around (gently) I’d toss the HE-400 around before the LCD2. The gimbals on the HE-400 are metal compared to the plastic of the LCD2. The connection between the gimbals and headband are also more robust on the HE-400. On the LCD-2 the connection looks very timid, and prone to breaking. The cups of the HE-400 are plastic whereas they’re wood on the LCD2. The cable is better on the LCD2. I do prefer the mini-xlr attachments, but at the same time I don’t hate the screw-on attachments of the HE-400. They’ve never once come off on me and never once have I had trouble putting them on, so I can’t really see how people hate that aspect of the Hifimans as much as they do.
The LCD2’s leather earpads feel great around my ears: very spacious and cushiony, yet never get sweaty. People say the LCD2 is a deathclamp, but it really isn’t. The plushness of the pads makes its grip a non-issue to me. The headphone itself doesn’t feel heavy when put on your head, but if you’re not used to its weight, the top of your head will develop a pressure point over time. I found that over time I got more accustomed to it and didn’t have as much of a problem with pressure. Though the LCD2 feels light on your head by itself, taking it off and using other headphones will quickly show you just how heavy the LCD2 is. In this case, my (usually very heavy) HE-400 felt light as a feather in comparison.
Comfort is huge for a headphone; it’ll even impact how you listen to music. A not so comfortable headphone might make your music not so nice sounding. I’ll start things off by saying that I enjoy LCD2’s fit over HE-400’s—primarily because of the earpads. I find LCD2’s angled leather pads to be the best I’ve ever used. Their fit reminds me dearly of the Denon 2/5/7k series, but only better. They are huge pads with large openings. My ears feel very free and fit very comfortably. I’m partial to oval openings over circle openings because I find it more ergonomic. In short I find that the one area LCD2 has over the HE-400 in comfort, and is what makes LCD2 by far the better short-term comfort headphone. By comparison, the HE-400 (velour) pads have a smaller opening and I always feel them around my ear, plus they’re stiffer and at times the velour can feel itchy on the skin.
The LCD2’s great heft loses out in long-term comfort though. I’m not a big fan of its headband padding, and I think Audeze could have done better there; perhaps implement a suspension strap or padding that distributes the weight better. Even though the Hifiman headband is meagerly padded in comparison, the surface area that touches your noggin is large and flat, meaning I hardly ever get a pressure-point buildup. This might not be a fair comparison though, as the HE-400 weighs 100g lighter and I’ve not auditioned any of the heavier Hifimans (Hifimen?) The HE-400 gets the nod in long-term comfort. Everybody has always talked about the ‘vacuum’ or ‘airplane cabin’ effect when putting the LCD2 on. In short these statements basically translate into the LCD2 sealing and feeling like a closed headphone when put it on, if you move it around you get heavy bass thud effects like you would on an airplane cabin and other closed headphones. The HE-400 is as open as can be.
The pad opening on the LCD2 is noticeably larger and more ergonomic than HE-400's opening. The very thick rear of the LCD2 pads are very fitting to the curvature of the head.
General Sound Comparison:
For starters, I can say that they share a considerably large amount of similarities and are very comparable, even though they approach sound differently—even down to damping schemes. When putting on an HE-400, the first thing you’re probably drawn to is its bass. The LCD2 I feel meshes together the focus of bass and mids in comparison. It didn’t seem very thick or even dark at first after coming from an HE-400, in fact its sound was very easy to become accustomed to because it’s actually not that far off. Both headphones share planar magnetic traits—flowing mids with deep and effortless bass. Both have bass and lower mids to die for, making both incredibly rich sounding. Upper mids and treble are where both differ. LCD2 brings the upper mids more forward compared to the HE-400, and lowers its treble output in comparison. Let’s get down to specifics:
Bass:
The LCD2’s bass being extremely hyped up throughout the years had led them to be my most wanted-to-audition headphone. I always wanted to know what the proclaimed ‘king of bass’ could do. I’m not so much as disappointed by the LCD’s bass as I am not surprised by it. It’s actually the range of sound where HE-400 holds the most similarities to the LCD2, which I guess, is giving a huge compliment to HE-400’s performance for its price. Both headphones extend deep and are very impactful/tight in their bass. Often times the HE-400 contends directly with LCD2 for overall impact and speed of bass. I would have thought LCD2 would eat HE-400 alive in impact, but it doesn’t, only rarely does it surprise you with DEEP impact (that’s still only every-so-slightly more impactful than HE-400). I find in general the HE-400 has more overall bass presence than the LCD2. It’s tough to say in general though, because both of these headphones have bass so well controlled that they’re both very Chameleon like (I swore to myself I’d never use that word but oh well.) LCD2 holds a mild edge on extension, it hits a 30hz tone very nicely, perhaps the cleanest and purest I’ve ever heard from a headphone. HE-400 in comparison can’t build up quite enough pressure deep down low. The better tightness of LCD2’s bass means drum hits and classical bass instruments will be rendered with less of a bass bloat and more hardness compared to the HE-400. The Audeze’s bass is so dynamic in that it will always have something new to show depending on recording, which makes it hard to judge its true nature. Give it a good Contrabassoon, Tuba or low, low bass electronic, and it will sound very solid and very forceful. So overall, the lesson to be learned is to not expect much out of LCD2’s bass coming from an HE-400, they’re both very close.
Mids:
There’s a distinct lack of air or separation—and sometimes texture—in LCD2’s mids that HE-400 has more of. I feel the coloration within the HE-400’s mids makes them a bit more spacious and deep sounding as well, HE-400 presents its mids in a uniquely layered fashion that can be addicting as a result. LCD2’s mids can be juicy—very juicy and syrupy, in comparison. At times they’re also very thick and congested, but never lacking in detail or instrument separation. The HE-400’s mids were very syrupy to me coming from dynamic headphones when I first got them; the LCD2 just takes the syrupy feel to the next level. I suppose it’s a nature of planar magnetics, probably their most noticeable trait over dynamics. As far as a soundstage, I don’t feel as though the LCD2 lacks in it, but it does lack in enough sense of air to make it seem like a spacious can. It can render instruments and sounds very deeply in front of you at times, just like the HE-400, but it’s a bit disjointed in comparison.
I also finally got a taste of the LCD2 vocals as well, primarily female vocals. Most of my female vocalist tracks consisted of Rebecca Pidgeon, Loreena McKennit and Adele. I wanted to know what all the fuss was about HE-400 and having weak female vocals and LCD2 having ‘the most lifelike vocals evah!’ There’s a specific saying or two that always gets me heated. I don’t like it when people say ‘x headphone’s vocals feel like they’re recessed to the point where they’re a room away—they should be right in front of you’ etc. I didn’t find drastic differences between female vocals on LCD2 and HE-400, other than on some songs the LCD2 female vocals were heavier sounding and right in your head in comparison to the HE-400, but I feel that’s much more a result of the LCD2’s soundstage and thickness rather than its upper mids. Male vocals and lower midrange production was very, very strong on both headphones. If you didn’t already know, both headphones have lower mids that are upfront and very rich. The upper midrange is where LCD2 and HE-400 differ quite a lot. I don’t really think of the upper midrange recession in HE-400 a weak point as much as others do, and I tend to like that coloration quite a bit. Because of that coloration, at times the LCD2 can make the HE-400 sound muffled on certain recordings, and vice-versa, the LCD2 can sound kinda wonky and plasticy coming off the HE-400. Note that overall, the HE-400 has darker mids as a result of a more recessed upper midrange. At the end of the day, both LCD2 and HE-400 are just as detailed and have just as much instrument separation in the midrange, but the more upfront upper midrange on LCD2 I suppose is nearer to a more mature sound. However, I feel the upper midrange on it, combined with a very congested and liquidy sound that’s dead flat down to the lowest lows of the bass can make it EXTREMELY easy to confuse with a very low fidelity sound. Luckily I’ve had enough critical listening under my belt to know just how detailed and fast the LCD2 is. It tears through complex passages of songs just as easily as the HE-400.
Treble:
LCD2 and HE-400 differ the most here, but that’s already obvious to people who don’t even have both headphones to listen to at the same time. I do find LCD2’s treble quite good—never lacking to my ears, but not extremely extended at the same time. There is a general lack of air within LCD2’s treble as well, but I feel this is a result more so from the damping scheme of the LCD2 than its treble roll off. In fact, I rather have the LCD2 as a closed headphone. When I put it on my head, it feels like a closed headphone. When I play music through it, it sounds like a closed headphone. Why not just make it a closed headphone? With a closed headphone I rather get the benefit of more isolation leading to a more focused sound. The closed headphone market is very small too. I’ll be eagerly awaiting an LCD2 closed headphone. I digressed, back to the treble. HE-400’s treble is—easily—its biggest weak point I feel. It’s a tad dark in the lower treble, and is brighter than a supernova in the upper treble. As a whole the HE-400 isn’t a super-sibilant or piercing headphone, but if a song does have lots of upper-treble energy, the HE-400 is merciless. I usually EQ it down 3db at 8khz and 6db at 16khz. However for this review I left it un-EQ’d. The LCD2 renders vocals without a hint of sibilance, while the HE-400 gives you very sharp sibilance at times. Also due to an excess amount of treble the HE-400 can sound very thin after listening to an LCD2. Treble is LCD2’s weakest point as well I feel, and it could do with more air to sound more natural and less grounded. At its current state it’s just too tubby and mellow for me. There’s also a distinct timbre difference between the HE-400’s treble and the LCD2’s treble. HE-400’s treble sounds more splashy and tizzy, while the LCD2’s treble sounds hard and edgy at times. As a result, the LCD2 can be a very aggressive headphone when it’s called for. I feel the hardness in its treble is a result of too much damping.
Where do I go from here?
It’s apparent to me that while I enjoy LCD2’s sound and especially its presentation, I don’t feel as if it’s worth 600 dollars over an HE-400, not when the HE-400 hits so many right points for me when I EQ its treble down. I much rather see a closed LCD2, or just might wait for an LCD3. HE-6 with a nice dark speaker amp is a possibility too, but that’s ONLY if the HE-6 had the bass of the HE-400. Both Hifiman and Audeze are known to change their products constantly as they’re still both infant companies, so I’ll be eagerly waiting for the next couple years while I enjoy the HE-400. Yes, I won’t be venturing off from the planar magnetic route, their bass and mids will stay with me forever.
Equalization:
On my third day of the audition, I dedicated a quick 2 hours to try and EQ the HE-400 to sound more closely rated to the LCD2 sound using 6 familiar songs and pink noise. I was mostly focusing on timbre and balance with the overall sound. Even though this EQ makes the HE-400 sound closer to an LCD2, there’s still distinct differences between the two: LCD2 will forever sound thicker and HE-400 will forever sound airier. There’s also bass tightness and overall refinement in the LCD2 that I can’t copy with the HE-400. Below is a picture of my EQ and the file link to it.
![size]](http://files.head-fi.org/images/smilies/biggrin.gif[size=13px][/size])
