[Zafonic]

Thanks - all the replies do help, although I know it's subjective in the end.
 
Ok, I'll put it another way: is there room (funds permitting) for the LCD-2 Rev2 and the HE-500 in your rig?  Are the two headphones sufficiently different that you would listen to both of them, or (even if you had the money) would you just go with one because it suits your musical tastes better?

 

[K3cT]

I would get the LCD2, it's ultimately the more resolving pair. If a certain headphone is voiced differently than the other, it's going to be hard to recommend which one to go for but if one beats the other in technical matters, it's a simple decision for me. 

 

[Shahrose]

Quote:

Thanks - all the replies do help, although I know it's subjective in the end.
 
Ok, I'll put it another way: is there room (funds permitting) for the LCD-2 Rev2 and the HE-500 in your rig?  Are the two headphones sufficiently different that you would listen to both of them, or (even if you had the money) would you just go with one because it suits your musical tastes better?

In my rig? Yes I could see myself using both. But I feel a better complement to the LCD-2 would be the HE-6.

 

[MalVeauX]

Heya,
 
I don't think I would consider having both the HE-500 and LCD-2. They're pretty similar. I think a lot of people will favor the LCD-2 over the HE-500. Personally, I don't like the weight/cups of the LCD-2, I don't like leather cups. That's just my preference. I wanted velour padding. And I was not interested in modding the cups of something to the point where I might change the sound of the headphone. I think they both have their places. I went to the Hifiman over the LCD because of comfort and highs.
 
Just a note to anyone with questions regarding powering the HE-500. I just tested it on my Little Dot MK III and my Schiit Lyr. The difference is pretty stark. These headphones definitely need/like more power. The LDMK3 was able to power it, but it wasn't enough power at higher volumes, it would start clipping out and couldn't keep up. I felt like some tones were not being rendered right too. The Lyr pushes it hard and fast. All that stuff I was hearing that was wrong on the LDMK3 is gone. If you're going with the HE-500, get a powerful amp, the Lyr was literally built for these kinds of headphones. And that's not just marketing, they really do make a big difference.
 

 
Very best,

 

[takezo]

Quote:

Thanks - all the replies do help, although I know it's subjective in the end.
 
Ok, I'll put it another way: is there room (funds permitting) for the LCD-2 Rev2 and the HE-500 in your rig?  Are the two headphones sufficiently different that you would listen to both of them, or (even if you had the money) would you just go with one because it suits your musical tastes better?

if i could start from scratch and my music was mainly vocal genre, i'd get the stax sr-507 headphone and a reasonable stax amp in the $1k range. you don't really need a $5k+
electrostatic amp for the 507. i heard the sr-507 with a stax srm-007 amp recently and they
do vocals better than either the lcd2-r1/r2 and he500. superior delicate nuance that's spine tingling and the timbre is great as well. you'd lose out in the bass dept. though (less focused).
 

 

[K3cT]

You forget to mention that it probably has excessive upper midrange peak, like most mid to high-tier Lambdas, which leads to fatigue. I'm not sure how you're going to circumvent the issue if vocal is your primary genre unless you pair it with a tube energizer maybe to blunt the sound a bit. 
 
Generally I find the LCD2 or HE6 to be better than top-tier Stax Lambdas but a step or two below the O2s. 
 
 

 

[takezo]

i didn't really experience that, but i should mention that it was used
with the w4s dac2. perhaps that figures in the equation.

 

[Alghazanth]

Quote:

vocals on lcd2r2 and he500 are both very good but presented slightly different.
vocals are relatively laid back on the lcd2r2 compared to the he500. both are
grain-free and present a very high resolution sound. so, it really depends on
if you want a gentle laid back presentation or a slightly more forward/intimate vocal
presentation. hope this helps.

IME, both the rev1 and rev2 are more forward/aggressive than the HE500. That's why I ultimately settled on the LCD2 for Metal, though it's not a huge difference.
 

 

[takezo]

Quote:

IME, both the rev1 and rev2 are more forward/aggressive than the HE500. That's why I ultimately settled on the LCD2 for Metal, though it's not a huge difference.
 

that's so interesting. i felt the lcd2r1 was the most forward, then the he500, then the lcd2r2. with the sr507 similar to the he500, imo.
i'm not saying i'm correct and you are incorrect. not at all. i'm sure my wife will have a different order as well. she does with everything.
 
i have to mention that i haven't tried these cans with any metal, unless shostakovich counts, the (grand)father of metal imo....
 

 

[ardilla]

what is the difference between lcd2r1 and lcd2r1???? 
 
Quote:

..... i felt the lcd2r1 was the most forward, then the he500, then the lcd2r1....

 

 

[takezo]

Quote:

what is the difference between lcd2r1 and lcd2r1???? 
 


 

my bad; fixed now.
 

 

[SpudHarris]

Quote:

Heya,
 
I don't think I would consider having both the HE-500 and LCD-2. They're pretty similar. I think a lot of people will favor the LCD-2 over the HE-500. Personally, I don't like the weight/cups of the LCD-2, I don't like leather cups. That's just my preference. I wanted velour padding. And I was not interested in modding the cups of something to the point where I might change the sound of the headphone. I think they both have their places. I went to the Hifiman over the LCD because of comfort and highs.
 
Just a note to anyone with questions regarding powering the HE-500. I just tested it on my Little Dot MK III and my Schiit Lyr. The difference is pretty stark. These headphones definitely need/like more power. The LDMK3 was able to power it, but it wasn't enough power at higher volumes, it would start clipping out and couldn't keep up. I felt like some tones were not being rendered right too. The Lyr pushes it hard and fast. All that stuff I was hearing that was wrong on the LDMK3 is gone. If you're going with the HE-500, get a powerful amp, the Lyr was literally built for these kinds of headphones. And that's not just marketing, they really do make a big difference.
 

 
Very best,

Great post and so, so true. I lived with my HE-500's because I really thought they had potential but never had an amp to really power them to potential. I recentley bought the EF-5 amp (newer version) and the HE-500's are transformed to a diferent level. I don't profess to know the science behind it but I'm kinda wishing I kept the HE-4's also now I have this amp.
 

 

[Alghazanth]

Quote:

that's so interesting. i felt the lcd2r1 was the most forward, then the he500, then the lcd2r2. with the sr507 similar to the he500, imo.
i'm not saying i'm correct and you are incorrect. not at all. i'm sure my wife will have a different order as well. she does with everything.
 
i have to mention that i haven't tried these cans with any metal, unless shostakovich counts, the (grand)father of metal imo....
 

I immediately noticed the r2 was more forward than the r1 because of the treble emphasis. Gave proper guitar bite and harder cymbals to an already mindblowing signature. The mids feel in the same place to me, but less congested (cream).

 

[takezo]

Quote:

I immediately noticed the r2 was more forward than the r1 because of the treble emphasis. Gave proper guitar bite and harder cymbals to an already mindblowing signature. The mids feel in the same place to me, but less congested (cream).

i understand what you're saying now. yes, the upper mids, 700 to 1500 hz, are more forward on the newer rev 2s, i agree.
what i meant was the vocal region, or middle c to one octave higher 200 to 600 hz, was more forward on the rev 1 compared to the rev2 and he500
 

 

[earthling]

Quote:

IMO, the HE-500 do vocals a bit better. It's because I slightly prefer the mids of the HiFiMAN, despite the fact that the LCD-2 Rev.2 are the better overall performer.
 

I agree.  The LCD-2 vocals (rev 1,2) are a bit too laid back in the mix.  The HE-500 has a better presentation for vocals, and the better overall balance helps preserve what to me seems like a better backdrop to the vocals.