[shinn]

First of all, there seems to be no specific thread discussing these two planars at the moment.
 
As far as I know, both of them are quite efficient to be driven, close price difference, and the LCD-2s seem really excel in bass department (not sure how the HE-500s perform in comparison). Amp is not a problem.
 
Any advice from you guys?
Anyway, I'm mostly listening to vocals and I really hope that my chosen phones will bring clear life-like experience with great instrument separation and soundstage.   
 
Thanks, would really appreciate your help!

 

[BotByte]

It depends on what kind of music you listen to and what amp you have. Both are pretty picky about the amps they are paired with IMO

 

[shinn]

Well, quite all-round, from Pop, Rock to RnB. Some live recordings too.
My current amp is the Beta22.
Thanks for your response, have you had any experience with any of them or both?

 

[Loevhagen]

I own both (but the rev. 1 LCD-2s), and without going into long-winded elaboration, I prefer the Audeze so far. The LCD-2 is "much" more articulated in the sound. IMHO. There´s something with the HE-500 I find appealing, though.
 
The HE-500 sounds actually a tad "darker" than the LCD-2 (rev. 1).
 
I don´t believe that the HE-500 is so easy to drive as initial postings on this forum should indicate.
 
I will be keeping the HE-500 as a hobby, and listen to my LCD-2 until I find a (monster) amp that matches the HE-500. And, I need HiFiMANs new pads that is said to be comming up in 4 weeks time. The ones prevailing now is a bit sub-standard.
 
I wonder if I could use the HiFiMAN speaker / adapter on the HE-500...

 

[sphinxvc]

Quote:

I wonder if I could use the HiFiMAN speaker / adapter on the HE-500...

It is not recommended.
 

 

[sphinxvc]

Quote:

First of all, there seems to be no specific thread discussing these two planars at the moment.
 
As far as I know, both of them are quite efficient to be driven, close price difference, and the LCD-2s seem really excel in bass department (not sure how the HE-500s perform in comparison). Amp is not a problem.
 
Any advice from you guys?
Anyway, I'm mostly listening to vocals and I really hope that my chosen phones will bring clear life-like experience with great instrument separation and soundstage.   
 
Thanks, would really appreciate your help!

Very, very few own both or have heard both. (Rev. 2 & HE-500s)  
 
The only guy who does/has is Kingstyles on the LCD2 thread, I would wait/ask for his comparative impressions.
 

 

[KingStyles]

For pop, rock and r&b I would go with the lcd2. It has great vocals  due to its wonderful mids and the deep, tight bass which those genre will benefit from. The soundstage is better on the rev2 lcd2 than the rev1 and instrument placement is very good. I think you will find the soundstage is just fine for those genre since most of them are recorded in smaller venues which the soundstage is more than capable of reproducing accurately. The new faster driver and better extended highs has helped  the lcd2 come pretty close in prat to the he500. The lcd2 is more resolving getting more info out of the music.
 
The he500 has a really nice soundstage but the vocals arent as good as the lcd2. They arent as rich and there is a lot more space and air.  The bass is just a step down in quality from the lcd2 but still fairly tight and deep. Because the mids arent as creamy/rich it allows the mids to blend unannounced with the rest of the audio spectrum. This really helps in non vocal music where you dont need the extra attention to the mids creating a more even spectrum of sound. This along with the larger soundstage helps to make it a good choice for classical and jazz.

 

[shinn]

Thanks Loevhagen and Sphinxvc, really appreciate your help!
 
Quote:

For pop, rock and r&b I would go with the lcd2. It has great vocals  due to its wonderful mids and the deep, tight bass which those genre will benefit from. The soundstage is better on the rev2 lcd2 than the rev1 and instrument placement is very good. I think you will find the soundstage is just fine for those genre since most of them are recorded in smaller venues which the soundstage is more than capable of reproducing accurately. The new faster driver and better extended highs has helped  the lcd2 come pretty close in prat to the he500. The lcd2 is more resolving getting more info out of the music.
 
The he500 has a really nice soundstage but the vocals arent as good as the lcd2. They arent as rich and there is a lot more space and air.  The bass is just a step down in quality from the lcd2 but still fairly tight and deep. Because the mids arent as creamy/rich it allows the mids to blend unannounced with the rest of the audio spectrum. This really helps in non vocal music where you dont need the extra attention to the mids creating a more even spectrum of sound. This along with the larger soundstage helps to make it a good choice for classical and jazz.

Thanks for sharing.
Do you think the extended high on the LCD2 Rev2 make it as bright as the Hifiman or even brighter perhaps?
Does the LCD2 have more details and even clearer sound?
 
The thing is I listen to some live recordings where 3D soundstage is quite important.
 
It's quite a surprise when you said the HE500 vocals not as good as the LCD2 where I thought and read that the HE500 is a midrange-centric phones that do great vocals (some said life-like).
Did you mean the HE-500 sound thin and hollow? While LCD-2 Rev2 is fuller and more prominent/forward? 
Anyway, your impression is a really great input to help me form a decision, appreciate that! 
 

 

[KingStyles]

The he500 does vocals well. The lcd2 does it better. The vocals on the lcd2 is more prominent and rich. The he500 was designed to have more midrange than the he6, but it still isnt on the same level as the lcd2.
 
The he500 highs are more prominent and real. Even with more treble energy, I dont find them sibilant or harsh. They are very smooth and liquid  if you enjoy treble. Some people dont. The lcd2 ver2 dosent have a larger amplitude of treble to say than the ver1. It is just more extended which helps add a more real metalic tone to cymbals and high hats. It has less treble than the he500 and most other cans. It makes up for it with its great detail and transparency allowing everything to be heard with out the extra treble energy.
 
 

 

[leesure]

I have the Rev1's, but I'd cuncurr with everything Kingstyles said about the differences. His thoughts and experiences mirror my own.

 

[Questhate]

I'm torn on this decision as well. I listen to rock and jazz fairly evenly, and each headphone does each genre better. The congested soundstage of the LCD-2 is a bit worrisome for me. I wish there was a place that I could try both. 
 
 

 

[leesure]

Quote:

I'm torn on this decision as well. I listen to rock and jazz fairly evenly, and each headphone does each genre better. The congested soundstage of the LCD-2 is a bit worrisome for me. I wish there was a place that I could try both. 
 
 

"Congested Soundstage" is a significant overstatement. 

 

[MacedonianHero]

"Congested Soundstage" is a significant overstatement. 

They present the soundstage as intended on the recording....nothing more and nothing less. The K701s can enhance the recording's sound stage, but that is not what I consider transparent.

 

[Alghazanth]

The LCD-2's soundstage is not congested, it's true to the recording. It can seem congested and small when you're coming from the HD800, K70x, etc but it really isn't.

 

[KingStyles]

I feel that the rev1 was a bit congested. The rev2 seem to fix this. The sound stage is more semicircle now rather than potato shaped. There is more air between instruments releaving some of the cluttered feel in the middle.