[clarinetman]

I heard HeadphoneAddict's LCD-2 out of a Zana Deux and then from my crappy system--I am amazed to say that they are not only the best headphone I've ever heard, (besides the R10) but also a new favorite, simply because they have such an original and agreeable sound sig. Even from my Aune/LD 1+, they sounded excellent.
 
In fact, in most ways I even preferred them over Asr's O2/Blue Hawaii/Plinius combo on either system. The LCD-2 (and in fact, most orthos) is the first can I've heard that does everything right. I mean, EVERYTHING. Listening to Alessandro Carbonare from the O2 didn't quite do it... There was just something missing, something unnatural about them. The LCD-2 on the other hand, reproduced the sound of the clarinet better than any headphone I have ever heard, and IMO, has the best tonal accuracy to date for all music.  I'm not entirely sure what it is, maybe a more exposed frequency band, maybe they're just orthos, but the mids on the LCD-2 gave the clarinet something more beautiful, more colorful, more playful, just something magical.
 
Perhaps orthos share a sound of sorts that I enjoy more than other driver types. Listened to the LCD-2, HE-5 and 6, all of which sounded better to me than any of the electrostats except for in the areas of speed and possibly some transparency.
 
Once I get a job and the money, the LCD-2 is the next big purchase on my list. Considering how incredible it is, it may be the last can I ever buy (but probably not).
 
Great review, btw. I envy you

 

[SP Wild]

 
Quote:

I heard HeadphoneAddict's LCD-2 out of a Zana Deux and then from my crappy system--I am amazed to say that they are not only the best headphone I've ever heard, (besides the R10) but also a new favorite, simply because they have such an original and agreeable sound sig. Even from my Aune/LD 1+, they sounded excellent.
 
In fact, in most ways I even preferred them over Asr's O2/Blue Hawaii/Plinius combo on either system. The LCD-2 (and in fact, most orthos) is the first can I've heard that does everything right. I mean, EVERYTHING. Listening to Alessandro Carbonare from the O2 didn't quite do it... There was just something missing, something unnatural about them. The LCD-2 on the other hand, reproduced the sound of the clarinet better than any headphone I have ever heard, and IMO, has the best tonal accuracy to date for all music.  I'm not entirely sure what it is, maybe a more exposed frequency band, maybe they're just orthos, but the mids on the LCD-2 gave the clarinet something more beautiful, more colorful, more playful, just something magical.
 
Perhaps orthos share a sound of sorts that I enjoy more than other driver types. Listened to the LCD-2, HE-5 and 6, all of which sounded better to me than any of the electrostats except for in the areas of speed and possibly some transparency.
 
Once I get a job and the money, the LCD-2 is the next big purchase on my list. Considering how incredible it is, it may be the last can I ever buy (but probably not).
 
Great review, btw. I envy you

You do not envy my financial position - I forked out for the LCD2s before the bank freezes all my accounts.........Stress relief is priceless what can I say.

 
 
You do have a point, there's been so much focus and attention of the LCD2's bass (well deserved, that's why - bass is the hardest thing to get right) that it is good to be reminded that the rest of the frequency range equally of superb standard.  The mid-range is realistic, when voices come out, there is a body to it - reminiscent of an actual conversation (not hard to compare guys, c'mon - reference material everywhere) - that a lot of cans or even "hi-fi" in general seems to forget about.

 

[tisb0b]

How much was the shipping to get them to Australia?
 
Quote:

You do not envy my financial position - I forked out for the LCD2s before the bank freezes all my accounts.........Stress relief is priceless what can I say.

 

 

[SP Wild]

Quote:

How much was the shipping to get them to Australia?
 

 

Errr....it was from a head-fier.  Not wanting to influence the used market, let's just say there was no loss to him and I got a bargain.

  I shall elaborate no more.

 

[tisb0b]

Even if you paid $500 for them it would not influence the used market at all due to the current high demand combined with shortage of supply. 
 
Quote:

Errr....it was from a head-fier.  Not wanting to influence the used market, let's just say there was no loss to him and I got a bargain.

  I shall elaborate no more.

 

[SP Wild]

Quote:

Even if you paid $500 for them it would not influence the used market at all due to the current high demand combined with shortage of supply. 
 

 

PM sent.

 

[SP Wild]

I've had a few people asking me about my power setup.  This is copied out of a conversation I've had:
 
I cannot recommend going to an all battery setup with a slow switching invertor - this cost me too much.  The benefits are there, but you need to know what you're doing with dangerous batteries lying around in the room.  This was just an experiment for me that somehow worked. 
 
The Bench power supply is fast switching (12v-13.8v DC - 40amp), and is wired in parrallel with the batteries,  I can disable the batteries with a flick of the circuit breaker - and the invertor is powered directly from the bench supply.  I can engage the batteries and the bench supply, as long as there is a load (amp and dac on), This charges the batteries.  I can then disable the bench supply by switching it off - this gives me pure battery supply, without the bench supply dumping high frequency interference into the chain (very small and not really an issue, but is audible a very tiny bit).
 
I would imagine my particular setup is superior to the Perfect Wave regeneration units, as I can cimpletely eliminate the wall socket out of the equation and run on batteries - the Perfect wave units cannot achieve this, moreover the latest perfect wave regeneration units are using "fast switching" modes - something I despise and have completely eliminated when battery powered and using my "slow switching industrial grade invertor".

 

[Warstew]

 
If anyone else was thinking about pairing it with the Valhalla, this was the response I got.

 
Quote:

  One caveat: The Valhalla is a great match for the HD650 and HD800, but it's going to struggle with the Audeze 'phones, since they're both low-impedance and low-sensitivity. If you're looking for headbanging levels from the Audeze, the Valhalla will be a disappointment.
All the best,
Jason Stoddard
Co-Founder

 

 

 

[grokit]

You might want to post that in the LCD-2 amp thread as well, thanks.

 

[log0]

I'm hoping the Schiit Lyr would do a better job, he mentions it on the product intro page on the Schiit website
 
 
Quote:

“The popularity of orthodynamic headphones such as the Audeze LCD-2 and HiFiMan HE-4, HE-5, and HE-6 has created a need for very high-power headphone amps,” said Jason Stoddard, Co-Founder of Schiit. “Lyr exceeds the power needs of these low-impedance, low-efficiency headphones, while also being easy on the wallet.”

 
Quote:

 
If anyone else was thinking about pairing it with the Valhalla, this was the response I got.

 
Quote:

  One caveat: The Valhalla is a great match for the HD650 and HD800, but it's going to struggle with the Audeze 'phones, since they're both low-impedance and low-sensitivity. If you're looking for headbanging levels from the Audeze, the Valhalla will be a disappointment.
All the best,
Jason Stoddard
Co-Founder