[Matt B]

Sorry, slight change to my original post (which sadly got no answers)
 
I am between these three phones, mostly for electronic music (rev 2 is outside my budget)
 
any input is greatly appreciated...as a reference I have owned markl modded d5000's which I quite liked and really enjoyed the T1 when I tried it...

 

[NA Blur]

I would go with the HE-500.  The LCD-2 Rev 1 which I currently own is a great headphone but due to some slight blurring of the instrument separation the HE-500 is a better option.  The issue I have with the HE-500, other than it being made outside the USA, is that the headband is quite large.  For those of us with medium to small sized heads the headphones will not allow for the proper location of the drivers around the ear.  I had to prop the HE-500 up about an inch or so to get the sound I wanted which was clean, smooth, and pretty fast.  The sound stage opened up about 30% by doing the lift.
 
I hope that helps.
 
It does look like the current batch of LCD-2 Rev 2 and LCD-3 drivers sound awesome.  Tyll Hertsens gave me one of each pair to test and boy do they sound awesome.  The Rev 2 Bamboo is lighter and a definite upgrade to the Rev 1.  The LCD-3 has virtually no blurring and the headphone is so fast that it is now hard to listen to anything else while I have it around.

 

[jerg]

All three are fantastic on their own right, but none of the three is perfect for electronic music;
 
LCD2 has hands down the best bass but also has withdrawn treble and lacks great instrument separation,
 
HE500s have the best neutrality and mids but is not as warm or bassy as LCD2 / HE400 so it may not have the impact factor needed for electronic music,
 
HE400s IMO have the best tonal balance for electronic (similar bass level as LCD2, but also more shimmery treble and similar instrument separation as HE500) but suffers in refinement from not having a black background due to some midrange ringing
 
 
So if you are set on one of these three, you gotta prioritize what is more important.
 
 
Do know though these are RELATIVE flaws when matching one of the three against the other two, they are by no means slouch in any of the things I mentioned, compared to other headphones.

 

[GL1TCH3D]

All three are fantastic on their own right, but none of the three is perfect for electronic music;

LCD2 has hands down the best bass but also has withdrawn treble and lacks great instrument separation,

HE500s have the best neutrality and mids but is not as warm or bassy as LCD2 / HE400 so it may not have the impact factor needed for electronic music,

HE400s IMO have the best tonal balance for electronic (similar bass level as LCD2, but also more shimmery treble and similar instrument separation as HE500) but suffers in refinement from not having a black background due to some midrange ringing


So if you are set on one of these three, you gotta prioritize what is more important.


Do know though these are RELATIVE flaws when matching one of the three against the other two, they are by no means slouch in any of the things I mentioned, compared to other headphones.

While the treble clarity isn't as great with the HD800, I find with my O2+ODAC it still has a very lean and pronounced treble. Maybe the drop-off is earlier than with other headphones but that bass is too surreal.
I heard the LCD2 opens up a lot more with a custom cable so I'll try getting my hands on one of those.

 

[Tyll Hertsens]

Quote:

It does look like the current batch of LCD-2 Rev 2 and LCD-3 drivers sound awesome.  Tyll Hertsens gave me one of each pair to test and boy do they sound awesome.  The Rev 2 Bamboo is lighter and a definite upgrade to the Rev 1.  The LCD-3 has virtually no blurring and the headphone is so fast that it is now hard to listen to anything else while I have it around.

 
 
Bwa ha ha ha ha ha!  Toldja!

 

[ulogin]

Wait... I remember reading Tyll saying that the new batch is gold. Should I hold off selling my LCD-3 and have it RMA'ed then? I thought what Audeze do for the "new" LCD-3 is to make it sound natural / neutral (kind of trying to be HD800 but then it's no longer LCD3).  Indeed, this guy said that he prefers his original one...
 
First batch vs. RMA'ed LCD-3

1. [img]http://cdn.head-fi.org/c/c9/100x100px-LS-c9717518_Stax018.jpeg[/img]

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Let's talk about bass in some high end headphones, including the LCD3's. In my experience, the LCD2 Rev 1's bass is fatty when compared with the LCD3 or the SR009. The weight is there but it lacks depth despite what the graph suggested. Pre RMA LCD3 driven from the LF had the best bass I have heard from full size headphones, and has the best balance between weight and depth. But SR009 still has the deepest bass. Post RMA LCD3's bass is still satisfying but is a bit of a disappointment when compared with my first one, which was in the very first batch of LCD3 commercial production.

 

[MalVeauX]

Quote:

Sorry, slight change to my original post (which sadly got no answers)
 
I am between these three phones, mostly for electronic music (rev 2 is outside my budget)
 
any input is greatly appreciated...as a reference I have owned markl modded d5000's which I quite liked and really enjoyed the T1 when I tried it...

 
Heya,
 
If you're at all on a budget, HE-400 out of your list. But that's only if you want an open planar magnetic. It seems you're after an ortho. But I question it for electronic. I find myself reaching for my D5000's when I listen to electronic, not my HE-500's and not the HE-400's either. Electronic just sounds great with impactful sub-bass. Maybe consider a nice D7000 or something. Or perhaps with your budget, consider two headphones even. But frankly I wouldn't get a high-end like the LCD/HE500 for electronic primary listening. I say that as someone who did just that, as I listen to primarily a lot of electronic, but a lot of jazz/acoustic too.
 
What kind of sound are you looking to get? Describe how you like bass to sound. Describe how you want the mids and treble to be presented. Describe your listening environment.
 
Also, do you have appropriate source equipment capable of running a power hungry ortho (not including the HE400)?
 
Very best,

 

[Zoom25]

Late reply, don't know if the OP already pulled the trigger or not. Regardless, I would consider the HE-500. I also have the Denon D2000. Besides DNB with only sub-bass, the HE-500 pretty much beats the Denon in 90% of electronic music. 
 
90% of my music is all electronic (dubstep, house, deep house, prog, minimalistic, trance, electro, psychedelic, DNB).
 
The only thing that Denon has on HE-500 is comfort and sub-bass rattle. The HE-500 beats it in every way. 
 
The HE-500 is so fast and airy, brings out the ambience nicely. Mids are excellent and fits vocal trance quite nicely. Also the treble is ridiculously fast and detailed (although sometimes can seem fatiguing at loud volumes) - It's essentially too good for it's own good. 
 
If the track is mastered well, and the artist actually puts work in the ambience, it all comes out with HE-500. Artists on the Above and Beyond Label usually  make top stuff - they all sound great.
 
Here are my thoughts from a while back on D2000 vs HE-500 for electronic music specifically: post #36
 
 

 

[KCxSmacker]

Quote:

 
Heya,
 
If you're at all on a budget, HE-400 out of your list. But that's only if you want an open planar magnetic. It seems you're after an ortho. But I question it for electronic. I find myself reaching for my D5000's when I listen to electronic, not my HE-500's and not the HE-400's either. Electronic just sounds great with impactful sub-bass. Maybe consider a nice D7000 or something. Or perhaps with your budget, consider two headphones even. But frankly I wouldn't get a high-end like the LCD/HE500 for electronic primary listening. I say that as someone who did just that, as I listen to primarily a lot of electronic, but a lot of jazz/acoustic too.
 
What kind of sound are you looking to get? Describe how you like bass to sound. Describe how you want the mids and treble to be presented. Describe your listening environment.
 
Also, do you have appropriate source equipment capable of running a power hungry ortho (not including the HE400)?
 
Very best,

+1 to this. I also seem to reach for my d5ks over the he400s for electronic music. Also the denons are comfy ^_^. He-400 is no slacker though.