LCD-2 vs Grado RS2i

[j14mp]

I own the rs2i and love them, but thought it was time I upgrade to something a little more serious. I received the LCD-2 rev 2s and honestly, I'm not blown away. I'm only using a dragonfly so I don't expect god like performance, but I at least expected some kind of leap in improvement considering the lcds are twice the price.. Is the dragonfly just a poor match?

I'm not an audiophile. I choose higher end audio because my hearing is muddy and muted. I have a hard time hearing high frequencies, but are still bothersome when present. Am I the bottle cap? Is the rs2 the best my ears can do? I don't think so. Some would recommend hd800's for someone like me, but the way people describe them is very similar to what I experienced with the 325i.. Harsh. I remember cringing when I got up into the higher notes on piano.

I listen to all kinds of music, but I mainly use headphones while playing piano. The piano sounds AMAZING with the RS2i, much much clearer sounding than lcd2s. Why is that??

Remember, I'm not an audiophile, just a guy who wants to hear the most from his music.

 

[swspiers]

I think you're right on target.  Stepping up to a better amp will greatly improve the LCD2. They need some juice.

 

[TMRaven]

RS2 is harsh sounding to my ears, it gives the sense of false clarity. You're probably used to its sound and not used to the LCD2's sound.  Best option would be to get acclimated to the LCD2's sound.

 

[SP Wild]

The LCD2 has a reference type sound.  With anything reference, it means a reference DB has to be achieved, with that a good amp is a must.  I found my Grado HF2 to sound very neutral to me when I listen with a lower db setting to take advantage of the loudness contour and the HF2s V type response.

 

[j14mp]

What amp pairs well with a dragonfly though? I assume I can plug an amp into that. It's a conveniently cheap dac haha

 

[TMRaven]

Nobody wants to listen at 105db for sustained periods of time with a headphone.  LCD2 needing reference levels of volume is not true.

 

[SP Wild]

  Nobody wants to listen at 105db for sustained periods of time with a headphone.  LCD2 needing reference levels of volume is not true.

 Who mentioned anything about 105db?  You seem to have no clue what reference db actually is.

 

[swspiers]

 
 Who mentioned anything about 105db?  You seem to have no clue what reference db actually is.

105 dB is considered the max reference level.  Thankfully the most accepted reference level is actually 85 dB.
 
  And yeah, I automatically think of 105 dB being a reference level, probably from some white paper I read back in the day.  Which is of course incorrect, but an easy mistake to make...

 

[TMRaven]

Yes, sorry.  85db with 20db peaks for 105db.  Your typical live orchestra a couple rows back is in the 90db range, plus or minus some.
 
I personally don't want to listen to headphones that loud, and I certainly never listened to the LCD2 that loud.

 

[SP Wild]

  105 dB is considered the max reference level.  Thankfully the most accepted reference level is actually 85 dB.
 
  And yeah, I automatically think of 105 dB being a reference level, probably from some white paper I read back in the day.  Which is of course incorrect, but an easy mistake to make...

If you wanna reference THX certification, then yeah 85db with a 20db headroom is the reference db.  If you wanna reference normal conversation speech levels that would be about 60db.  It all depends on whatever it is you are referencing...a lower volume than whatever it is you would like to reference would not be reference at all, hence no neutrality can be established if this is the case...just use whatever headphone floats your boat.
 
Some might find the LCD2 maybe even still too 'dark' at reference, well in that case, everyone does hear differently and another can of worms that no one wants opened.

 

[swspiers]

Anyway, these are both awesome headphones, both of which will benefit with a better amp.  The RS2's work well on just about anything, but the LCD2's probably do best with something around one watt, give or take a few mW's
 
Wow, I love how we can so innocently go down rabbit holes.  If nothing else, it was great to exchance ideas with you guys!

 

[SP Wild]

That's the point of head-fi, to share experiences and expand our collective pool of knowledge.  With more accessible knowledge, one would hope to avoid the rabbit hole that I myself have fallen into many times. 
 
I know in the past, my opinions of headphones kept changing - one day I like a headphone and another day I didn't.  Lately I've come to a realisation that this was more than likely that I have vastly different preferences in headphone listening volume, depending on how I felt at the time...this was the reason for my constant mind changing with headphones.
 
I remember getting the HF2s and posting immediately they were neutral...to my surprise...then another day - I think, why'd I post that - they're not neutral and can fatigue with brightness quickly...because at the time I heard them initially, it was of low volume...then later went for a 'realistic' volume and experienced contradiction...and the issue of volume never occurred to me until lately.  It took me all of 2 years to realise this.

 

[j14mp]

I always welcome debate in any thread I post.  I used to be an avid poster on Evom though and OH MY GOD, those guys can't handle controversy very well lol
 
I spent some time switching back and forth between the 2 last night and today.  There really isn't any comparison.  The LCD-2 is much easier to listen too, everything sounds much farther away while gaining even more clarity.  The bass punch isn't the same.  The RS-2 will slam right into your ear making it feel like the can itself is moving, but the punch on the lcd-2 is more illustrated instead of being like a physical blow.  More sound like than punch like.  Does that make sense?  This is a non audiophile description so all those fancy terms won't be used here haha.  Both sound neutral (I know what that means!)  It's just the nature of the bass and how its delivered through the can, ear pad and ear canal.  I love it.  I love them both!  Polygamy for life.  
 
The headphones get plenty loud with the dragonfly, what benefit will any other amp do?  Make it louder?  I don't want it any louder.  Im deaf enough.

 

[SP Wild]

If your using only to play the electric piano, the absolute advantages of either designs are not so obvious.  The Grado will punch harder in the midbass than the Audeze and it will bite harder as well.  But the last time I was in front of an acoustic piano, I felt it sounded remarkably similar to how the LCD2 would present the sound of the keys - especially in the bass.  See if you can't adapt to the sound, use them exclusively for a while before going back to the Grado and see how you feel then?

 

[j14mp]

I aCtually traded the grados today for paradigm a2s "monitor" type deals. They were amazing at audition.