[Happy Camper]

The best pairing for the 800s to date for me was the GS-XII but I'm sure there are some tasty tube/ss amps with a different flavor. Price is irrelevant in the scheme of what sounds good. Price is something the seller thinks they can get away with and the user is willing to pay in this market. Can't take cost of build into account and base a price on it like most commercial products. The OCDs are a novel sound initially but the big bass presentation gets tiring for me. Classic rock is wonderful on them but when you want to settle into a book and use them for background, they are like an impetuous child and you can't do anything else but pay attention to them.

 

[Radio_head]

Quote:

Worth $6.5K 

  when a sub 1K amp (Mjolnir) get about the best there is to get out of the LCDs.  Just can't justify a $5K increase 

The Mojo definitely has grunt for the LCD's but it doesn't seem to convey the same subtlety.  The Mojo is kind of like having JCVD in an action movie - great when it requires heavy lifting, not so great when trying to give subtle cues at emotion.  The LAu is like having Eastwood or Bronson.  Then again, most action movies don't need much acting anyways, so one could argue JCVD is fine and save 5K.
 
The LAu is also fantastic with a larger variety of headphones other than just orthos.

 

[preproman]

Quote:

The Mojo definitely has grunt for the LCD's but it doesn't seem to convey the same subtlety.  The Mojo is kind of like having JCVD in an action movie - great when it requires heavy lifting, not so great when trying to give subtle cues at emotion.  The LAu is like having Eastwood or Bronson.  Then again, most action movies don't need much acting anyways, so one could argue JCVD is fine and save 5K.
 
The LAu is also fantastic with a larger variety of headphones other than just orthos.

 
Yeah the Mojo is not that flexible and I only liked it with the LCDs. That maybe just me.  If we're talking about value, I know it's a relative term, but the value of the Mojo when compared to the LAu is very lopsided when using the LCDs. The LCDs don't really need much for them to sound their best (LCD-3 a tad bit more than the LCD-2).  HD800s maybe a different story.  Heck, we put the Mojo and the $200 a-100 side by side with the LCD-3s and really could not tell the difference.  That was with some Death Metal tracks.  

 

[preproman]

Quote:

The best pairing for the 800s to date for me was the GS-XII but I'm sure there are some tasty tube/ss amps with a different flavor. Price is irrelevant in the scheme of what sounds good. Price is something the seller thinks they can get away with and the user is willing to pay in this market. Can't take cost of build into account and base a price on it like most commercial products. The OCDs are a novel sound initially but the big bass presentation gets tiring for me. Classic rock is wonderful on them but when you want to settle into a book and use them for background, they are like an impetuous child and you can't do anything else but pay attention to them.

 
 
I guess your talking about the LCD-3s?

 

[Happy Camper]

I guess your talking about the LCD-3s?

Yes.

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

 
 
Well,
 
Maybe if you roll some tubes, you can get the same satisfying results out the LCD-3s "in your setup" at home as you did with the HD800s.  Nothing like having them at home and tweaking your setup - like you did with the HD800s.  Heck, if you heard the HD800s at that same show for the first time on "their" setup, you might not like them as well.
 
Also, please explain what "sounded like an expensive high-end pair of headphones" means?

Exactly. Being so different to drive (and sonically so different) tube compliments would be quite different. When I had my WA22, I had my "HD800 tubes" and my "LCD-3 tubes".

 

[reeltime]

Quote:

Exactly. Being so different to drive (and sonically so different) tube compliments would be quite different. When I had my WA22, I had my "HD800 tubes" and my "LCD-3 tubes".

 
I hear what you are saying, but don't miss the point--  
 
Audeze isn't going to mate their flagship headphone with a bad amp at a trade show.  The whole point is to move product, right?  
 
I just wasn't blown away or anything, that's all, and I was hoping for bass I'd never before heard in a headphone.  

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

 
I hear what you are saying, but don't miss the point--  
 
Audeze isn't going to mate their flagship headphone with a bad amp at a trade show.  The whole point is to move product, right?  
 
I just wasn't blown away or anything, that's all, and I was hoping for bass I'd never before heard in a headphone.  

You'd be surprised. 

 

[commtrd]

 
Quote:

You'd be surprised. 

Sure hope so!

 

[reeltime]

Quote:

You'd be surprised. 

 

 

[Radio_head]

You see it in the speaker world all the time.  Brands pair together at shows and sometimes it seems like a particular amp company is actually making the speaker worse.  But its more about politics and money.  In this case its brilliant because Audieze has more recognition and market saturation in the US so theres less point to team up with say Cavalli or RWA as they have in the past.  The Bakoon/Klutz group is unique because they cover two markets that Audeze really wants to penetrate, Europe (Klutz) and Asia (Bakoon.) 
 
Not saying the Bakoon rig is or isn't good/bad, but just because two products are paired together does not always make it the best pairing or even (sometimes) a good one.

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

You see it in the speaker world all the time.  Brands pair together at shows and sometimes it seems like a particular amp company is actually making the speaker worse.  But its more about politics and money.  In this case its brilliant because Audieze has more recognition and market saturation in the US so theres less point to team up with say Cavalli or RWA as they have in the past.  The Bakoon/Klutz group is unique because they cover two markets that Audeze really wants to penetrate, Europe (Klutz) and Asia (Bakoon.) 
 
Not saying the Bakoon rig is or isn't good/bad, but just because two products are paired together does not always make it the best pairing or even (sometimes) a good one.

^ This.

 

[Icenine2]

I only have the LCD2.2.  The pairing between those and my Liquid Fire is truly a joy.  The Liquid Gold I had for a while with them was way beyond that into the high-end-nirvana category.

 

[CanDude]

I have only read the first post in this thread. What you need is Bakoon HPA-21! See the thread http://www.head-fi.org/t/664097/bakoon-hpa-21-headphone-amplifier-one-of-the-best
 
I use it with my LCD-3 and HD800. After I bought LCD-2 and later LCD-3 I didn't like HD800 anymore. Not with my BHA-1 either. Fortunately I didn't sell them since I now love them with HPA-21!
 
HPA-21 is developed using LCD-3 and it just received the RED FINGERPRINT award by High Fidelity, where the reviewer mainly used HD800.

 

[Solude]

If you want a HPA-21, buy a First Watt F1J instead and save some cash while also receiving something that can double as a heater for your listening room
 
No offence to Bakoon but not being able to trickle charge while listening is beyond stupid design choice.  Price is also very high given other options at that range.