[vanhiel]

Hey guys/gals,
 
Since the nearest Audez'e dealer is a 14hr round trip from me and their apparently not taking new dealers until they get the LCD-3 back on track (Or so my local shop that is trying to become a dealer tells me)... I'm looking at buying a pair of LCD-2s (or perhaps 3s but I think I may actually find them too dark?) from HeadRoom and risking the shipping both ways to give them a try since I haven't found something that is exactly what I'm looking for yet.
 
So I'm hoping if I say what I like and don't like about other phones I have tried that you guys might be able to say if it's worth the risk to try them or to not bother since I likely wouldn't like them.  Or could perhaps suggest something else I should look into trying that could get me the sound I'm after.
 
My current speaker setup is a PeachTree Decco65 with B&W CM5s.  It's somewhat dark/warm and very smooth sounding with very punchy bass as in speed and impact not just tons of ill defined bass.
 
As for other phones I've tried:
1) Grado 225i - I've owned them for years, after the B&Ws I just can't do the sound anymore.  The 4kish bump adds way too much bite to guitars and the one in the 8-10k region makes cymbal ring out unnaturally splashy and present.
2) Denon D7100 - I only listened to them for like 30 seconds.  WAY too much bass for dense rock/metal and it didn't seem all that well defined.
3) HiFiMan HE-6 - I tried this with the Schiit Lyr and Mjolnir and with the lack of bass punch I think the amps weren't able to properly drive them.  Or their just not that punchy.  I have to say no since I want something that's easier to amp so I can get a portable amp and rock out with my iPod on my lunch break and such.
4) HiFiMan HE-500 - Easier to drive but still lacking some in the bass punch department.  I'm thinking it may just be part of the HiFiMan sound.  Sounded good, but not quite what I'm looking for.
5) Beyerdynamic T1 Tesla - These things through the Lyr get me like 90% of what I'm looking for.  The bass was super punchy, well defined and the mids were great as well.  Through the Valhalla I think I'd give it like almost 95% of the sound I want, guess I'm a fan of the SET sound.  But I could hear a pretty good bump in the 8-10kHz region that was giving cymbal decay a big boost and making them stand out way too much a lot like the Grados.
 
Now looking at the frequency response graphs over at HeadRoom, the Beyer and Audez'e look close enough in the lows and mids.  With the LCD having more bass extension which I can't argue with and the Beyer having like 1db more in the mids.  However that peak that 8-10kHz peak I hate takes a nosedive in a way I really like the looks of.  But I wonder if something like the Lyr or Mjolnir will be able to drive them to get me that great punchy bass of the Beyers?
 
 
I think I've rambled on enough at this point.  And I'd like to thank anyone in advance who would be able to offer me some advice.

 

[tomb]

Sounds to me that paying the shipping both ways is a lot less expensive than driving a 14 hour round trip.  Why not give it a shot with HeadRoom's try-out policy?  Also, if you say the Valhalla gave you 95% of the sound you want, why are you asking about the LCD-2 with a Lyr or Mjolnir?  Honestly, if you're going to spend $1000 for a pair of headphones, you should at least consider providing the amplification that you seem to prefer.

 

[vanhiel]

True, but spending $40 or however much shipping would cost me if they won't get me closer to the sound I want is a waste and a few LP's I could have bought!

  So it never hurts to ask people who have heard or own both to see what they think.
 
As for the amp, the Valhalla likely wouldn't drive the Audez'es very well since it's designed more for headphones in the 300+ ohm range and doesn't have a lot of power behind it.  I'd certainly give it a try at the local shop with the other two if I get them but I don't have high hopes for it working well for the application.  And well I need something to power them between getting them and then saving up enough to get a nice balanced SET since those will set me back like two grand... And locally I can pick from Schiit, Burson and a few Fosgate models to demo.

 

[tomb]

Quote:

True, but spending $40 or however much shipping would cost me if they won't get me closer to the sound I want is a waste and a few LP's I could have bought!

  So it never hurts to ask people who have heard or own both to see what they think.
 
As for the amp, the Valhalla likely wouldn't drive the Audez'es very well since it's designed more for headphones in the 300+ ohm range and doesn't have a lot of power behind it.  I'd certainly give it a try at the local shop with the other two if I get them but I don't have high hopes for it working well for the application.  And well I need something to power them between getting them and then saving up enough to get a nice balanced SET since those will set me back like two grand... And locally I can pick from Schiit, Burson and a few Fosgate models to demo.

No - you're right.  I forgot the Valhalla was OTL.  A hybrid (Lyr?) is probably the best if you still want tubes.
 
All that said, I think you're right about the LCD-2's.  They're not my cup of tea, but then I'm a Grado person.  LCD-2's sound severely rolled off (to me) above high-midrange.  Their bass is outstanding, though.

 

[vanhiel]

Severely rolled off above the high mids when compared to Grados is basically the exact sound I'm going for... I guess I really do need to do it and give em a go.  If all else fails I can always go for the T1's and a 31 band studio EQ!
 
Now to look more into amps and wait for the overtime check... Wonder if those Woo Audio Transformer coupled SET amps would do the trick.  Guess I should email them on that.