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Would you mind describing what you view to be the difference between the HE-560 vs the LCD-2 signature? My only experience with planars are modified Fostex T50RP. I know price isn't everything, but based on your description it sounds like you very much prefer the less expensive HE-560 over the pricier Audeze.
The modded T50RP can sound good & there are a few modded versions around. And to answer -
Most all planars have a warmer sound signature, but very few have a brighter signature, and although I don't like to use the descriptive term "bright", feeling it is misleading, it is a term often used to distinguish from warm. Some feel bright means a bad connotation, but it's just a poor term, anyway...(using the term here) - the HE-560 has a brighter, rather than warmer signature. Liken it sorta as a planar sound analogy closer to the comparison of dynamic HD800 or HD800"s", to the HD650, as far as brighter than warmer.
Being that I most enjoy electrostatic headphones, the HE560 planar sound appeals to me. Granted, the HE-6 is a better overall performer.
Soundwise briefly, the HE-560 is bright, has fast bass, detailed mids & sparkling, brilliant highs. Bass extension & quality is very good and nicely layered. It really responds better to finer amps.
The LCD-2 is warm, has lush mids, very strong & deep bass with heavy impact, but the bass is not as fast, and is slower in transients & decay. The high end rolls off at the top.
Many folks prefer the warmer approach for long sessions with less fatigue, but if a brighter headphone is properly tuned by the mfr & properly amp'd by the user - a great brighter headphone also should not cause fatigue, when done right. That said though, some folks are very sensitive to some frequencies in the high range, preferring a warmer signature, while others are not sensitive to these peaks & may or may not like the brighter signature, based on preference.
This is just a summary, it's been a long time since hearing the LCD-2 to recall it's imaging & soundstage width-depth-heigth, but I do own HE-560 in my collection, among other planars.
Prices for Audeze characteristically show a lot of mark-up; some HiFiMan prices recently have dropped nicely, such as HE-560 and HE-400"i" (a great value buy for it's performance).
The totl flagships for both brands are costly. These 2 brands and models pointed out in post #398 were mentioned only because the Monoprice Monolith M1060 may share some parts of these brands or their oem suppliers, yet so far it seems the driver may be closer to an Audeze rather than a HiFiMan based on specs only, purely speculative. There are other brands of planars, but we just don't know yet if those have anything in common with the Monoprice yet. We'll soon know when folks get the M1060 & then open them apart to compare drivers and internal tuning, dampening, etc to both Audeze & HiFiMan, maybe even other brands too.
Also, soon we may see folks disassembling their M560 they have now, to see if the parts, especially drivers, are similar to other brands' models.
The M1060 may be an excellent performer per dollar & I may consider getting one after the reviews come out, depending on where it sits against the competition. So far, it may seem to become a mid-fi value if it sounds good & we are hoping so ! If the sound is great & per dollar undercuts the competition, that is most welcome in our hobby where prices (noted totl flagships) are too high.
Hope this helps.
