[tempocalypse]

Hi all,

I'm just looking for some thoughts and suggestions as I look to make my first big headphone purchase in a long while (I did buy a portable Audeze Sine recently but talking about the main home rig here). I live in the Maldives which is a tiny country with no real hi fi dealers. Thus I need to purchase abroad if I want to audition. I'm planning on going to Singapore around the end of the year so that seems a good opportunity.

Little background: I started off with the original pre-fazor first version LCD2 back around 2011 (or was it 2010?) I had it plugged into a Centrance Dacport and then subsequently a Yamamoto HA-02 which I got based on a recommendation from a friend. In retrospect I think it wasn't a particularly well advised buy in terms of matching my headphones.

A little later I wanted to upgrade my DAC and got myself a Lavry DA-11 which I've been very happy with. In fact in I find the built in amplifier to be better than the Yamamoto in most respects although vocals have an amazing lush (?) quality on the HA-02. Note: I don't really have the same vocabulary most headfiers haver to describe the sound, I hear things but Im not sure how exactly to describe them!

Anyway I've been pretty content for a while but recently Ive begun to think I could do with an upgrade. Back then I was mostly listening to alternative rock and metal with a smattering of pop and classical. Last couple of years though I've gotten into atmospheric post rock in a big way (Mogwai etc) as well as some similarly airy electronic music. More recently I've also started getting into Jazz seriously (The Lavry DA-11 cross-feed is great for older recordings where instruments are positioned hard left or right)

As such I've been thinking about getting a more neutral headphone with better sound staging and imaging. The king in this area appears to be the HD800. The new HD800S seems pretty attractive as its supposedly has better bass and fixes some treble issues. That said the LCD-X should be an improvement over my existing LCD-2 in these areas while being a lot more neutral. I've not listened to either yet.

*I was originally considering the LCD-XC but now Im thinking on the occasions Im bothered by noise at home I can use the Sine but I should get an open headphone as my main pair.

I'm also thinking of an amp upgrade a few months later, I auditioned the Burson conductor and the Woo WA6SE with the LCD-XC although only briefly about a couple of months ago when I was buying the Sine. I strongly preferred the WA6SE.

The dealer I bought the Sine from carries Sennheiser, Woo, and Audeze so I will have the chance to audition the two headphones together with the WA6SE. I have a poor audio memory in the sense of listening to a headphone and then trying to critically compare with something I heard sometime earlier. So the chance to to an A/B comparison of the headphones with the intended amp while calmly sitting down is very helpful.

That said there are dealers for nearly all the other brands in the same mall though I won't be able to directly compare next to each other (The Adelphi mall in Singapore is pretty much all Hifi stores). So is there anything else you guys would suggest I also check out or consider? Or indeed opinions between the LCD-X and HD800S. While of course I must make the decision ultimately, I wold appreciate advice from the collective knowledge-base of head fi I've not really kept up with HiFi news much until recently when I started thinking about this upgrade.

Ps. I don't want to exceed the price range of the HD800S/ LCD-X.

pps. sorry about the length of this post!

 

[cossix]

I've heard the 800 and 800S, and own the LCD2 Fazor. I'd say go with the 800S for your musical tastes. I liked it a lot with Jazz and acoustic. The LCDX is also the heaviest out of the line so I feel like it would be even more uncomfortable. The 800S is more comfy by a mile IMO. I'd say it's the better purchase but I personally like the Audeze sound more. If only I could have both

 

[tempocalypse]

I've heard the 800 and 800S, and own the LCD2 Fazor. I'd say go with the 800S for your musical tastes. I liked it a lot with Jazz and acoustic. The LCDX is also the heaviest out of the line so I feel like it would be even more uncomfortable. The 800S is more comfy by a mile IMO. I'd say it's the better purchase but I personally like the Audeze sound more. If only I could have both

Oh yeah I've been thinking about comfort too. As I said haven't tried the HD800 and LCD-X yet but I actually found the super heavy LCD-XC *more* comfortable than the LCD 2 due to the better pads. The front area of the angled pads are just too thin on the original LCD2 and puts a bit of uncomfortable pressure on my face. I can tolerate it for quite a while if I shift it around slightly every now and then but being comfortable to begin with is better than having to tolerate! Though I don't consider the LCD2 a torture device, I think most headphones will be a comfort upgrade!

Still, I will probably keep the LCD2 I think regardless of which new HP I get. So I'm hoping they make the suspension headband from the newly introduced LCD2 Classic available for purchase separately. The carbon fibre one from the LCD4 is a bit pricey but I would like to give the LCD2 a comfort upgrade with softer pads and a suspension headband.

 

[Music Alchemist]

I like the LCD-X a lot more than the HD 800. (Even when the latter is equalized extensively and/or driven from systems costing thousands.) It's like an improved LCD-2F. And yes, a suspension headband (I had one) is a good idea.

 

[tempocalypse]

I like the LCD-X a lot more than the HD 800. (Even when the latter is equalized extensively and/or driven from systems costing thousands.) It's like an improved LCD-2F. And yes, a suspension headband (I had one) is a good idea.

Was that the HD800 or the 800S as well? What did you find unpleasant about the HD800 in particular (especially in relation to the LCD-X)?

 

[Music Alchemist]

Was that the HD800 or the 800S as well? What did you find unpleasant about the HD800 in particular (especially in relation to the LCD-X)?

HD 800. Most of the time it sounded overly tight, dry, mechanical, synthetic, etc. to me, even when I equalized it. (Without EQ it was also too thin and harsh. Click here to see what I mean.) I'm assuming it's due to the drivers, in which case it could apply to the HD 800 S as well even if it has improved acoustic absorption and a slightly more linear stock frequency response. It has impressive technical performance, but I couldn't get past the compromises. I'm sure it would sound better with the physical modifications that some like to use on it.

The LCD-X has a good tonal balance (even without EQ) and none of the issues listed above. However, planar magnetics have another problem: they sound too lush to me. It's like it's rounding off and smoothing things over. Sounds good, but not real to me. That's why I prefer electrostats personally.

 

[tempocalypse]

HD 800. Most of the time it sounded overly tight, dry, mechanical, synthetic, etc. to me, even when I equalized it. (Without EQ it was also too thin and harsh. Click here to see what I mean.) I'm assuming it's due to the drivers, in which case it could apply to the HD 800 S as well even if it has improved acoustic absorption and a slightly more linear stock frequency response. It has impressive technical performance, but I couldn't get past the compromises. I'm sure it would sound better with the physical modifications that some like to use on it.

The LCD-X has a good tonal balance (even without EQ) and none of the issues listed above. However, planar magnetics have another problem: they sound too lush to me. It's like it's rounding off and smoothing things over. Sounds good, but not real to me. That's why I prefer electrostats personally.

*strokes chin* you know the dealer I mentioned above also carries Stax...

In all seriousness though I would like a top of the line electrostat and accompanying amp at some point but I don't think I can swing it just yet. Which electrostat do you use?

 

[Music Alchemist]

*strokes chin* you know the dealer I mentioned above also carries Stax...

In all seriousness though I would like a top of the line electrostat and accompanying amp at some point but I don't think I can swing it just yet. Which electrostat do you use?

I use speakers now, but everything is listed on my profile.

And yeah, it would be a good idea to just audition everything you can.

Also, used STAX systems are available for as low as a few hundred dollars.

My ranking of the 'stats I had would be SR-L300 > SR-207 > ESP950 > SR-Lambda > SR-30

(The last one is an electret, which is a variation of electrostatic technology with a permanent charge built-in.)

 

[tempocalypse]

I use speakers now, but everything is listed on my profile.

And yeah, it would be a good idea to just audition everything you can.

Also, used STAX systems are available for as low as a few hundred dollars.

My ranking of the 'stats I had would be SR-L300 > SR-207 > ESP950 > SR-Lambda > SR-30

(The last one is an electret, which is a variation of electrostatic technology with a permanent charge built-in.)

Used equipment is a bit of a pain for me as shipping times to my country are very unpredictable. I've had estimates of 2 weeks end up taking a month and a half. Only method I trust is courier services like DHL but that gets expensive fast. And then customs will present a fresh nightmare...

That said based on your suggestions I've spent most of this Saturday reading up on the current Lambda series. I don't know why I ignored them before. I suppose most review roundups of good headphones mention the SR009 as the ultimate but the rest of the lineup don't seem to get a lot of publicity. But the impressions from users here are very intriguing. I shall definitely try out the L300, L500 and L700 together with the 252S and 353X amps when I go over. All of those combos should be within budget except L700+353X. But if thats the combo I prefer I suppose I could get the 252S amp to start with and 353X later. I do need two amps at home in the long run; one for the desk and one for the bedroom.

Anyway will see how the Stax fare against the HD800 and LCD-X come the new year. Thanks for pointing me in this direction.