[scott5526]

In a couple months I'm going to be graduating from my high school so I was hoping to get a new headphone setup before college with approx. a 2k budget.  Right now I'm using a Grado 225i with senn yellow pads and an Ibasso d12 with stock opamps.  I enjoy the "in your face" sound of the grados, but would like more precision.  I also appreciate good mids, punchy bass, and high, but not screechy, highs.  I listen to some nightwish/glitch mob along with breaking benjamin, and some other rock bands.  Right now I'm looking at either a stand-alone LCD-3 to be powered by my d12, an LCD-2 with a Meier Audio Concerto amp, or the grados with an unknown amp.  I understand that it doesnt take much to power the grados, but if there is a specific amp that anybody knows of that complements them well that would be great.  Any advice?

 

[LCfiner]

I don’t think you would like the Audeze headphones based on what you like about the Grados. The LCD2 is very dark with shelved treble. It has good bass but little energy for the high end. They are the exact opposite of Grados, really. I owned a pair of the the rev2 and never really enjoyed them.
 
And, personally, the LCD3 is just super, duper expensive for someone just starting college. so although it might be better than the LCD2, the doubling of the cost seems like a poor choice, to be honest. 
 
I have not used the 225 but I’ve owned an SR60, HF2, RS2 and RS1. The RS1 is my favourite of all those. It’s not a bass monster but it has good kick and the classic grado midrange. 
 
Used RS1s go on sale here on head fi pretty frequently for around 500 or a bit less. I do not think they require a massively expensive amp to sound great. I have used them with a DNA Sonett and it’s a good match but my trusty old Fiio E9 doesn’t do a bad job, either.

 

[Head Injury]

Rather than the LCD-2/3, maybe take a look at the Hifiman HE-500. It's got a bigger treble peak, still a far cry from Grados but closer to home.

 

[Gwarmi]

 
 
 I take it there is no way for you to audition the LCD-2/LCD-3?
 
 Just a word of warning, I know a few long time owners who are now complaining of neck
 and temple pain from long term use. It does not always end up being the most
 comfortable headphone.
 
 Does not bother me, but 2 to 3 hours use a day indefinitely, could make them
 a strain on your head.
 
 Bit baffled by this though
 
 "I also appreciate good mids, punchy bass, and high, but not screechy, highs."
 
 You own a Grado 225i, so either your recordings are mint or I assume you're
 talking about extreme sibilance here which no one likes!

 

[scott5526]

Quote:

 
 
 I take it there is no way for you to audition the LCD-2/LCD-3?
 
 Just a word of warning, I know a few long time owners who are now complaining of neck
 and temple pain from long term use. It does not always end up being the most
 comfortable headphone.
 
 Does not bother me, but 2 to 3 hours use a day indefinitely, could make them
 a strain on your head.
 
 Bit baffled by this though
 
 "I also appreciate good mids, punchy bass, and high, but not screechy, highs."
 
 You own a Grado 225i, so either your recordings are mint or I assume you're
 talking about extreme sibilance here which no one likes!

Haha I was refering to extreme silibance.  99% of the time my songs have highs that I enjoy, but on occasion my grados turn them into this incredibly annoying screech that forces me to take them off.  Something like chalk being scrapped on something amplified by 100.  As for auditioning the LCDs I have no way to do so unfortunately, but have heard mixed things about them, some being that they are ultimately the best replacement for grados and can do well in most categories of music, but, as another poster mentioned, I sometimes hear that they are too dark for their own good.  Long term use is not an issue as I only get 1-2 hours a day to listen to music without distraction a day. 
 

 

[scott5526]

Quote:

I don’t think you would like the Audeze headphones based on what you like about the Grados. The LCD2 is very dark with shelved treble. It has good bass but little energy for the high end. They are the exact opposite of Grados, really. I owned a pair of the the rev2 and never really enjoyed them.
 
And, personally, the LCD3 is just super, duper expensive for someone just starting college. so although it might be better than the LCD2, the doubling of the cost seems like a poor choice, to be honest. 
 
I have not used the 225 but I’ve owned an SR60, HF2, RS2 and RS1. The RS1 is my favourite of all those. It’s not a bass monster but it has good kick and the classic grado midrange. 
 
Used RS1s go on sale here on head fi pretty frequently for around 500 or a bit less. I do not think they require a massively expensive amp to sound great. I have used them with a DNA Sonett and it’s a good match but my trusty old Fiio E9 doesn’t do a bad job, either.

Thanks for the output on the LCDs.  Cost isn't an issue for me regardless of whether or not I'm heading out to college, I'm just trying to get a setup together that I can enjoy both in the short and long term.  Based off what you said about the grados if I end up going for them what I'll probably end up doing is buying the Rs1i first and testing it with my D12 then potentially upgrading the amp.  Would you happen to know any headphones under the 200$ mark with a similar sound signature to the LCDs?  I dont have too much experience with dark sounding headphones, but would love to give them a shot if I can find a reasonably cheap pair.

 

[Gwarmi]

Quote:

Haha I was refering to extreme silibance.  99% of the time my songs have highs that I enjoy, but on occasion my grados turn them into this incredibly annoying screech that forces me to take them off.  Something like chalk being scrapped on something amplified by 100.  As for auditioning the LCDs I have no way to do so unfortunately, but have heard mixed things about them, some being that they are ultimately the best replacement for grados and can do well in most categories of music, but, as another poster mentioned, I sometimes hear that they are too dark for their own good.  Long term use is not an issue as I only get 1-2 hours a day to listen to music without distraction a day. 
 

 
 The LCD-2's have a pretty unique forward sounding, mid centric signature in my opinion - I do find myself putting on some Joe Satriani,
 Kevin Eubanks or Ottmar Liebert, all guitar maestros with either the LCD-2 or 325i ~ The Grado just adds that 'twang' for the lack of
 better word through the upper mid range that satisfies, the LCD-2 is occasionally a little too polite in the upper mids and lower treble
 for my liking. Call it Grado conditioning

 
 

 

[Devarika Woulf]

Quote:

 
 
 I take it there is no way for you to audition the LCD-2/LCD-3?
 
 Just a word of warning, I know a few long time owners who are now complaining of neck
 and temple pain from long term use. It does not always end up being the most
 comfortable headphone.
 
 Does not bother me, but 2 to 3 hours use a day indefinitely, could make them
 a strain on your head.

 
I find the LCD2.2 very comfy. I'm wearing them about 3-5 hours a day. Hopefully, I'm not walking around with my head tilted to the right in a year. 

 

[LCfiner]

Quote:

Thanks for the output on the LCDs.  Cost isn't an issue for me regardless of whether or not I'm heading out to college, I'm just trying to get a setup together that I can enjoy both in the short and long term.  Based off what you said about the grados if I end up going for them what I'll probably end up doing is buying the Rs1i first and testing it with my D12 then potentially upgrading the amp.  Would you happen to know any headphones under the 200$ mark with a similar sound signature to the LCDs?  I dont have too much experience with dark sounding headphones, but would love to give them a shot if I can find a reasonably cheap pair.

I don’t think I’ve ever heard a headphone as dark as the LCD2. the only other headphone that I’ve heard that comes close is the ESW9 from Audio Technica (~200 dollars) but this is less technically precise than the LCD2 and has less bass (it’s more of a lush sound)
 
A lot of people seem to compare the Sennhesier HD650 to the LCD2.
 
And if you’re looking a “price is no option” setup, do not discount the Sennhesier HD800. I’m a Grado fan and took a bit of a chance on these as some people say they’re boring and overly analytical but I love them. just love them. Try to audition them, if you can.

 

[Gwarmi]

 
 HD800 is a headphone of champions - no doubt but out of an iBasso portable or any portable amp for that matter,
 it's going to be an underwhelming experience.
 
 Woo 6 or Burson 160 full sized amp at a minimum I reckon, they're not sensational either - but it's ok if the pennies are
 tight.

 

[scott5526]

Quote:

Rather than the LCD-2/3, maybe take a look at the Hifiman HE-500. It's got a bigger treble peak, still a far cry from Grados but closer to home.

 

 
Quote:

 
 The LCD-2's have a pretty unique forward sounding, mid centric signature in my opinion - I do find myself putting on some Joe Satriani,
 Kevin Eubanks or Ottmar Liebert, all guitar maestros with either the LCD-2 or 325i ~ The Grado just adds that 'twang' for the lack of
 better word through the upper mid range that satisfies, the LCD-2 is occasionally a little too polite in the upper mids and lower treble
 for my liking. Call it Grado conditioning

 
 

 


Quote:

I don’t think I’ve ever heard a headphone as dark as the LCD2. the only other headphone that I’ve heard that comes close is the ESW9 from Audio Technica (~200 dollars) but this is less technically precise than the LCD2 and has less bass (it’s more of a lush sound)
 
A lot of people seem to compare the Sennhesier HD650 to the LCD2.
 
And if you’re looking a “price is no option” setup, do not discount the Sennhesier HD800. I’m a Grado fan and took a bit of a chance on these as some people say they’re boring and overly analytical but I love them. just love them. Try to audition them, if you can.

The HD800 is definitely within my price range if there is an amp within 650$ or so that can properly power it.  As for price is no issue, anything within 2k is great just don't go telling me to hunt down a pair of senn orpheus or anything haha.  I'll also look into the ESW9 as I just need something to give me a proper idea of dark phones.  I would also love to audition some of these phones if anybody knows a place in the Seattle area (I remember checking a year or 2 back but failing to find anywhere).  The HD650 may be a little out of my range for a test pair of phones though...
 

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

In a couple months I'm going to be graduating from my high school so I was hoping to get a new headphone setup before college with approx. a 2k budget.  Right now I'm using a Grado 225i with senn yellow pads and an Ibasso d12 with stock opamps.  I enjoy the "in your face" sound of the grados, but would like more precision.  I also appreciate good mids, punchy bass, and high, but not screechy, highs.  I listen to some nightwish/glitch mob along with breaking benjamin, and some other rock bands.  Right now I'm looking at either a stand-alone LCD-3 to be powered by my d12, an LCD-2 with a Meier Audio Concerto amp, or the grados with an unknown amp.  I understand that it doesnt take much to power the grados, but if there is a specific amp that anybody knows of that complements them well that would be great.  Any advice?

On the cheap, might I recommend the HF-2s or PS500s? They don't have screechy highs like all the other John Grado cans.
 
I personally prefer by a very good margin the LCD-2s over the RS1s. For the extra $1k, the LCD-3s are the best headphones I've heard. But they are not 2X better than the LCD-2s (law of diminished returns in this territory), but nonetheless, they are better.
 

 

[scott5526]

Quote:

On the cheap, might I recommend the HF-2s or PS500s? They don't have screechy highs like all the other John Grado cans.
 
I personally prefer by a very good margin the LCD-2s over the RS1s. For the extra $1k, the LCD-3s are the best headphones I've heard. But they are not 2X better than the LCD-2s (law of diminished returns in this territory), but nonetheless, they are better.
 

So long as they are justifiably better, great!  Would you recommend the HF-2s/PS500s over the Rs1is though?  If I end up siding with audeze or another company (Grado aside) I'll still definitely at some point down the road end up investing in Grados and with the HF-2s and PS500s being so close to the Rs1is in terms of pricing they would have to at least match it sonically.  On another note, how dark do you feel the LCD-3 is?  I've heard about the darkness of the LCD-2 numerous times, but never the LCD-3. 
 

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

So long as they are justifiably better, great!  Would you recommend the HF-2s/PS500s over the Rs1is though?  If I end up siding with audeze or another company (Grado aside) I'll still definitely at some point down the road end up investing in Grados and with the HF-2s and PS500s being so close to the Rs1is in terms of pricing they would have to at least match it sonically.  On another note, how dark do you feel the LCD-3 is?  I've heard about the darkness of the LCD-2 numerous times, but never the LCD-3. 
 

 
I prefer the HF-2's presentation to the RS1s. Don't get me wrong, the RS1s are fabulously coloured headphones that sound really good with rock/metal/jazz.
 
I wouldn't classify the LCD-3s as dark. They are quite balanced and offer another presentation of neutrality from the standard "bright" = neutral offerings. The LCD-2 rev. 1s however, could be considered on the darker side of things.
 
Here are my thoughts on the LCD-2 rev.2 / LCD-3 comparisons:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/a/comparisons-of-the-lcd-3-and-the-lcd-2-rev-2
 
EDIT: But in the end, the RS1/HF-2/PS500s aren't in the same league as the LCD-2s (let alone the LCD-3s).
 

 

[eclipes]

RS1 for sure, the mellow and smoothness in sound is just so good. I've owned the D12 before, its strength lies within the Dac and not the amp but luckily it was enough to make my grados sing. If you're thinking about the LCDs, prepare to sell and bring in some new equipment. The D12 worked as an excellent dac for me pairing it with my tube amp. Rs1 is the most musical, balanced and smooth headphone you can get from Grados.