Should I keep my LCD-2.2 (pre fazor)???

[510198]

I just purchased an early LCD-2.2 (pre fazor). The previous owner said they were very lightly used. Should I sell before it turns into a paper weight? Why do these drivers fail!?

They sound amazing though. Slighty dark, smooth, with really good timbre. I am enjoying these a lot more than the more grainy sounding LCD2 Classic I had a few years ago. I also owned an og HE5le which was pretty good, but the timbre sucked. Also, it was a bit peaky in the treble and vocals. From the information I have gathered on these Lcd2’s and it’s evident qc issues these are now being given a unicorn type status

I was wondering if the drivers did go, maybe a gx driver would be swappable by Audeze. Here are some pics. Thoughts and opinions please! I also own Lambdas, HD580...

 

[jenkinsontherun]

The HD250's behind you are an absolute BEAST with tuning foam + thin pads, literally can't take them off.

How would you compare them to the pre-fazor LCD2's? What I loved about the HD250 was that the bass emanated from the subbass rather than the midbass, which is quite rare. I find "modern" headphones to have a lot of midbass bloat that ruins 70's rock.

 

[wazzupi]

I just purchased an early LCD-2.2 (pre fazor). The previous owner said they were very lightly used. Should I sell before it turns into a paper weight? Why do these drivers fail!?

They sound amazing though. End game! Balanced, smooth, with really good timbre. I am enjoying these a lot more than the LCD2 Classic I had a few years ago. I also owned an og HE5le which was pretty good, but the timbre sucked. From the information I have gathered these are turning into a unicorn

I was wondering if the drivers did go, maybe a gx driver would be swappable by Audeze. Here are some pics. Thoughts and opinions please! I also own Lambdas, HD580...

Probably contact audeze and find out if they still have pre fazor drivers

 

[Bhk1004]

Probably contact audeze and find out if they still have pre fazor drivers

My understanding is they do not. And if you send in for driver failure the only option is to upgrade to the new drivers.

 

[wazzupi]

My understanding is they do not. And if you send in for driver failure the only option is to upgrade to the new drivers.

Rip

 

[bildar]

Keep them and enjoy! Don’t worry about the drivers.

 

[510198]

Keep them and enjoy! Don’t worry about the drivers.

I’m definitely leaning way towards keeping them!

Thanks

 

[pofofo]

@bildar is right. Ive got a pair of pre-fazor LCD-2 as well. I just want to enjoy them, if they suddenly break, Ill be searching for something similar, but in the meantime, just relax and enjoy.

 

[Pharmaboy]

I just purchased an early LCD-2.2 (pre fazor). The previous owner said they were very lightly used. Should I sell before it turns into a paper weight? Why do these drivers fail!?

They sound amazing though. Balanced, smooth, with really good timbre. I am enjoying these a lot more than the LCD2 Classic I had a few years ago. I also owned an og HE5le which was pretty good, but the timbre sucked. From the information I have gathered on these Lcd2’s and it’s evident qc issues these are now being given a unicorn type status

I was wondering if the drivers did go, maybe a gx driver would be swappable by Audeze. Here are some pics. Thoughts and opinions please! I also own Lambdas, HD580...

For 2+ years I had a "unicorn" LCD-2.1 pre-fazor. It looked very similar to yours. The 1st owner assured me he'd put very few hours on them (I talked to him at length on the phone & tend to believe him); this was supported by the near-perfect condition of the headphone & earpads, which were original. I had the same thought you had about drivers, risk of failure, etc. But along the way I read a great many comments from LCD-2.x users.

Some of the user comments led me to believe that driver failures were often sudden, occurring early in the lifespan of the headphones, and not necessarily connected with abuse (ie, too much volume). Other comments suggested that any pre-fazor Audeze drivers that fail get replaced w/new fazor drivers. That's good news/bad news: they can be repaired; but they'll no longer be pre-fazor. I really don't care for the fazor drivers I've heard (though many prefer them)--making this useful knowledge.

It occurred to me that if the drivers on my circa-2012 LCD-2.1 hadn't failed yet, they might not ever fail. So I did what @bildar suggested--relaxed and enjoyed them. I sold them last week only because I wasn't using them much anymore. But the drivers held up perfectly--no surprise, since I had multiple headphones and listened sparingly to any one.

 

[510198]

@Pharmaboy @bildar @pofofo Thanks for your reply’s, encouragement and help!

I’m done looking for any more headphones for the time being. Any suggestions to a detailed amp that would pair well with the lcd2.2? I’m using an Emotiva basx a100 right now. Balanced might be the way to go here, but I’m still debating

 

[Pharmaboy]

@Pharmaboy @bildar @pofofo Thanks for your reply’s, encouragement and help!

I’m done looking for any more headphones for the time being. Any suggestions to a detailed amp that would pair well with the lcd2.2? I’m using an Emotiva basx a100 right now. Balanced might be the way to go here, but I’m still debating

I can't see your profile, so I'm kinda shooting in the dark here. Regardless, a few suggestions:

Liquid Carbon v2: It's no longer made. A clone of the original is offered now & then by Drop. I read that it licenses the same Cavalli circuit in the LC--but I also read one member's assessment that it doesn't sound quite as good as the original LC...? No idea since I've only heard the original. One of the Drop versions w/German voltage/plus is F.S. at link below:

https://www.willhaben.at/iad/kaufen-und-verkaufen/d/alex-cavalli-liquid-carbon-x-391834005/

The LC is a fascinating amp IMO: quite small; powerful; can accept balanced cables in; can output in both single-ended & balanced. Both my DACs are single-ended, so that's what I input to the LC. I usually used balanced headphones/cables on the LC. Early on I did a little comparing of balanced output vs SE output, found the usual (rather small) differential in favor of balanced (primarily a bit more soundstage space/dimension). One of the reasons this amp fascinates me is that, although it's on the warm/bassy side, it often "locks in" & provides real synergy with headphones also regarded as somewhat warm & bassy. It did that w/my LCD-2.1; also w/Fidelio X2, ZMF Ori, LCD-3/pre-fazor (since sold).​

Violectric V280/V281: I have the V281 and it's my best & favorite electronics item. Every headphone sounds good with it. It's another slightly warm SS amp that also has authoritative bass, epic dynamics & great soundstage. I've met the designer, Fried, and am always impressed by his designs and his company.

Re detail, I never know what's meant by that. It could simply mean an amp that sounds, well, detailed; but it could also mean amps that sound cold, sharp, forensic--"accurate." If that's your preferred sound, perhaps the cheapest/well regarded option is the Drop THX AAA 789 (review below). Few owners talk about it sounded great, but many praise it for power & neutrality.

https://www.headfonia.com/drop-thx-aaa-789-review/

 

[bagwell359]

Vote for the V281, that's A 25/30 year keeper.

 

[Chris Kaoss]

Vote for the V281 too.
You can't go wrong with.

 

[xRaptorxPunisher]

It's hard to say, you'd think that at the age they are, that if they were going to fail, they would've but the older drivers and materials were more fragile and it's possible to kill your headphones by simply putting them on wrong one day.

a current LCD-2F will give you a similar FR but there's still a lot of variation going around so it is luck of the draw. If they fail it is only a 250 fix for both drivers so not the end of the world and for now you have the benefits of having a classic Audeze sound, if by chance you have a grade A drivers you arguably have the best Audeze in your hands assuming there's no veiling issues, compression and everything is poppy, great flow, gentle darkness with nice low end rumble, liquid smooth sound.

 

[pofofo]

Didnt Audeze increase their prices for new drivers?