[googleli]

The Q1 and its predecessors, the Magico Mini/Mini 2, are the dream speakers of many people including myself. It is a bookshelf speaker but its ability is beyond many of the best floorstanding speakers out there.

 

[arnaud]

I listened to the q1 at the recent Tokyo audio show without any preconception. I had never listened to magico stuff before and was not aware of the price. Simply the sound draw me to sit down and listen for a while. 
 
It was indeed one the revelations of the show for me, esp. in regards to the size. I did notice a couple of things that bugged me after a fee tunes but unfortunaly I didn't take notes. Anyhow, when I saw the price, there was no point anymore . It might have been some slight boomyness and/or tiny feeling of cavernous sound in the midrange.
Anyhow, the point here is that the price is nuts. Enlcosure constructions is fairly complicated but not quite sure it can justify such price. My guess is that this is another case of price setting vs. te competition.
I am so glad I am gone from the speaker world  

 

[chesebert]

Quote:

The Q1 and its predecessors, the Magico Mini/Mini 2, are the dream speakers of many people including myself. It is a bookshelf speaker but its ability is beyond many of the best floorstanding speakers out there.

Magico Mini is NOT even close to be considered "beyond many of the best floorstanding speakers." It is on par with SF Guarneri, with a cooler and more percise twist; personally, I prefer the more musical Guarneri. 
 
I don't think Q1 should be that far out of your price range; I am sure you can get one for less than $20k if you drive a hard bargin.  
 

 

[Tetsuma]

Quote:

All audio equipment is overrated. Silence is golden.
 

 
 
Silence is over rated. Tinnitus is where its at.

 

[Jacques]

There are 2 manufacturers that immediately come to mind: Musical Fidelity and Grado. For Grado, the 2 model headphones I tried were uncomfortable and did break within few months. Although the phono cartridges from them that I had were fun. Musical Fidelity is another animal. I owned 3 of their products. None were bad but none were great in spite of been raved on the front cover of a popular mainstream magazine. Never mind that Musical Fidelity always has some new 'break through" model every 6-9 months.
 
I always have mixed feelings about manufacturers that use 3rd world countries for cheap labor. In many instances, it is a near slavery situation. It can make be a good products but too often corners are cut. 
 
 

 

[vrln]

My personal list:
 
- Anything Beyerdynamic: all models are bright and painful. How they have so many fans escapes me completely.
- Anything Grado: to me they simply sound like a treble happy mediocre headphone that costs around 1/4 of the price. Bonus points for crazy pricing too.
 
And finally, to me the number one most overrated product (maybe even ever?) on Head-Fi, Audeze LCD-2. Worse soundstage than on good IEM´s, recessed highs (neutral, sure...), and feels like wearing a brick on your head. To think I once sold my HD 800 to try the LCD-2 makes me sad. Luckily it has good resell value. 

 

[wuwhere]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jacques /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
I always have mixed feelings about manufacturers that use 3rd world countries for cheap labor. In many instances, it is a near slavery situation. It can make be a good products but too often corners are cut. 
 

 
In electronics manufacturing,there are other factors besides labor that has to be considered overall. For example, disposing of hazardous materials.
 
I used to be a quality engineer for a company I used to work for. We setup our own test racks, watch the manufacturing line, inspect the PCB boards for the quality of the solder, etc... We don't let our contract manufacturer handle the quality control of our products. Some one was always there to monitor the assembly line. We had the authority to stop the assembly line if we see something that should not be. The bottom line is always watch them, after all our reputation is on the line not theirs.

 

[seacard]

Quote:

 
And finally, to me the number one most overrated product (maybe even ever?) on Head-Fi, Audeze LCD-2. Worse soundstage than on good IEM´s, recessed highs (neutral, sure...), and feels like wearing a brick on your head. To think I once sold my HD 800 to try the LCD-2 makes me sad. Luckily it has good resell value. 

The LCD-2 was an eye-opening headphone for me.  There have always been headphones I disliked that were worshipped here (Grados, AudioTechnica woodies), but I could see some merit in them for some kinds of music and could at least understand where the people were coming from.  But when people started comparing the LCD-2, a headphone that I thought was a step down from the HD600 / HD650, to the HD800, to Stax headphones, to some of the best headphones ever made, I realized just how subjective this hobby is.  I knew that people heard music differently, but it just boggled my mind that somebody could, with a straight face, say that they liked the LCD-2 as much as the HD800, or even the Stax Omega II.  I pretty much stopped reading advice and reviews after that.
 
But now there is the LCD-3, at $2,000, and I am trying to figure out who the intended market for that headphone is.  Do people who buy it actually like it better than the Omega II (which you can have [used] for much less money)?  Two years ago, I would have scoffed at that proposition, but I assume those people are out there.
 

 

[Loevhagen]

My deepest condolences. 

And finally, to me the number one most overrated product (maybe even ever?) on Head-Fi, Audeze LCD-2

 

 

[Happy Camper]

My personal list:

- Anything Beyerdynamic: all models are bright and painful. How they have so many fans escapes me completely.
- Anything Grado: to me they simply sound like a treble happy mediocre headphone that costs around 1/4 of the price. Bonus points for crazy pricing too.

And finally, to me the number one most overrated product (maybe even ever?) on Head-Fi, Audeze LCD-2. Worse soundstage than on good IEM´s, recessed highs (neutral, sure...), and feels like wearing a brick on your head. To think I once sold my HD 800 to try the LCD-2 makes me sad. Luckily it has good resell value. 

Yep, but there's something about them that makes you go wow! That bass is something else. I'd like to hear the 3 to hear what improvements were made.

 

[customcoco]

Quote:

.  Do people who buy it actually like it better than the Omega II (which you can have [used] for much less money)?
 

 
the omega 2 hasn't got that wow effect the audeze lcd2 has (can't speak for the lcd3 as I haven't heard them yet) and the omega2 also needs special amps and good sources when you can buy a
 
bitfrost/lyr/ lcd2-3 and be done with it... I'd say that the audezes are much more convenient than any electrostatic I know so far. the Sr007 needs time to be fully appreciated.

 

[Loevhagen]

Actually I´m getting the impression that the LCD-3 is overrated. I do NOT like what I perceive, but can't help it. 
 
The LCD-2 kept steaming for 1.5 year, while the LCD-3 seems to have lost steam already. I guess the LCD-3 is a de facto FOTM and that Audeze really needs to re-think. Maybe I'm crazy and do not need / want more details than the LCD-2 rev. 2.
 
I really want to buy the # 3, but no matter how hard I twist 'n' turn - I'm not convinced...

 

[cantsleep]

 
lcd2 is great.
but if i were to choose one between O2 and lcd2, i would go with O2 without any hesitation.
that's just me tho.
 
no comment on lcd3 bcs ive never heard/had one yet
 

 

[Saintly]

Quote:

My personal list:
 
- Anything Beyerdynamic: all models are bright and painful. How they have so many fans escapes me completely.

Quite a generalization there.  Have you heard a T1?

 

[rroseperry]

My personal list:

- Anything Beyerdynamic: all models are bright and painful. How they have so many fans escapes me completely.
- Anything Grado: to me they simply sound like a treble happy mediocre headphone that costs around 1/4 of the price. Bonus points for crazy pricing too.

Maybe people like something different in their headphones than you you do? That doesn't make them automatically over-rated, imo.

Full disclosure, I'm a fan of both Beyerdynamics and Grados.