My friends reaction when comparing the two on my setup that I found humorous and a bit like Matt's description , "The Lcd-2 (non fazor)is like my Mom's meat and potatoes, the HD-800 is like a meal in a fancy restaurant that you paid too much for but it was worth it".
Needless to say, he is a chef.
They are almost utterly opposite. The lcd-2 is rich, meaty, wet...whereas the hd800 is more about accuracy, imaging, sound stage. The hd800 is very dependent on the gear in front of it. The lcd2 much less so. Much better comfort for me on the 800. ymmv
A guy on the LCD-2 thread is doing a "flagship" rundown, where he's buying headphones for a few weeks, returning them and then buying another pair to see what he likes most.
He has a pair of LCD-2 on hand, and just got his HD800 a few days ago.
He mentioned the bass on them isn't anywhere near as lackluster as people make them out to be, and found them more "punchy" than the LCD-2, but the LCD-2 had the weight + depth as well and the HD800 didn't have quite as much.
(considering many occasions people have said that adding fazors on has reduced the bass of the LCD-2 quite a bit, which I seem to agree with because my LCD-2's really don't have a crap ton of "kick-you-intheface" bass, but rather articulation and depth in the lower register, I don't think the switch would be that bad.)
Here's his whole post:
Right now I have the hd 800 for a week or so, then gonna try the he-560. I'm slowly learning I fall into the minority of sound preferences somehow. like a great example, SO FAR, with the hd 800 is that I actually feel it has harder hitting and more noticeable bass than the lcd 2 (and I am using a good amp, the new Violectric V281). Yes the lcd 2 has more bass, and goes audibly down to the 20hz and below mark, where the hd 800 only goes down to 30hz (as in the volume you hear at 20hz on the lcd 2 is only reached when it gets to 30hz on the hd 800), and in general the hd 800 is less linear in the bass region, and has less boom( like reverberation, as in the sound you get playing a bass tone, versus the punch of a bass kick), BUT the hd 800 hits harder, and the bass stands out more in the mix. I realized the lcd 2 is so linear that the bass can sometimes fall into place too well, and as a result does not stand out as much. but since the hd 800 has all that treble and air, you end up noticing the bass much more, as it is such a contrast to everything else you hear. (but I still would not keep the hd 800, too much treble, a bit too hot, and a tad too bright in tone, plus the bass needs a bit more reverberation), but it made the lcd 2 bass seem soft and hidden. unless you played straight bass tones.
well I never heard the fazor version, so take this into consideration, but in comparison to a september 2013 model the hd800 is instantly noticeable to have better imaging. the soundstage is bigger, but not in the distant kind of way a lot of reviews make it out to be, its more that it just extends out infinitely, rather than having an end to it. but that just means only if a recording has a huge soundstage, will you ever really notice this difference. otherwise they are close enough to not care so much about it (unless you listen to music with massive soundstages a lot, like classical or something. I listen to a lot of metal and some ambient electronic, and a few random stuff in between). the imaging though is definitely better. like the slight improvement in air and soundstage availability really does just help place sounds/instruments exactly where they should be, and separate them from each other nicely. Plus it is super 3d holographic, meaning a sound panning from left to right does not feel like it gets lost or dimmed when its in front/center, thats the problem many headphones have. the lcd 2 images very well also, but without having as much air, there isnt as much space between sounds, but they never blend. the hd800 gives them breathing room. so both image great, just depends how much size you like.
to put everything I just said into context, neither headphone does soundstaging/imaging good or bad enough for me to prefer one over the other for this trait. the hd800 can have some sweet moments with binaural stuff though, and if you are not a fan of smaller soundstages, the hd 800 will give you the extra breathing room. I can see how it might be a bit too large on some stuff, but honestly I think the reviews blow that negative wayyyyy out of proportion. its just subtely too big, but it wont make anything sound wrong to you. the imaging I would miss though, it does that way too awesome lol.
it also has noticeably better detail. you will hear it first thing for sure. and because the hd 800 has a sharper treble, details always get noticed. which makes them impress you all the time. the lcd 2 was like that for me for the first day or so, then it got a bit dull in that respect. the hd 800 is always intense (too much so for the long term, as in fatiguing) but it sure is pretty cool to listen to like ambient electronic music with tons of subtle layers and just get your mind blown. the lcd 2 treble makes the details too quiet compared to the rest of the sound. so they are there, but you have a hard time noticing them, esp the subtle ones. and at this price point, those details make the difference between sounding amazing, and sounding like you want more. (hence why audeze has 3 models more expensive to remedy this).