Thoughts on Upgrading from HD 650 to LCD 2?
Jun 2, 2013 at 3:48 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 13
traehekat

traehekat

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I am currently using the HD 650 with the Bifrost and Valhalla, and I love the sound. However, I am thinking about upgrading to the LCD 2 and Lyr. I have heard that the LCD 2 is sonically similar to the HD 650 only better in pretty much every regard except for maybe soundstage. What do you guys think? 
 
Jun 3, 2013 at 12:12 AM Post #2 of 13
Anyone? 
 
Jun 3, 2013 at 10:18 AM Post #4 of 13
Quote:
barid said:
Yeah sure, get it:)
Click to expand...

But am I going to miss my HD 650's? 
frown.gif

 
I am a bit worried about comfort, but perhaps going with suede pads over leather might help that?
 
Jun 3, 2013 at 11:19 AM Post #5 of 13
Honestly its all going to come down to your preference.  Some people may feel the price doesn't justify the performance upgrade, some do.
 
-  I like the comfort of the LCD2, many think its too heavy.
 
-  The bass is so much nicer on the LCD2's than the HD650 in my opinion. Honestly though it was the T1 that killed the HD650 for me.  After the T1 the HD650's bass sounded very sloppy to me.  And I honestly prefer the T1 to the LCD2's as well, though its a very different presentation.
 
- I don't think you'd miss the HD650's...but what do I know, we all like different things.  You may be used to its signature. 
 
- I've only tried my Lcd2's on 1 tube amp (the WA2) and I think it sounds better from solid state.  no experience with the schiit stuff though.
 
Jun 3, 2013 at 2:08 PM Post #7 of 13
I am also a fan of trying it before you buy. What parts of your 650 do you love? The LCD is going to be totally different. 
 
What are your favorite genres of music?
 
Jun 3, 2013 at 4:32 PM Post #10 of 13
The LCD-02 are very warm but natural sounding and offers heavy tight punchy bass and amazingly detailed rich mids and overall sounsignature is close to Grado headphones due to natrual wood housing and has realy large soundstage(highly recommended).
 
Jun 3, 2013 at 5:08 PM Post #11 of 13
Thanks for the replies everyone. Hopefully there will be a pair available to demo at the upcoming meet here in Chicago, so I really don't expect to be purchasing anything until then. I'm always happy to hear other's experiences, though. 
 
 
soundfreaq said:
I am also a fan of trying it before you buy. What parts of your 650 do you love? The LCD is going to be totally different. 
 
What are your favorite genres of music?
 
Click to expand...

 
Hard to say what I love about it really without comparing it to some other headphones I have owned, particularly the Grado 325is and Beyerdynamic DT 880. I guess the first thing is how full, rich, and thick the 650 compares to the other two. I love that it is comfortable and has a non-fatiguing sound signature. I think it sounds more intimate and warm than the 325 and DT 880, very engaging. The soundstage seems very good to me, which I enjoy. I didn't like the DT 880's because they sounded too clinical to me, a bit boring. 
 
Sometimes I wish there was a little more detail with the HD 650's (but who doesn't want more detail?), maybe a little more separation or air between the instruments in comparison to the HD 800, which I recently listened to (although I found the 800 a little more on the analytical side of things). Sometimes I miss that crunch you get with the 325is on hard rock, but I guess you can't have everything. 
 
My favorite genres of music are rock, pop, indie, and jazz.
 
Oh, and regarding music, I have recently began purchasing CD's again for the quality, so I'm definitely making an investment there. And of course I'm always discovering new music (aren't we all?), so for that I use Spotify more. 
 
Jun 3, 2013 at 5:52 PM Post #12 of 13
The LCD-2 is one of the most tactile headphones out there. Sub bass has great reach and impact and the frequency response sounds very linear through the upper mids. Treble measures flat, but sounds rolled off to me.

I felt it could use a bit more air. Instrument separation is better than my HD 580, but I feel it was due to a blacker background and reduced grain rather than a noticeable improvement in soundstage size or positioning. However, it looks like a great fit for what you listen to.
 
Ultimately, I liked the sound, but the comfort was a deal breaker in my book. The earpads are amazing, but the headphone is heavy and has minimal clamp, which leads to the headband eating into your skull if you have short hair. Like I said in the Headamp loaner thread, installing even a 1/4" of the same memory foam used in the earpads in the headband would go a long way here.
 
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