[cjc]

I really TRIED to enjoy my AKG701's. Quickly replaced with Audeze LCD-2f...... and pleasure was mine.

 

[rebbhosar]

I somewhat regretted buying the Audeze LCD-2C. I bought them new, and even bought the carrying case for them, but when I got them I felt they weren't really all that special. At the time I owned the Koss ESP-950 and felt that they were very similar, with the Koss having a larger soundstage. Bass sounded very similar between the two, and fell well short of the reputation they had. When I went to the official LCD-2C thread to grind my axe people informed me that when people talked about the LCD-2C having great bass, they meant when EQ'd; as if most headphones don't have great bass when you EQ the bass up.

Ended up trading them on for a pair of Klipsch HP-3, which I felt were considerably better. For that one reason I don't entirely regret buying the LCD-2C.

The Klipsch HP-3 are bloody magical. I had no expectations and was blown away, might make me sell most of my other sets tbh.

 

[Ficcion2]

So far Ive only encountered 2 cans that made me immediately go "oh, hell naww"

DCA Aeon 2 Noire - poor dynamics but the most comfortable headphones I've tried.

CA Cascade - Nothing but bloat even after suggested burn in.
I couldn't find much positives about this headphone besides that they're easily powered.

After owning a Verite Open for about 9 months I had the chance to compare them to Diana V2.
I sold the Verite with no regrets and in retrospect I wouldn't have bought them if weren't for their looks.

Too warm and not enough resolution compared to Diana but great dynamics especially micro.

 

[Hifiearspeakers]

So far Ive only encountered 2 cans that made me immediately go "oh, hell naww"

DCA Aeon 2 Noire - poor dynamics but the most comfortable headphones I've tried.

CA Cascade - Nothing but bloat even after suggested burn in.
I couldn't find much positives about this headphone besides that they're easily powered.

After owning a Verite Open for about 9 months I had the chance to compare them to Diana V2.
I sold the Verite with no regrets and in retrospect I wouldn't have bought them if weren't for their looks.

Too warm and not enough resolution compared to Diana but great dynamics especially micro.

Amazing! I had the exact opposite experience. As an owner of the Verite, I bought the Diana V2, and couldn't sell them fast enough. They were built extremely well, were extremely uncomfortable, had hazy mids, a cramped soundstage, and poor center imaging. I sold them within 1 week and still own the Verite

 

[FYFL]

DCA Aeon 2 Noire - poor dynamics but the most comfortable headphones I've tried.

Open or closed?

 

[Ficcion2]

Amazing! I had the exact opposite experience. As an owner of the Verite, I bought the Diana V2, and couldn't sell them fast enough. They were built extremely well, were extremely uncomfortable, had hazy mids, a cramped soundstage, and poor center imaging. I sold them within 1 week and still own the Verite

What was your set up for the V2?

I was listening to my Verite through a Feliks Euforia and the same Matrix Element M DAC I still use.
Overall, the Verite was quite enjoyable but the V2 through my Broadway amp just takes it in terms of layering, texture and the presence in mids vs the scooped Verite to my ears. Bass quantity and soundstage is definitely larger in Verite.

I might've kept both but id rather look at the 1266 now.

@FYFL I recently sold off a pair of Noire after having them for a month or so.
I previously used a pair of the Open as my daily and found they had more mid bass hump which made them a tad punchier.
I gave up on DCA when I compared them to Audeze.

 

[Hifiearspeakers]

What was your set up for the V2?

I was listening to my Verite through a Feliks Euforia and the same Matrix Element M DAC I still use.
Overall, the Verite was quite enjoyable but the V2 through my Broadway amp just takes it in terms of layering, texture and the presence in mids vs the scooped Verite to my ears. Bass quantity and soundstage is definitely larger in Verite.

I might've kept both but id rather look at the 1266 now.

@FYFL I recently sold off a pair of Noire after having them for a month or so.
I previously used a pair of the Open as my daily and found they had more mid bass hump which made them a tad punchier.
I gave up on DCA when I compared them to Audeze.

With audio, it's always about preference. I prefer the slightly reduced upper mids of the Verite, because I'm sensitive there. My ear gain must really amplify that range because it doesn't take much for things to sound bright and etched if that region has too much energy.

With the Verite, it also depends on which earpads you use. Depending on your choice, that dip can be small or fairly moderate.

 

[Siegrein]

Oh man my journey in Audio had so many regrets but lots of lessons, to start it out in order:
HD660S
Ether CX
Sendy Aiva

Source gear:
All "midrange" thx I went through from SMSL SP200 to Monolith Monoprice 887

There's plenty more but the 3 headphones stand out the most. Reason being is, buying into the hype of reviewers...

 

[FYFL]

@FYFL I recently sold off a pair of Noire after having them for a month or so.
I previously used a pair of the Open as my daily and found they had more mid bass hump which made them a tad punchier.
I gave up on DCA when I compared them to Audeze.

Aeon 2 open was a fiasco imo. Aeon 2 closed is a more capable brother of the two. I don't blame you for getting rid of it.

 

[TDinCali]

Focal Stellia....The Utopia is one of my favorite but the Stellia is far below my expectation level. It sounds good at low volume but when I turn it up it sounds metallic and lacks bass. No cable or upstream equipment has improved it enough for me. I'd buy something else but the whole point for me was that I wanted TOTL performance from a closed back that was not too heavy and obnoxiously/ridiculously big. If anyone has any recommendations, I'm all ears...

 

[Siegrein]

Focal Stellia....

I heard them recently from TSAV, I can tell how bad things are going inside those closed cups. I had hoped the same..
I am actually a closed back guy despite my line-up and from what people keep recommending me, it's the VC ironwood, and yes it has to be the ironwood. Never tried them but that's what my next will or will not be regret is.

 

[TheMiddleSky]

Focal Stellia....The Utopia is one of my favorite but the Stellia is far below my expectation level. It sounds good at low volume but when I turn it up it sounds metallic and lacks bass. No cable or upstream equipment has improved it enough for me. I'd buy something else but the whole point for me was that I wanted TOTL performance from a closed back that was not too heavy and obnoxiously/ridiculously big. If anyone has any recommendations, I'm all ears...

ZMF VC could be the answer for punch and smooth treble, won't produce resolution/detail as your big boys of course.

So far Ive only encountered 2 cans that made me immediately go "oh, hell naww"

DCA Aeon 2 Noire - poor dynamics but the most comfortable headphones I've tried.

CA Cascade - Nothing but bloat even after suggested burn in.
I couldn't find much positives about this headphone besides that they're easily powered.

After owning a Verite Open for about 9 months I had the chance to compare them to Diana V2.
I sold the Verite with no regrets and in retrospect I wouldn't have bought them if weren't for their looks.

Too warm and not enough resolution compared to Diana but great dynamics especially micro.

Amazing! I had the exact opposite experience. As an owner of the Verite, I bought the Diana V2, and couldn't sell them fast enough. They were built extremely well, were extremely uncomfortable, had hazy mids, a cramped soundstage, and poor center imaging. I sold them within 1 week and still own the Verite

Oh hi guys, and here I am a person who never able to decide which headphones (Verite or Diana V2) that I have to sell. I've been in this journey for long time, and never had headphone more than one pair. These 2 headphones force me to keep them together though. Finally I sold Diana V2, only to move up to Diana Phi.

 

[AKGman]

I have a plethora of headphones (to date, I own around 18 or so ranging from the porta pros all the way up to the auteurs). I have kept most headphones that i've purchased bc I enjoy variety, financially i can afford it, and even if it isn't a sound that I particularly enjoy i usually am able to find a genre or even a list of songs i can enjoy with them . I am very much a person who tends not to return things but I have had a few headphones that I just couldn't get into

The 2 headphones I just couldn't stand were the Dan Clark Audio Aeon RT Closed and the AKG K372. I was really disappointed in the DCA because they might've been the most boring headphones I've ever heard, especially for a planar. I usually LOVE the planar. There is nothing necessarily that I could identify that the DCA did bad. It just made music actively more boring to me.

The AKG K372 had various issues mainly being fit (it has horrible QC and the fit is cool if you have a rectangular shaped head). But the sound was incredibly hollow (even though it fit the harmon curve pretty true....even though that's not my preferred sound).

What are yours and why?

I bought a pair of Sennheiser HD 212 Pro's, and they had way too much bass. And the bass was quite artificial, as well. Quite unpleasant to listen to.
They were advertised as DJ headphones, which usually means the bass is exaggerated a lot.
I later bought a pair of K141M's, which were ten times better.

 

[Nirvana Woman]

HD569. Extremely disappointing in terms of sound and also the pads flake like crazy. Definitely NOT a "closed version of the HD598" sadly.

 

[arielext]

Audeze lcd-2cb due to weight and in hindsight the Focal Stellia, not worth the asking price imo.