Quote:
Well, I owned all 3 and I listened to acoustic music with them. Also, I amplified them properly and had a high-end source. First, any of the three will sound good. The HD-800 is not bass-light when amplified properly. It presents bass naturally. It sounds musical, if you define musical as what's on the recording as opposed to headphones that add colorations. In my opinion, and I have owned/heard every high end headphone except the orpheus and qualia, the HD-800 is not dry, sterile, or anything else like that. It's a great headphone and sounds natural. The transient response is not as good as orthos or stats, and the sound is less "clean" than the best of those technologies, but for a dynamic headphone it's at the top of the heap. I really can't find any faults with it so far. It is quite well-balanced. The LCD-2 has the best bass of any headphone, but it is a bit over-emphasized. That doesn't mean it overpowers the mids, but it's just a bit louder than it would be in real life. However, it is very impactful and tuneful. The LCD-2 has an un-natural reverb that takes away from natural tonality. On the flip side, it sounds very lush and warm, like a R10. However, it still does most things right, and I really enjoyed owning it. I would pick the HD800 as having tonality closer to real life and a more balanced frequency response, which is why I bought it and sold the LCD-2. However, the LCD-2 kills any dynamic in attack, decay, and transient speed. It's amping requirements (quoted from Alex Rosson of Audeze) are at least 2 watts to bring out its full potential. The HD-800 and T1 can be driven by less powerful amplifiers, and there's lots of good advice about amping them on Head-Fi. Any of the 3 you will be happy with. They are all miles better than mid-fi headphones. Just comes down to personal preference at this level. The HD-800 and LCD-2 have the best measured performance I've ever seen from headphones, but their sound signatures are a bit different. However, saying the 800 is dry and sterile and the LCD2 is dark and bass heavy, as some have, is over-simplifying things. They are both very good headphones. Regarding amps, the cost will be about the same for both headphones, as long as you pick the right amps. The Violectric V100 is $800 and a perfect match for all 3 (I own it). The forthcoming Schitt Lyr is $450 and will power the LCD-2 very well. Many people have used the Meier Concerto, SPL Auditor, and Headamp GS-1 to good results with the HD-800, and those are all under $1000. The Beta22 would be ideal, but it is quite a bit more expensive. Hope this helps.
