I purchased an LCD-2 back in October and was immediately disappointed upon hearing it. The dark sound signature does not work for me. For example, banjos sound so recessed with the LCD-2 that it ruins bluegrass for me. It's maddening. When I first heard my HD6XX, I also felt underwhelmed, but that faded as my ears adjusted. I thought the same thing would happen with the LCD-2, so I kept listening and essentially forced myself to be okay with it. I picked up the Sundara on a whim last month and liked it immediately. I haven’t listened to the LCD-2 since. So, I had come to terms with the fact that I just cannot stand a dark sound signature. With EQ, the LCD-2 is fantastic, but that only helps me with digital music. Half of my listening is vinyl and the LCD-2 just doesn’t get used for that. I’ve decided to part with my LCD-2 and have ALMOST settled on an Auteur. I listen to a wide variety of genres, so I need headphones that can keep up with most of them. Additionally, I picked up a Darkvoice, which has me really digging the HD6XX again. The Auteur is also appealing because it sounds like it loves tubes. I'm already planning for an upgrade OTL amp purchase. With that, I have a few questions. The auteur skews warm, but it’s not dark, correct? How does the Auteur handle extremely busy songs? Some of the comments on this thread refer to it as relaxed, which slightly concerns me. Lastly, it sounds as if the sub-bass is strong on the Auteur, but mid-bass is fantastic on the Aeolus. Is the mid-bass still decently authoritative on the Auteur? I listen to a good amount of metal and a punchy bass drum sound is important to me. I don’t think I’ll like the Aeolus though…it sounds as if it may be too warm and lush for my tastes. This would be a big purchase for me, so I need to be sure that I'm making the right decision.