Audeze LCD-2

[shellylh]

I am not sure about the felt covered foam, just looks like foam to me... foam that will degrade in no time. I was also hoping the wood would be a little nicer looking. Oh well.

Here are some quick pics. They are not the best pictures (low light with bounce flash or flash with a diffuser).

Edited August 17, 2010 by shellylh

[Dusty Chalk]

Actually, those are nice clear shots, Shelly. Did you say from your cellphone?

[shellylh]

That would be one hell of a camera phone...

no, they were taken with a D90.

Edited August 17, 2010 by shellylh

[jinp6301]

EXIF data for the rescue! (http://regex.info/exif.cgi?dummy=on&url=http://a.imageshack.us/img440/4678/dsc0003xi.jpg)

Nikon D90

AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED [iI]

Shot at 35 mm

Auto exposure, Program AE, 1/60 sec, f/5, ISO 1000

AF-A at 60cm, with a depth of field of about 5.5cm (from about 2.6cm before the focus point to about 2.9cm after)

edit: shelly beat me to it

[shellylh]

Camera spy.

[DefectiveAudioComponent]

The LCD-2 wood looks good with your furniture.

Would it be ok with you to put one of your nice pictures up on the wikiphonia?

[swt61]

I like the new grills, they look even better IMO. The wood is a really durable hardwood, that should hold up to plenty of usage.

[emelius]

i think i'd prefer to have insertable foam padding on the headbands as opposed to something glued on that might easily deteriorate...

but i don't have them in hand yet so i'm reserving judgement/criticism...

[Salt Peanuts]

^ That's a neat/useful website, Jin. Never knew such things existed.

[shellylh]

The LCD-2 wood looks good with your furniture.

Would it be ok with you to put one of your nice pictures up on the wikiphonia?

I don't mind either of the first two being put up but wouldn't want the ones with my house in the background up there. I assume you were referring to the close up of the grill.

[jinp6301]

^ That's a neat/useful website, Jin. Never knew such things existed.

me neither, but i just googled exif online image and that came up

[DefectiveAudioComponent]

I don't mind either of the first two being put up but wouldn't want the ones with my house in the background up there. I assume you were referring to the close up of the grill.

That's the one. I've put it on the wikiphonia now.

[oqvist]

Here I have aligned the background grid instead of the measurement lines. But then it's harder to compare the graphs, because the thick line (the line for the newer LCD-2) is a bit higher up on the graph than my two lines. Overlaid like this it just looks like the newer LCD-2 measures a tiny bit louder overall....

[ATTACH=CONFIG]3476[/ATTACH]

Here is mine. Look quite different to the other I have seen. No ruler flat bass and roller coaster treble lower then most other charts but they sound like a dream anyway.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]3521[/ATTACH]

[spritzer]

Fair point but swapping in another tube type changes a lot of other things besides just the output power. I take it no adjustment is done to the amp besides changing the tubes?

[Currawong]

Not as funny as Asr's "If I were drunk..." comments, but here, after 3 tries, are my (sorry, somewhat hype-y) thoughts on the LCD-2s and HD-800s which I posted on HF (with some unnecessary crap removed):

What strikes me about the LCD-2s are they are the first headphone which allows the music to shine as it is absolutely. The HD-800s do this too, stepping back to allow the music through, but stepping TOO far back. They don't do intimacy where it is required, and they suffer from a degree of vagueness, rather like listening to orchestra, and the individual instruments are somewhere "out there". For a lot of music, I prefer the Symphones Magnums, which are, to my ears, equally fast, yet very front-row, with the kind of intimacy that you can see the strings on a player's guitar vibrate as he plays, yet sometimes are a bit too intense. The LCD-2s aren't that close, yet they aren't far. They are ready to step in and really hand the music to you when it's required, yet will step back when the music steps back. The singer in front of the mic is in front of the mic, the instruments are exactly where they were placed on stage at the distance they are from the microphones and with the exact intensity that results.

On my 3+ stars random playlist, I have a Black Crowes track which starts off with vocals. I had the volume up a bit from normal, and out of the black of nowhere their voices just jumped out at me in total detail, rather as if they'd appeared right in front of me and started singing. I'm not a real fan of their music, but it was absolutely stunning. The thing is, this isn't being done by tonal trickery (eg: a peaky treble or mid-bass) but by being extremely fast. Take my Black Crowes vocals impressions and substitute The Crystal Method or Shpongle or anything where there is bass impact. Same result.

Their frequency response, being as technically the closest to genuine "flat" possible with a headphone becomes quickly irrelevant. The HD-800s you are often trying to compensate for, with a re-cable, with a slightly warm-of-neutral tube amp -- the absolute seems always just out of reach, so you compensate a little, maybe spending a lot of money in the process. The LCD-2s just hand you the music as it absolutely is, warts and all. If there's distortion, it will tell you about it, including details of exactly how that distortion is, yet, it will still make the music sound glorious at the same time. With the HD-800s, you stand back and look at how beautiful the musical painting is. With the LCD-2s you are IN the painting.


[robm321]

Those are some good looking phones.

[deepak]

From the specs of the Gilmore Lite (wall wart power) would it be able to power the LCD-2? A few LCD fanboys say nay.

[oqvist]

Fanboy checking in. Haven

[swt61]

From the specs of the Gilmore Lite (wall wart power) would it be able to power the LCD-2? A few LCD fanboys say nay.

Personally I didn't find the LCD-2 that hard to drive. My guess would be yes it will drive it well enough. I happened to prefer the LCD-2 on SS amps as well. The tube amps I tried (several at CJ) were not as good of a match IMO.

[Solude]

A few LCD fanbois need to No way a GL is lacking to drive such an easy load. Probably the same fanboi that suggested you could build a b22/s22 that wasn't capable either.

[Absorbine_Sr]

I've actually been thinking about a Schiit Asgard as a budget way to go ss with the LCD's. That is if I ever get them...

[Solude]

Last I heard they were filling late May early June right now.

[morphsci]

That would be right as Shelly ordered hers right after CanJam

[Solude]

Got word they were getting payment from June 8th people last week. Given the changes I'm kind of glad to be back of the bus on this one. Wait long enough might even get a chassis that looks like my O2... true story

[emelius]

maybe we should be hoping for one of the older versions...i'm guessin' there'll be a HF thread that classifies the various LCD-2 vintages...

has anyone been paying attention to the latch on the box?...