kchew

Bump, price drop.

Sold.

Bump, still interested.

Bump, still interested.

Closed

Thanks to joe-siow, I had the opportunity to try out the LCD-2r2 on my rig for about two weeks. I've been very happy with my Sennheiser HD800 for more than a year, so much so that announcements of the LCD-2, HE-5/5LE/6 and Stax SR-009 did not interest me. But I was a bit curious as to how the LCD-2 would sound, and in my hands for a short period of time was the second revision of the LCD-2. The source I used for this review was an EffectiveAudio-modded Cambridge Audio 840C and the amp was a lightly-modded Woo Audio WA22. I spent some days rolling tubes to find a good combination, and in the end I used either: Mullard GZ34 metal base, Brimar CV1988 and Tung Sol 7236 or, United Electronics 596, Tung Sol 6SN7GT round plate oval mica and GEC 6AS7 First thing first, the construction. After using the HD800 for so long, the LCD-2 feels really heavy! But weight is deceiving, and surprisingly I found myself wearing them for 3 hours straight with no major discomfort. The soft leather earpads breathe a little so you don't sweat so much, and the strong clamping force is forgotten after about 30 minutes. I wear glasses, and fears of getting the earpads creased or poked by my glasses turned out to be unfounded. The leather headband and wooden trimming suggest fine hand-crafted workmanship, unlike the futuristic-looking HD800 with its use of plastic. Mind you, the HD800 is still well built, but the LCD-2 oozes sophistication and class. Listening to the LCD-2r2, the bass struck me first. It goes deep, hits pretty hard and has a very enjoyable mid-bass bump. Kick drums explode with force, and the LCD-2 is capable of deep, tactile, rumbling bass that's wonderfully textured. Sure, the HD800 might be able to go lower with the right tubes, but rarely is it capable of bass that resonates this well. And neither is the bass bloated, leaving the midrange untainted. The only bass-oriented headphones I have right now are the AKG K240 Sextetts, and they can only dream of what the LCD-2 is capable. Colour me impressed. The midrange was also quite impressive, being lush and creamy, yet transparent and detailed. Detail retrieval here does not lose out too much to the HD800, and the lower midrange suits acoustic guitars and male vocals very nicely. Surprisingly, I had mixed feelings for female vocals; Diana Krall and Jheena Lodwick retained their soul, but Eva Cassidy and LiSA sounded a bit restrained. The upper midrange also sounded a little flat when faced with brass instruments like trumpets. Perhaps I'm a little harsh in this area, after all my gold standard for midrange is the Audio Technica AD2000, which has still not been dethroned after all these years. While the midrange is not perfect to me, I would unreservedly give it high marks here. Now the treble, yes it is not as extended as the HD800. But I wouldn't have it any other way. Bumping the treble up would spoil the overall presentation in my opinion, and while it doesn't have the bite to showcase cymbals, hi-hats and triangles at their best, it doesn't leave me wanting more. The construction, bass and midrange of the LCD-2 give me the impression of laid-back easy listening, and more treble would ruin that. I would say that the treble has sufficient presence and more is not needed. I've often read that the LCD-2's soundstaging is nothing to shout about, but one of my tube combinations gave me a very wide, expansive soundstage with pretty good precision, approaching 85% of the HD800's width. It cannot match the HD800's 3D imaging, but there is plenty of air around instruments without sounding too diffused. Depth is perhaps it's weakest point here, but that's just nitpicking. Despite all the text bashing the LCD-2's soundstaging, I found it enjoyably wide and precise. Absolutely no complaints here. In terms of speed, the LCD-2 cannot match the HD800 and AD2000, but it still manages to squeeze out quite a lot of details. Listening to some of my soundtracks, I could hear the fingers plucking on the guitar strings, and on one occassion someone dropping something plasticky on the floor. Tonal balance is shifted to the warm side of things, making it very enjoyable for jazz, pop, ballads and certain instrumental tracks. I was also surprised that it handled my J-rock tracks with aplomb, considering the somewhat tame treble. So who should consider the LCD-2 over other equally impressive flagships? Those who like jazz, pop, guitar and rock I suppose. But if you're the type who just likes to chill out on a sofa, cup of tea in one hand, ready to melt into the world of soothing music and leave the ordinary pedestrian world aside for one moment, the LCD-2 might just be what the doctor ordered. Or perhaps the LCD-3 if what people's initial impressions are true. Once again, thank you joe-siow for the LCD-2r2 loaner. While I'm still an HD800 fan through and through, my feelings for the LCD-2 have changed from mild curiosity to great respect.

I believe the latest Rockbox firmware for iPod has controllable line-out volume.

It might be Singpost as well, I have packages stuck with them since Wednesday. For those who didn't know, Cryoparts owner and one of the people behind TWag, Lee Weiland, passed away recently and Craig is taking it hard. Hopefully Craig will be back filling orders quickly and correctly soon.

The problem is you are handicapping the "industry standard" in an attempt to compare apples to oranges. While I appreciate your detailed review which has piqued my interest in the SRH-940, it is not very useful to compare a portable, easily-driven, detailed monitoring headphone to a luxurious, amp-dependant, desktop-based flagship. They are targetting completely different audiences. It would be akin to comparing a BMW 7 series to a Ferrari Enzo, then detuning the Ferrari's engine in an attempt to level the playing field. Something better would be comparing the Shure with other portable, easily-driven monitors like the Audio-Technica M50, Beyer DT770, AKG K141 and Sony MDR-7506.

While I understand the excitement of receiving the cables, repeatedly asking when the cables are coming will not speed up the process. When I conducted an MO with Craig before, USPS took 9+ days to deliver the package. Please be patient.

From their forum: "Sundays: 1st Two Sundays of the month, 3pm - 6:30pm 3rd & 4th Sundays on an ad-hoc basis. Best to call. Public Holidays: Mostly open If in doubt, don't do nowt, just call +65 6337-0809"

Hi, may I have a quotation for: Whiplash Sennheiser HD800 cable 7 feet CryoParts carbon 4-pin XLR Just to confirm, this cable would be TWag v2 right?

Raindrop Audio at East Coast Rd, turntable is an Ayon with unknown cart. Don't think it's a Benz. I went mad last saturday and started stockpiling Kodak Tri-X 400 when I heard that film prices would go up due to silver prices. Also ordered 10 rolls of the new Kodak Portra 400 from B&H that SG still hasn't brought in yet. Looks like I'm set for a few months.

Leica... I can only dream of such high-end stuff. Right now I'm using a Nikon F90X, but I just picked up an F100 this week and can't wait to give it a test drive. Some shots taken so far, apologies for my lack of creativity and composition.

Sold, thanks for viewing.

Semi open is halfway between open and close. While they do not isolate from external noise like closed headphones, they do not leak as much as open headphones. I own the K240 Studio which is the predecessor of the K242HD, and while there is a slightly open feel to them, they do not have much bass punch but have plenty of midbass. Another semi open headphone, the Beyer DT880, is pretty neutral depending on the model and amplification, so semi-open headphones do not really have a defining characteristic. I use my K240 Studios in the office as I need to be able to hear my colleagues calling for me, but do not want to disturb them with my music. I wouldn't want to use them when taking public transport though, I'd rather use IEMs.

Thanks for viewing.

So quiet here... Now I have my very own fireplace for Christmas. Special thanks to alamakazam for helping me with the power cables and reterminating my HD800. We were quite surprised at how crappy the stock cable is.

Wow, Marantz released a lite version of the SA-KI Pearl? If it's within your budget, go for it. Another option in your price range is the Cambridge Audio 740C at Alpha Audio.

I found some Tung Sol 6SN7s, supposedly NOS, at AHFArtAudio at Upper Cross Street near OG Chinatown. The best prices are still on ebay though, but as always caveat emptor. And yeah, the prices of the really good tubes keep increasing, like the Tung Sol round plate, Osram B65 and Brimar CV1988.

Good luck with your MO, but maybe you'd want to follow this format: http://www.sgheadphones.net/index.php?showtopic=10511

Hi, I'm looking to borrow or use a tube tester than can test 6SN7 and Tung Sol 5998 (6AS7/7236 equivalent) tubes. If you have a tester than can test these tubes and don't mind me using it for a while, please SMS me at 9747 6250 or PM me. Thanks for viewing!

Well Audio don't stock matched pairs, I didn't ask Martin's but I'd be surprised if they do. AHFArtAudio near Chinatown OG is another place selling tubes, but I think the only matched pairs they have are the Shuguang Treasures.

You can only order them from their website. They don't have any distributors to save on costs.

You may want to try contacting the local AKG service center regarding the earpads. ASI DISTRIBUTION PTE LTD 289B Outram Road 169071 Singapore Phone: 6225 1661