Hi, headphone buying advice

[Jimbob54]

please dont tempt me to keep them all... im already sad as it is as a put the hd58x in its orig box : )

The Clears are on a different level though... comparing them side by side when i got home...sound wise...i have proven the HD58x punches way beyond its price range.. seriously.....but again, the Clears are on a different tier in every aspect

It really is hard to explain to someone with "good" headphones what the move to "great" is like. Other than the $$. Sadly, you can't go back now.

 

[ZolaIII]

Meh MSEB on HiBy Music does wonders with drivers. It's not warnnes per se but more laziness of the cone. In the end when people tell me how paper cones don't sound different than reinforced one's I leave them in the hurry.

 

[marv]

It really is hard to explain to someone with "good" headphones what the move to "great" is like. Other than the $$. Sadly, you can't go back now.

For open headphones.. i think im good with the Clears..has to be... it took out a big chunk of $$.. before this, the most expensive piece of portable audio equipment i bought cost 300... on that aspect the Clears, sadly, were in a different level too... but for me it was worth it.. though frankly, it was way beyond the limit i have set for myself honestly. Uncharted territory for me and i hope to never go beyond that.

Meh MSEB on HiBy Music does wonders with drivers. It's not warnnes per se but more laziness of the cone. In the end when people tell me how paper cones don't sound different than reinforced one's I leave them in the hurry.

i agree, when i was still into car audio.. my first "real" component speakers were the Rainbow Sound line which had silk dome tweeters, then i switched to Focals...way different

 

[solderdude]

the Clears, sadly, were in a different level too... but for me it was worth it.. though frankly, it was way beyond the limit i have set for myself honestly. Uncharted territory for me and i hope to never go beyond that.

As long as you don't get bitten by the upgrade bug you can enjoy it till the drivers give up or the headphone starts to fall apart.
My experience is that once you get used to good sound quality and you hear something even better you may get the urge to go fot that.

Probably the best you can do now is enjoy it and stop reading everything that tells you that you need to upgrade an amp or a DAC or cables or whatever. Just start to enjoy listening and forget the tech talk.

 

[marv]

My experience is that once you get used to good sound quality and you hear something even better you may get the urge to go fot that.

True, but at the price i paid for this, i think i will hesitate to go further up the line... because i can never even get myself to pay SRP for the Clears

Probably the best you can do now is enjoy it and stop reading everything that tells you that you need to upgrade an amp or a DAC or cables or whatever. Just start to enjoy listening and forget the tech talk.

I agree

 

[bonesy]

please dont tempt me to keep them all... im already sad as it is as a put the hd58x in its orig box : )

The Clears are on a different level though... comparing them side by side when i got home...sound wise...i have proven the HD58x punches way beyond its price range.. seriously.....but again, the Clears are on a different tier in every aspect

after listening to the clears 2 hours straight.. i went back to my SE535.. it sounded dull..it was every apparent.. i had to adjust again for a while to get accustomed again to the warmness of the shures....then i go back to the Clears.. clarity is the word

I'm thinking of a headphone upgrade/alternative from my HD660s. Currently in the UK I can get the following brand new:

Audeze LCD-2 Classic - £749.
Audeze LCD-2 Shedua - £989.
Audeze LCD-X (exc. case and cable) - £1,149.
Focal Clear - £1,399.

Are the Focals definitely worth almost twice the price of the LCD-2 Classics? I can justify the price normally but it's difficult doing any testing atm and I can do a lot with the £650 difference in price! FYI I use the SMSL SP200/M200 stack connected to my PC and really want this to be my last desktop purchase for a while. Thanks.

 

[Jimbob54]

I'm thinking of a headphone upgrade/alternative from my HD660s. Currently in the UK I can get the following brand new:

Audeze LCD-2 Classic - £749.
Audeze LCD-2 Shedua - £989.
Audeze LCD-X (exc. case and cable) - £1,149.
Focal Clear - £1,399.

Are the Focals definitely worth almost twice the price of the LCD-2 Classics? I can justify the price normally but it's difficult doing any testing atm and I can do a lot with the £650 difference in price! FYI I use the SMSL SP200/M200 stack connected to my PC and really want this to be my last desktop purchase for a while. Thanks.

I got the LCD 2C on ebay for about £450. I think that is a fair price for them new (OK, lets say £500) . I have the LCD X and its a far superior pair of cans (again, second hand ) but Id rather pay 1100 for them than £750 for the 2C if that makes sense.

 

[solderdude]

I'm thinking of a headphone upgrade/alternative from my HD660s. Currently in the UK I can get the following brand new:

Audeze LCD-2 Classic - £749.
Audeze LCD-2 Shedua - £989.
Audeze LCD-X (exc. case and cable) - £1,149.
Focal Clear - £1,399.

Are the Focals definitely worth almost twice the price of the LCD-2 Classics? I can justify the price normally but it's difficult doing any testing atm and I can do a lot with the £650 difference in price! FYI I use the SMSL SP200/M200 stack connected to my PC and really want this to be my last desktop purchase for a while. Thanks.

Sorry, can't tell which ones you may like best, for 1 person it is headphone A for the other headphone B.
When you re looking for a similar tonality as the HD660S but more detailed the Focal Clear may be the most logical thing.

When you are looking for meater lows and less forward/clear sound the LCD2's are a safer bet. Not all LCD-2 are created equal, a bit of luck is involved.
The LCD-X is a bit clearer sounding than the LCD'2s

I would audition the headphones or have the possibility to return them.

 

[Jimbob54]

When you re looking for a similar tonality as the HD660S but more detailed the Focal Clear may be the most logical thing.

When you are looking for meater lows and less forward/clear sound the LCD2's are a safer bet.
The LCD-X is a bit clearer sounding than the LCD'2s

I would audition the headphones or have the possibility to return them.

Do you have a view on the LCD 2C vs the LCD 2 SD? I know they aren't the same. (thinking more performance than construction- although I cant get on with the 2c plastic pads)

 

[solderdude]

Haven't heard nor measured both.
Intend to but no idea when.

 

[maverickronin]

Audeze LCD-2 Classic - £749.
Audeze LCD-2 Shedua - £989.
Audeze LCD-X (exc. case and cable) - £1,149.
Focal Clear - £1,399.

Personally I think the LCD-2 Classics and the LCD-4 are the best of their entire lineup. (Yes those are their cheapest and most expensive models...) Everything else in in between sound weird to me.

The Clear's are a completely different kind of sound. Much brighter and more airy. These are also my favorite Focals. (The Utopias have practically no forward projection and just give me headaches...)

Your 660s are kind of in the middle of the Audezes and Focals. If you want solid bass impact and with clean and inoffensive mids and treble go with the Classics. If you want a better sense of clarity and more open soundstage go with the Clears.

 

[Jimbob54]

Personally I think the LCD-2 Classics and the LCD-4 are the best of their entire lineup. (Yes those are their cheapest and most expensive models...) Everything else in in between sound weird to me.

The Clear's are a completely different kind of sound. Much brighter and more airy. These are also my favorite Focals. (The Utopias have practically no forward projection and just give me headaches...)

Your 660s are kind of in the middle of the Audezes and Focals. If you want solid bass impact and with clean and inoffensive mids and treble go with the Classics. If you want a better sense of clarity and more open soundstage go with the Clears.

Think we disagree on the 2c. Which is why @solderdude advice to audition or no quibble return is the right one. No amount of opinion, especially on relative merits of any given set of "good" cans should help make anyones mind up.

Side note, how do you get on with the 2c stock pads? Too big, too plastic IMHO.

 

[bonesy]

I got the LCD 2C on ebay for about £450. I think that is a fair price for them new (OK, lets say £500) . I have the LCD X and its a far superior pair of cans (again, second hand ) but Id rather pay 1100 for them than £750 for the 2C if that makes sense.

Yeah, it makes sense, thanks. I'm erring on the side of the LCD-X atm but as I got my HD660s for the Amazon knock-down price of £310 the jump in expenditure is going to be big. I've got the bug now though and my living conditions mean that proper hi-fi purchases are impracticle.

I'm assuming the Shedua is purely a cosmetic upgrade and although they look beautiful I'd rather spend the difference on a long-lasting and well built cable and stand. I'm assuming that no matter which I choose I've no reason to change amp/DAC..?

 

[bonesy]

Sorry, can't tell which ones you may like best, for 1 person it is headphone A for the other headphone B.
When you re looking for a similar tonality as the HD660S but more detailed the Focal Clear may be the most logical thing.

When you are looking for meater lows and less forward/clear sound the LCD2's are a safer bet. Not all LCD-2 are created equal, a bit of luck is involved.
The LCD-X is a bit clearer sounding than the LCD'2s

I would audition the headphones or have the possibility to return them.

Appreciated, thank you. I wish auditioning was possible atm but I'm happy to wait a month and see which shops in my city carry these cans.

I'm not sure I do want something similar to my HD660s and am happy to keep using those so want something to compliment them. I listen to country/folk/reggae/dub/techno/DnB in similar measures and for techno and DnB the HD660s are brilliant but not detailed enough for me when listening to the country music I like or soundscape stuff like Haxan Cloak or Paul Jebanasam.

 

[bonesy]

Personally I think the LCD-2 Classics and the LCD-4 are the best of their entire lineup. (Yes those are their cheapest and most expensive models...) Everything else in in between sound weird to me.

The Clear's are a completely different kind of sound. Much brighter and more airy. These are also my favorite Focals. (The Utopias have practically no forward projection and just give me headaches...)

Your 660s are kind of in the middle of the Audezes and Focals. If you want solid bass impact and with clean and inoffensive mids and treble go with the Classics. If you want a better sense of clarity and more open soundstage go with the Clears.

OK, thanks very much. It sounds like I might have to save for the Focals as I'm actually happy with the bass impact/mids on the HD660s for techno/tech-house/DnB but want something more sensitive for acoustic tracks and rock/reggae.

 

[solderdude]

Appreciated, thank you. I wish auditioning was possible atm but I'm happy to wait a month and see which shops in my city carry these cans.

I'm not sure I do want something similar to my HD660s and am happy to keep using those so want something to compliment them. I listen to country/folk/reggae/dub/techno/DnB in similar measures and for techno and DnB the HD660s are brilliant but not detailed enough for me when listening to the country music I like or soundscape stuff like Haxan Cloak or Paul Jebanasam.

If you want more clarity/details you could either use EQ with the HD660S or buy the Focal Clear.

 

[kn0ppers]

... or buy the Focal Clear.

I would second that. The Clears are among the best I heard for Jazz and instrumental stuff, mainly because of their clarity. I wouldn't necessarily listen to rock with them, they are almost too detailed for some of the rubbish recordings out there.

 

[maverickronin]

Side note, how do you get on with the 2c stock pads? Too big, too plastic IMHO.

I don't remember it being an issue. I double checked my listening notes but I didn't mention the pads in them.

This was from going through almost the entire Audeze table at AXPONA lat year though, so I can't really say much about long term comfort other than that they're all still pretty big and heavy.

OK, thanks very much. It sounds like I might have to save for the Focals as I'm actually happy with the bass impact/mids on the HD660s for techno/tech-house/DnB but want something more sensitive for acoustic tracks and rock/reggae.

I think most people would probably like the Clears for acoustic stuff. There would probably be more personal preference in rock and related genres (I don't listen to much reggae...) depending on how much brightness you like and extracting more detail from really dense mixes vs. hearing other deficiencies that weren't obvious before.

On the one hand my usual headphones are Stax Lambdas which are definitely on the brighter side and which I enjoy with pretty much any genre of music. On the the other hand when someone at a vendor booth hears me playing Follow the Reaper as a test track they usually tell me to try a darker sounding or lower tier model instead.

Overall though I'd say the Clears would be a good upgrade if you're looking for more detail and clarity. As a bonus they even have cleaner and more extended bass the 660S, though still not Audeze level.

 

[A Surfer]

The Verum One is a very nice headphone, and the price has to establish it as one of the best values ever. The dude who tuned them certainly has a good ear. I have them here on loan and I am pretty darn impressed. I have owned some nice headphones (HD800s/700/650/600, Sony Z1R, LCD 2F, DT880/770, Denon D7000, Klipsch HP-3, Edition X V2, HE560/400i, Pioneer SE Monitor 5 etc). The Verum is without a doubt worth every penny being asked, and then some. Not a thing of beauty, but surprisingly comfortable. I have been testing them using my FiiO Q5s with the AM3D modules 4.4 input and the Verum One just have so much to offer. Not perfect, but damn nice headphone.

 

[bonesy]

Thanks to everyone for their replies. I couldn't justify the X's £1150 price tag so went for the 2C's and they're brilliant. I took a chance as I'm not able to audition them but I'm very impressed. They're heavy but comfortable.

Edit to say I got them for £749 which I'm happy with.