Audeze LCD2 Classic Over ear | Open Back headphone | Leather free ear pads

Update: I've been using these for several hours a day for the last 10 days. There has been no noticeable change in tone after more burning in. I'm really happy with them, and have quickly grown accustomed to the width of the sound-stage.These are my initial views after spending several hours last night going through my music collection.I don't really believe in "burn-in" in general, and these certainly sounded impressive straight out of the box. 20 odd hours of constant playback later there hasn't been any sonic change worth mentioning. I'm going to be comparing them to my trusty Sennheiser HD650s, since many people know how those sound and these LCDs are an obvious potential upgrade from them.SOUNDMoving from a pair of (very old) HD650s to these it was immediately clear that the overall sound signature is somewhat similar, with enough roll-off in the treble to avoid too much sizzle in snares and hats, or screeching in the high vocal range, but enough to be able to pick out details. That's good, because I like the HD650s slightly soft sound (I also have Shure iems, which are even more rolled off, ideal for long fatigue-free listening periods while travelling) .That said, there is definitely more treble present in the LCDs sound than the HDs. I think I understand now when people call it "grainy", as it does have a few peaks and troughs in the 2-6kHz range, but for me it is very pleasing in tone. Tone aside, it definitely offers more detail, across all frequencies, than the 650s. There is a small but noteworthy bump in response at 1k, which is perhaps not ideal given this is also where hearing is most sensitive, but it does mean that vocals (particularly more "modern" music-style vocals - Radiohead sound epic on these, as does Nina Simone) tend to be very well-presented in the mix.I will mainly be using these for electronic music production (Trance, Breakbeat, House etc), so would prefer a flatter response in this critical area, but, the bump is small enough that it shouldn't cause any problems.I did listen to a few pieces of classical music, and K626 Gardiner Bonney/Von Otter in particular showed that the LCDs are in a different class, though that is as much about the stereo image as the frequency response. Compared to the 650's pleasant but veiled presentation I could really place pick out individual voices from the choir in certain sections. The only downside was that there are a few moments where that 1k hump over-cooks the strong female choral notes when they coincide with that frequency. Note enough to grate however.What also impressed me everywhere was the transient response. From delicate vocal trills hidden in the choral section of Domine Jesu, to the biting full-on kick/bass grooves and electronic plinks in psytrance tracks like Liquid Soul/ViniVici's Universe inside me and Astrix/Avalon Moonshine the LCD2C delivers them all accurately and with punch or delicacy as called for.While this headphone is not as full-bodied in it's bass as the 650, this is mainly because the 650, like most dynamic headphones it seems, has a humped and rolled-off bass response. The hump in the 650s is wide, from 800Hz to 70Hz, with a fairly steady roll-off from there. The LCD2C on the other hand is virtually flat right the way from 700Hz all the way down to 10Hz!! Massive Attack sound immense on these things, and the slightly kooky Luke Vibert track SharpA2, which rattle my Senns, is handled with consummate ease by the LCDs.This does however mean that bass-heads might want to boost in the 100-500hz range to generate the boomy bass that seems so popular. But purists will love the accuracy and clarity of the, essentially bottomless, bass. It has made headphone monitoring bass-heavy tracks so much easier, without needing to cross-reference against my Genelecs all the time.Sound StageSo good that it was actually off-putting. I spent the first few hours listening to a wide variety of 60s-00s "pop" music, and so much of it was to the left in the sound stage that I thought maybe I had a badly-matched pair and the right earphone was dodgy. Turns out that just seems to be the way many tracks were produced, and I'd just never heard it so vividly before!The 650s are very narrow by comparison. So much so that I think it will take some time to become fully accustomed to the very real width provided by the LCD2s as it is a totally different type of presentation. The kick and bass on all the EDM stuff I listened to was dead-centre with everything else dancing around it nice and symmetrically, so it there clearly is anything wrong with the right headphone...!This width is part of why the sound is so detailed and you are able to pick voices out of a choir. The separation is excellent.ComfortBig, heavy, tight, but not uncomfortable for me even after 4 or 5 hours yesterday. The headstrap should be further from the metal headband when on, or padded, as this would improve the comfort. Ymmv though, as I believe comfort depends a lot on head size/shape. These leak noise rather a lot, and don't really cut out any background noise either. They are open, though, so that's to be expected.AmpsI plugged straight into my RME Babyface headphone output and it does the business. I'm pretty sure any non-mobile amp will be able to power these. They're only 72 Ohm impedance, and also twice as sensitive as the HDs, so should get plenty loud with even basic equipment.OverallExpensive, heavy, but definitely a fine pair of headphones.Like: Detailed, with great transient response, super flat bass response, and pleasant overall tone, nice wide presentationDislike: Bulky, 1kHz bump could be smaller, high freq response could be flatter, expensive but quite possibly worth it

Firstly I never thought I'd ever spend this amount on money on a set of headphones. I had tried a number of sets over the years but always felt something was missing. I had luckily came into some money so treated myself. Upon delivery I found out the postage box was the headphone storage / protection box. Possibly not the best idea but Audeze seem to have pulled it off. Taking out of the box they seemed unnecessarily heavy but they fit really well and even after a couple of hours you do not notice the weight. They are brilliantly & professionally made using high class materials that will last. On first using I admit I was not overly impressed & wondered if they were really worth the money. Subsequent plays have slowly bought out the outstanding quality of theses headphones. I can't wax lyrical about the openess of the mids, the depth & fullness of the bass, the sweetness of the highs. The techies can do that. I listen to classic American 70's & 80's rock, Alice Cooper, Motley Crue & my weapon of choice - Kiss. Ultimately it does to matter what you listen to, you will hear things that you never heard before & more importantly hear your music the way it was meant to be listed to.Yes the phones are expensive, but as my header says (for me) these are end gamers. I look forward to the phones developing over time.

Planer Bass what can I say! deep bass clear separation not as dark as others have said originally. take EQ's easily but is not completely necessary & no harsh treble.Only negative is to "cut" cost having just a plain cardboard box makes it look less impressive on first appearance but don't let that put you off from the cans themselves.These are none Fazor implementations to allow the authentic original sound of the 2008 LCD2's.

I'm happy with this headphones