I’m interested in getting headphones.
I listen at very low volumes, mainly late at night.
Headphones will mean I can listen louder without waking the kids.
They will also be interesting to compare with my Naim power amp and speakers (which are great but are 15 years old).
I like the look of the Audeze LCD-2 - especially the ‘C’ or Classic model which gets rave reviews online.
But I know nothing about headphones.
It’s open backed, but I don’t care about it leaking noise or allowing in room noise as I will only use on my own in the listening room at night.
Is open backed is better, other things being equal?
Right now I have Bose Noise cancelling headphones which are horrid for listening to music.
And some very old Sennheisers, which are flat to the ear and really low SQ too.
Tons of great headphones out there but I choose the Audeze LCD-C a year ago when the were having a factory holiday sale. They came beautifully packaged, they’re nicely made, and they sound excellent. Highly recommended from me.
I’m not a headphone guy and I couldn’t talk myself into trying $1,000 and up headphones. Headphones are the latest and greatest thing so all the manufacturers are testing what they can get away with charging. I wanted a high quality product at a fair price that had excellent sound. That’s what I got. I have previous experience with various Grado and Sennheiser phones at a friends store. Very nice products all, I just liked the Audeze for me.
By the way I have to confess I love my Bose 35 noise cancelling headphones for air travel. Not perfect obviously! but brilliant for their intended purpose.
Good luck
Thanks Clay - very useful info.
Cheers
Jim
Jim - i’d go and try and audition a few and see what you think. Headphones are an open window on the source and amplification so if you’re going to just use them with the 272 headphone output and for night time listening then i wouldn’t go too OTT. Check out comfort too. Nothing worse than a great pair of 'phones that you find too heavy or have excessive clamping pressure. You may find that you really enjoy the headphone experience - i enjoy both listening to my main system and my headphone systems. They do things differently but give me a lot of pleasure.
Yes I was planning to just use the 272 headphone output.
Would the Audeze be overkill for that?
Is it better to have a dedicated headphone amp?
Do I have to try the headphones with a 272 or just find a pair I like the sound and fit of?
I use LCD3s with DAVE and sound quality is excellent. I like all the Audeze cans I’ve heard and not really a headphone fan. You need to try with 272 to be sure, but I think LCD-2Cs would work well.
You might want to compare with Quad ERA-1s.
Thanks Tiberio
I use the LCD-XC when there is other noise in the room and Sennheiser HD 800S for late night listening when the room is silent. They are on a HeadLine 2 powered from a HiCap DR. The only caution with any Audeze they are not light!
I am toying with either the Audeze LCD2Classic or the LCD-X but am not sure whether the headphone output on my Uniti Atom is up to the task of driving these .
I have looked at Atom reviews but there doesn’t seem to be much information regarding the headphone output and if they are of the standard of a headline amp I regrettably sold when purchasing the Atom
Interesting… I use the Sennheiser HD650 … any comments you might share on how your Audeze compares? (I suspect significantly)
The 800s do more of what the HD650 do, perhaps smoother, the s version is less bright than the straight 800. They are worth a listen if you want a new pair of phones.
Thanks, the 800 were a bit Hi-Fi for me, which is why I preferred the more neutral on my setup, but perhaps more demanding of source, 650s…
So I am not after a new pair of phones per se, but the Audeze devices have piqued my curiosity.
If you go for Audeze try them with the optional (standard on the most expensive) carbon fibre headband (search AUDEZE ASY1039) it distributes the weight better.
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