review

[align=center]Hello and welcome to my review of 2 of the biggest players in the hi-fi (high fidelity) headphone market. I'm posting this here exclusively for HF members (hackforums, not head-fi) in self-celebration of my 10,000th post.

[u][b][Size=24][color=Blue]Sennheiser HD800 vs Audeze LCD2r1[/color][/size][/b][/u]

[u][b][Size=20]Preface:[/size][/b][/u]
I'm an 18 year old guy.
I started my headphone quest about 2 years ago with the Sony XB500 being my first real pair of headphones (not including any of the skullcandy headphones as real headphones). Along the way I've owned the Bowers and Wilkins P5, Beyerdynamic T5p, Grado SR325i, AKG Q701 and Shure SE425 (in that order).
I now own the Sennheiser HD800, Audeze LCD2r1 and Shure SE535.
During this trip I've also had the chance to audition many different headphones ranging from low end to high end including beats, bose, the Beyedynamic T1, Audeze LCD3, Audeze LCD2r2, Grado PS1000, Grado GS1000, Sennheiser HD700 and many, many more.

[u][b][Size=20]Introduction:[/size][/b][/u]
High end headphones are subject to a lot of differing opinions since different ear-shapes and preferences can have an effect on the overall experience of the listener.
Some preferences can include how the headphones are worn (some people don't like in ears, some can ONLY use in ears, etc), preferences in sound signature (bass emphasized, neutral, treble happy, etc), musical preferences (it's often noted that some headphones perform better on certain genres than others which I'll explain later) and many more.
The Sennheiser HD800 coming in at $1500 MSRP is often seen as one of the most accurate headphones, also boasting one of the largest soundstages among other things.
The LCD2r1 (means the first revision, the drivers were changed in the second revision which is why the revision number is usually included in readings about them) comes in at $1000 MSRP and is often described to have one of the best bass responses (if only trumped by the LCD3) and is very lush overall.

[u][b][Size=20]Testing:[/size][/b][/u]
The gear used was my Asus G53sw laptop using the on-board sound card directly to the headphones.
I was using Youtube rips of songs from various genres, mainly dubstep.

At this point I'm wondering if people are confused.
That was just a joke, I actually tested it with my Asus G53sw as the source outputting digitally to the ODAC (Objective DAC) which output to the O2 (Objective 2 amplifier) which output to the Sennheiser HD800 and Audeze LCD2r1.

As far as I know (since I purchased both the headphones used) there have been no modifications done. The only changes made were replacing the stock LCD2r1 cable with the Q-Cable (terminated in 1/4") and the stock HD800 cable being replaced by the Cardas cable (terminated in 1/4").

According to claims online, the Cardas cable helps balance out the bass response and helps a bit with the sibilance issue.

According to claims online, the Q-Cable helps open up the LCD2r1.

I'm not here to deny or back these claims but just leaving them there.

My musical preference:
I've been listening to a lot of J-Music recently (japanese music) of no specific genre. There's a lot of rock involved but also many other genres in the mix.
Keep in mind a lot of the Japanese music I listen to focuses a lot on female vocals while a lot of North American music focuses on the male vocals. Females naturally have higher pitched voices.
Also what I notice a lot more in Japanese music is they'll have varying instruments mixed together. For example, a violin in a rock song. This is something I honestly have yet to hear in any North American music but what I seem to really enjoy.

I listen to orchestral pieces (though not really classical).
Some examples include works by TENMON
[video=youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHutfGe8f9s[/video]
[video=youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oUyxZzEnjM[/video]
(On a side note, I actually have it downloaded in lossless, I don't ever listen to Youtube quality unless it's a last resort, even if I only have to listen to it once or something).

What I generally don't listen to:
Rap, dubstep, pop, country, folk and metal. (Or any stupidly named derivative of these genres).

Conditions:
Tested at home in my dungeon. I'll try not to let my experiences in using these as portables effect my scoring.

[u][b][Size=20]Presentation:[/size][/b][/u]
HD800
[IMG]http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t169/gamefx/DSC02582.jpg[/IMG]

LCD2r1
[IMG]http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t169/gamefx/DSC02576.jpg[/IMG]
Just showing off the shine on the box:
[IMG]http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t169/gamefx/DSC02586.jpg[/IMG]

As you can see, both headphones have a very elegant presentation.
Both have a nice silk lining.

The HD800 come with a very nice manual (which isn't really necessary... just goes over basic features like changeable cables/headbands/earpads).

The LCD2 came with the frequency response chart directly from Audeze (Sennheiser offers this chart by request free of charge, they'll mail it to you) as well as what I'd consider an odd instruction manual (printed on a clearish plastic paper with very little info...).

The LCD2 wins for presentation because the box is made out of a very beautiful wood while the box for the HD800 is a very stiff carton.

Though, being made out of wood means that it's significantly heavier. Shipping the LCD2 in the wood box is definitely not cheap.

Scores:
LCD2r1 - 10/10 (Couldn't ask for a nicer presentation for a luxury product).
HD800 - 9/10 (Still very nice but the carton ruins the luxury aspect for me =/)
To give a reference point, the Beyerdynamic T5p scored virtually nil in terms of presentation for me.

[u][b][Size=20]Comfort:[/size][/b][/u]
To make any notes on this I should first start by describing past experiences with comfort and what is uncomfortable for myself (which may not be the same for everyone).

First, I have a sweet spot at the top of my head which seems to be sensitive to any pressure over periods of time. This means that headbands that DO NOT distribute weight properly will cause massive discomfort for me on the top of my head. Considering the weight of the LCD2 (around 650g) this is a serious consideration for me.

Second, headphones resting on the tops of my ears will cause lots of discomfort like that. Not sure if anyone read my review of the T5p but I describe how if I don't position the T5p correctly, the cups/pads can slightly rest on my ears which will start to cause discomfort within 1-2 hours.

Third, headphones with a harsh on-ear feel can get very uncomfortable. Best example is the Grado SR325i for this one. I just couldn't get used to the grills clamping against my ears causing major discomfort.

Some things that I DO NOT find uncomfortable while others do:

Weight of headphones. This never seemed to bother me. I was able to wear the Beyer T5p for over 8 hours and that's a fairly heavy headphone. The LCD2 being the second heaviest that I know of has never caused any discomfort during listening sessions due to weight. On the other hand, carrying the LCD2 is a different story.

Clamping. This is iffy for me. Some headphones actually really bothered me with the clamping (my head is fairly large) but in general this doesn't really bother me.

Sweat. Some people apparently sweat while wearing headphones with really thick, leather pads like the ones on the LCD2 or Bowers and Wilkins P5.

Now onto the descriptions of comfort.

Both are incredibly comfortable for me.

Though the HD800 wins out in this.

With the HD800 I don't really feel like I'm wearing anything. Incredibly light and doesn't clamp hard. Extremely comfortable and basically encompasses the entire ear. It's a lot easier to get lost in the music when you can forget you're even wearing headphones like I often do with the HD800. The pads are a very soft microfiber material (specially designed by Sennheiser if I may add). The headband has a recess so that the sweet spot on my head gets even less pressure, another job well done by Sennheiser. I never feel like there's a spot with too much pressure for me. Simply fantastic.

The LCD2r1 uses a foam headband which is a lot more comfortable than the leather headband you'd see on the LCD2r2 (even if it doesn't look as nice as the leather one...). The foam one distributes weight a lot more evenly than the leather one and even the HD800 headband at times which is especially important with headphones that weigh as much as the LCD2. Unfortunately the sheer weight of the headphones along with the really thick pads create a heavy clamp which is ever present for me. This makes it hard just get lost in thought as I'm always brought down by the pads pressing against the sides of my head.

Keep in mind, the LCD2 is still miles more comfortable than most other headphones I've tried.

Scoring:
HD800 - 10/10 (Just the most comfortable headphones I've ever worn)
LCD2r1 - 8.5/10 (Extremely good in the comfort department but falls short of being the most comfortable in a few aspects).

Some other points of reference:
The Beats Pros scored a 2/10 for comfort.
The Beyer T5p scored an 8/10.

[u][b][Size=20]Portability:[/size][/b][/u]
I figure I don't have to spend too much time on this section considering the headphones are [b]OPEN BACK[/b].
Just to explain for the readers the difference between open back headphones and closed back headphones.
Basically the driver produces a wave of sound directed at your ear. Though, not the entire wave is heard. In reality a lot of the sound bounces off parts of your ear (could just be from the side of your skull or from the ear itself or a bend in the inner ear) and reflects back out in the direction of the headphones. Now, this will happen with both open and closed back headphones, but, here's where they differ.
Open back headphones have an acoustically transparent backing (or at least fairly acoustically transparent) which allows the sound waves to leave the headphones.
On the other hand, closed back headphones do not have an acoustically transparent backing, quite the opposite actually. So all these reflecting sound waves hit the back of the cup and some of them may reflect back into your ear. This can cause a slight echo effect (not good for the quality) and give the impression of the sound being more closed in.

So why do we have closed back headphones if open back generally sound better? Well the answer is simple, open back headphones are horrible at isolating and usually leak a lot of sound. If you're in an office environment, you wouldn't want your colleagues hearing you blasting your music would you (unless you're trying to piss them off)?

Now onto the description and scoring for portability.

The HD800 and LCD2 are both open back and don't isolate that much, if at all. Sound leak is horrible so depending on the volume level, others will easily be able to hear what you're listening to.

The sheer sizes of these headphones make them very hard to bring around and store while on the go.

While the LCD2 are fairly sturdy, sometimes I worry about the fragility of the HD800 when I'm bringing them around. Since I will be getting a pelican case, fragility is [i]less[/i] of an issue but it's still a worry.

Also, while it's not a concern for me (and frankly I'd probably give more praise to someone doing this), some people will consider wearing these headphones out in public as "uncool", "Ridiculous" or "lacks swag" or other BS people give.

Furthermore, both these headphones require significant amping (and a good dac is useful too) which means to even get close to their full potential you'll need a good portable Hi-Fi system which adds to costs and can be cumbersome to carry.

Scoring:
LCD2r1 - 1.1/10
HD800 - 1/10
Neither should really be considered portables unless you're crazy like I am.

[u][b][Size=20]Build:[/size][/b][/u]
This part of the review deals with the general build of the headphones.

HD800 -
Overall, the HD800 feel slightly flimsy. Sennheiser did a very good job with the padding though. The padding is very low profile, both on the headband and on the cups but provide great comfort. You can tell they took the time to work on every aspect of the headphones between what material to use for every part (there's quite a bit of plastic but this was to keep the overall weight very low. The pads are microfiber, etc.), they made sure the headphones fit all head sizes (at least I assume it does) and the cups swivel slightly.
One thing is that the paint chips relatively easy so you have to be careful if you don't want to create too many blemishes.

LCD2r1 -
Overall, the LCD2 are a very sturdy pair of headphones. They have a nice weight to them (second heaviest headphones as far as I know ;P).
The wood just adds to the luxury of them, along with the thick, leather pads. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like Audeze took the time to understand what needs to be done so that they're relatively usable by everyone. For example, my head isn't that large but I usually have to extend the headband close to max. I know some people who can't even put them on because the headband is too small in which case Audeze offers to send longer extension poles for I believe free of charge. Or for others, just the weight of the headphones is too much and can start causing discomfort for longer listening periods. They have started considering this more with the introduction of bamboo wood for the newer revisions which is a lot lighter than the rosewood (which they still offer) while still looking pretty nice. They also started offering the choice of the travel case OR wood case when you buy them directly from Audeze.

Scoring:
HD800 - 9.5/10 (Lost .5 from the flimsiness but everything else about the build is superb).
LCD2r1 - 9/10 (Very luxurious build that is nice and sturdy but lacks the general compatibility of the HD800).
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[u][b][Size=24][color=Blue]Sennheiser HD800 vs Audeze LCD2r1 (cont'd)[/color][/size][/b][/u]

[u][b][Size=20]Sound Quality:[/size][/b][/u]
Arguably the most important point along with comfort (since you have to be able to wear them to enjoy them), this section deals with the sound quality of both the Sennheiser HD800 and Audeze LCD2r1.

HD800:

Bass: The bass response is very well controlled on the HD800, offering good impact and depth. Now, keep in mind on the HD800, the bass is just "present". These aren't really basshead headphones. The HD800 attempts to hit every note accurately without coloring it and still presenting all the other notes playing at the same time. For this reason, the HD800 doesn't pump out bass like other headphones, it just gives the required bass response. Now, the bass also changes depending on the amp and dac combo (and cabling if you believe that). You can get an amp (such as the Digizoid Zo2) which will really make them pump out bass or you can even get a bass light amp if you don't enjoy the bass even being present.

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To be continued~