The All Purpose Advice Thread

I wonder how many unicorn LCD-2s are out there in the world? I've long given up on a pair of those...

 

I'd hoped to find out how close my LCD-2.2c are to those that @Marvey has, but I didn't make it to the November meet. As it is, they're uncomfortably close to my LCD-4, which makes me wonder if I got lucky ...

 

Looking for an IEM (universal preferred) that sounds like a TH-900 (strong sub-bass, lots of detail retrieval in the highs) for <$1000 to be used with an iPhone as the source. I've heard that the SE-846 comes close, but are there other alternatives?

 

Campfire Audio Dorado would be my pick. I don't know how it would pair with an iphone but it sounded great out of the ZX2. It has the sound signature that you're looking for, but maybe not quite as V shaped as the TH-900.

 

Hey, does anyone know how the standard two-pin iem cable connectors mate with the newer UE ciems? I am curious about using the cable that comes with the Noble BTS thing with my UERM. (Please don't tell me the sound will suck, that isn't the point of this adventure. Also, I am not a complete savage, I have other iems that could use the standard two-pin cable.)

 

Yes it's a good advice. Maybe I should try to find a used pair of HE-6 instead.

 

hehe I figured this might be the answer. 10 years ago I decided a HD580 + tube amp was "good enough" for me and stopped going further down the headphone rabbit hole. If the tube amp and 580 hadn't both started to break down around the same time I probably wouldn't even have a 650. I just hope these LCD-2 don't break down in a month. I wonder how good Audeze customer service is fixing them.

 

Instead of hunting down a HE-6, if you listen mostly at home you could also consider going down another path... look at improving your audio chain, before you invest funds in very expensive headphones. A good DAC, for example, is a great beginning.

 

a good darkish setup might be the LCD2 with a Black Widow amp. i of at least one friend on here that really enjoyed that combo. I haven't heard the LCD with the Black Widow, but it does remarkably well with pretty much any planar headphone.

 

@IndecisiveLemur This might be a good start to your system

http://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/fs-gungnir-multibit-and-pyst-cables.3270/

 

I already have the Emotiva DC-1 --> Jotunheim/Vali2

 

Thanks, can't believe that I have never tried the HE-6

 

I'd be hard pressed to think of two headphones with a greater difference in amping needs, then the Utopia and HE-6. What amp do you have? You should think in terms of headphone/amp in combination...

edit - I see you have a Jot now. I haven't heard much about either headphone with that amp...

 

Has @Marvey ever posted the included Audeze graph for the unicorns? I know testing rigs around here are more trusted. But, maybe comparing stock graph to stock graph might help?

I'd consider these if I knew how they stacked up:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Audeze-LCD2...6&pid=100005&rk=1&rkt=6&sd=272457330961&rt=nc

 

Looking for a tube amp for low impedance headphones, mostly for Sony stuff (CD3K, SA5K, Z7, Z1R, MA900). Budget is USD 1500 to 2500. Music preference is classical, jazz, Japanese 90s music, and video game music.

 

My 17 yr old daughter wants a new pair of earbuds/IEMs for Christmas. She is currently using some off brand wooden things that keep falling apart. (shocker..they were <$20). She will run Spotify directly out of an iPhone or Macbook Air, and use these for several hours per day.

She says she wants something that isolates well so I loaned her my Etymotic ER-4Ps. She thought the sound was "pretty good" but didn't like how they fit. They had the flange tips on them. I'm guessing she also wants something with a little more low end punch, which may have been why she wasn't doing cartwheels after hearing the Etymotics.

Durability is key. Budget is open but I'm thinking <$100 because they could get lost or damaged and she tends to not be super careful about these things. What would you suggest for something that fits this description?

 

@crazychile

Shure 215 with the "olive eartips" is the obvious candidate if she's not bothered by the somewhat bigger form factor. They have great isolation and a warm-ish easy to listen to sound with good bass drive.

 

@crazychile.
I can vouch for the RHA MA750. They do not isolate as well as the Shure 215's though, but make up for it with better sound. Very tough build and 3 warranty.