I will attempt to post a link to a website that addresses your questions…
Check this out: AutoEq/results/referenceaudioanalyzer/referenceaudioanalyzer_hdm-x_harman_over-ear_2018/Kennerton Gjallarhorn GH 50 at master · jaakkopasanen/AutoEq · GitHub )for more detailed eq information (these settings are for the Gjallarhorn and should apply to the HP-2). I had earlier tried those settings with ny se cable, and it was a different sound and had to turn the volume up, I now have my balanced cable and will run these through again for comparison. Cheers
Thank you, that’s quite a rabbit hole 
As a fellow HE500 lover and they were my main for years if you are searching for a direct upgrade the HP2 is not it. The HP2 is all about speed, dynamics and detail. It’s resolve is imo very good for the price. I put zmf ori pads which helped some with the seal but it still doesn’t have a warm sound.
As for a direct upgrade to the HE500 in terms of its signature spoiler alert I haven’t found one. If you continue your search and do find one please let me know. The HE500 has its own sound and it’s very hard to find something similar. Obviously it’s not hard to find something with better technicalities.
Was your goal to find a closed back HE500?
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Thank you Cbass for your feedback. No, I simply wanted something punchier and with more details. Which I get with the HP2, everything is taut and tight. I like it.
But yes, I miss the special warmth of the HE500, some songs (few) sound dry.
How to you change the pads? They almost seem glued. Not like with the HE500. Should i push them out? twist them?
Mine are the original version of the wood but they just are the normal pad edge in a lip. They don’t have a screen they’re just the ring pads. I didn’t find it too difficult to take off and try others the Oris are a little loose though.
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Yeah, and this is just for the venerable “Harmon Curve”, in which I’m not really believing this is the perfect curve everyone is looking for lol. I’m just enjoying the Music…
Cheers
Well I have been HP-2in’ all week. I did end up finding some bass and even went back to the Violectric V220. The sound really is crystal clear on these. I think they have enough bass, but I may be fooling myself or in denial. I have been doing lots of blues and jazz lately so today I finished with off with my newest Offspring, Blue Stones, Foo Fighters and some Seether.
Felt like there was a fair amount of bass and so I pulled my Grado’s out as both of these headphones work great out of the V220 and it has two outputs. It did not destroy the Grado bass wise as I thought it would, but the sounds are SO different it is hard to compare. These headphones are polar opposites sound wise. The HP-2’s are a LOT cleaner and smoother. Surprised me on both counts.
Only one way to finally answer the bass question, at least to me.
Tomorrow I will leave my HP-2’s where they are. I will plug in the Elex’s in their preferred amp, the Liquid Platinum. Lastly, I will plug the HiFiman HE6se V2’s into the iFi Pro iCAN and turn off the bass boost and 3D functions.
I will volume match all three within one decible. Far from scientific, but close enough for me. 
I will see tomorrow where they fit in my collection.
Regarding everything else, I love these headphones. Super comfortable and light. I can wear them for hours and hours. Really good isolation also. My T5’s have great isolation, but they are kind of clampy. And once again, there are Really open sounding closed backs.
I will write a bit more tomorrow after my bass test. I went online looking for bassy music in my collection. I should have done this long ago! 
I have attached a pic of tomorrow’s playlist.
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I implemented the EQ and it sounded incredibly thin. Why so much -xdb pre-amp? and why reduce the bass so much? I don’t get it.
I still use boom3D with either bass boost or windows EQ and ambiance at around 35%
Not sure, but these settings are for getting as close as possible to the Harman Curve. Which is essentially a Neutral sound signature. In which is not really fun for me, as the HP-2’ are neutral enough for my tastes.
Actually just right… I have a HIBY R5s, and the MSEB menu has fantastic options for altering/adjusting the sound especially with the bass. And the sound I get from the HIBY is pretty good, I mean really enjoyable and can be bass adjusted to about anyone’s preferences. Best to you in your quest. Don’t forget to get at least 100-110 hours on them before making any permanent decisions. Just a recommendation…
I have to say that I was initially very disappointed with the bass on these. After several days and about fifty hours they seemed to be coming around. But was that just my imagination?
Yesterday and today I spent about 6 or 7 hours going through a playlist of bassy songs (pic attached).
I had my Bifrost 2 feeding an XLR switcher, which in turn fed three amps. I ran:
Violectric V220 into LSA-HP-2’s
Liquid Platinum into Elex’s
If Pro iCAN into HE6se V2’s
The results really surprised me. Coming on a distant third was the Focal Elex’s. The bass is just thumpy. Works for some songs, but not others. Even songs that I previously enjoyed them with did not sound good in comparison.
Coming second was the HE6se V2’s. I love these on the iFi Pro iCAN with bass boost maxed out! However, I removed all bass boost for this test and they still come across as pretty bassy. These guys impress me more all the time, although on a few songs they sounded veiled or limited. Not sure what that’s about. Maybe some modding needed.
The bass, while generous, was not articulate or sharp.
And this is where the LSA HP-2 came first. The bass is crazy accurate, laser sharp and very on point. Each drum strike sounded like a stick hitting the skins. Bass guitars sound like bass guitars.
These headphones are, by a bit, the most expensive headphones I ever bought. They beat my Grado’s, my Elex’s and my HE6se V2’s. And I won’t even bother comparing the Cascades.
I know that I am still in the shiny new toy phase, but the bass, the mids and the clarity is just outstanding! And they do not sound at all closed, although they have great isolation.
I am feeling Great about this purchase right now!
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Nice, Another fifty hours will be even better. 
. I noticed after an additional 10-15 hours (on top of the original 90+), sound has actually improved. Happy with my purchase for sure.
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Strange you had mentioned the increase in the bass. I ran about 100 songs with the dap last night and today(another 10 hours). And wow, where did all the bass come from? These babies keep getting better and better.
Maybe more to come with 150+hours .
Nice and tight, true to the recording. I am impressed. Right now listening to Alice Cooper’s Greatest Hits, awesome…
Cheers
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In my case at least, it is not just finding the bass, but it is a different kind of bass. It is not the boom boom like others. It is crystal clear. I think at first my ears didn’t think of it as bass as it was just too clean. I was waiting for the boom, the rumble.
These aren’t that kind of headphone. Once your brain burns in, you start to adapt to it.
My collection is now down to nine (two sets are on sale) and no other headphone has this kind of bass.
Bassheads would Not be happy with these at all. I am LOVING them.
Tomorrow is a bass off with the HE6se V2’s with both using bass boost on the iFi Pro iCAN! 
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Hasn’t ended yet for me. Best headphones I have ever heard. Welcome to the club. Officially!
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FYI: the bassheads I know very much are. After adding 20db to the bass of course. ANd yes, it handles it.
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Well today I will be leaning on the bass boost with Pro iCAN. I suspect lots of fun to be had.
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Without any bass boost, the HP-2’s have the much more well defined bass. And it’s much nicer to listen to. However I think the HE6se’s have more rumble and more traditional boom-boom bass.
As you say, the HP-2’s take to bass boosting very well, but to me, it is not the traditional raw bass that we are used to. It is a much finer, precise bass. This is exactly what I was looking for to offer a counterview to the Cascades. So far (only 9 days in), these are very impressive. I can see people trying these for a few hours and declaring them bass light though.
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Have you heard a dunu Zen? My god, the bass on that is obscenely high quality. Obviously, over ears and IEMs do stuff differently, but in raw sonic performance, the Zen has beaten everything I have heard in the bass. I still enjoy the hp-2 more because of the large scale of the visceral engagement. HP-2 is liquid articulate bass. Zen is methodical planar like DD. Different beasts. Love both for different reasons.
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I hate IEM’s, but I like your description of “liquid articulate bass”.
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