Well, I spent about two weeks concentrating on my planars and even added another pair in the middle of things. There were several surprises to me. Of course it is very subjective and just my opinion.
The last item first: I am very surprised and impressed by the Fostex T60RP headphones. I bought them to Argonize them. But they have great detail, clarity and a pretty good bass. The bass is more sharp than pounding, unlike the Cascades. The only downside is the very small soundstage. If Argonization could add a bit of soundstage and thicken up the base, without getting muddy, they would be a keeper in the collection. Good headphone for a good price, but VERY power hungry. On my Violectric V220, I have my gain set to +12Db’s (highest) and the volume tracks between 9:30 and 11:00, depending on the music. Very hungry. Sounded good on both amps (Violectric V220 and Liquid Platinum, although the LP was run SE).
Next up is the Drop (Hifiman) Edition XX headphones. I bought these several months ago, tried them and thought I preferred the Sundara’s. I was trying to sell then for several weeks and getting nothing but lowball offers. Finally got a solid lead with guy buying them for his father. Started going through them with a fine tooth comb and remembered that one of the earpads had a loose flap that I had to push back in after every use. I pulled on it a bit and then a bit more and before you know it, it had all come apart. It was never glued in to start with. I told my customer I couldn’t sell them and tried to fix it myself. Of course, I screwed it up. I needed a new pad. I couldn’t find a knock off and I had to buy a pair from HiFiman for $140.00Cdn., landed. Also, they had never fit right, so I finally ended up getting some Dekoni Nuggets. I use two at the top.
Getting back to business, they have an odd sound to me. It is very deep and wide. They need some power and volume to make them sing. And they lack the clarity and detail of the rest in the comparo. But cranked up on my Violectric (0 gain and about 2:00 on volume) the bass is strong and presence is Huge. The sound is like nothing else in the collection and really soars with the right music. I need to spend more time with these guys and learn them better. I guess our relationship was just meant to be. If I had to cut my collection down to five sets of headphones tomorrow, these probably wouldn’t make it, but that could change in the next month or two. Another pleasant surprise, but still a work in progress.
MUCH better on the Violectric.
Next up is the LCD-2 Classic’s. I had been curious about these for the last year or two and got a great deal from Audeze on a B-Grade. I see NO defects, maybe they were just a return. Out of the box I enjoyed them a lot. Seemed pretty clear with good detail and a bit bassy. IMO, little to no treble and I have to say that I enjoyed that. I have enough bright/brightish headphones. I played these for a week and was VERY impressed!
However there was an interruption: My CFA Cascades came in and I fell head over heels in love. I was blown away and used them for several days. Finally I put them away and got back to the Classic’s. I was SO disappointed with them. After a few days I just put them away and said I will get back to them. It was an unfair comparison, but it is what it is.
I pulled them out for this comparo, with no expectations at all. Turns out that, IMO, they beat the Sunadara’s in clarity and detail and are base canon’s in comparison! Within two days I knew the Classic’s were staying and the Sundara’s were going. I had feared it would be the opposite. They won’t kill on bass and they don’t have to. Nice fit for the collection. Good on both amps.
Lastly, we come to the originals, the Hifiman Sundara’s. I bought these about a year ago. I liked them right out of the box. Smooth and pleasant. Didn’t come close to my favourites, but was so easy to get along with. Nice break after several days with the intense Elex’s or the brightish Grado GH2’s. I have always thought of them as smooth and inoffensive. Nice clarity and reasonable detail at a pretty good price. I have played them a lot in the last year and never loved them or hated them. Music always sounded good, never great, never horrible. They filled a niche in my collection. Now I find that the LCD-2 Classic’s can do the same job, but do it better and add some bass. As they should for the price difference. Definitely sound better on the LP.
And so the Sundara’s will move off to a new home. It is like an acquaintance moving away or leaving your company. You feel a little sad, but when you think about it there were no bonding moments with them and you just wave good bye and wish them luck. 
In summary:
- Sundars’s are good, but bland
- LCD-2 Classic’s are not a leader, but a very good role player
- Edition XX’s are different. Need to give them a longer, more varied test run
- T60RP’s are a pretty nice headphone for the money and I am Argon curious. To me, they DESTROY the Monoprice M570’s and cost me about $100.00Cdn. more. VERY power hungry.
