# Best choice for portable Amp for LCD-2s??



## chickenparm

Hey head-fi, I am obviously new here and relatively new to high end audio listening.
  But it's simple I am going to buy LCD-2's and I know that with a very expensive, highly specialized pair of headphones I will need a relatively expensive and specialized Amp (which i will get one), and someone like me should have no business flaunting a pair of those in public (should anything ever happen to them), but I still want to know what is out there that is pocket sized or somewhat close to it that I can get away with powering the planar magnetic drivers (I listen to all kinds of music mostly rock, drum n bass, electronic, and orchestra/classical.) in public, because I do plan on using them in public.
   
  Sorry if that way too long and confusing sentence got you lost 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





 but thank you for reading and let me know some brands, models, and where to buy if you could please!!!


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## chickenparm

Oh I must also say I am sure that some one has already posted but I am taking the lazy route and asking again!


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## crossjeremiah

http://www.aloaudio.com/rx-mk3
   
  i heard these power lcd2s well


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## mtntrance

Jump on the Pico Power pre-order thread.


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## chickenparm

Thank you I will keep this in mind and thanks for replying so quickley!


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## chickenparm

Both of you that is


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## chickenparm

Quote: 





crossjeremiah said:


> http://www.aloaudio.com/rx-mk3
> 
> i heard these power lcd2s well


 

 A little pricey but if my research proves fruitful for this amp, I may have found a winner! it's very small and that is what I am stressing for my LCD-2s
  Thank you crossjeremiah


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## chickenparm

Quote: 





mtntrance said:


> Jump on the Pico Power pre-order thread.


 

mtntrance I will hit up that thread you mentioned and see what I can dig up!


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## Mcberto

Try RSA's The Intruder. Powers orthos like LCD2/3's and HE6/500s with ease.


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## NZtechfreak

The Intruder is very nice indeed, also offering the option to go balanced with the LCD-2. I've only used mine single-ended with the LCD-2, but even there the sound is very good.
   
  I love the sound of my LCD-2 via my HeadAmp Pico USB DAC/amp also, so could easily recommend that too.
   
  Regarding the Intruders ability to power the HE-6: Single-ended is a NO. It powers them to reasonable volumes on a balanced connection, but I don't think it approaches their potential. Don't think you'll find a better portable solution for driving the HE-6, but don't buy into discussion of it driving them "with ease". It is true of the other well known orthos, but not the HE-6.
   
  I own all the stuff I'm talking about here, and do have a balanced connection for the HE-6 into the Intruder also.


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## KT66

don't forget the Graham Slee Voyager, seems to drive anything.


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## Mediahound

Quote: 





mcberto said:


> Try RSA's The Intruder. Powers orthos like LCD2/3's and HE6/500s with ease.


 
  As does the SR71B (or A), the LCD2/3 that is.


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## Dyaems

C&C x02 (no joke, and it matches the lcd2 very well, even making the lcd2 sounds more "open")


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## max pl

do the Predator and O2 Combo power the LCD2 easily as well?


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## Takeanidea

I've tried wearing mine out in public but got too nervous and far too self conscious.
I have an ibasso heron p3 linked up to my imod. It doesn't power the lcd2s enough. The amp distorts badly. Believe it or not, through the earphone out on the ipod they sound absolutely beautiful. 
And I can tell you now....everything but everything sounds fantastic through the lcd2s. With the caveat that they have to be powerful enough to drive them.
I am looking at the ALO Continental V2 or the RXm3 .
But having heard so much about the opamp 627, whats really whetting my appetite is the Audiophile 627.
However, I am in the sane boat as you having not heard any of this stuff and being tucked away in SW England.)


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## Takeanidea

Have just realised I missed a head fi meet in september! I wonder what people thought of all that kit? No doubt I shall find out after wading through all these amazing posts. Sheesh what a find!


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## crossjeremiah

so i have a Single Power MPX 3 amp and the LCD2s sound amazing. but I have a a cheap ibasso d7 amp i got 4 months ago. before upgraditis hit.  I went and impulsively bought a Schiit Gungnir, because I heard it's a really good dac for its price.


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## ValentinHogea

ALO Audio Pan Am + Passport (if you consider it portable).
   
  Otherwise Vorzüge VorzAMPduo or VorzAMPpure. The Duo has a 2-way EQ of which you can only use the treble with LCD-2's. Doesn't have the steam to use the extremely overshooting bass-EQ.


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## chickenparm

Wow! A lot has been posted since I last checked.
  Thanks guys!
  I will start comparing these as well
  What is everyones/anyones take on the O2 in comparison to any of these mentioned above? I know that the O2 has been infamous for beating most anything under $500 But its just a little too big to fit in a pocket. unless I suppose i make my own case to cut down on size but even then... I think with the DAC added to it it still might be bulky.
   
  Any food for thought? like best value for price and still very compact?
  This is just for on the go mostly although I am not opposed to spending the money if it comes down to having to do that so I can reduce the size of my future AMP that will do only what it needs (power the LCD-2s and maintain favorable sound quality) this is after all not going to be my only AMP for my LCD-2s..


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## czqdtc

My experience.
Continental V2 + LCD2, Pretty good, very good synergy but can't really open them up as compare to desktop amps.
Uha-6s MKII(a great amp that is cheap and with USB dac)+ LCD2, Terrible synergy, sounds worse than iPod directly.


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## Dutchi MerenGue

isnt the o2 portable? why not that, people seem to sing that combo's praise alot here on headfi


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## Takeanidea

I think you'd be better off with a headphone that is safrr to take around with you as well as the lcd2's. I assume you have them now which is a good move
You might not think that will get you high end audio but consider what they are designed for: listening to music indoors which is a quiet environment. 
They leak sound hugely. Plus they let in sounds. Traffic noise is unlikely to put a smile on your face through these. And what if you get a freak downpour of rain? There's no protection. 
You have to consider that at least some form of isolation will bring you into the music and away from the hustle and bustle on the move. If I'm walking in the countryside and the forecast looks good a pair of denon ahd2000's is a better by far deal than the audezes. They're closed but still leak but let in and are less leaky by a huge margin.
If I'm in the city then inner ears are the way to go. The westones are of the comply foam type. My um2s are total isolation. You hear no traffic noise. No matter what volume no one can hear your music. The um2s lack details and depth and are rolled off in the treble compared with my klipsch x10is. But in the sound stakes they beat the lcd2's in traffic for those reasons.
You're needing 2 sets of equipment ultimately. 1 at home set, the choicss are endless. 1 on the move set, the phones need to be isolating for you to derive the greatest pleasure from them. They can then fit in your hand luggage or your pocket for the bus and they wont attract any glares wh8ch would be sure to spoil your experience too.
Hope this helps


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## chickenparm

Yeah I understand that the sound leak is no good. And I am considering another set of cans before the lcd2s. I will have a look at the models you mentioned. And the thunder pants seem like an impressive headphones to. Where I live is pretty quiet and the open back headphones I have used (he 400) leak noise to and I do like the advantages of leaking noise to some degree because if I'm long boarding its good to know when something is approaching or something loud is around per chance.


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## reddragon

i heard the maker of thunderpants bailed out on people and i dont know if you can still get a brand new thunderpants now. besides, i also read that people think mad dogs and paradox are superior mods than the thunderpants... i own none of these, i just read about them... i do however have the stock fostex t50rp and i dont like it very much...


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## chickenparm

Hey what do you know I bought the LCD-2's now im gonna get a nice piece of Schiit amp lol. maybe... i want to research it more
   
   
  but maybe...


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## KimChee

I chose Headstage Arrow for my portable amp, it is the best all around for me size and performance.  I've got it taped to the back of my iphone 4.


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## brianc0428

My SR-71B powered the lcd2's perfectly and with the new updates it can't be beat in my opinion.


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## midnightwalker

For portable amp, I drive my LCD2/3 with the TTVJ Apex Glacier. Some may say it doesn't have enough power but I see that's good enough, at least to me


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## chickenparm

So I have had the LCD-2s for a few days now and i have to say a lot of things people have been spewing at me about how i can get cans with very similar audio graphs for way less and LCD-2s are riding on quite a bit of bloat and bla bla bla, I realized that you can only go so far based on graphs... so far all the so called competitors on a budget I have compared side by side and what I got out of it was that you cant go your whole life thinking you can have it all figured out by data and graphs. The LCD-2s are worth every penny. There are too many variables to consider like how the cans sit on your head and suit your needs as far as grasp and weight and other things, Plllllluuuuss, the fact that every LCD-2 can come a bit different from its siblings, kind of like twins looking the same... but kinda different....     you know what I mean 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



  unless you bite the bullet and actually have them to compare do'nt ever dare tell people they are wasting their money because you really have to try it before you judge it. Right?? makes sense
   
  My graph has a little more sparkle, (I think) than the usual pair of LCD-2s from that I have seen. The highs are completely present thus less "dark" of a sound. I could not have hoped for a better result from these headphones! Next stop. AMP!
  It's surprising how little of a frequency loss there is when not using an AMP mostly you lose power is all and even then its loud enough to block most outside sound, which by the way, reminds me that saying that the LCD-2s are not for mobile use bla bla bla, every sound in the world will ruin my music experience bla bla bla, YOU HAVE NOT OWNED A PAIR OF THESE OBVIOUSLY! lol
  As far as them being opene backed, they dont leak nearly as much noise as quincey jones's or dt880's and especially not NEARLY as much as he-400/h-6's, again thanks for the misleading speculation people lol.


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## chickenparm

But I know that all you were all doing is trying to help that is so thank you for all the juicy topic discussion! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



  I'm gonna be calling AUDEZ'E again and be asking about these porto AMPs and see what one they recommend.


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## reddragon

Quote: 





chickenparm said:


> So I have had the LCD-2s for a few days now and i have to say a lot of things people have been spewing at me about how i can get cans with very similar audio graphs for way less and LCD-2s are riding on quite a bit of bloat and bla bla bla, I realized that you can only go so far based on graphs... so far all the so called competitors on a budget I have compared side by side and what I got out of it was that you cant go your whole life thinking you can have it all figured out by data and graphs. The LCD-2s are worth every penny. There are too many variables to consider like how the cans sit on your head and suit your needs as far as grasp and weight and other things, Plllllluuuuss, the fact that every LCD-2 can come a bit different from its siblings, kind of like twins looking the same... but kinda different....     you know what I mean
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
   
   
  glad you like it, though i dont think anyone will be using the lcd2 without an amp...


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## chickenparm

Yeah I know what you mean. An amp is paramount for listening to any music with any headphones lol! I just had to be that guy who bought the headphones before an amp. So I'm mooching for now.


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## reddragon

oh, i would think that people who buy the lcd2 usually has other headphones before he buys the lcd2, so they would already have amps, even if they are not high end amps lol.


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## chickenparm

I have access to one at any given moment the guy in the room next to me has some. im just being lazy about getting one. well more like over worked to the point where I neglect a lot of things. like 60 hours or so a week lately... but I got rid of one of my jobs to free up my life.


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## reddragon

Quote: 





chickenparm said:


> I have access to one at any given moment the guy in the room next to me has some. im just being lazy about getting one. well more like over worked to the point where I neglect a lot of things. like 60 hours or so a week lately... but I got rid of one of my jobs to free up my life.


 
   
   
  got rid of one of your jobs and being on head-fi? not sure if this is good for your wallet


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## chickenparm

Yeah I know but I have only lost a little bit of hours basically I am at a perfect level of work and play hahaha! Success.


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## reddragon

Quote: 





chickenparm said:


> Yeah I know but I have only lost a little bit of hours basically I am at a perfect level of work and play hahaha! Success.


 
   
   
  lol aight, congrats then. so got an amp for your lcd2 yet?


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## DemonFox

Quote: 





kimchee said:


> I chose Headstage Arrow for my portable amp, it is the best all around for me size and performance.  I've got it taped to the back of my iphone 4.


 
   
   
  Have you used an Arrow with any Orthos? He-400's and up?
   
   
  Thanks,


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## chickenparm

reddragon said:


> lol aight, congrats then. so got an amp for your lcd2 yet?




I am settling with a fiio e7 for now. Just because any amp is better than no amp for now


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## reddragon

Quote: 





chickenparm said:


> I am settling with a fiio e7 for now. Just because any amp is better than no amp for now


 
   
  no schiit gear? you put schiit under your sig...


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## chickenparm

I am borrowing one and buying one ASAP. For my Mobil use I have a fiio e7 to tie me over lol I wasn't very clear I plan on the magni/modi. Did you see the April fools Mobil amp they wer advertising??? Hahaha


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## chickenparm

As I mentioned I have access to some amps but technically own just the fiio for now. It's a darn shame but I have to settle with this for now


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## chickenparm

demonfox said:


> Have you used an Arrow with any Orthos? He-400's and up?
> 
> 
> Thanks,


 No I have not I don't have acces to one I will have to add it to my considerations list and do some digging


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## burgunder

In theory you should try to find an amp with at neutral to bright sound(I would prefer a neutral) and a good soundstage. I'm not one to think that you need super powerfull(balanced) amps to drive it. Right now I'm using the Ibasso D7 with a pair of modded Fostex T50rp which have a sensitivity around the LCD-2's and I'm using low gain and I have the volumeknob at 10 o'clock. 

Sometimes this combination gets a bit dark, so I'm looking for something to replace it that has better synergy and better technical abilities, and I guess the same amp/dac would be preferable for the LCD-2's.


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## reddragon

Quote: 





chickenparm said:


> I am borrowing one and buying one ASAP. For my Mobil use I have a fiio e7 to tie me over lol I wasn't very clear I plan on the magni/modi. Did you see the April fools Mobil amp they wer advertising??? Hahaha


 
   
   
  lol thats ok, i havent heard of the april fools amp, and how about dac? you got a good dac already?


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## hiiisociety

Quote: 





chickenparm said:


> But I know that all you were all doing is trying to help that is so thank you for all the juicy topic discussion!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  I just got mine.  Keep us posted.  I hope I can hold out for your answer before jumping to get the SR71B. LOL


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## Wyd4

I too just bought my lcd2s. I have an e17 which I was using with my vmodas and momentums.
Don't think its going to cut it for these.
That said I haven't had a listen yet as I won't have them for a few days.


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## Dutchi MerenGue

I dont know how portable some of you guys would consider the o2 but that has more than enough power to drive my lcd2's for a couple of hours on high gain


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## reddragon

Quote: 





dutchi merengue said:


> I dont know how portable some of you guys would consider the o2 but that has more than enough power to drive my lcd2's for a couple of hours on high gain


 
   
   
  that would probably fit as transportable.


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## arkarkme

Been using my Pico amp/dac + Samsung Note 2 with my LCD-2s at work and couldn't be happier.  On high gain, volume control isn't even half way and it's plenty loud with good solid bass.


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## DemonFox

wyd4 said:


> I too just bought my lcd2s. I have an e17 which I was using with my vmodas and momentums.
> Don't think its going to cut it for these.
> That said I haven't had a listen yet as I won't have them for a few days.




Well if you're a fan of the Fiio sound you could snag a E12 and be pretty set! That beast has more than enough power to push the LCD 2's with authority and you can find them used for $110 and under.


Thanks,

:evil:


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## Prolificaudio

Why would he buy another amp? Is the e12 a dac? Do you really think the fiio e17s could drive the lcd2s? What about the e11 would that power them?


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## silversurfer616

Have LCD2s balanced fed by RWAK120 into either ALO International or Ray Samuels RS7b and I am very happy with what I hear.
Both amps drive the LCD2 with power and authority you would think is only possible with a proper desktop rig.
The International also has the advantage of an internal DAC.


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