there are split opinions on this point of stage. for me I think the lcd convey a "live" vibe while the arya convey a "studio" vibe. my mind just automatically thinks the sound of a live venue seems more open. the pads on the arya are stiffer and hold the sound source slightly further from the ear, so in that sense there's objectively more space and helps the staging. i didn't own the V2, but from what i've read, the SM sacrifice a little of the V2 stage for better overall balance.
i'm here for those transients and psycho-acoustics. i want that "magic". otherwise i'd just get the cheapest pair of cans that can produce a harman curve and call it a day. nothing wrong with that either-- it's just not what i'm after.
i heard the Utopia 2022 on the DCS Lina stack at canjam last month and it was excellent. in terms of dynamic driver cans, my second fav was the ZMF Atrium on a coming-soon ZMF + Deckware tube amp collaboration. Both combinations were fantastic. Thanks for the pics!
casper_wolf OP t1_iu0krmf wrote
Reply to comment by Realistic_Cry642 in Do I keep LCDX 2021 or the Arya Stealth or Both? by casper_wolf
this reply helped a lot actually