Headphone amp and headphones... ?


I'm thinking about buying a headphone amp and headphones... will i hear a noticable difference if i 'm in the 1500.00 headphone range and around 700.00 for the amp? I have Rouge audio 180 mono blocks and the 99 preamp. The way it is now i can't get any sound / volume out of it with just the headphones
bobmclean
Thank you for your detailed answer. I have another question regarding their ability to play at lower volume...which is what I do most of the time...I've heard they are not particularly good at that. Would you agree with that statement? I heard that AKG K702 are pretty good at lower volume.
Thank you for your detailed answer. I have another question regarding their ability to play at lower volume...which is what I do most of the time...I've heard they are not particularly good at that. Would you agree with that statement? I heard that AKG K702 are pretty good at lower volume.

Yes, I'd agree they are quite good at low volume. The only other cans that I've heard that are better at low-volume listening are Grado GS1000's, but in every other respect the Grado is an idiosyncratic headphone and not up to the level of the LCD-2's for general listening. The other iffy issue around the LCD-2's will be comfort. Being an ortho they are large and a bit heavy and you become very aware of them as they do tend to squeeze a bit more than other cans (Audeze did improve this from the very early version which were even tighter). For some folks it doesn't matter, and some actually find them comfortable. I do not, but I also don't find them very uncomfortable either. They sure are not HD800's, which are one of the most comfortable cans I've owned. I don't remember AKG702's being that great at low volume, but honestly I did not give them much of a chance and I don't think I had the best amp for them. I heard them later on at a headphone meet using a Woo WA6SE amp and they sounded much better than I'd ever heard them sounding. I did not own them with the Woo I had so that was the first time I'd heard the combination. They do not have the tonal richness that the LCD-2's offer, nor the lower end extension or flat mid response....a different sound...more akin to the HD800's you used to have, but falling short there, even optimally amplified...IMHO. If you listen to music at low volumes most of the time you might want to try to take a listen to the GS1000's, but be aware that they are really tailored for classical music and don't seem to serve vocals nearly as well (at low volume this does not seem to make as much of a difference - not sure why - could have something to do with the impedance curve, but someone who knows better would have to confirm).
I liked the sound of Grado PS1000 but I couldn't wear them because they kept falling off my head when in laying in my bed. I don't have such issues with my T1's. Will the LCD stay on your head in a horizontal position?
The LCD-2's clamp pretty tightly but I have not tried them myself while laying down. I also probably don't have the same head you do (that'd be quite a coincidence) so even if I had tried it I don't think the information would necessarily apply to everyone. Just tilting my head back with mine on they start to slide off so I'd say that I'd have the same problem you did with your Grados FWIW.