$1000 headphones?! You're crazy! (Audeze LCD-2 review)

[Lays]

Hello everyone, I just received my Audeze LCD-2 on 6/16/2014 and figured I'd make a review about it, so here goes nothing.

 

They're the LCD-2 revision 2.2 with fazors, some people call them revision 3 I think. (It's actually quite confusing IMO, wish it was simpler)

 

 

Some pictures before we get started:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Previous headphone experience & time spent with them:  

Hifiman HE-500 (3 weeks)

AD900X (1 year)  

HD800: ~5-10 minutes

LCD-3 ~10-20 minutes

 

 

First off, lets talk about build quality & build "luxury" so to speak:   Everything feels insanely high quality, (and is for that matter) it's sturdy, elegant looking, feels great on your head, and even looks great on the desk beside you if you're crazy enough to take them off.

The headband is metal inside, wrapped by lambskin leather with memory foam padding underneath, and then attached by metal rods with notches cut into it for adjusting the head-size.  Those metal rods then attach with a locking screw to 2 "yolks" that screw into each bamboo wood ear cup, each cup has metal grills on both sides to protect the drivers. The ear pads themselves are lambskin leather, with the softest foam I've ever felt inside. When you put them on, it's so soft & cushion-y that you feel as if there's pillows holding the headphones on your head.

 

Alright, now lets talk about comfort.  With the LCD-2 Revision 1, I saw a few videos and read a few posts about comfort problems that people were having.  In the revision 2, and later-revisions they changed around the headband, adding more padding to it & wrapping the entire headband in lambskin leather, making them much more comfortable in lots of peoples experiences. They weigh about a pound, but you honestly don't notice it with the soft and cushy-ness on the pads, it really does feel like the pads are almost filled with air, they're insanely squishy, but still provide the right amount of padding. Something I noticed right away with them, the lambskin leather doesn't get hot on your ears, the pleather ear-pads for my HE-500's got extremely gross and warm after about 20-30 minutes, I've been wearing my LCD-2's for around.. 4 hours now and they are warm, but no warmer than cloth ear-pads would be. +1 for this.

 

Something I really love, they angled the connectors on the ear cups for the cables AWAY from you, so the cable doesn't rub on your shoulder when you turn your head. (I had this issue with my 900X's and HE-500, bugged me to death)

 

The case they come in if ordered with the travel case is absolutely superb. The build quality is something you'd see in a high-quality gun case, waterproof and so well built.

 

 

 

Sound:

 

 

I'm powering them off an o2+ODAC that I purchased from @MayflowerElectronics (extremely nice guy & very helpful, hi Tyler) it sounds like a great pair so far.  One thing that is so great about the o2+odac is they're both VERY neutral, and won't add any extra things that shouldn't be there in the music.  They let the music and the headphones do the talking essentially. Great product.

 

Just an extra add in, I got a Schiit Lyr amplifier awhile back, and I really like it. (Pic above in the pictures part) it's a solid state hybrid tube amplifier that can put some serious juice into the LCD-2's, turning it all the way up the music can literally be heard through a closed door 20 feet away!  No distortion at all at max volume either, it's WAY to loud to listen to, but fun knowing that the amp can really put some serious umph into the headphones.  (Something like 4 watts )

I have tried tube "rolling" (the changing of tubes in the amp) and actually came to a neat conclusion, the rumours of tubes sounding slightly different from one another is true so far from what I've seen.  The stock tubes are quite neutral sounding, and a set I got the other day seem to bring out the treble a bit more.  I'll post more findings about this later.

 

 

 

The LCD-2 has a very similar sound signature to my previous HE-500, but with less harshness in the treble. I find a lot more detail in my music with the LCD-2 though, I'm noticing quite a few things in music I didn't notice before. (The he-500 are detailed as is, just these are a bit more detailed)

Compared to my 900X's, it has the great sounding treble of them, but doesn't sound overpowering in the treble region like the 900X's did.

 

 

Bass:

 

• The bass is wonderful, it has such impact and control that you feel as if there's an extremely nice sub-woofer in the room with you, but it doesn't cover up anything in the music, it almost prepares the rest of the music in a way that feels so immensely natural sounding.  My favorite part about the bass is, it doesn't always have impact & vibration, it has it when the song intends it to be there.  I really like how it doesn't cover up anything, but rather transition into other frequencies. Wonderful for bass-heads if you enjoy hearing the rest of your music, and not just the wub-wubs.

 

Mids:

 

• When the bass starts to transition into the mid-range, it compliments male voices and makes them sound so much more realistic. The same thing can be said about the mids, it's almost as if every frequency range on this headphone works together in tandem. The mids remain so immensely clear, and I think the most amount of detail is here. You hear the breaths artists take, you hear the artists speaking with their band when the song is fading out. I truly think the mids on these headphones are the best part about them, so smooth, so great sounding.

 

Highs:

 

• The highs are something else. I've never heard detail in a headphone's high-end range, without it bugging my ears from being to "treble-heavy / sparkly / bright". This is the first time I've been delighted for high notes, they sound so smooth, and bright when they need to be, but not over-whelming and painful to listen to.  I have grown to love piano songs now because of these headphones, and it's so relaxing to listen to the piano IMO. I had a lot of issues listening to my HE-500 at times they were just a tiny bit to much treble, it hurt my ears at times.

 

Side note:

 

• The sound-stage is quite interesting, it's not very wide, but the detail in it is extremely strange. It seals to your head similar to a closed headphone, despite being open, yet everything is placed around the sound-stage perfectly. I believe the correct term for this is "Imaging".  When noises in your music are coming from different angles, and different distances it sounds like it's actually happening around you.  I've had previous headphones that were decent at this, but nothing compared to these. It's much better at "imaging" than my previous AD900X, and HE-500, despite the sound stage being more narrow. When you listen to songs with a lot of instruments, you can clearly tell that each instrument "has it's own seat" in the music.  I believe this is a combination of "imaging" and "separation".
•  With my previous HE-500 and AD900X, when tons of things were happening at once in the song, it sometimes sounded as if it was all crunched together, rather than clearly separated.

 

 

Experiences over the last few days:

 

 

 

It's currently 1 AM on the first night of listening while typing this (6/17), and man oh man, I feel as if I've died and gone to heaven. I have yet to listen to a song that hasn't made me feel warm and fuzzy inside.  Even genre's I've never even heard of or listened to before, these headphones are truly amazing.

I've been hunting down songs via other sites, just to see what other Audeze owners listen to music wise, here's a few songs I've listened to from my own library & from others:

 

 

Money for Nothing - Dire Straits 

 

When the intro starts, you feel the music immediately surround you, at 1:13 the drum comes in. The drum has impact, thump, detail, and really makes you feel as if you're listening to it in person.

At 1:26 the guitar starts in the left ear, and sounds as if it's in the distance, then the drums start to pick up, and you feel every little note and impact from them while clearly hearing the guitar notes that come in from further away than the drums. (Great imaging IMO)

As the guitar moves into the "center stage" at 1:37 you can hear the guitar being played, and not just the notes, the thump from him plucking the strings.

 

 

Lost Cause - Beck

 

This song is wonderful for demonstrating the sound-stage and separation of instruments.  Throughout the entire song, there's multiple guitar notes being played simultaneously, and each one sounds completely separated without clogging up the music, his voice remains remarkably detailed, while you hear the guitar notes as if they're surrounding his voice. 

 

 

Hotel California - Eagles

 

I've always loved this song, when I was younger my mom and I used to sing it in the car. (Hell, we still do) 

 

This is another song that shows off the separation so well, you truly do feel surrounded by the instruments as if you're sitting right there in the room with them. 

The guitar sounds about 2 feet to each side of you, and his voice feels right outside your ears. The drums have a satisfying thump you'd get from really nice speakers & a sub-woofer, at 3:14 the drums make a "thump-tha-tha-thump" noise, and you can track the movement of where the drums are as he plays them from right to left.

 

 

If you'd like me to describe more songs, PM me if you'd like and make a request. I'll do my best to help.

 

 

 

Gaming:

 

They don't have a crazy insanely wide sound-stage like something like the AD900X, or HD800, or even some of AKG's lineup.  But I stand by the fact that the directions the sound "appears" to be coming from is extremely accurate to games.

 

I played a bit of COD BO2 and BF4 with these, you really feel inside the game and it's truly a great experience.  Because on top of having good placement of sounds, you get wonderful depth in the sound quality as well. Explosions rock your ears, gunshots sound real, everything is great and exciting.

 

One thing these headphones amaze me with is placement of sounds above / below you, I was playing a bit of CS:GO and continuously could tell people were below me, or above me. A little bit of Bo2 the other day I actually shot a guy through the floor and got called a hacker! Pleased to say it was the headphones doing their job .

 

 

Closing thoughts:

 

If you ever have the chance to listen to these, don't hesitate. They have such a natural sound that I think everyone should have a chance to listen to for awhile in their life. It really is an "experience" in my opinion.  I honestly think there's no way to completely understand high-end audio until you've sat down and spent a good amount of time with it. I used to think a lot of it was a waste of money, but once you get a taste, you don't really want to stop.

 

These suckers cost $995 and even more for the rosewood version, are they worth it? It depends on how strapped you are for cash.  If money isn't a problem, hell yes. Buy them and enjoy audio bliss & superb build quality.  If money is tight, stop on by the audio sub-forum & ask for help.

 

 

 

PS: Thanks to @ShearMe you've taught me quite a bit of things to be weary of (despite me not always listening), as well as all of the other things you've explained to me over the past few months. Hopefully we can trade cans someday and you can try these puppies.  :wub:

 

 

 

 

If I made any mistakes, or worded anything wrong, please let me know so I can fix my mistakes.

[MayflowerElectronics]

Yup, that's why LCD-2's are my favorite headphones

 

If you're patient you can get these on Black Friday for $700 I believe?

[DarrenP]

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3WAVyTNFwfk/TrroiywEOLI/AAAAAAAADMo/zXUmC3UXPqc/s1600/Llamozas%2Bspeckled%2Bpeacock%2Bbass%2Bbig%2Bhuge%2Bworld%2Brecord%2Bigfa%2Bgigante%2Bpesce%2Bbiggest%2Bfishes%2Bfish%2Bof%2Bthe%2Bworld%2Bpesce%2Benorme%2Bgigante%2Bbig%2Bfis

How's the Bass? 

[PillowSmoke]

Very well written out.

[Lays]

Yup, that's why LCD-2's are my favorite headphones

 

If you're patient you can get these on Black Friday for $700 I believe?

 

 

Now all I need is a job so I can try other headphones as well, I want to try HD800's in my home for a few days, I may try and get them used for under $1,000 so if I don't like them I can simply re-sell.  I thought they were nice in the store, but I didn't get enough time to actually get a good sense of what they were like.

 

Turns out, ALO Audio has a dealership near my house, I emailed them asking if I could come in with my LCD's and test out their cables + amps, (Not that I'd ever pay their ridiculous prices, but it would be fun to try out)

[Foxxer]

Sweet write-up Lays. 

 

Yes, props to @ShearMe, he knows his stuff.

[Epitome]

Nice review, they sound like really good headphones, i just which i could afford them. 

[Lays]

Nice review, they sound like really good headphones, i just which i could afford them. 

 

Honestly I wish everyone could, so everyone could experience it once!

[flibberdipper]

I kind of wish that I had a pair, and that they were all black.

[Lays]

I kind of wish that I had a pair, and that they were all black.

 

[flibberdipper]

...

Now... About that money thing... I don't have any, and now I feel terrible, since I want those so bad.

[Epitome]

Now... About that money thing... I don't have any, and now I feel terrible, since I want those so bad.

Me too

[Lays]

Now... About that money thing... I don't have any, and now I feel terrible, since I want those so bad.

 

They also have a closed version that's beautiful IMO.  Honestly some of the prettiest wood I've ever seen used on headphones:

 

 

[DoubleY]

Best $X you've ever spent?

[Dev.]

Can confirm, LCD-XC's look amazing and sound even better than they look.

[NannerBeans]

-snip-

Ah man I want to try those so bad. I like closed headphones more than open usually so I'm not too interested in the rest of the LCD lineup but really want to try the XC. Can anyone tell me what they sound like?

[Lays]

Ah man I want to try those so bad. I like closed headphones more than open usually so I'm not too interested in the rest of the LCD lineup but really want to try the XC. Can anyone tell me what they sound like?

 

 

The LCD-XC reviews I've seen say they have a wider soundstage than the LCD-2's, not quite sure how though.  Do you have a store near you that u can try the LCD-2's?

[NannerBeans]

The LCD-XC reviews I've seen say they have a wider soundstage than the LCD-2's, not quite sure how though.  Do you have a store near you that u can try the LCD-2's?

Well I live in the city that was named most snobbish but no high end audio shops here...So much for being the most snobbish lol. 

 

Edit: It was only mid-sized cities though not the entire nation. 

 

Edit 2: Oh actually there is a store a few towns over that carries Audeze products. Might go over there and have a look since it's right by Microcenter and I'll have to go there soon. 

[Lays]

Well I live in the city that was named most snobbish but no high end audio shops here...So much for being the most snobbish lol. 

 

Edit: It was only mid-sized cities though not the entire nation. 

 

Edit 2: Oh actually there is a store a few towns over that carries Audeze products. Might go over there and have a look since it's right by Microcenter and I'll have to go there soon. 

 

 

If it's not very quiet in the store its really hard to audition in stores

 

when I went, I was in love with the LCD-3 and LCD-2 from the start, the comfort was 10/10 for me.  But then I tried HD800, and I could tell they were really really clear, airy and open sounding, but the store was really noisey and I couldn't get a good feel for them, so I couldn't really give a good "like/dislike" on them.  I want to save money and try them in the future in my home, but I fear my o2+odac will be to bright with them and make my ears bleed from treble.

[NannerBeans]

If it's not very quiet in the store its really hard to audition in stores

 

when I went, I was in love with the LCD-3 and LCD-2 from the start, the comfort was 10/10 for me.  But then I tried HD800, and I could tell they were really really clear, airy and open sounding, but the store was really noisey and I couldn't get a good feel for them, so I couldn't really give a good "like/dislike" on them.  I want to save money and try them in the future in my home, but I fear my o2+odac will be to bright with them and make my ears bleed from treble.

I don't even know if they have headphones for testing because their website doesn't say much but they're the only ones that sell Audeze products in Illinois. They have like 5 stores and luckily one of them is sorta near me. I'll drop by when I go to Microcenter. 

[Lays]

I don't even know if they have headphones for testing because their website doesn't say much but they're the only ones that sell Audeze products in Illinois. They have like 5 stores and luckily one of them is sorta near me. I'll drop by when I go to Microcenter. 

 

 

they're definitely somethin else, i hope you can try em 

[BoredErica]

How are LCD-X compared to the other open Audeze cans (tried them before)? I'm looking for a great contrast to my bright HD800s to make it fun. I think the all black is even sexier than the wooden earcups, plus I don't have to deal with the wood (cracking, wood maintenance, trees plotting to kill me, etc) And of course, now the normal LCDs all have Fazor... I heard you can send it back to Audeze and get it upgraded for a small fee. Somebody is selling LCD-X for $1,525 and I am thinking of nabbing one.

[Lays]

How are LCD-X compared to the other open Audeze cans (tried them before)? I'm looking for a great contrast to my bright HD800s to make it fun. I think the all black is even sexier than the wooden earcups, plus I don't have to deal with the wood (cracking, wood maintenance, trees plotting to kill me, etc) And of course, now the normal LCDs all have Fazor... I heard you can send it back to Audeze and get it upgraded for a small fee. Somebody is selling LCD-X for $1,525 and I am thinking of nabbing one.

 

 

They are the neutral version of LCD-2's essentially.  They have a tad bit more bass slam apparently, but are much brighter than the LCD-2, according to tyll.

Some say the bass on the LCD-2 is more apparent.   I think they're more geared towards studio use from what some have described them as.

 

Is it on head-fi? You may be able to get them for around $1400

[BoredErica]

They are the neutral version of LCD-2's essentially.  They have a tad bit more bass slam apparently, but are much brighter than the LCD-2, according to tyll.

Some say the bass on the LCD-2 is more apparent.   I think they're more geared towards studio use from what some have described them as.

 

Is it on head-fi? You may be able to get them for around $1400

I'm on Headfi sometimes. I don't see anybody selling LCD-X for cheaper than 1525. If you see anybody sell it for cheaper, lemme know. You think $1525 is a fine offer or should I wait?

A person I know says he tried all the Audezes and felt the LCD-X still has plenty of bass, and is still a great contrast to the HD800s. What I don't want are two bright headphones, that ruins the entire point. I want two very different headphones. On the other hand what I've read is that the LCD2 is a dark headphone, so "brighter than LCD2" could just mean neutral or even slightly dark. I've tried LCD 2/3/X before but the listening conditions were bad and my time spent on them were limited.

[Lays]

I'm on Headfi sometimes. I don't see anybody selling LCD-X for cheaper than 1525. If you see anybody sell it for cheaper, lemme know. You think $1525 is a fine offer or should I wait?

A person I know says he tried all the Audezes and felt the LCD-X still has plenty of bass, and is still a great contrast to the HD800s. What I don't want are two bright headphones, that ruins the entire point. I want two very different headphones. On the other hand what I've read is that the LCD2 is a dark headphone, so "brighter than LCD2" could just mean neutral or even slightly dark. I've tried LCD 2/3/X before but the listening conditions were bad and my time spent on them were limited.

 

 

The lcd-x will still have plenty of bass for sure, but remember it's quite a bit heavier than the 2/3 because it's solid aluminum I believe.  If you have a strong neck it won't bug you at all. The LCD-2 with fazor is a bit different than the revision 1/2, the revision 2.2 + 3 (fazor) sound quite a bit different I've heard.  The treble was brought up a couple db, the bass slam has been toned down a bit. They're much closer to neutral in the newer versions, but the X is a bit more neutral so I've heard.

 

What you could do, is buy LCD-2's from razordogaudio for $795, try them for a bit and send back if you want to try the X's as well?

 

 

 

Here's one for 1450:

 

http://www.head-fi.org/t/722243/lcd-x-lost-balance-xlr-cable

 

He's missing the balanced cable, dunno if you care though?

 

http://www.head-fi.org/t/728475/used-like-new-audeze-lcd-x-free-shipping

 

1500$