Audeze LCD-XC Review and Impressions

Discussion in 'Headphones' started by rhythmdevils, Jul 6, 2021.

  1. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    Audeze LCD-XC Review
    (Including Comparisons to LCD-X and ZMF Eikon)


    [​IMG]

    Gear

    Pi2AES > Gungnir A1 > @Fallenangel SOHA1 > LCD-XC, LCD-X, ZMF Eikon

    Aesthetics
    I never include an aesthetics section in my reviews because I could generally care less. But Audeze has made what I consider a terrible decision with this headphone’s aesthetic design. There is no place for branding on a 1000$+ headphone. Does Audeze think their name is that cool to warrant plastering it in huge bright white letters on the side of the cups? It looks God awful and would make me feel embarrassed wearing them. This is the aesthetic of 100$ headphones for teenagers. Not incredibly expensive tools for sonic reproduction. The cups should be plain black, letting the fiber glass material show plain and clean. Even the fake fiber glass finish is a bit much. I’d prefer plain black matte plastic.

    Build
    Sold as hell, as all Audeze headphones are. I feel like I could definitely bludgeon someone with these and then keep listening to music.

    Comfort
    Audeze’s new pads sound great, but they are too shallow for the Fazors an my big ears. My ears touch the faros and it’s uncomfortable. I imagine Audeze has done their homework here and most people won’t have an issue but if I owned these I would have to remove the fazors.

    Sound

    In Brief

    Say goodby to the “Audeze veil”! A slightly bright Audeze!

    The LCD-XC is much much better than I ever imagined it would be. I consider Audeze’s drivers the best planar magnetic headphone drivers ever made (I’ve heard them all, and I’ve modded Audeze headphones and heard the drivers with what I consider better acoustic treatment), but I don’t think they have figured out how to put them Ito an enclosure and implement acoustic treatments that allow them to really shine. They do much better here than I anticipated. I thought the LCD-XC would be a resonant mess. It’s actually pretty well controlled. Though not perfect.

    Good
    The general sound signature is very neutral but slightly on the bright forward side (I know you will all be surprised by this). They are extremely resolving of low level information, actually more resolving than the LCD-X but I will explore why later. They’re very well balanced from bass to midrange to treble, with nothing sticking out in any glaring terrible way. There are no sharp FR peaks or resonant peaks whatsoever. Bass is a bit light, but tight, controlled and has endless extension. Soundstage is surprisingly good for a closed back headphone.

    Bad
    They don’t have perfect control over the closed cup resonance however. I expect to see pretty clean CSD’s with no sharp resonance, but some little hills of lingering sound waves not being absorbed in the closed cups. They have a mild etched tone in the vocal range and the treble that makes them sound a bit aggressive and which messes up timbre. Instruments don’t sound quite right in the vocal or treble range. The treble also seems to lack extension and air. This isn’t terrible especially in the grand scheme of things. I wouldn’t call this nit picking, I think most people would hear this, but it’s better than a lot of closed headphones and there is a lot to love about this headphone. The very well balanced though slightly aggressive FR and resolving ability for example.

    Bass
    Pretty great. It’s just on the light side. Not bloated, farty and airy like the LCD-2 Classic. Not exaggerated. Just south of neutral, but with absolute control and very resolving. I would just like more of it basically. It leaves the headphones with a slight lack of proper foundation. Extension, punch, speed, resolution are all there though. It’s good quality bass.

    Midrange
    Very neutral, not recessed. Vocals are at their foundation gorgeous. Male vocals have decent weight but could use a bit more for proper tonality. Female vocals have proper air. There’s tons of resolution here. The balance with the bass and treble is really perfect. However, there is a sharp, etched timbre to vocals that is very unfortunate. It’s not there on the LCD-X and and I really want to open them up and fix it. But I can’t until someone buys one and sends them to me to mod ;) The upper mids stick out a bit too. They aren’t harsh, but they are north of neutral and just a bit sharp. There’s also a slight “cupped hands” quality to vocals from untamed cup resonance.

    If I had to sum up the vocal presentation I would say it’s well balanced, very resolving, but feels tipped up a bit, a bit lean, and a bit etched and echoey. I really want to pull the vocals down in tone and clean them up. It’s so hard not opening these headphones up.

    Vocals by Leonard Cohen should have more richness and weight than they do. But it’s not terrible by any means.

    Female vocals are a bit aggressive and stick out in the higher parts of the vocal range and make me cringe a bit and make me want to turn down the volume or take the headphones off.

    Treble
    Pretty neutral erring on slightly bright in the lower treble, but I I’m speaking less picky, it’s generally not exaggerated. Good timbre for the most part. Cymbals sound like cymbals, they sound metallic, not plastic-y or papery at all. There’s not a lot of “sparkle” or air though. And there’s an etched timbre here as well, possibly a little peak or bump in the FR or a resonant spot. It makes what should be smooth resolving treble feel a bit aggressive and uncomfortable to me. The treble is pretty good though, Reckoning by Radiohead sounds pretty correct so it’s not off by that much.

    Ortho Acoustics Suspicions
    Sealed, closed back cups spell death for planar magnetic drivers. Planar magnetic drivers move equally in both directions forward and backward. So putting a sealed cup behind the driver is not the same as with an electrodynamic. I am assuming the LCD-XC has a sealed cup behind the diver. There are no visible vents. There’s a reason for those vents on the T50rp cups and Smeggy’s old Thunderpants.

    Think of the diaphragm moving equally in both directions, forward to create the sound you hear, but also backwards. This is what makes acoustic implementation so complex with orthos. When the diaphragm moves backwards, it creates a pressure wave just like it does when it moves forward. This forward pressure wave is what you hear as sound and your brain interprets as music. But it has to move backwards in equal measure. Excursion goes both ways. If there is an airtight sealed chamber behind the driver, it stops the diaphragm from creating the backward pressure wave it needs to create to move the diaphragm to fully replicate the signal because it is pushing up against the air in the cup which has no where to go.

    The affect this has on an ortho driver is damping the driver very hard, making it move faster, and have less excursion because it physically can’t move enough to create proper bass.

    I’m guessing this is why the LCD-XC is bass lite. And it could explain the aggressive nature too and why the LCD-XC sounds more resolving than the LCD-X. Because the driver is damped harderr - too hard. I suspect even just a small hole in the cup would completely change the sound, giving it full bass response and a more natural tone. I will be experimenting with this as soon as someone sends me an LCD-XC to mod (I have plans with someone but am open to anyone else if interested).

    Comparisons

    Audeze LCD-XC vs LCD-X

    The LCD-X is instantly my favorite of the 3 compared here. It combines natural tonality and neutral FR with more resolution and bass quantity and control than the Eikons. It’s kind of the best of both worlds. The XC somehow sounds a bit more resolving. I’m not sure if this is the famed unit to unit variation and this XC was cherry picked for our loaner tour (the X is mine) or if it’s the tipped up FR making it sound that way, or a more heavily damped driver as explained above due to the closed back cups (I’m guessing it’s the closed back cups0. I’m on test track one still and this is the headphone I want to keep listening to.

    Soundstage is probably equal to the Eikons in size but much more precise imaging, localization and space between notes.

    Soundstage is interestingly pretty equal between the LCD-X and LCD-XC. This isn’t a huge surprise to me after working with the T50rp. Orthos don’t need to be open back to have a sense of soundstage. But I think the LCD-X should have better soundstage than it does. It sounds like a closed back ortho, especially when compared to the much more open sounding Hifiman HE6se (the only thing that headphone does better)

    The etched timbre of the XC is completely gone. Notes have very good timbre though since I have a modded pair here I know this drier is capable of sounding less dull. It’s mostly the material used in the stock pads, which really kills resolution as explained in my thread about them. If it’s replaced with pantyhose material, resolution increases dramatically but it screws up the FR so they need new pads for this to work.

    The X has more bass but of equal quality to the XC. The X sounds very neutral to me while the XC sounds bass lite.

    Treble is more recessed than the XC. It’s south of neutral, recessed and a bit dull but nowhere near the Eikons. It lacks shimmer and air. This is probably the dust material as well.

    Vocals are gorgeous. Very neutral, no recession, no etched timbre. Smooth, with great weight to male vocals and notes and good air to female vocals with none of the shrill upper mods of the XC

    Upper mods sound about right to me, neither recessed or emphasized. The guitar solo in one of my test tracks for upper midrange emphasis is just a tiny bit sharper than it should be but has no extra glare or harshness which it easily can. My other upper midrange test tracks are the same. Just prickly enough as they should be (they’re all borderline tracks) but no extra harshness or glare or resonance.

    The choice here is obvious. The LCD-X is by far the superior headphone. I could live with the stock LCD-X and it’s the only ortho I’ve ever felt that way about. I would be a little annoyed by the dullness but that may just be because I know what this driver is capable of. The treble also is unfortunately recessed but has just enough presence to be enjoyable.


    Audeze LCD-XC vs ZMF Eikons

    The first thing you notice when switching from the LCD-X to the Eikons is a loss of resolution.

    The next thing you notice is the loss of the etched tonality and a more natural tonal balance. I’m pretty impressed by the Eikons and I hate electrodynamics. They’re very well controlled with nothing sticking out, no resonance that I can hear and they are fairly neutral-ish. Maybe balanced is a better word beauties they deviate from true neutral in several areas.

    Vocals are back in the mix, I would actually call them recessed, the LCD-XC has more neutral vocals.

    Treble is dull and recessed on the Eikons and seriously lacks extension and “sparkle”. They don’t have bad timbre, it’s just so dull. Cymbals have absolutely no shimmer, and many songs that should have some cymbal work or sparkle up top you can’t hear it at all.

    One of my test tracks, at the beginning of the song is simple but beautifully recorded acoustic guitar. There should be some treble shimmer to the striking of the chords, but with the Eikons it’s very dull, you only hear the body of the sound of the strings but not the shimmer.

    Bass is boring as hell. They’re quite bass lite and lack control. Bass feels soft and squishy. It does extend all the way down but sounds like it’s struggling. The LCD-X bass has way more control, detail, slam, realism, etc.

    Soundstage is a bit bigger on the Eikons. It’s spaced out more, but I think the LCD-XC has better imaging and separation between notes. The Eikons are more diffused.

    So the Eikons have more controlled resonance/driver artifacts, and more natural timbre, but the LCD-XC is much more resolving, has better treble presence, is more neutral albeit having likely a few peaks or resonant spots, has better bass control. If I had to pick one I’m not sure what I would go with they seem about equally flawed to me in opposite directions. But since I know I could mod the LCD-XC and make them sound awesome I would pick them ;) For you it would come down to living with the sins of omission of the Eikons or the sins of commission of the LCD-XC. And how important resolution is to you. The LCD-XC sounds twice as resolving to me (to be annoying and put inaccurate numbers to it)


    Final Thoughts.

    We have the LCD-XC that is slightly bright and etched and bass lite, the Eikon which is dull, lacks resolution, has recessed mids and is has very recessed rolled off treble, and then the LCD-X which strikes a close to perfect balance though is not perfect by any means. The LCD-X is the clear winer but it’s also open back. This may seem like it means it’s not a fair comparison but I know from modding the T50rp that closed back is not a hindrance for orthos. So it’s no excuse for the LCD-XC’s shortcomings. It needs better resonance control and possibly some vents to increase bass quantity. Though that would make it less isolating.
     
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  2. Marvey

    Marvey Super Friend

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    So no weird midrange honk of the XC of long ago? I don't mind slightly forward and neutral bass. I do wish that Audeze didn't slap the big AUDEZE in letters on the cup! Their look is already distinctive and applying big letters with a crappy looking typeface seems gaudy. I think it's a younger millennial / zoomer thing. They are like the idiots who have fake SUPREME gear with SUPREME written all over it. The winners with real SUPREME gear, you don't even know who they are.

    Also, do you think we can obtain a perma-loaner from Audeze of one of their base headphones. I am thinking LCD-2 or LCD-X. I plan on doing future amp measurements using real headphones as loads. The problem is that I can only select a three or four to be standards. I would like Audeze to be represented as one of them because they are good references. Everybody knows how they sound, a lot of people have them, and they are good.
     
    Last edited: Jul 7, 2021
  3. Koth Ganesh

    Koth Ganesh Friend

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    Gosh, "weird midrange honk" was the exact descriptor Marv used when I was struggling to convey the unnatural mids on Changstar. In addition, I recall buying this on release and using it on my Gungnir A1 (it was D/S at that time) and the Mojo OG. There was literally a very low level of volume across the FR that was coming out of the headphones before three days of continuous use opened up the headphone to the usual volume levels. @rhythmdevils, I trust you did not have a similar experience on this one.
     
  4. StandUp713

    StandUp713 Friend

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    Do the new pads from Audeze come with a new adhesive strip, or do we have to make our own?
     
  5. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    I wouldn't use the word honk, no it's not that serious. I believe they have probably revised them multiple times since then. The mids sound natural but with minorr problems layered over the top. An etch was the best word I came up with, and also a minor cupped hands sound. I'll listen to them again and report back though with a better description.

    No, not at all. They sound solid from the get go. Audeze is constantly trying to improve their headphones. I think the LCD-X and LCD-XC models are dependable at this point. I bought two pairs of LCD-X and they sound the same. (both to mod, one fo rme and one for a loaner and measurements)

    Yes, the new pads come with the identical adhesive strip with the same felt ring between the adhesive and the pads. No need for your own adhesive strip.
     
  6. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    Could I wait to ask them? I've gotten on good terms with them and they're planning to sand us a bunch of headphones for loaner tours. I don't want to over ask. But I'm happy to ask whenever you need this.
     
  7. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    Audeze read my review and told me that the cups are vented. I'll have to examine them to try to figure out how. So maybe they just need more venting, or different damping. Or the problems I described in the review could be caused by cup resonance. I'll only be ale to figure it out by taking one apart and seeing what they're doing inside. I'm sure they're using fazors on the bak of the the driver- they're obsessed witht the fazors. Which means there must be a lot of empty space inside the cups which could point to resonance being an issue .
     
  8. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    Here is a picture showing the difference between the stock dust material on the new stock pads vs a pair of new pads that I replaced with pantyhose material which is far more acoustically transparent while still protecting the drivers. Resolution is greatly improved with the pantyhose material.

    Unfortunately I do not recommend making this change without other modifications to the headphones because it also increases the upper mids and treble which would be very bad for the stock LCD-XC

    [​IMG]
     
  9. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    I’ve listened to the LCD-XC more and there is definitely no honk in the midrange. It’s fundamentally very natural, it’s just sharp and etched in the midrange to treble like I described before and lacks body and weight in the lowered midrange. Some recordings sound natural and others have a spot that sticks out and is uncomfortable. I personally can’t stand it.

    Treble also lacks extension and refinement.

    But I actually think a lot of people will like this. It gives them a bit of bite and a slightly aggressive signature with tons of resolution. I think the biggest thing the typical listener will be bothered by is the lack of bass quantity (quality is very good). The bass lite signature really doesn’t help with the sharp/etched bumps in FR in the midrange to treble. If they had more bass it could help hide it and cover it up.
     
  10. loadexfa

    loadexfa MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    LCD-XC Loaner Impressions

    Note: I'm super weird about fatigue, don't take that part of my impressions too seriously.

    For many songs I found these quickly fatiguing and needed to keep my listening time minimal. Something that surprised me, I found them more fatiguing with the Stratus than the Black Widow so I didn't use the Stratus. Compared with Autuer (teak, suede pads) since I usually like them with the Black Widow.

    Chain
    Pi2AES -> Pavane -> Freya S -> Black Widow

    XC
    • When they fatigued me it was really fast, generally within 2 minutes or less. Sometimes busier music wasn't an issue but I didn't determine a definitive pattern for fatigue vs not. For example Temptation Waits (Garbage) was fine but Run-Around (Blues Traveler) quickly hurt. Often when they sounded good they also fatigued faster.
    • Really nice clarity, very crisp
    • For some songs tone feels lacking and flat
    • Bass light
    • Heavy
    • Mids sometimes seemed off, wasn't sure if this was tonal or something else
    • Sometimes heard greater resolution
    Auteur
    • Richer tone
    • Bass light (those suede pads)
    • Heavy (not quite as much)
    • Balance usually more to my liking, the presentation felt more "right"
    Final Thoughts
    It was hard at times to evaluate, I couldn't get far with a bunch of music. But the times when they didn't fill me with pain and sounded good, they have some great qualities.Sometimes minor details or the lovely crispness of voices/instruments grabbed my attention in a good way. I imagine with some tweaks I could like these a lot and plan on trying the LCD-X at some point.
     
    Last edited: Jul 24, 2021
  11. loadexfa

    loadexfa MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    Some updates to my review with further listening:
    • Don't put too much stock in my fatigue comments. While they are true for me, with more listening I noticed there were some days the XC didn't fatigue me at all and others where everything fatigued me to some degree. Health issues seem to be the problem rather than headphones. :(
    • Comparing with more headphones, I found the XC to excel at being crisp and clean
    • A bit bright for my taste but not overdone
    • With more time I liked the mids better
    • Still dislike the tone
    • Still bass light
    These do have a lot going for them, if the tone could be made richer with some more bass, I think I would like them a lot.
     
  12. CaptainCope

    CaptainCope Almost "Made"

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    Loaner Impressions
    Had LCD-XC in house for a few days, kept them on head for around 4-5 hours each day. These are the first Audeze headphones I have ever heard and while they are heavy I did not find them uncomfortable. I have two T50 mods (with ZMF and Alpha Dog pads) and an Auteur in regular rotation and the pads on the LCD-XC are noticeably shallower.

    Chain
    Modius -> Jotunheim 2


    Sound

    I did find these fatiguing after long listening sessions. I agree with others on this being bass light, it extends and it is not muddy (like my Modhouse Argon) but I was longing for more. Sound was very crisp throughout the frequency range and that has pluses and minuses. I found vocals to be too sharp and I believe this is cause of my fatigue. Perhaps changing my chain a bit could soften this up.

    Comparison to Auteur (Eikon Lambskin)
    Rather than compare this to my collection of T50 Zombie Experiments, I figured I would keep with @loadexfa and compare it to an Auteur. LCD-XC is pretty neutral and therefore has a similar frequency response to the Auteur. Auteur bass has more punch and a gentler treble. LCD-XC is certainly faster and the difference in speed is not even close. The timbre of these two headphones is different as well so if you are looking for something with a similar frequency response and a different timbre these might be what you are looking for.
     
  13. DrForBin

    DrForBin Friend

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    hello,

    i very much liked these. my initial impression was let's get this party started and settle in for a long session.
    however... they are just too heavy for me to enjoy. lesson learned, i don't know what my absolute weight tolerance is, these are over it.

    MrsForBin's tinnitus was raging when they first arrived. generally it abates over time and she is able to audition loaners. she tried them from her WFH desk, immediately remarked about the weight, almost immediately removed them. adamant that they were "shit" (not in a good way.) as she usually runs high impedance cans, i checked after the fact, and observed a mis-match in amplifier settings. however, the immediate bad taste, caused her to refuse a second go-around.

    maybe if i were still riding in a full-face helmet daily, these would not be so uncomfortable.

    very well made, nice case, great isolation, disappeared for me in tone, hurt me with weight.

    on the aesthetic side, the logo on the cups is hideous. however, you don't see it when they're on your head.

    why are higher end planers so dang heavy?

    cheers!
     
  14. TamHo

    TamHo New

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    Hi,
    Can anyone here give me pictures and comments about the new Audeze pads. I want to compare them with the Dekoni sheep leather pads. Tks
     
  15. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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  16. ushanka

    ushanka Facebook Friend

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    I listened to Audeze LCD-XC for several days as part of the SBAF loaner tour.

    Gear


    USB -> Soekris DAC2541 -> SW51+ -> LCD-XC, HD650

    What's the technical story?

    Timbre and micro dynamics are the main strengths of the Audeze, at the cost of tone and somewhat messy macro dynamics which may be caused by frequency response issues. While the tone is not bad on a bunch of instruments, it is not ideal with significant dips around 5 khz and 8 khz messing up reproduction of vocals, electric guitars, and higher pitched drums (e.g. bongos). The overall treble-tilted tonal balance is also a bit tiring to listen to over time, although I did not experience any ear fatigue from these. I believe there is also a dip in the midbass, as some things don't hit quite right with drums and lower guitar strings.

    Where does it stack up against HD650? Well, LCD-XC is a much more detailed headphone with much better soundstage and timbre. If really digging into the instruments is your thing, then it wins hands down. HD650 outshines it on tonal accuracy and overall cohesion of the sound, and this is not a subtle difference either.

    What does this mean for me personally?

    I like the LCD-XC. I like it a lot. A long while ago I owned ATH-W5000, and Audeze has the sound I wish W5000 had - lighter leaning tone without sacrificing slam, gobs of detail and layering, and great instrument placement. Exploring all the different textures in synths, orchestral recordings, or well recorded solo instrumental works is a lot of joy.

    The frequency response issues are troubling for me, so if I end up getting these at some point (which is quite tempting, as I will definitely miss these), I will have to spend some time equalizing them to sort out the dips in lower treble and maybe tame levels above 10 khz a bit. If I had more time with the loaner, I would have actually done that to see what kind of results I can get this way.
     
  17. ushanka

    ushanka Facebook Friend

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    Reading through the @rhythmdevils review in more detail now (I abstained from more than a quick glance before I formed my own opinion of the LCD-XC), maybe I should try the 2021 LCD-X ...
     
  18. Philimon

    Philimon Friend

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    OP couldve changed from original. I think admins have the power to edit posts without it showing the “last edited” note at bottom.

    @rhythmdevils I am interested in Audeze but your comments on them being a little bright means these are not for me. Please ask Audeze to loan an LCD2C with the new pads? Could be killer.
     
  19. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    They’ve got better plans ;)

    And I didn’t edit my review…
     
  20. jexby

    jexby Posole Prince

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    thanks to the awesome-sauce SBAF loaner program, I enjoyed the LCD-XC (mostly) on this chain:
    Roon --> pi2AES --> Yggdrasil A2 --> EC BW2 / Aficionado

    Having ZMF Verite Closed Blackwood, and Auteur Blackwood before that- it's been years since hearing a
    neutral-ish and bright(er) headphone. LCD-XC did shock the ears at first and took some time to adjust.
    Pretty much agree with early posts above about the microdetail retrieval being good with a treble tilt,
    being bass shy, without a lot of bass depth either.

    to my ears the biggest drawbacks were:
    - male vocals didn't have much body or heft
    - staging was good and wide, but lacked any depth or separation even with the Aficionado
    - busy passages were never well separated in space, and felt blurred

    yet overall, the XC could be a good office, closed headphone depending on the dac+amp used and if one wasn't focused on spatial queues. I couldn't really "hear the room" with the LCD-XC, despite hearing the music.

    the LCD-XC were easy to drive on the iFi Signature iDSD in Normal mode, sounded quite good in all aspects, maybe a bit smoothed by the iDSD which was helpful to tame some of the LCD-XC treble.
    the Xbass feature on the Sig iDSD was a welcome addition without making it bloat or slow.

    Roon doesn't appear to have "newer" Audeze EQ plugins to match this model, and when enabled made the XC sound wonky worse overall. as a result didn't attempt EQ at all while listening.

    am not going to complain about logos or weight or the cable (which I didn't use). But it does appear Audeze is trying to improve all around, yet the target keeps moving like a game of dodgeball.
    Still surprised no ortho company has put it all together yet, at a price below $2k.
    yah Fang - f u and your $6K glitter shiny susvara ee peen headphone profit margin.
     
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