Audeze LCD-X Over Ear Open Back Headphone new 2021 version Creator Package with carry case

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There’s very little about the LCD line that I personally don’t enjoy, and the LCD-X is no exception. In this critical frequency range, the LCD-X showcases remarkable resolution, allowing guitars, other musical instruments, and vocals to shine with clarity and authenticity. Instruments We found the headphone to be relatively comfortable over long listening sessions, but we were always aware we were wearing headphones. The ear cups are large, fitting around our ears with ample space. Clamping pressure is mild but the headphone sat securely on our head. Let’s get into the treble. The LCD-X 2021 has a slightly warm and delicate treble performance, but it does this without sacrificing the technical capabilities. The treble extension is spot-on, resulting in very coherent and detailed high frequencies that are never sibilant or exaggerated. This is one of the most known aspects of a typical Audeze sound, and I’m really glad that it’s present in their newest iteration of LCD-X. Honestly, this is one of the best treble presentations you could get – really detailed and natural sounding, yet not too extreme nor piercing. It could have never been achieved with a dynamic driver, as you really need that typical planar resolution and highly-textured sound to achieve that kind of treble response.

This level of clarity and detail is often described as “revealing” because it unveils elements of the music that might otherwise remain hidden. Spacious Soundstage Our patent-pending Fazor elements are unique to the LCD-X and LCD-XC and help guide and manage the flow of sound in the headphone. The result is improved phase response, greater frequency extension, smoother frequency response, and remarkable 3D holographic imaging. The LCD-X also offers a spacious and immersive Soundstage, though you’ll find conflicting points of view here as well. Better than electrostatic headphones, the LCD-X doesn't care as it's moved around your head; there isn't any popping since there's nothing to short out. I’ve heard a lot about the old ones having a bad tuning or being “just off.” But, I personally loved the creamy softness with crazy open detail. It made for listening that was pleasurable but not fatiguing. The bass also just felt right. It seems to hit and rumble perfectly.It doesn’t allow the low frequencies to blend into an indistinct rumble, but rather, it presents each bass note with precision and clarity. mW into 20 Ω (rated) is 141.4 mV or -16.99 dBV, which as my 13-year-old son knows means 120 dB SPL at 1V.

I used dual filters to try to better shape the low frequency boost as it has a complex shape. I then used another pair to fill in the hole in 3 to 5 kHz. The final filter in yellow at 5.8 kHz is just a "stopper." I use a bit of negative gain to make sure there is no boost at that point and farther in frequency response. It helped keep the headphone from sounding too bright post EQ.In essence, the Audeze LCD-X’s mid-range resolution is a testament to its commitment to high-fidelity audio. I think the X is in a different class than the 2 and really shouldn’t be compared to it. To the 3, on the other hand, the comparison is more relevant. The comparison between the two is similar to comparing the Sennheiser HD600 and the HD650, the two veteran headphones that the majority of you can relate to. Just like how one would compare the 600 to the 650, the 3 now sounds slower and “bassier”. Yes, who ever thought that the 3 one day would be the slow one? From the point of view of frequency response, in fact, the closest thing I’ve heard to the LCD-Xs is a lesser pair of headphones with a ‘calibrated’ corrective EQ applied using Sonarworks’ Reference plug-in. But that is to tell only half of the story, and perhaps the less significant half, because what’s really remarkable about the LCD-Xs are things that can’t be compensated for by any software plug-in. For one thing, although listening on headphones will never feel exactly like listening on loudspeakers, the LCD-Xs present a very believable and involving stereo panorama. It’s very easy to distinguish sources panned only a few degrees apart, yet there is none of the artificial width you get in some high-end dynamic headphones. The first musical example that I have chosen is the Shostakovich string quartets numbers three, seven, and eight performed by the Hagen Quartet on a DG CD. The quality of sound of this CD is quite remarkable in itself; however I have up-sampled it using the professional Korg Audiogate computer program, from 44kHz/16-bit up to 192kHz/24-bit, to greatly relieve most of the sonic problems which unfortunately afflict all CDs. To be honest, I'm quite impressed with the Audeze LCD-X 2021 and find it an extremely capable headphone in the high-end headphone market. It has excellent technical performance, especially an impressive soundstage, really good micro-detail retrieval and even better left to right separation. It does wander away from a reference-neutral presentation because of recession in the 1.5-5kHz region of ear gain but still ends up sounding great as it is an exciting and musical headphone with high engagement factor. EQing in a bit of that range does make it sound even better, but it's completely fine without EQ too. The main thing I'd advise you to be wary of is its 612g of weight. Even though the weight is fairly well distributed by the suspension strap and ear pad design, it could still be problematic, especially if you like using headphones for long durations. If Audeze somehow reduces its weight by a couple of 100 grams and fixes the recession in upper-midrange, they'll have quite a nice TOTL for the price. But then, that is exactly what their flagship LCD5 is and is priced more than 3 times LCD-X's asking price too! So, if you're looking for a nice engaging, musical headphone with excellent technical performance to go with in this price range, definitely give LCD-X 2021 a shot! Highly recommended from my side!

Welcome to a comprehensive review of the Audeze LCD-X headphones, where we’ll delve into all aspects that matter to audio enthusiasts and discerning listeners. The Timbre is also pretty incredible, as the tonality of instruments is superb and sounds much more realistic than the majority of other headphones out there. Transparency Last but definitely not least – you can choose between leather and leather-free earpads. Mine pair is leather, and I could tell that right away because of…the smell. It is definitely the best smelling pair of headphones in my collection. Of course, it is not as important as many other things when it comes to headphones, but it’s definitely a welcome treat to have. Who doesn’t like the smell of quality leather? No, they still aren’t speakers, but the Imaging and Staging are so convincing that it comes darn near close. In other words,

Another very interesting DAC was the new PS Audio DirectStream. I must come clean and tell you that I was asked by Paul McGowan to listen to and comment on this new DAC with the LCD-X headphone. All I can tell you now is that soon I will buy one and I would advise you to do the same. I wouldn't waste money on any different cables. Accessory cables are a big moneymaker for people selling them, but don't give any better sound than what's already included. You're much better off saving your money to buy more music, or a serious American-made headphone amplifier, than wasting it on snake oil or cables.

Update: The Edition XS has a little something to say about that. You may be asking, well what about the LCD-X?

The reference-level LCD-X is an exciting addition to our LCD planar magnetic headphone collection. The LCD-X features a newly-developed and processed transducer made of a thinner and lighter alternative material with new Fazor technology. Credit-card-style "Certificate of Authenticity" card printed with your serial number and a signature for final inspection and burn-in. At the beginning of this review, I stated that the LCD-X 2021 has been greatly improved when it comes to its tuning compared to the original LCD-X. See, the original one was a great headphone in many ways, but it had one, major problem – the midrange. It just sounded off and unnatural, and its pleasant overall tone couldn’t have saved it. The only real difference is color and weight. This time around instead of an elephant on your head, you’ve got a jetliner. I’m not going to say that all Audeze headphones sound the same (because they don’t), but… they do all share very similar tuning and graphs of all generally follow the same trajectory: flat bottomless bass, a rise at 1kHz, a gentle to somewhat not-so-gentle slope (LCD-3) down into 2/3kHz, and then a relatively darker sounding treble.