Audeze LCD X Review | 93 Data compared

The Audeze LCD-X is a premium, open circumaural headphone utilizing planar magnetic technology that delivers an exceptionally rugged construction paired with a highly detailed sonic profile. The pros highlight a masterful low end that is deep, robust, and overflowing with well-controlled detail without any bleed, providing a powerful impact for bass-heavy tracks. Furthermore, it boasts excellent electrical efficiency with a low 20-ohm impedance, rendering it highly portable and easy to run directly from standard laptops or personal devices. Listeners will also benefit from a realistic soundstage that provides great depth and precise instrumentation placement, creating an immersive sense of realism. Conversely, the reviewer emphasizes several notable cons regarding the comfort and the higher frequency ranges. Weighing in at a heavy 21.2 ounces (600 grams), these headphones feel physically taxing on the head, though the leather padding helps mitigate some of the strain. Acoustically, the midrange features a lurking distortion that causes vocals to sound pinched and pulled, while the high end displays slight tonal inconsistencies and can sound a bit thin. Because the mids and highs lack complete analytical accuracy,...

The Audeze LCD-X 2021 represents a significant shift for the brand toward neutrality and clarity, moving away from their traditionally "esoteric" and overly warm sound signature. Marketed as a studio monitor headphone, it balances an authoritative, deep, and "meaty" bass slam with a full-bodied midrange that enriches vocals and acoustic instruments. The treble is notably more uncoloured and airy compared to older legacy models, allowing it to easily expose flaws in poor recordings without relying heavily on initial equalizer adjustments. Technically, it offers an exceptionally expansive horizontal soundstage width and acts as an outstanding all-rounder that responds remarkably well to heavy bass boosts via EQ. On the positive side, the headphone excels with its rich and full midrange, powerful bass extension, high EQ adjustability, and a robust build quality that offers great value at its $1,199 USD price point. However, the review highlights several drawbacks, including its heavy physical weight and a persistent, discernible coloration in the mids. Furthermore, its spatial imaging lacks pinpoint accuracy, instrument separation can become muddy during complex bass and mid-heavy tracks, and sharp treble peaks...

The Audeze LCD-X open-back headphones deliver professional studio-grade audio quality driven by planar magnetic technology, providing a highly precise listening environment for mixing and mastering. The reviewer notes an exceptionally wide, neutral frequency range capable of reproducing sub-bass frequencies down to 30–40 Hz without artificial distortion. Across various electronic and classical reference tracks, the headphones excel with outstanding transient response—rendering snappy drum attacks and decays with immense precision—and surgical spatial imaging that creates an almost surround-sound experience. Despite their spectacular acoustic performance, the headphones carry notable drawbacks in price and long-term comfort. Weighing roughly 600g due to their heavy-duty metal build, they begin to feel tight and uncomfortable on top of the head after about an hour of continuous use. Additionally, the high entry fee of $1,199 for the baseline Creator Package makes them a significant financial investment, and the optional $199 Reveal+ ear-mapping software failed to provide any noticeable or worthwhile sound enhancement.

The Audeze LCD-X are high-end, open-back planar magnetic headphones designed for studio reference audio, offering exceptional, warm, and detailed sound with punchy bass and smooth mids. Their robust, comfortable build is tailored for long, stationary mixing sessions, and they are surprisingly easy to drive compared to similar models. However, at over 600 grams, the headphones are quite heavy and can cause fatigue. Their open-back design offers no noise isolation and high leakage, and the, sound signature has a slightly recessed, dark treble that may require EQ to suit some listeners.

The Audeze LCD-X (2021 Edition) is an open-back planar magnetic headphone priced at $1,199 for the base model and $1,699 for the premium version with a carrying case. The reviewer notes that this substantial headphone weighs 610 grams, which, despite being lighter than the original version, still delivers notable pad pressure on the face. The core physical strength of this model is its exceptionally low distortion across the entire frequency range, making the driver highly flexible for customization. Additionally, it features flat impedance and slightly better-than-average sensitivity, meaning it can be easily driven by most standard headphone outputs. However, the headphones suffer from significant out-of-the-box acoustic and design limitations. From a performance standpoint, the stock sound tuning is described as boring and bland due to a deficient lower treble, a trough between 3 and 5 kHz that damages spatial qualities, and minor sub-bass rolloff. Physically, the notched headband adjustment mechanism is clumsy, overshooting easily when trying to adjust single notches. Furthermore, because it is an open-back design, it offers absolutely no sound isolation and leaks massive amounts of audio, making...

The Audeze LCD-X headphones deliver an exceptionally neutral, "ruthlessly flat" frequency response that provides an authentic, unhyped listening experience. Their planar magnetic technology ensures incredible musical dynamics, a believable stereo panorama, and punchy, effortless transient responses that make audio feel deep and articulate. Additionally, they present an easy load for amplifiers and feature ultra-low distortion, allowing users to safely crank the volume for a more engaging experience without any audio degradation. However, these premium open-backed headphones are massive, making them the heaviest the reviewer has ever worn. They also carry a hefty four-figure price tag, and their sheer accuracy means mix or recording faults—like microphone hiss—can sometimes be overlooked compared to less neutral playback systems.

The Audeze LCD-X (2021) is lauded by Head-Fi users as a highly musical planar magnetic headphone, delivering exceptional technical performance characterized by superior micro-detail, a wide soundstage, and profound bass for an open-back design. The unit is praised for its robust, premium build quality, aesthetic appeal, and non-fatiguing treble that maintains high resolution over extended listening sessions. However, the reviews note a recessed 1.5–5 kHz upper midrange, causing the tuning to deviate from a strictly neutral reference without equalization. Significant comfort issues arise from the 612-gram weight, leading to potential physical fatigue despite the suspension headband, while the "Creator Package" restricts users to a single-ended cable.

Audeze LCD-X (2021) Review Summary The 2021 version of the Audeze LCD-X planar magnetic headphones provides an exceptionally neutral sound signature tuned for a flat response, making it highly suitable for both studio work and audiophiles. Significant driver updates since late 2020 dropped impedance slightly to 20 ohms and significantly boosted sensitivity to 103 dB/1mW, transforming it into a highly efficient headphone that is remarkably easy to drive. It handles amplification efficiently, scaling nicely with cleaner DAC/amp options like the RME ADI-2 and Topping A90, and remaining noise-free with compatible gear. Acoustic performance stands out with flat, tight, and highly extended bass response alongside excellent imaging, sharp instrument layering, and consistently high detail retrieval across all frequencies. Pros and Cons Pros: Exceptionally neutral, flat sound response. Highly extended, linear bass and excellent imaging. Extremely easy to drive across various sources. Sturdy, solid build quality. Competitive price point for its performance level. Cons: Heavy overall weight at 612 grams. Intimate soundstage compared to class-leading open-backs. Glued-on earpads make pad-rolling/swapping difficult. Midrange leans slightly dark in the upper mids. Low sensitivity makes...

The Audeze LCD-X review on Headfonia highlights a shift towards a thinner, lighter driver, resulting in improved responsiveness and extreme efficiency that makes the headphones easy to drive, even with portable sources. Sonically, the LCD-X is praised for a flatter, more linear, and faster sound profile compared to previous models. Headfonia However, the review notes a reduction in bass body and weight compared to the traditional, warmer Audeze house sound. The high transparency of the driver, while revealing, may also highlight flaws in lower-quality recordings, acting as a potential downside for some users. YouTube

Audeze LCD-X Review Summary The Audeze LCD-X is a high-end, open-back circumaural headphone utilizing proprietary planar magnetic transducers combined with "Fazor" driver technology. This hardware configuration allows it to achieve an expansive frequency response ranging from 5 Hz to 50 kHz, ensuring high transient speeds and a highly linear tonal response. Extensively tested using premium amplifiers like the Bryston BHA-1 and McIntosh MHA100, the headphones deliver exceptional macro and micro-dynamics along with a highly natural instrumental realism. Its flat, neutral response makes it a favored, precision monitoring tool for audio professionals and mastering engineers alike. Key Pros and Cons Pro: Excellent sound quality featuring a deep, accurate bass and highly refined high frequencies. Pro: Wide versatility because it is easily driven by a variety of high-end equipment. Pro: Top-notch build quality utilizing anodized aluminum rings paired with lambskin or microsuede padding. Con: Heavy physical weight (600 g) causing noticeable physical fatigue on the user's neck. Con: Slight initial occlusion upon first putting the headset on the ears. Con: Limited headstage width when directly compared to rivals like the Sennheiser HD...

In his review of the Audeze LCD-X headphones for Mix Magazine, Russ Long explores whether these $1,699 audiophile, over-the-ear, open-back headphones can successfully cross over into the demanding world of professional music production. He highlights the advanced planar magnetic technology, which utilizes a thin, flat film diaphragm paired with large magnets on both sides to spread energy evenly across the surface. The primary pros identified by Long include their mind-boggling accuracy, a highly transparent and open soundstage, immaculate stereo imaging, and a smooth, neutral frequency response that instantly exposes flaws in audio mixes. Additionally, he praises their high efficiency; unlike traditional planar magnetic designs that demand massive amplification, the LCD-X can easily be driven by standard consumer devices like an iPhone, iPad, or MacBook Pro. Long also commends the premium build quality and high comfort levels, noting that he comfortably wore them for five-hour sessions without fatigue. However, the review also highlights a few specific downsides. The primary cons center around the physical footprint and missing connectivity options. Because planar magnetic drivers require large, powerful magnetic arrays on both sides...

The Audeze LCD-X 2021 is a completely revamped, open-back planar magnetic headphone that dramatically improves upon the 2013 original's uneven midrange. Priced at $1,199 for the Creator Package, it features a redesigned suspension headband and an optimized magnet array that enhances ergonomics and cuts weight to 612g. Key pros highlighted in the review include an exceptionally well-controlled, hard-hitting bass response reminiscent of dynamic drivers, a highly detailed and non-fatiguing treble, and a neutral, natural midrange that solves the original version's veiled sound. Furthermore, with an impedance of 20Ω and 103dB sensitivity, it is highly efficient and easily driven by affordable $100 entry-level amplifiers. Conversely, the headphone's primary con is its intimate, medium-small soundstage, which lacks the massive, expansive space found in competitors like the Sennheiser HD800S or Hifiman Arya. Additionally, despite the upgraded suspension strap improving overall comfort and weight distribution, it remains a heavy physical unit at over 600 grams. The Creator Package also cuts down on included accessories, providing only a high-quality stock cable and an economy travel case rather than premium flight cases. Overall, the reviewer highly...