[cgb3]

You don't need an extra amp, and you don't need Xbass – if you use a good parametric equalizer instead:

What software eq are you using?

 

[JaZZ]

Neutron (on a FiiO M11 Pro).

 

[Malevolent]

Thank you,
What is the production year of your LCD-XC? What I actually ask is that if your LCD-XC with the new driver or not? One of my friends said that Audeze has upgraded the driver in LCD-XC.

A spot on and objective LCD-XC comparison is vital for me because I live in Turkey and I have to pay very very very very high prices for these headphones. I have to be extra extra extra careful about what I am buying.
Yes I can sell them later but the headphone community is so small here, nowhere near other countries.
Also I don’t have any chance to try these headphones. Cuz we don’t have them in Turkey. I will ask my friend in Canada to buy for me and bring them to me.
Soooo, I would very very very much appreciate if people who own Audeze Sine, Audeze LCD-XC and DC Aeon 2 Closed state their honest comparisons for these headphones.
It would help me imagine more vividly what the sound is like...

I note that you have created a separate thread, but I will keep to this one, for now, for the purposes of continuity.

My LCD-XC is a relatively recent unit; it was purchased in 2019.

Out of curiosity, why are you solely interested in the LCD-XC and the AEON 2 Closed? Are there any other headphones on your radar?

If your shortlist consists of only these 2 headphones, then, my subjective opinion is to save some money, and get the Dan Clark unit. You won't lose a lot of points in the technical side of things; on the other hand, the deep scoop in the lower-mids of the Audeze makes it sound bad for vocal-oriented tracks, which, incidentally, comprises a large chunk of music, I reckon.

 

[Lyssky]

I note that you have created a separate thread, but I will keep to this one, for now, for the purposes of continuity.

My LCD-XC is a relatively recent unit; it was purchased in 2019.

Out of curiosity, why are you solely interested in the LCD-XC and the AEON 2 Closed? Are there any other headphones on your radar?

If your shortlist consists of only these 2 headphones, then, my subjective opinion is to save some money, and get the Dan Clark unit. You won't lose a lot of points in the technical side of things; on the other hand, the deep scoop in the lower-mids of the Audeze makes it sound bad for vocal-oriented tracks, which, incidentally, comprises a large chunk of music, I reckon.

Thanks, I’m open to suggestions. But I have limited options. Due to the fact that I am dependent on my friend in Canada and the biggest reason being financial limits.

 

[Malevolent]

Thanks, I’m open to suggestions. But I have limited options. Due to the fact that I am dependent on my friend in Canada and the biggest reason being financial limits.

Well, thankfully, there are a lot of available options on the market. If you're a fan of a slightly warmer sound, with decent-to-good technicalities, the AEON 2 Closed is a great choice. In fact, in a cost-to-performance ranking, I'd rate it a lot higher than the LCD-XC, IMO.

Of course, this all boils down to a few key factors, namely, your budget, and your sound signature preference.

 

[Lyssky]

I just don’t like the laidback headphones much... I want the music close to me
This is exactly what my Audeze Sines are. I’ve tried Audeze LCD2 closed although they were superior, they were too laidback, I couldn’t do with them.

 

[karlomarco]

Initial impressions of the Dan Clark Audio AEON 2 Closed from someone new to the high-end headphone hobby but with reasonably discerning ears:

One of the drivers on the Ananda I had just bought failed on the first day of listening, so I returned it and picked up this AEON 2 Closed instead. I was originally planning to get a good open back pair, but these were surprisingly spacious and wide for a closed back when I auditioned them at the store, and my typical listening environment is either noisy or with other people present.

Played it first on the FiiO Q1 mkII which you have to nearly max out on high gain to get to a satisfyingly loud and lively level. The iFi hip-dac meanwhile seemed to handle it much better. It sounds full and beautiful out of the iFi Zen Can at 6dB at just above midnight. I don't have any higher end gear than that to try this out on.

Initial thoughts with about eight hours straight listening time are that I’m just as happy with the A2C as I was with the Ananda, though I didn’t get to spend a lot of time with those. Not the most useful comparison as those are open-backed, but they are kind of within the same price range and as someone new to the hobby, I haven't had the chance to try many higher-end headphones, especially closed back ones. I have been making and playing music for most of my life though, and have always been particular about the presentation of sound.

The Ananda was certainly wider and airier due to its open back design, but clarity and detail and imaging on the A2C are just as good, and everything feels tight and precise and hefty and red-blooded where the Ananda sometimes felt a bit on the thin side. The Ananda felt a bit faster on transients so big drum hits had a bit more initial snap and slam (whereas here the presentation is a bit rounded in comparison), but the bass on the A2C is more full-bodied and present as can be expected from a closed back, and just as resolving. I’m also happier with the stock tuning on these (pretty much perfect for my taste), whereas I better enjoyed the more neutral Ananda with some EQ.

It’s handled pretty much everything I’ve thrown at it like a champ. “My Queen is Angela Davis” by Sons of Kemet is an eye-opening experience on these headphones (I heartily recommend the album “Your Queen is a Reptile” to anyone even remotely interested in serious jazz.) The Cerrone remix of Amadou & Mariam's "Filaou Bessame" reveal top notch separation and energy - just listen to the bassline, percussion, and sax (wowwwza)! “Claire de Lune” by Kamasi Washington was tremendous and shows off the incredible imaging and detail present. The harp on Tomoyo Harada's "Love Me Tender" (the Haruomi Hosono rework) playing over voice, piano, and synth shows great separation as well as how intimate the A2C can sound on certain tracks. The Secret Sisters’ version of “Kathy’s Song”, with its sparse guitar and harmonizing female voices, was simply beautiful. The Music for Film version of “Merry Christmas, Me Lawrence” by Ryuichi Sakamoto, mainly drawn out solo piano and backing strings shifting from an Adagio to an Allegro before being joined by a full orchestra, demonstrated very good dynamics and deftness and control and presentation of microtextures like the decay of piano strings and violin and marimba (maybe not at the level of the Ananda, but still extremely good). And my ultimate test track for bass, “Consumed” by The Haxan Cloak had more than enough head-rattling low end for me with no EQ at all (and this is me speaking as a sort-of basshead who used to produce and DJ loud electronic music and hip-hop all the time).

I'm raving now, but to my ears, I really can't find many things to complain about in a closed back design. Right now, I'm listening to this Awesome Tapes from Africa playlist on Deezer Hi-Fi through an iFi Zen DAC and Zen Can with XBass and 3D on and it all sounds incredible: https://deezer.page.link/spmMZVL1DRP11sif6. And if it can get a bit harsh on some tracks (I imagine someone sensitive to treble might find them a bit sharp-sounding on certain songs), the supplied inserts can help rein in some of the high end edge.

Thankful that Egghead in Manila accepted the return with minimal fuss, and still hoping to bring the Ananda home at some point. People in my position will be very happy with either.

Also check out this Deezer playlist I made of mostly non-mainstream songs that sound AWESOME on good headphones: https://deezer.page.link/URJFfdatFGNYFo6v9

 

[Malevolent]

Initial impressions of the Dan Clark Audio AEON 2 Closed from someone new to the high-end headphone hobby but with reasonably discerning ears:

One of the drivers on the Ananda I had just bought failed on the first day of listening, so I returned it and picked up this AEON 2 Closed instead. I was originally planning to get a good open back pair, but these were surprisingly spacious and wide for a closed back when I auditioned them at the store, and my typical listening environment is either noisy or with other people present.

Played it first on the FiiO Q1 mkII which you have to nearly max out on high gain to get to a satisfyingly loud and lively level. The iFi hip-dac meanwhile seemed to handle it much better. It sounds full and beautiful out of the iFi Zen Can at 6dB at just above midnight. I don't have any higher end gear than that to try this out on.

Initial thoughts with about eight hours straight listening time are that I’m just as happy with the A2C as I was with the Ananda, though I didn’t get to spend a lot of time with those. Not the most useful comparison as those are open-backed, but they are kind of within the same price range and as someone new to the hobby, I haven't had the chance to try many higher-end headphones, especially closed back ones. I have been making and playing music for most of my life though, and have always been particular about the presentation of sound.

The Ananda was certainly wider and airier due to its open back design, but clarity and detail and imaging on the A2C are just as good, and everything feels tight and precise and hefty and red-blooded where the Ananda sometimes felt a bit on the thin side. The Ananda felt a bit faster on transients so big drum hits had a bit more initial snap and slam (whereas here the presentation is a bit rounded in comparison), but the bass on the A2C is more full-bodied and present as can be expected from a closed back, and just as resolving. I’m also happier with the stock tuning on these (pretty much perfect for my taste), whereas I better enjoyed the more neutral Ananda with some EQ.

It’s handled pretty much everything I’ve thrown at it like a champ. “My Queen is Angela Davis” by Sons of Kemet is an eye-opening experience on these headphones (I heartily recommend the album “Your Queen is a Reptile” to anyone even remotely interested in serious jazz.) The Cerrone remix of Amadou & Mariam's "Filaou Bessame" reveal top notch separation and energy - just listen to the bassline, percussion, and sax (wowwwza)! “Claire de Lune” by Kamasi Washington was tremendous and shows off the incredible imaging and detail present. The harp on Tomoyo Harada's "Love Me Tender" (the Haruomi Hosono rework) playing over voice, piano, and synth shows great separation as well as how intimate the A2C can sound on certain tracks. The Secret Sisters’ version of “Kathy’s Song”, with its sparse guitar and harmonizing female voices, was simply beautiful. The Music for Film version of “Merry Christmas, Me Lawrence” by Ryuichi Sakamoto, mainly drawn out solo piano and backing strings shifting from an Adagio to an Allegro before being joined by a full orchestra, demonstrated very good dynamics and deftness and control and presentation of microtextures like the decay of piano strings and violin and marimba (maybe not at the level of the Ananda, but still extremely good). And my ultimate test track for bass, “Consumed” by The Haxan Cloak had more than enough head-rattling low end for me with no EQ at all (and this is me speaking as a sort-of basshead who used to produce and DJ loud electronic music and hip-hop all the time).

I'm raving now, but to my ears, I really can't find many things to complain about in a closed back design. Right now, I'm listening to this Awesome Tapes from Africa playlist on Deezer Hi-Fi through an iFi Zen DAC and Zen Can with XBass and 3D on and it all sounds incredible: https://deezer.page.link/spmMZVL1DRP11sif6. And if it can get a bit harsh on some tracks (I imagine someone sensitive to treble might find them a bit sharp-sounding on certain songs), the supplied inserts can help rein in some of the high end edge.

Thankful that Egghead in Manila accepted the return with minimal fuss, and still hoping to bring the Ananda home at some point. People in my position will be very happy with either.

Also check out this Deezer playlist I made of mostly non-mainstream songs that sound AWESOME on good headphones: https://deezer.page.link/URJFfdatFGNYFo6v9

Very nice impressions, my friend. Welcome to the world of Head-Fi, and sorry about your wallet.

You've made a terrific choice for a first, or should I say, second pair of high-end headphones. Your description of its bass presentation is accurate; they have a typical planar bass response, albeit one with a tad stronger impact. They are very addictive, indeed!

Enjoy your time around here!

 

[Billheiser]

I can give you my impressions. But I have not done a formal comparison between the A2C and the Audeze Sine. AND, I lost the "regular" 3.5 mm cable to my Sine, and just use it via its Cipher cable, from the Lightning port on my iPhone. Therefore, I have NOT heard the two driven by the same DAC or the same amp.
So, I have no complaints about the Sine, and like their overall balance. The Cipher has a built in DAC and amp, and has an app with an 10 band equalizer so I can play around with the sound. The 2 major areas where the Sine falls short are comfort (since they are mostly on-ear) and in space/soundstage/imaging. I forgive the comfort issue, since they are made for largely portable use, and I don't wear them for long periods of time. But the Aeon 2C is MUCH better in giving a sense of depth and soundstage.
I think the A2C also has a more solid bass, although the Sine is still fine in that department.

 

[Spie1904]

I spent weeks not touching my headphones and only listening to IEM’s. Today I picked up my Aeon 2 Closed again and I still believe these are one of my favourite headphones to use for just having a relaxing session of listening to music. The slightly warmer sound and presentation make for an excellent tuning for longer sessions but it’s the comfort that really makes me absolutely love these headphones.
They just disappear on my head and I can simply sit back and relax with no hot spots or itchy feeling (Mostly get that with IEM).

 

[ubs28]

Is there a cable with a microphone that works with the AFC 2?

 

[elira]

Is there a cable with a microphone that works with the AFC 2?

I don't think so, but you can use a ModMic.

 

[Malevolent]

I spent weeks not touching my headphones and only listening to IEM’s. Today I picked up my Aeon 2 Closed again and I still believe these are one of my favourite headphones to use for just having a relaxing session of listening to music. The slightly warmer sound and presentation make for an excellent tuning for longer sessions but it’s the comfort that really makes me absolutely love these headphones.
They just disappear on my head and I can simply sit back and relax with no hot spots or itchy feeling (Mostly get that with IEM).

Yes, it's especially surprising when you consider that the AEON 2 Closed is, essentially, a closed-form planar magnetic headphone. I have 2 other headphones in the same mold, the Audeze LCD-2 Closed Back and the LCD-XC, and both are really heavy. The Dan Clark headphone truly disappears from consideration once you put them on; it's basically just you and the music. It's something that I greatly appreciate when I'm using them for an extended listening session.

 

[Monstieur]

My Aeon 2 Closed went defective and I had to send it in for repair. I got an LCD-XC in the interim. I EQed the LCD-XC to sound like the A2C and got close, but comfort-wise it's quite heavy. The A2C is the most comfortable headphone I've tried for all-day listening - even more than my Beyerdynamic Amiron Home which is highly regarded for its comfort.

 

[elira]

My Aeon 2 Closed went defective and I had to send them in for repair. I got an LCD-XC in the interim. I EQed them to sound like the A2C and got close, but comfort-wise they're quite heavy. The A2C is the most comfortable headphone I've tried for all-day listening - even more than my Beyerdynamic Amiron Home which is highly regarded for its comfort.

I find the LCD-XC to be more coherent on the treble region, my A2C is rough.