Received my LCD-2CB today. Very preliminary, initial impressions below. I listened to some rock and some electronic/chill. I use the Modi 2 Multibit with the Magni 3 and for this test no EQ. Note that the LCD-2CB are not in the Audeze Reveal plug-in at this time.
- BUILD: very well built and the materials are nice to the touch; it all feels like quality although I would have liked the carbon fiber on the upper headband; the artificial leather looks good and feels good, but not as good as the real leather on the MX4 (for me)
- COMFORT: comfortable with the new Audeze headband, the weight is distributed; they are supposed to be about 100g heavier than my MX4, but I cannot feel the difference; by no means light, but I was preparing for a noticeable, heavier feel and was pleasantly surprised here
- BASS: bass does have a very enjoyable slam; not using "very" lightly; as I said, I am not an expert at this and just from what I have read, I tend to believe the burn-in effect is a myth; having said this, the very knowledgeable person that I worked with at the local dealer did advise me to allow for a proper burn-in period before the bass full expresses itself; currently it feels very satisfying and has that nice, impactful slam, but it is not massive (for me this is a good thing) and maybe just a tad less full/rich than expected, but if the burn in does provide more bass, I imagine it would be a very slight increase and that would be absolutely fine with me because I feel like the MX4 does have a richer bass currently and I love it
- MIDS/HIGHS - see video from Lachlan above at 3:35 to 4:08 - I fully, fully agree; note, I do not own and have not listened to the LCD-2C OPEN; I am comparing to the much more expensive MX4 and just evaluating the sound as is; the LCD-2CB does sound energetic, with a very nice bass as I said, but also with plenty of volume for the mids and treble; exactly as Lachlan says, it is very noticeable on electronic tracks, not in itself, but when switching from the MX4; however, I do not hear a spike in the treble somewhere in isolation of the overall energetic mids/highs, nothing making me to turn the volume down (BEWARE: I don't have the necessary experience to really say this conclusively; don't take my word for it based on a few hours of listening to the brand new headphones, if this would be a problem for you, try to listen to them first somewhere)
- SOUNDSTAGE - seems good to me
- SOUND LEAKAGE - very good on this, I can play them at high volume and know that they won't be heard in the next room
- ISOLATION - noticeable, medium isolation to the noises around me...
Conclusion for me after the first day: Already enjoying them. I needed a closed back for when the house gets quiet in the late evenings and this seems to be what I wanted. From what I read, I am under no illusion that a closed back can sound as good as an open back all other things being equal, so this is why I am satisfied even though I can immediately hear the drop in sound quality compared to the MX4 -- how can I not, the MX4 is an incredible experience for 3x the price of the LCD-2CB. On top of this, I am hoping that with some EQ (software or the Loki arriving Friday) I can smooth down the mids/highs just a bit and then fully enjoy the quality I am hearing in every other respect. Maybe one other way to put it: I plugged in my HD-600 and compared -- they seem slightly lower energy and slightly smoother at this point, but when plugging the LCD-2CB back in, I also hear a serious quality there that could be really, really worth it with some EQ or that alleged wear in effect. And as I said, for me this is not a choice between HD-600/MX4 and LCD-2CB. I need a closed back in my arsenal.
Also, keep in mind my DAC/Amp combo. Some experienced people above with much better equipment felt differently about the mids/highs.
