[meringo]

I just unboxed mine!

- The stock cable is braided and generally seems way better than what they gave me with my LCD2F
- Comfort has been greatly improved. The headband makes them seem lighter than they really are.

I've got a little over an hour left in my workday -- and then the listening tests begin.

 

[gLer]

Literally cannot feel them on the top of my head. Pressure is only felt at the side which is very little. However, the earpads have this vacuum effect, which usually goes away. I had the same experience with LCD-3 in the past when they came fresh, whereas the LCD-2 were rigid in the past. Very comfortable. Audeze knocked it out of the park. You can nod with these and they won't come off and you shouldn't feel stress.

I got to listen for the first 2 minutes and then got hijacked for the first hour by family members. They loved the sound and comfort. I think there was a slight change in sound when I first put them on from the cold and an hour later after they were warmed up by my family.

It's a 10/10 already. Deep bass extension and slams exactly how I would expect it to in my head. It keeps up with my memory and exceeds what I experienced with the LCD-2 and LCD-3 back in the day on BHA-1 and BDA-2/NAD M51.

They are resolving as well. They are eating up all the grainless sound coming from the BDP-1 as a source vs. iMac. HD 800 would do it as well, but it's good to see similar results on the LCD-2C as well.

Soundstage is spherical like usual. Good height like I remembered. Zero fatigue, sibilance, harshness, or peaks that I can notice. Nothing irrating about the sound, which was the biggest concern in general about 95% of the headphones out there. You can read my signature for the details.

The mids are slightly warm and creamy, but without overshadowing anything. Layering is excellent as well in depth. I am not missing the HD 800 (with or without Sonarworks) at all, even from resolution standpoint.

For the guy asking, YES, female vocals kick ass on this.

If you are nostalgic about the old LCD-2, go buy them immediately. I'm very, very surprised at how well my rig is pairing with this considering I've used my LCD-3 with 10-15k+ rigs.

I'm working on the pictures.

Fantastic feedback, thank you! Seems to be exactly the sound that was promised in the build-up to release. That said, everything you describe is exactly how I hear the sound from my (late-2016, so latest edition) LCD-2F, which incidentally I bought after losing any hope the 2C would be released before sometime next year. Luckily I found the exact same sound - or at least very similar, perhaps a touch more air and treble detail than the pre-F was supposed to have.

Which begs the question: side-by-side, what are the sonic differences between the 2C and latest version of the 2F, given their drivers/diaphragms are technically identical?

Look forward to insight from someone that has both and is willing to do some A/B impressions.

PS. With regards the vacuum seal, which my LCD has as well, does the 2C include the felt rings Audeze added to the LCD-4 that are meant to dissipate the vacuum pressure and prevent driver damage? I’m very careful when putting mine on and taking them off so as not to cause any sudden pressure changes.

 

[Zoom25]

This headband suspension action is straight up the best I've experienced including from Bose and HD 800. Straight up dissapears. No pressure zones. As I've said, I prefer the earpads over HD 800 which aren't deep. This headband should be mandatory on all headphones!

 

[Zoom25]

Hmmm, one thing I completely forgot about was leather care kit. I used it do it to my LCD-2 and LCD-3. With the new earpads, are they required/recommended?

Pop, Rap, hip-hop, electronic, and some acoustic/vocal (Musica Nuda) all coming through very well. Vocals and bass just how I like it. The touch of air and sparkle is a very nice touch. They are complementing my Amphions nicely. It didn't take long at all to adjust to these.

I will address imaging, centerstage performance, and vocal texture later on.

 

[TK16]

It’s the same connector and cable as the LCD-2 so I don’t see why not.

Thanks, need to get a balanced cable if I buy the cans.

 

[gLer]

Hmmm, one thing I completely forgot about was leather care kit. I used it do it to my LCD-2 and LCD-3. With the new earpads, are they required/recommended?

Not if the earpads aren’t leather... Are they? I thought Audeze switched to protein leather at the last minute - probably to further cut costs.

 

[BLacklWf]

Literally cannot feel them on the top of my head. Pressure is only felt at the side which is very little. However, the earpads have this vacuum effect, which usually goes away. I had the same experience with LCD-3 in the past when they came fresh, whereas the LCD-2 were rigid in the past. Very comfortable. Audeze knocked it out of the park. You can nod with these and they won't come off and you shouldn't feel stress.

I got to listen for the first 2 minutes and then got hijacked for the first hour by family members. They loved the sound and comfort. I think there was a slight change in sound when I first put them on from the cold and an hour later after they were warmed up by my family.

It's a 10/10 already. Deep bass extension and slams exactly how I would expect it to in my head. It keeps up with my memory and exceeds what I experienced with the LCD-2 and LCD-3 back in the day on BHA-1 and BDA-2/NAD M51.

They are resolving as well. They are eating up all the grainless sound coming from the BDP-1 as a source vs. iMac. HD 800 would do it as well, but it's good to see similar results on the LCD-2C as well.

Soundstage is spherical like usual. Good height like I remembered. Zero fatigue, sibilance, harshness, or peaks that I can notice. Nothing irrating about the sound, which was the biggest concern in general about 95% of the headphones out there. You can read my signature for the details.

The mids are slightly warm and creamy, but without overshadowing anything. Layering is excellent as well in depth. I am not missing the HD 800 (with or without Sonarworks) at all, even from resolution standpoint.

For the guy asking, YES, female vocals kick ass on this.

If you are nostalgic about the old LCD-2, go buy them immediately. I'm very, very surprised at how well my rig is pairing with this considering I've used my LCD-3 with 10-15k+ rigs.

I'm working on the pictures.

Nice first impressions. Please keep them coming!

 

[Zoom25]

I'm also playing with the LCD-2 preset in Roon, which I think is for the Fazor. I'm not sure how much different the curve is going to be for the Classic. Very interesting. Sounds more correct in the mids now like how Sonarworks would make it, but I'm liking this even more. I didn't fully agree with Sonarworks. This seems like a better fit. Another thing to consider. Looking forward to trying the dedicated audeze LCD-2C correction.

Suspension headbands, Audeze Classics, Roon Presets -> all three should be well recieved.

 

[LaCuffia]

I think people will be most surprised at the comfort level more than anything. If you’ve shied away from Audeze because of comfort, no worries with the LCD2-C.

 

[Zoom25]

I highly recommend trying the preset. More in line with how I hear on my monitors. Audeze, pay that engineer!

Fixed the holes in upper mids regions and tighter bass with better resolution.

 

[Zoom25]

All pics, separated by folder: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lB4aYTKiYUKb7LNhvYFHHOqIIfULJsfU

This should give you an idea on what to expect and how they look.

Includes weight measurements of literally EVERYTHING! No more weight requests

 

[meringo]

https://imgur.com/94A9VUW

I've been listening to them for about an hour. The Classic indeed seems similar to my now sold 2016F, with some added warmth and air up top. The real star of the show is this suspension headband and general comfort boost. They don't seem nearly as weighty on the head and are far less distracting in my peripheral vision due to the black metal.

Honestly, I don't have any criticisms right now. Time for a good scotch and more tunes.

 

[Zoom25]

Cable is also excellent. Doesn't get tangled at all and doesn't weigh the headphone down or feel annoying to the touch. In comparison, the stock HD 800 was bulky and would pull the headphone. This is much better than the past ribbon cables. Well made.

 

[meringo]

Cable is also excellent. Doesn't get tangled at all and doesn't weigh the headphone down or feel annoying to the touch.

100% agree. This is easily the best stock cable I've come across relative to my own gear.

 

[Makiah S]

Has any one that still owns a Pre Fazor LCD 2 done a direct side by side comparison?