Audeze LCD-2C Classic - Impressions Thread
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I'd love to hear the LCD 2 closed back...Me too.
tuby sound
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Well, it might be a waste for you but for my situation, a pair of headphones is all I can use right now...
I have everything I need: 4k projector, 7.3.2 sound system, AVR with Dirac, etc...
Problem (if I can call it that) is that I have 2 toddlers and I can only enjoy and relax while watching movies when my kids are asleep. So a good pair of headphones might not be a priority for you but in my case, I don't mind investing into something that I'll be using every night for a couple more years...
Right now I have the Verum 1 on a tube amp speaker taps but am always in the look out for a better overall sound stage depth while still keeping the hefty lower bass. Verum is fine but I feel that I get 3 distinct area in the soundstage with holes between them
Kelvin
tuby sound
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Also please note that good movies have good soundtracks too so it has to sou'd good with music too
Kelvin
Kelvin
Both are good for movies. The X reveals more if the sound recording of the movie is poor, but offers greater clarity if the recording is good.
xRaptorxPunisher
100+ Head-Fier
The reason I said it's a waste is you're comparing two headphones with a very similar FR one is double the price and using movies as a reason to buy them. They'll sound the same, the subtle difference will be in the music where you can hear into the human voice.
Soundstage is just dependent on the upper mids and pad depth, they're the same, as long as a headphone can image well and have some depth perception, it's fine. It can also at times be psycho acoustic. You already own the Verum which arguably has better resolution than both headphones and you wanna waste your money on an Audeze with again, a similar frequency response that's another reason you're wasting money. Go put your money into some nice whisky, beer or go on holiday when SARS is over, don't waste money on a headphone that isn't going to give you anything or even anything different than what you have. I swear man people just look for an excuse to waste money, go enjoy life instead of side stepping or even downgrading in areas.
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tuby sound
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Thank you for your post.
Wanted to defend and do a lengthy reply but I'm just gonna say this:
I think I've managed to live a good life, have no real financial problem, and spend as much quality family time as I can...
What I want is to enjoy what I can now as much as I can because I have no idea what tomorrow will be.
I do not have more money than brain, far from it but that won't stop me from getting something that will put a smile on my face even if it only is a sideways' move
You have good infos in your reply and will keep that in mind when deciding for my next pair of headphones
Kelvin
I watch late night Netflix with the JBL earbuds that Roku put in their Ultra. I just never figured I'd strive for higher fidelity in that scenario. The 2Cs are open (unless you get the closed, of course) and let a lot of sound out into the area if that's a concern; it sounds like for you it might be. I don't know if the X is similar, but I'd assume so. Obviously some contributors here could provide 1st hand experience on that.
They are both open back headphones, so they will leak sound and won't isolate. You need a relatively quiet room to use any open back headphones. If you do have a quiet room, your reward will be a more 'open', more natural and more lifelike sound. That's paired with Audeze bass makes these headphones great for movies in my opinion.
Glad this thread had this small spin-off. Makes me want to consider replacing the ancient receiver I have hooked up to the tv with something I can use my headphones with.
Final conclusions after spending weeks with the LCD2C and LCDX.
I used to own the 2C several times, I really like them. I think they are absolutely excellent when it comes to my preferred tonality and bass performance. They also give you a glimpse of higher performing LCD sound at a much more affordable price. This price however seems to be changing. The LCD2C in the UK used to cost £599-£649 and now the cheapest option I could find was £749. This price increase has changed the position of the 2C on the market quite significantly. The 2C is still a good deal, but not a bargain anymore.
This is the fifth pair of 2Cs I own. I think that says it all how much I appreciate these headphones when it comes to my personal preference which is flat bass extension, clarity, slam and authority. I have recently acquired a few months old creator edition LCDX at an excellent price. I paid a good sum but the package included some excellent upgrade cables and other extras. I was able to sell these extras separately, so the practically new LCDX after these deals didn't cost me more than a new LCD2C.
Now the rising 2C prices and my good deal on the X basically made it an equal choice. Which one I prefer and want to keep if the difference is less than £100?
I still think the 2C is excellent value for money, but the X is a better headphone overall. You need to take the extra 60-70g weight of the X into account, but it is actually not that much worse than the 550g of the 2C. It feels a little heavier though.
After my 2-3 weeks trial I figured I don't mind the extra weight as the sound to me is an improvement. The 2C is a fabulous entry level headphone, the X is a fabulous mid level headphone. And this becomes quite obvious when you compare them directly. The 2C is less refined, softer, somewhat duller and more bland in direct comparison. The X might sound slightly narrower but it allows a deeper insight into the sound stage with higher level of refinement and clarity. Bass extension is more obvious, bass clarity and slam is superior to the 2C. The treble clarity on the X is much improved vs. the 2C. The 2C sounds flat and somewhat 'cardboard'-like in direct comparison to the X which is more precise, more spacious, more lifelike and dynamic.
Therefore I am most likely selling my 2C after 7 weeks of ownership. I fully accept that this extra weight is not for everyone, but perfect bass comes at a price. And I think the 2C is still a good buy even at £749, although it has lost its bargain status.
Edit: I must add, even though I am not a big cable believer, silver and silver plated cables benefit Audeze headphones a lot! They further improve bass clarity and open up treble. It doesn't have to be an expensive cable but must contain silver apparently. (My no-name silver plated cable sounds just as good as the full silver cable I used to own for twice the price.)
I used to own the 2C several times, I really like them. I think they are absolutely excellent when it comes to my preferred tonality and bass performance. They also give you a glimpse of higher performing LCD sound at a much more affordable price. This price however seems to be changing. The LCD2C in the UK used to cost £599-£649 and now the cheapest option I could find was £749. This price increase has changed the position of the 2C on the market quite significantly. The 2C is still a good deal, but not a bargain anymore.
This is the fifth pair of 2Cs I own. I think that says it all how much I appreciate these headphones when it comes to my personal preference which is flat bass extension, clarity, slam and authority. I have recently acquired a few months old creator edition LCDX at an excellent price. I paid a good sum but the package included some excellent upgrade cables and other extras. I was able to sell these extras separately, so the practically new LCDX after these deals didn't cost me more than a new LCD2C.
Now the rising 2C prices and my good deal on the X basically made it an equal choice. Which one I prefer and want to keep if the difference is less than £100?
I still think the 2C is excellent value for money, but the X is a better headphone overall. You need to take the extra 60-70g weight of the X into account, but it is actually not that much worse than the 550g of the 2C. It feels a little heavier though.
After my 2-3 weeks trial I figured I don't mind the extra weight as the sound to me is an improvement. The 2C is a fabulous entry level headphone, the X is a fabulous mid level headphone. And this becomes quite obvious when you compare them directly. The 2C is less refined, softer, somewhat duller and more bland in direct comparison. The X might sound slightly narrower but it allows a deeper insight into the sound stage with higher level of refinement and clarity. Bass extension is more obvious, bass clarity and slam is superior to the 2C. The treble clarity on the X is much improved vs. the 2C. The 2C sounds flat and somewhat 'cardboard'-like in direct comparison to the X which is more precise, more spacious, more lifelike and dynamic.
Therefore I am most likely selling my 2C after 7 weeks of ownership. I fully accept that this extra weight is not for everyone, but perfect bass comes at a price. And I think the 2C is still a good buy even at £749, although it has lost its bargain status.
Edit: I must add, even though I am not a big cable believer, silver and silver plated cables benefit Audeze headphones a lot! They further improve bass clarity and open up treble. It doesn't have to be an expensive cable but must contain silver apparently. (My no-name silver plated cable sounds just as good as the full silver cable I used to own for twice the price.)
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By superior slam do you mean that X has more bass amount than 2C? From what I have read, I assumed that 2C has a bit stronger bass (if not equal) but X's bass is more refined and precise.
Bass is a delicate part of the sound because especially with planars a lot depends on the dac/amp whether it is able to bring out the best of the headphones. If a planar is not driven properly, the first sign is usually an inadequate bass.
Bass to me on the 2C and X is pretty much the same quantity. The 2C is still very good, but the X is just more refined and precise as you said. By slam I meant the X also feels more energetic and punchy, while the 2C feels a bit softer and more laid back in comparison.
xRaptorxPunisher
100+ Head-Fier
Funny how impressions vary with Audeze due to variance as nearly every X I've heard or had has sounded like crap apart from one unit. I've never heard a 2C that sounded straight up bad at all, all have been B grade drivers one was a C which was my first unit which sounded too muted, compressed overall, it sounded broken, perhaps it was. I'm hoping the LCD-2F is tighter as this current one I've got sounds like a classic Audeze with better fluidity and less issues with sharp bumps due to the fazors doing their jobs. I don't have an LCD-2C on hand with me where I am but the 2C due to lack of fazors does make the bass sound more impactful, dynamic.
The X's always sounded too clinical, drier for my taste, a small nit pick but when I buy an Audeze, I want to buy the liquidity, warm goodness like the LCD-2 & 4. I don't see the point in the X when the current LCD-3 does what the X does with better resolution in the treble. The 2C is the most different sounding Audeze though to my ears outside of the X as it's tuned by Massdrop, there's something about the timbre that's a bit more metallic compared to other Audeze headphones, I'm guessing due to the 6k peaks and the roller coaster going on due to lack of fazors. The 2C is such a good headphone though for what it does, it has the most thick bass presentation of the bunch outside of the 4 where as my 2F here is ever so slightly less but more warm, lush, the 2C isn't what I'd call lush compared to other Audeze's along with the X.
The X's always sounded too clinical, drier for my taste, a small nit pick but when I buy an Audeze, I want to buy the liquidity, warm goodness like the LCD-2 & 4. I don't see the point in the X when the current LCD-3 does what the X does with better resolution in the treble. The 2C is the most different sounding Audeze though to my ears outside of the X as it's tuned by Massdrop, there's something about the timbre that's a bit more metallic compared to other Audeze headphones, I'm guessing due to the 6k peaks and the roller coaster going on due to lack of fazors. The 2C is such a good headphone though for what it does, it has the most thick bass presentation of the bunch outside of the 4 where as my 2F here is ever so slightly less but more warm, lush, the 2C isn't what I'd call lush compared to other Audeze's along with the X.
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k12azy13astard
New Head-Fier
When you get bored during quarinteen, are dabbling in 3D print stuff, and have a new set of headphones your looking to modify for your own fun....
Made in TinkerCAD from a .svg file provided by MIR05LAV
Had to make some adjustments when I was told the text wouldn't be printed accurately enough for the size and scale, so had redo things and add in a slight bevel to adjust for the size difference (stock grill is 1.5mm, mine are 3mm at the highest). Had my guy make them in both PLA and Wood-Filament (I've yet to try those yet, as I want to do some post processing on them as well as stain.)
But with the PLA, here they are on the LCDs
I'm just down giving them a listen to see whats changed. So far the soundstage feels more open, though I am loosing some bass. Could be the material or the lack of a mesh grill. But more listening and time and needed!
Made in TinkerCAD from a .svg file provided by MIR05LAV
Had to make some adjustments when I was told the text wouldn't be printed accurately enough for the size and scale, so had redo things and add in a slight bevel to adjust for the size difference (stock grill is 1.5mm, mine are 3mm at the highest). Had my guy make them in both PLA and Wood-Filament (I've yet to try those yet, as I want to do some post processing on them as well as stain.)
But with the PLA, here they are on the LCDs
I'm just down giving them a listen to see whats changed. So far the soundstage feels more open, though I am loosing some bass. Could be the material or the lack of a mesh grill. But more listening and time and needed!
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