[Epika07]

I'm interested in the new LCD-X, I own the LCD-2C, how do they compare? Worth the upgrade?

 

[The Hawk]

I'm interested in the new LCD-X, I own the LCD-2C, how do they compare? Worth the upgrade?

Totally worth it

I had the 2C for a month. I really enjoyed it. Great bass impact, mids (notably vocals) are excellent and I enjoyed the warmer, toned down highs......especially for listening to metal music at louder volumes as MANY of those recordings tend to be shall we say “hot” in the upper treble and get fatiguing quickly. The 2C is perfect for that kind of scenario. I also found the vocals.....particularly male vocals to sound really good and visceral. It also does a decent job of conveying soundstage width although the placement and panning has some dead spots.

So why did I get rid of it?

The highs are too recessed IMO......even for a treble sensitive person like myself. On recordings I’m very familiar with a lot of nuances and details seemed buried in the mix or in many cases......almost inaudible. I also felt on some female voices it made them sound on the congested/nasally side. I could go on about other things but bottom line, reviews I’ve read/seen on the LCD-X peaked my interest to try it. So thanks to Amazon I sent the 2C back before my 30days were up and ordered the LCD-X from Adorama (who also provides 30 day, no questions asked returns)

After one day with them...... no question......they we’re keepers for me. I like them a lot more than the 2C. The 2C sounds wider and gives the impression of stronger bass but the X is better everywhere. The X may not seem to have has much bass slam as the 2C but how it does the bass is superior. It reaches lower, it’s faster, tighter and you can hear the details and textures in the bass way better. The 2C for lack of better description sounds a little “one note-ish” in how it delivers bass IMO......a bit rumbly and loose sounding. Still fun and enjoyable but definitely less refined.

Mids are even sounding to me and vocals sound excellent. The 2C is more present in the vocal region but can seem a tad shouty on some recordings. The X never sounds that way. I also find female vocals sound more natural as well thanks to the extra treble and air the X has over the C.

Treble wise......definitely brighter than the 2C but it’s done in such a nice way. As mentioned, I’m treble sensitive and even at elevated volume levels the highs are just bright enough but still warm enough to not cause fatigue for me. The best part though.....all those subtle details, nuances or whatever you want to call them are there that were often missing on the 2C and placement throughout the soundstage is much easier to decipher.

The X is my go to when I want to sit back and relax on a Friday night with a drink and some tunes. I never thought I’d ever spend this kind of money on a headphone (Creator edition is $1900 here in Canada after taxes) but 3 months later I’m very happy with them......for me and my tastes the X make me do what any good headphone should do for you......make you want to sit back and simply enjoy your music rather than some headphones that often rear up your OCD to analyze and be annoyed at what they do wrong for you. I still think the 2C is a really great headphone and an excellent entry point for the LCD line. I still may add it to my arsenal in the future as I think it’s different enough from its bigger brother to warrant owning it.....notably for those “treble gone wild” rock and metal albums in my collection and especially when I do those brief “listen at stupid volume level” sessions of those albums.

EDIT: I neglected to mention that my LCD-X are the latest 2021 revision version.

 

[betula]

Totally worth it

I had the 2C for a month. I really enjoyed it. Great bass impact, mids (notably vocals) are excellent and I enjoyed the warmer, toned down highs......especially for listening to metal music at louder volumes as MANY of those recordings tend to be shall we say “hot” in the upper treble and get fatiguing quickly. The 2C is perfect for that kind of scenario. I also found the vocals.....particularly male vocals to sound really good and visceral. It also does a decent job of conveying soundstage width although the placement and panning has some dead spots.

So why did I get rid of it?

The highs are too recessed IMO......even for a treble sensitive person like myself. On recordings I’m very familiar with a lot of nuances and details seemed buried in the mix or in many cases......almost inaudible. I also felt on some female voices it made them sound on the congested/nasally side. I could go on about other things but bottom line, reviews I’ve read/seen on the LCD-X peaked my interest to try it. So thanks to Amazon I sent the 2C back before my 30days were up and ordered the LCD-X from Adorama (who also provides 30 day, no questions asked returns)

After one day with them...... no question......they we’re keepers for me. I like them a lot more than the 2C. The 2C sounds wider and gives the impression of stronger bass but the X is better everywhere. The X may not seem to have has much bass slam as the 2C but how it does the bass is superior. It reaches lower, it’s faster, tighter and you can hear the details and textures in the bass way better. The 2C for lack of better description sounds a little “one note-ish” in how it delivers bass IMO......a bit rumbly and loose sounding. Still fun and enjoyable but definitely less refined.

Mids are even sounding to me and vocals sound excellent. The 2C is more present in the vocal region but can seem a tad shouty on some recordings. The X never sounds that way. I also find female vocals sound more natural as well thanks to the extra treble and air the X has over the C.

Treble wise......definitely brighter than the 2C but it’s done in such a nice way. As mentioned, I’m treble sensitive and even at elevated volume levels the highs are just bright enough but still warm enough to not cause fatigue for me. The best part though.....all those subtle details, nuances or whatever you want to call them are there that were often missing on the 2C and placement throughout the soundstage is much easier to decipher.

The X is my go to when I want to sit back and relax on a Friday night with a drink and some tunes. I never thought I’d ever spend this kind of money on a headphone (Creator edition is $1900 here in Canada after taxes) but 3 months later I’m very happy with them......for me and my tastes the X make me do what any good headphone should do for you......make you want to sit back and simply enjoy your music rather than some headphones that often rear up your OCD to analyze and be annoyed at what they do wrong for you. I still think the 2C is a really great headphone and an excellent entry point for the LCD line. I still may add it to my arsenal in the future as I think it’s different enough from its bigger brother to warrant owning it.....notably for those “treble gone wild” rock and metal albums in my collection and especially when I do those brief “listen at stupid volume level” sessions of those albums.

Great comparison that I can agree with. I would only add that vocals on the 2C are a little warmer, but cleaner on the X. Perhaps this is the only thing I like in the 2C a little more. Also, if you add only 2-3 dB bass boost to the X, you have the bass quantity of the 2C with the much better quality you described.

 

[Golyatx]

Can anyone listen to this song (alert: melodic death metal)? https://tidal.com/track/63364774 How does it sound on LCD X? Especialy the part starting 3:17, does it slam and bass very hard as I would expect?
Thank you very much for effort.

 

[Little Bear]

Is it fair to say that all of the previous versions have shipped and if I order today I'll be assured of getting the new version? Would the answer depend on where I buy from?

 

[The Hawk]

Is it fair to say that all of the previous versions have shipped and if I order today I'll be assured of getting the new version? Would the answer depend on where I buy from?

There’s a chance you could end up with old stock depending on how much product the vendor you’re considering moves.

Most popular vendors will have the latest version. An easy way to tell is if they’ve updated their LCD-X / XC product page to reflect that the creator package includes the new economy case. That change was implemented around March. The new revised models started shipping end of November so anything including the new case will be the latest version

You could also request the vendor you’re buying from verify you’re getting the latest version by checking the serial number which is on the label of the box Audeze ships their headphones in.

Anything higher than these numbers and you’re good:

11/23/20 LCD-X Leather-Free 7527615

11/9/20 LCD-XC Leather 8523700

11/23/20 LCD-X Leather 7527600

11/23/20 LCD-XC Leather-Free 8523710

If it helps, I ordered mine in Late January from Adorama and I was shipped the latest version. You can also order direct from Audeze.....that would guarantee you get the latest

 

[betula]

Is it fair to say that all of the previous versions have shipped and if I order today I'll be assured of getting the new version? Would the answer depend on where I buy from?

I think the easiest way to find out if it is the newest version is to ask the vendor whether the headphones come with the plastic carrying case.

 

[WDitters]

Patiently waiting for my pair of LCD-X '21 to arrive. Bought them 1 month old from someone who ended up going closed instead with ZMF. They will be my open back alternative to my closed Denon AH-D9200, and driven balanced by my Questyle CMA Twelve Master... Can't wait to give them their first spin. Here's hoping for a good match...
They will be shipped on Monday, hopefully they will arrive before next weekend

Questions to the round (while waiting):

My LCD-X comes with a standard Audeze XLR4 cable. Any opinions on that cable? Keep or replace with aftermarket?

I will run the LCD-X off my Questyle CMA Twelve Master. Any ideas what expect from this combination?

 

[mitchb]

I would recommend getting a decent aftermarket headphone cable. Definitely worth the investment.

 

[inventionlws]

Just got the new 2021 LCD-X with leather pads. It should absolutely great and much better than the LCD-2 classic I owned. Unfortunately though, I below to the group of people with their ears touch the fazors. I did not have this issue with the 2016 LCD X I used to own for a short period of time, so the new pads are definitely much shallower. I contacted Audeze support and they said the new pads do not support the spacer that they used to provide for this issue. Now, it seems that I have to change to thicker pads like Dekoni, which could degrade the very nice FR that the new revision has. Any other suggestions?

 

[Alex May]

Now, it seems that I have to change to thicker pads like Dekoni, which could degrade the very nice FR that the new revision has. Any other suggestions?

I experimented a lot with all sorts of pads. And I mean a lot! All the Dekonis will ruin the sound of the LCD-X for sure, even the acclaimed Choice Suede. I wrote about it here. Since the LCD-X suffers from some serious phase problems, there is not a lot you can try. The only option I'd suggest is the pads I miraculously found on AliExpress and they proved to be exceptionally good for the sound and comfort despite the low price: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002322979719.html I posted my photo in the review section on AliExpress but I'll duplicate it here as well so you can see the size of the pads. Although they squish and compress to a certain degree when you put them on, so I can't guarantee that they will solve the problems with your ears. At least it won't cost you a fortune.

 

[betula]

Just got the new 2021 LCD-X with leather pads. It should absolutely great and much better than the LCD-2 classic I owned. Unfortunately though, I below to the group of people with their ears touch the fazors. I did not have this issue with the 2016 LCD X I used to own for a short period of time, so the new pads are definitely much shallower. I contacted Audeze support and they said the new pads do not support the spacer that they used to provide for this issue. Now, it seems that I have to change to thicker pads like Dekoni, which could degrade the very nice FR that the new revision has. Any other suggestions?

Cosmetic surgery?

 

[inventionlws]

Cosmetic surgery?

That is brutal XD

 

[inventionlws]

I experimented a lot with all sorts of pads. And I mean a lot! All the Dekonis will ruin the sound of the LCD-X for sure, even the acclaimed Choice Suede. I wrote about it here. Since the LCD-X suffers from some serious phase problems, there is not a lot you can try. The only option I'd suggest is the pads I miraculously found on AliExpress and they proved to be exceptionally good for the sound and comfort despite the low price: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002322979719.html I posted my photo in the review section on AliExpress but I'll duplicate it here as well so you can see the size of the pads. Although they squish and compress to a certain degree when you put them on, so I can't guarantee that they will solve the problems with your ears. At least it won't cost you a fortune.

Thanks for the tip. Do you think the phase issue is related to the inter spacing of the old fazor design? Now that the number of fazor has been reduced by 2, there is larger distance between adjacent fazors, so I wondering if the same pad thickness related change still applies. The AliExpress pads looks as thin as the new stock pad so it may not fix my problem.

 

[Lohb]

I experimented a lot with all sorts of pads. And I mean a lot! All the Dekonis will ruin the sound of the LCD-X for sure, even the acclaimed Choice Suede. I wrote about it here. Since the LCD-X suffers from some serious phase problems, there is not a lot you can try. The only option I'd suggest is the pads I miraculously found on AliExpress and they proved to be exceptionally good for the sound and comfort despite the low price: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002322979719.html I posted my photo in the review section on AliExpress but I'll duplicate it here as well so you can see the size of the pads. Although they squish and compress to a certain degree when you put them on, so I can't guarantee that they will solve the problems with your ears. At least it won't cost you a fortune.

Same pads I got a while ago for my XCs before all this pad revision stuff.
I can confirm they are also excellent on XCs and no Fazor issues for me.