[mixman]

I've reviewed LCD-2CB in direct comparison with LCD-XC on my blog. You can check it there, but be advised that translator is needed to get it from polish to english: https://translate.google.pl/translate?sl=pl&tl=en&u=https://www.audiofanatyk.pl/recenzja-sluchawek-audeze-lcd-2-closed-back/

FR graph of both from that time:

2CB are quite even sounding headphone, but still this is the "2C tech" and LCD-XC are working in higher class. You should notice right of the bat:

• more clear and dynamic sound of the XC
• closer midrange in terms of position on soundstage
• actually a tad brighter highs but with a stronger decay of energy towards the highest octaves.

The FR graph for the damping mod is the latest one and there you can see the changes between stock headphones and damped ones. In my opinion, you can simulate more even tuning of the 2CB while preserving all the pros of the XC, their better control and insight in recordings without sacrificing natural tone and simple pleasure from listening. That is what my mod is all about. Also remember to seek for the latest versions of XC with new headband - with 700+ g of weight is a game changer in terms of weight distribution during long listening sessions. The reason why you can spot so much offers is because of more affordable MCE variant and simply because people believe this is a "closed alternative" for open-back LCD's with the same features and soundstage. In reality and as far as I know, Audeze always tried to position these as professional cans for critical listening. LCD-XC and X have the same relationship as AKG's K270 Studio and Playback. Simply put: LCD-XC is a different beast than the rest of the pack, even 2CB. Very specialised with certain applications. And the brightest from all LCD's.

If there is still wood under the alligator skin, there is a chance it still might broke, but not like in classic ones. Although I have my own pair of MCE since like almost a year now and there is no problem at all.

Cool. I just read you review. Have to say I was disappointed when you said the soundstage on the XC was not as deep and only slightly more 3D than that of the 2 CB. I was looking forward more so to an all around improvement there. That extra brightness of the XC may also be a let down too.

I did also read your 4z review. How do they rank among your favorite headphones?

 

[TjPhysicist]

I loved this when I heard it in the store, but now, after a buying and listening to my own for a bit...it makes my ears go ouchy. I don't know EXACTLY how to describe it just...maybe fatigue? but more ouchy. Will this go away...or am I now gonna have to sell this? I love the build and the looks, and it seems like the sound is about as good as it's gonna get from a closed back at any rate...and with a good amp at the store it was AMAZING.

There's also a chance this is being exacerbated by the new AMP8 i got for my DX150...those are quite "AAAH!" in the mid-high regions, even with the AEON i was like "where's the warmth?"

Also: what do you guys think about the DEKONI Velour? I've heard it tones down the highs makes it a bit warmer, which would be nice I think...but it the whole system of switching seems awfully inelegant and VERY prone to something going wrong, so I don't really wanna do that myself.

 

[MIR05LAV]

I loved this when I heard it in the store, but now, after a buying and listening to my own for a bit...it makes my ears go ouchy. I don't know EXACTLY how to describe it just...maybe fatigue? but more ouchy.

Use https://www.audeze.com/audeze-reveal-plugin or better, as @EvilKillaruna wrote - try to experiment with some damping material inserts into the earpads. That works miracles for me.

If you want to mellow the sound, you have two options:

1. Loosen the screws to reduce their closure. You'll gain some extra soundstage and more natural timbre in exchange for reduced noise isolation and worse bass control.
2. Create custom inserts and put them inside the earpads to create classical damping. You'll gain the effect like 30% Reveal setting, some extra comfort and dust protection in exchange for nothing, if you can do this right.

At the moment, I am using the second one and XC escalated to my personal reference headphones in closed-back department.

 

[PinoNL]

@EvilKillaruna, do you have pictures of damping material in het XC’s?

 

[EvilKillaruna]

Cool. I just read you review. Have to say I was disappointed when you said the soundstage on the XC was not as deep and only slightly more 3D than that of the 2 CB. I was looking forward more so to an all around improvement there. That extra brightness of the XC may also be a let down too.

I did also read your 4z review. How do they rank among your favorite headphones?

And that is exactly what I am talking about XC being a different beast. There IS soundstage in XC, make no mistake, but it is more center-focused and elliptical, wery similar to - also studio oriented - MX4, while 2CB in more an "entertainment" class with special tuning via RLC filters. Gradation is very good, just played on different plane and with different construction. Therefore, vocals are better sounding on XC while 2CB are keeping overall soundstage more even and univeral.

One of the best I've heard and in my personal TOP5. Of course there are still some TOTL models I've never listened, but at the moment I can list them amongst K1000, HE1000 or D8000 as one of my favourite if not the most in terms of overall sound quality and ergonomics. Never the less, I am consistently sticking with my modified K1000 which are trading low bass department and clearness for very involving midrange, free and open soundstage and climate that only this pair have.

Also: what do you guys think about the DEKONI Velour? I've heard it tones down the highs makes it a bit warmer, which would be nice I think...but it the whole system of switching seems awfully inelegant and VERY prone to something going wrong, so I don't really wanna do that myself.

Stiff and not comfortable over long listening sessions. While cleaning they can leave black pigment on cleaning cloth. Also:

@EvilKillaruna, do you have pictures of damping material in het XC’s?

Unfortunately - no. You have to tear the felt yourself to get into it and irreversibly damage it during the process (felt is glued on the edges to the wooden cup).

 

[mixman]

And that is exactly what I am talking about XC being a different beast. There IS soundstage in XC, make no mistake, but it is more center-focused and elliptical, wery similar to - also studio oriented - MX4, while 2CB in more an "entertainment" class with special tuning via RLC filters. Gradation is very good, just played on different plane and with different construction. Therefore, vocals are better sounding on XC while 2CB are keeping overall soundstage more even and univeral.

One of the best I've heard and in my personal TOP5. Of course there are still some TOTL models I've never listened, but at the moment I can list them amongst K1000, HE1000 or D8000 as one of my favourite if not the most in terms of overall sound quality and ergonomics. Never the less, I am consistently sticking with my modified K1000 which are trading low bass department and clearness for very involving midrange, free and open soundstage and climate that only this pair have.




Stiff and not comfortable over long listening sessions. While cleaning they can leave black pigment on cleaning cloth. Also:

Unfortunately - no. You have to tear the felt yourself to get into it and irreversibly damage it during the process (felt is glued on the edges to the wooden cup).

I guess I will just stick to my 2 CB's, especially since the time I heard he XC they were too bright and since there is no real soundstage improvement not really seeing much of a need to upgrade.

 

[PinoNL]

Thanks @EvilKillaruna but I’ll stick with the standard damping for now. I will keep it in mind though

 

[EvilKillaruna]

I guess I will just stick to my 2 CB's, especially since the time I heard he XC they were too bright and since there is no real soundstage improvement not really seeing much of a need to upgrade.

Remember that LCD-XC had four revisions. If you have listened pair with drivers before 2016, then there should be more V-shaped sound. Post-2016 sound different, more even and controlled. There are improvements in XC, like more wide soundstage and greater location precision. It is just more vocal-oriented pair than 2CB. Brightness can be tamed by my modification and with help of solid gear and cables. For example they sound marvelous with Lucarto Audio Songolo HPA300SE and paired with my own AC3B cable, which is not even designed to change their sound signature but more focused on improving their SQ "as it is" with the same sound construction but clearer, more precise and with better soundstage overall:

That is actually a secret recipe with them: get good quality source and amplifier + get higher quality cable + tame them a little with Reveal/damping for your liking = profit. The results were so promising that my LCD-2 were left on the stand since like few months for now.

Thanks @EvilKillaruna but I’ll stick with the standard damping for now. I will keep it in mind though

No problem. I am not much of a fan for hard modding, therefore I prefer soft and easily removable modifications which won't void warranty of our headphones. Inserts can be removed easily with any time and this way you can seriously manage them to be less bright and fully acceptible. You can simulate the effect by using Foobar or APO Equaliser with Audeze Reveal plugin set on 30%. This is what you can get with my mod (about 90% similarities). I have a plan to make an article about it and guide people how to mod them step by step, but it is so simple I am not sure if anything even deserve an explanation there.

 

[mixman]

Remember that LCD-XC had four revisions. If you have listened pair with drivers before 2016, then there should be more V-shaped sound. Post-2016 sound different, more even and controlled. There are improvements in XC, like more wide soundstage and greater location precision. It is just more vocal-oriented pair than 2CB. Brightness can be tamed by my modification and with help of solid gear and cables. For example they sound marvelous with Lucarto Audio Songolo HPA300SE and paired with my own AC3B cable, which is not even designed to change their sound signature but more focused on improving their SQ "as it is" with the same sound construction but clearer, more precise and with better soundstage overall:

That is actually a secret recipe with them: get good quality source and amplifier + get higher quality cable + tame them a little with Reveal/damping for your liking = profit. The results were so promising that my LCD-2 were left on the stand since like few months for now.



No problem. I am not much of a fan for hard modding, therefore I prefer soft and easily removable modifications which won't void warranty of our headphones. Inserts can be removed easily with any time and this way you can seriously manage them to be less bright and fully acceptible. You can simulate the effect by using Foobar or APO Equaliser with Audeze Reveal plugin set on 30%. This is what you can get with my mod (about 90% similarities). I have a plan to make an article about it and guide people how to mod them step by step, but it is so simple I am not sure if anything even deserve an explanation there.

I will probably just aim for a 4z instead. I was thinking about the XC if it was an all around upgrade and since I mostly like the CB’s as is I will just stick to them. Now I go from one that’s slightly too bright to another can that’s too dark. Trying to get the 4z matched up well so they are a bit more even sounding. Too much of that classic upper midrange Audeze dip on the 4z kills the air up top.

 

[TjPhysicist]

Use https://www.audeze.com/audeze-reveal-plugin or better, as @EvilKillaruna wrote - try to experiment with some damping material inserts into the earpads. That works miracles for me.

What kind of materials? These actually made my physically ILL after listening them for a while. Not like the usual/expected "i played music too loud and now my ears are ringing for a bit" or "too much highs, lots of audio fatigue" but actually wanted to throw up. THat's pretty amazing actually, I've had some BAD headphones in my life but GOD DAMN.

Unfortunately no returns where I bought from and these have AWEFUL resale value.

 

[Mozhoven]

Don't fret it man. I had a hard time at first too. I felt they were too bright and harsh, especially coming form a Sennheiser 700. I did two things that helped greatly:

1) Switched to homemade Canary Starquad cable. Easy build and it warmed up them up and punched up the bass.

2) Wanting more, I decided to eq in Foobar. I know not everybody subscribes to this, but after making a classic "W" I'm very happy with my XC's. Incredible cans. (if not a bit heavy, haha). See attached for my EQ Presets for foobar. One is for the stock eq, but if you want greater control, activate the Graphic Equalizer DSP. Just remove the .txt and change teh "dot" to actual dot. Good luck man!

 

[EvilKillaruna]

I will probably just aim for a 4z instead. I was thinking about the XC if it was an all around upgrade and since I mostly like the CB’s as is I will just stick to them. Now I go from one that’s slightly too bright to another can that’s too dark. Trying to get the 4z matched up well so they are a bit more even sounding. Too much of that classic upper midrange Audeze dip on the 4z kills the air up top.

I am considering XC exactly that - their SQ is above 2CB and comparing them head to head, while praising versatility of 2CB, XC was for me simply better, clearer and more precise sounding pair of headphones.

LCD-4z love very spacious and not overly warm sources from higher tier. Burson Conductor V2+ was a perfect match for both LCD-4 and LCD-4z. They are brighter than D8000, MX4 and LCD-3, but a tad darker than LCD-2F. If you afraid 4z will be too dark, normal LCD-4 should be excellent and being able to make them even more bright with silver cables or more air-permeable material under the grills is a very good rescue option "just in case". If you want some alternatives, LCD-2F, preferably from series from fall 2015 to 2017 with older sheepskin pads, should be a sweet spot with optimal SQ-to-price ratio. These are the most airy and balanced 2F you can get. If you are looking for something between but not from Audeze, take a look at well preserved AKG K270 Studio EP from second hand. You'll be surprised of their sound quality and tonal similarities with LCD-4, but to get to this point, you have to do a lot of homework with materials for earpads and DIY-made o-rings that are long unavailable on the market but used for fine-tuning in the whole series of this headphones (I use modern original earpads from AKG + o-rings made from thin polypropylen foam). Never the less, while still having LCD-2F, I am considering modified/tuned XC as a reference for tonal balance and that is the reason why I am working on them almost every day.

What kind of materials? These actually made my physically ILL after listening them for a while. Not like the usual/expected "i played music too loud and now my ears are ringing for a bit" or "too much highs, lots of audio fatigue" but actually wanted to throw up. THat's pretty amazing actually, I've had some BAD headphones in my life but GOD DAMN.

Unfortunately no returns where I bought from and these have AWEFUL resale value.

Try normal cloth for example or some very thin felt. But first, try XC with Reveal 30% as I said before to test if the results are worth of your time and effort.

Listening to loud music in long periods of time can create fatigue and headache pretty easily. In some rare cases some people are overly sensitive to certain frequencies. For example my humble person is very sensitive to excessive bass (mostly super low bass and higher bass) and highs in 8-12 kHz. This is why I am avoiding very bassy headphones and some of the Beyerdynamic models. I have for example DT1990 PRO for review and even they are quite interesting, their highs are very fatiguing for me. That is why we have so much sound signatures to choose from. On my forum there is a person, an owner of LCD-2F, who can't stand them after few hours except when they are plugged into iFi iDSD PRO with warmth sound signature.

 

[TjPhysicist]

Try normal cloth for example or some very thin felt. But first, try XC with Reveal 30% as I said before to test if the results are worth of your time and effort.

Listening to loud music in long periods of time can create fatigue and headache pretty easily. In some rare cases some people are overly sensitive to certain frequencies. For example my humble person is very sensitive to excessive bass (mostly super low bass and higher bass) and highs in 8-12 kHz. This is why I am avoiding very bassy headphones and some of the Beyerdynamic models.

Oh, will try that. Also: OOOH yay, finally someone else who is overly sensitive to bass and 8-12khz highs. (I can't really hear anything above 17khz most of the time anyways).

Sidebar: someone please convince me I did NOT make a mistake buying these instead of ZMF! It was mostly because of availability more than anything else tbh. (Ok FINE, i'll admit it, it was also cuz LCD headphones look HILARIOUS when worn outside).

 

[EvilKillaruna]

This person won't be me. ZMF is a actually non-existent brand in Poland, therefore these headphones are unknown to me. Instead, I suggest to unscrew wooden earcups and convert them to open variant. There should be significant increase in soundstage and warmth. If you like it that way, ask Audeze for grills from other open model or DIY and use highly air-permeable material. If you want it even darker, ask Audeze for grills from LCD-X to convert your LCD-XC into fully legit LCD-X.

 

[mixman]

I am considering XC exactly that - their SQ is above 2CB and comparing them head to head, while praising versatility of 2CB, XC was for me simply better, clearer and more precise sounding pair of headphones.

LCD-4z love very spacious and not overly warm sources from higher tier. Burson Conductor V2+ was a perfect match for both LCD-4 and LCD-4z. They are brighter than D8000, MX4 and LCD-3, but a tad darker than LCD-2F. If you afraid 4z will be too dark, normal LCD-4 should be excellent and being able to make them even more bright with silver cables or more air-permeable material under the grills is a very good rescue option "just in case". If you want some alternatives, LCD-2F, preferably from series from fall 2015 to 2017 with older sheepskin pads, should be a sweet spot with optimal SQ-to-price ratio. These are the most airy and balanced 2F you can get. If you are looking for something between but not from Audeze, take a look at well preserved AKG K270 Studio EP from second hand. You'll be surprised of their sound quality and tonal similarities with LCD-4, but to get to this point, you have to do a lot of homework with materials for earpads and DIY-made o-rings that are long unavailable on the market but used for fine-tuning in the whole series of this headphones (I use modern original earpads from AKG + o-rings made from thin polypropylen foam). Never the less, while still having LCD-2F, I am considering modified/tuned XC as a reference for tonal balance and that is the reason why I am working on them almost every day.

Yeah MX4 are my least favorite LCD’s. It is too midrange centric. I had the X I liked it but it started to sound too dark to me, so I sold it. The 4z seems to have a little more zing up top so that may work. I have several silver and hybrid cables, like Norne and Forza. For me it’s the 4z or nothing in Audeze. The other set I am looking at are the Meze Empyrean, they should be a little brighter too.

Oh, will try that. Also: OOOH yay, finally someone else who is overly sensitive to bass and 8-12khz highs. (I can't really hear anything above 17khz most of the time anyways).

Sidebar: someone please convince me I did NOT make a mistake buying these instead of ZMF! It was mostly because of availability more than anything else tbh. (Ok FINE, i'll admit it, it was also cuz LCD headphones look HILARIOUS when worn outside).

Well if you want a mellower sound that would be ZMF, if you want more analytical, then stick with the XC. The ZMF would be lighter too, but harder to drive.