[deafanddumb]

I'm starting to think that the Oppo BDP-95 universal player (my source) is the culprit when it comes to the brightness (or prominence) I'm experiencing in the upper mids, since it seems like I am one of the few who is mildly troubled by this.

Upper mids definitely too bright and forward on some recordings!I was also disappointed in the bass extension compared to LCD 3 and especially to my new th900's.

 

[rudi0504]

The brightness I initially reported when I got my XCs a week ago has diminished quite a bit—I have about 150 hours on them by now. I still find the XC to be a bit on the yang side of neutral, but the articulation of low level detail is quite amazing. I'm working on getting a balanced cable with a 2.5mm TRRS plug so I can try the balanced out of my AK240. Additionally, I'm contemplating buying a RSA SR-71B from a fellow member to improve the bass weight and slam; driven directly by my 240 I find the bass on the lean side..

I tried With My potable set Up above is Fine ,No peak In the mid
IMO

 

[rudi0504]

I am considering the LCD-XC but am a bit concerned about the weight. I could tolerate the LCD-2 but I see the XC is even heavier.

Do any XC owners find the weight bothersome? Is the weight still evenly distributed like the LCD-2?

HI

I have LCD 2 rev 3 and i Think LCD XC is heavier and Pressure more Your head than LCD 2
Bit not that Much , if you have already LCD 2 , LCD XC should Be No problem
IMO

 

[sbradley02]

HI

I have LCD 2 rev 3 and i Think LCD XC is heavier and Pressure more Your head than LCD 2
Bit not that Much , if you have already LCD 2 , LCD XC should Be No problem
IMO

I have mine on several hours a day most week days.
When I first put them on in the morning they seem heavy, but I soon don't notice it at all.

 

[figaro69]

  Just received my XC today. WOW! Paired with the black dragon cable, the combination sounds nearly perfect for my ears.
 
So far better than my X but still awaiting a Toxic silver cable to listen with and compare (which I expect will make a huge difference). The black dragon cable with the X sounded too dark and deep. With stock cable, X sounds a little muffled but more neutral.

The Xs need the Silver (not the black) dragons.  Moreover, the interconnects (if using RCA cables) need to be Silver as well.

 

[Frank I]

  The Xs need the Silver (not the black) dragons.  Moreover, the interconnects (if using RCA cables) need to be Silver as well.
 
 
 
 
I thought using the silver dragon the x was too bright. There is harshness with the silver cable and not the right match for this headphone  at least for me  because of the brighter signature of the headphone. The Silver cable was very good in the lCD 2 because they are darker

 

[jwbrent]

  I am considering the LCD-XC but am a bit concerned about the weight. I could tolerate the LCD-2 but I see the XC is even heavier.
 
Do any XC owners find the weight bothersome? Is the weight still evenly distributed like the LCD-2?

 
Hi Beagle,
 
I don't find the weight to be bothersome at all. Then again, I'm 5'11" and weigh around 190 pounds and am athletically built. I even went hiking in the mountains with them with no problem.
 
I'm starting to fall in love with these guys ... 

 

[Beagle]

HI

I have LCD 2 rev 3 and i Think LCD XC is heavier and Pressure more Your head than LCD 2
Bit not that Much , if you have already LCD 2 , LCD XC should Be No problem
IMO

 
 

   
Hi Beagle,
 
I don't find the weight to be bothersome at all. Then again, I'm 5'11" and weigh around 190 pounds and am athletically built. I even went hiking in the mountains with them with no problem.
 
I'm starting to fall in love with these guys ... 

 
Thank you!

 

[figaro69]

 

For me it's XCs with Copper and Xs with Silver.  With classical music Xs with copper cable sound too warm and muted...at least to my ears.

 

[jwbrent]

   
I'm really tempted to get the LCD-XC (I have AK240). Do you think it's a good pairing unamped? I'm a university student so I want to keep my belongings as portable as possible so I'm currently not considering any desktop amps. I don't like the idea of portable amps as well since that kind of defeat the purpose of owning 240 in the first place.
 
Thanks!

 
I'm beginning to believe that audio nirvana can be attained with a 240 driving XCs without the aid of an amp. From a volume perspective, there is plenty of power to drive the XCs; from a more purist perspective, one which I am prone to adopt at times, an external amp of commensurate quality, a la SR-71B, can provide greater dynamics—both micro and macro—and bass heft. Alas, I cannot state this from an empirical perspective, only an abstract one based on my 26 years in the high end audio business.
 
I'm a student as well although one who is more than twice the age of my cohorts, and I like the idea of simplicity, hence my first statement. Of course, this is only my humble opinion ...

 

[jwbrent]

  Sounds good to me... there is also the balanced out so thats another thing to look forward listening to

 

 
I hope you like them ... 

 

[Blue Mica]

  The Xs need the Silver (not the black) dragons.  Moreover, the interconnects (if using RCA cables) need to be Silver as well.

Looking forward to getting the toxic silver cable - waiting nearly 3 months for them to be constructed. If you've tried out the X with the black dragon cable, how does the combination compare with the sound of the LCD 3's?

 

[figaro69]

  Looking forward to getting the toxic silver cable - waiting nearly 3 months for them to be constructed. If you've tried out the X with the black dragon cable, how does the combination compare with the sound of the LCD 3's?

Never heard the LCD 3, so dunno.

 

[Tony1110]

I h

Never heard the LCD 3, so dunno.

I haven't either. I'd really like to though. They are Audeze's flagship, after all.

 

[TMRaven]

I received the XC from the headamp loaner program, here are some initial musings:
 
Like the LCD2, these are way more gorgeous in-person.  When Audeze made the move to only ship XCs with
Bubinga wood and black anodized rings I thought I would hate the combination, as I didn't like the way it looked on pictures at all. In person the Bubinga wood is much more rich and deep lookin.
 
I wouldn't know that these headphones were 1-150grams heavier than the LCD2 or whatever.  From my memory of the LCD2, these are just as comfortable weight-wise.  They're actually more comfortable to me because the pads are extra soft, and even after they compress over-time, my ears barely do not touch the fazor diffusers. 
 
As for the sound, they do not strike me as Boring and overly thick-sounding like the LCD2 did at times, and the bass carries with it not only the Audeze control and extension, but also a characteristic closed-back slower decay and pressure-esque type of bass, which is a plus in my book.
 
The mids are for the most part very good, only I there's something going on in the upper-mids around 2-3khz.  I absolutely hate forward upper-mids because they tend to make a lot of headphones sound cold.  While that's not 100% the case here because I don't see the XC as cold sounding, I do feel the 2-3khz area has a bit of hardness, kind of like a broad, but benign ringing problem in the area.  If you've ever looked at Purrin's CSDs of the HD800s and see what they do in the 6khz area, then you can see at what I'm trying to get at.  This 'problem' also seems to make these headphones very recording specific, as I find myself turning the volume up and down not only between songs, but within different parts of the recordings themselves.  Sometimes I find myself EQ'ing the 2-3khz region down by 3db or so, and this seems to mostly solve the problem and make the mids have a better transition to treble.
 
The soundstage seems to be nice.  Not big enough to make me think it's an open headphone, but also the imaging and definition of the sound is great enough to make me think it's an open headphone.  I attribute this to a smooth lower midrange which most closed headphones tend to lack.  The fazor diffusers probably have a lot to do with this as well because I notice the sound changes severely if you press the cans closer to your ears, playing with the acoustic bounce-back of your skin. 
 
The treble I find to be well in balance, not lacking like the LCD2 or not strident like the HE-400 or other headphones.  However it's not as smooth as I think it could be.
 
 
For now I really like their sound, although I haven't done a direct comparison to my tried-and-true EQ'd HE-400 yet.  If I were to look at the headphones without a price, I'd say definite big thumbs-up.  At 1800?  That's extremely tough to say.