To drown out the TV I had to turn the volume way up, which meant my wife could hear my music and just turned the TV up even higher. It became a volume war...
There is something strange about the XCs design that almost seems to amplify external sounds. Plus they leak a lot.
I think the leakage comes from the backs of the cups (rather than the pads) which are screwed on but not really sealed in any way. Also, there's no sound-absorbent material inside the cups other than a bit of foam.
The XCs do sound exciting but isolation is hopeless imo.
After reading various reviews, I got a pair of ZMF Eikons and find them far more isolating, if not quite as exciting. That said, they sound really good, just different from XCs if that's what you're used to. The Eikons are more refined and put a lid on that screechy treble you sometimes get from XCs. They have great sub-bass but, overall, not as much bass as the XCs. ZMF Atticus might be a closer match to the XCs from what I've read though I've never demoed them.
Strangely, although they isolate better, both the Eikon and Atticus have holes cut in their cups.
I've now ordered the ZMF Verity Closed which is meant to isolate even more.
I would be surprised if Audeze did not re-design the XCs at some point to deal with this issue.
. I'll feel like a d&ck going to the store asking them to match a online price ([online price] = [buying the LCD XC directly from the US manufacturer] + [exchange rate] + [HST] + [shipping]).
