(Posted something similar to this in the 2021 LCD-X/XC update threat, but thought I'd ask over here from a music angle, so apologies for overlap.)
I'm in a country without much of the more 'exotic' or indie stuff like DCA or Kennerton--it's mostly Denon, Audio Technica (mostly meh to me), Sony and Shure or Sennheiser. The old Audeze distributor is dumping, I think, 2019 LCD-XC's for a reasonable price (relative, they were hugely jacked up here) and I'm after a close back for mostly listening to metal/hard rock. Stuff like Disturbed, Tool, Rammstein, Asking Alexandria, Bring Me the Horizon, Symphony X, Gojira, Chevelle, Fire from the gods, Blind Guardian, etc. I don’t listen to doom or death or sludge or indie stuff much, and not really a lot of 80s stuff--I’m in my 30s, so I’m a product of the late 90s and early 2000s. I think I prefer clarity, hence XC's and a general planar preference, and really like when I hear/feel clear drums and present male vocals. Don’t need amazing female vocals. (FWIW, I have demoed Z7M2 and Shure 1540 and didn't like their recessed male vocals, felt the D7200 is similar, but clearer)
I could possibly look to import the 2021 version of the XC, but I really prefer to just buy locally and avoid the hassle of international shipping and potential warranty issues and import taxes and all that. What I wanted to confirm is how the previous model does with hard rock/metal with no EQ. I’d be running it off an iFi amp so have the bass button available for a little extra warmth (may upgrade later on if needed).
I've demoed D9200 and WP900 and plan to again just to scratch that itch--I've heard that with the right set up the 9200's can out resolve the XC, which is interesting and something I'm considering.
A completely different signature would be the Atticus, which I can order direct for about the same price as the XC, and would be an interesting option as I've read it's good for metal after reading multiple posts--just not sure how it does with fast drums.
More expensive planar closed backs like Kennerton Rognir and Hifiman 10P are way too expensive. My max is probably up to around $1.5k new (not interested in used). Demoed Celestee for kicks and found it boring, have seen issues with Radiance locally, so will stay away. Fostex 900 would be north of $2K new here.
Apologies on such a long post--this is meant to be my main headphone for the forseeable future (wife, toddler, etc so 'priorities') but not really able to demo a lot of the more interesting and exotic stuff you see in the USA. Can anyone share an impression of an older XC--maybe in relation to a the 9200 and Atticus--though I totally get they're three different sound signatures? Thank you!
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