[Andrew_WOT]

The mysteries of hi-fi: yesterday second listening session and magically all the problems were gone. Maybe it depends on the adaptive abilities of our brains, or I just got a recording that suited the character of the X / 21 ("Hearts and Bones", Paul Simon - Qobuz hi-res), or both.
Really great headphones. I don't feel the weight because I listen in bed, however they are not very comfortable, they feel in the head, you never forget that you are wearing them.
My ears barely touch the fazors, but not enough to bother me.
The idea of robustness is remarkable, with all that metal. The first time I picked them up, I felt like I had bought an iron.
They are detailed in character, highly detailed, yet engaging. They don't have the midrange sonic magic of the HD800s but they have a lot more slam and power to engage.

I have a bad habit of always writing first impressions hot, so take everything 'cum grano salis'.
Maybe tomorrow I'll change my mind

Brain is the best equalizer nature gifted us with. Brain burn in is real and our hearing can adjust sensitivity for individual frequencies, evening out response curve.
Thus recommendation to spend at least a few hours if not a day after switching phones before passing judgment.

 

[jlemaster1957]

Brain is the best equalizer nature gifted us with. Brain burn in is real and our hearing can adjust sensitivity for individual frequencies, evening out response curve.
Thus recommendation to spend at least a few hours if not a day after switching phones before passing judgment.

Agree- I have also found that synergy is important. Some HPs shine with my Hiby R8 while others are better with my IFI micro iDSD. Some like the X respond well to EQ (I am ‘into’ it especially via the Roon DSP, which I adore) while some tolerate it less well or only within limits eg Arya.

I also find that if I lay a pair of HPs down for a week or two and listen to another set for a while, when I return to the first pair, my preferences often have changed. Before I was wanting more bass quantity and ‘slam’ now I am more interested in bass detail and transient response. It may even ebb and flow with the music I am currently discovering (I love the Tidal ‘Daily Discovery’ feature). We are not automatons we are living breathing changing emotional people, and our perceptions are coloured by that fact.

This is also an argument for having a stable of HPs/IEMs- if I rotate using different ones, especially rotate using with different DAP/DAC/Amps, I never get bored and everything is a continual feast of sound.

 

[dan3952]

Effectively... .
Yesterday I had my first listening session with the X / 21s. The previous owner had told me that the headphones had been playing for about 25-30 hours; so let's say they were still in full running-in.
Having said that, I felt them a bit empty in the low and mid-low range, very similar to the HD800 in this frequency range; but above all I found them shrill, bordering on distortion (indeed, the sensation is just that of a distortion) in the medium-high, on female voices when they are a little screamed. So - let's say - in dynamic peaks.
With an aftermarket cable (Duelund) things on the medium-high are a bit 'improved, but certainly the problem has not been solved.

Give it time to go up to 100 hours before trying other cables and/or changing pads.

I do not equalize (first commandment of the decalogue of the perfect audiophile).

I am an LCD-X 2021 owner, and your first findings seemed to contradict most any review I've seen of those headphones. I'm glad you had come around.

But, about what's left, my thoughts:

1. They don't need burn in, this is done at the factory.
2. Even if my burn in claim is false, I had noticed no difference in their sound, over the six weeks I've owned them. Or in the Focal Clears I had before. Or in the HiFiMan Aryas.
3. Rolling headphone cables won't affect the sound, except under the most exceptional circumstances. Out of all the things you could change, that's the one that's the least likely to make any audible difference. Electrons don't care if they pass through copper or silver, in this application. Few of them are even microphonic. The whole business, is jewelry.
4. I don't think pad rolling does as much for the sound as people claim, as it's not enough to address the Audeze house sound flaws; I had put Dekoni hybrids on my LCD-3s which I had sold in the summer. Not worth prying the glued OEM pads off, even the old ones, to me. On a product that had been out for years, Audeze had just re-engineered the LCD-X to use thinner pads of a certain material; is it wise to try and undo the work of those engineers by changing the pads, at this time?
5. I have equalized every pair of speakers and headphones I had, once the technology had become available to be able to do this on a Windows PC, because despite the manufacturer's best efforts, most of them are unable to put out products that have a perfect frequency response. Their products all have flaws of some sort. Every time I change headphones, the new set comes with a new set of flaws. All Audeze headphones sound muffled to me, if I don't EQ them. I think the LCD-XC is the least muffled one they've put out, then the LCD-X 2021, then all of the others. Though the curve is flatter than it used to be, there's missing energy in the 3.5 kHz to 4 kHz region, and the response sags a bit at 2 kHz (mine is down 3 db). Audeze will also send you the unique frequency response curve for your serial number, if you ask. I had managed to come up with corrections that had sounded the same as their Reveal+ plugin.

Play "The Boy in the Bubble" or "Under African Skies", and note the impact the kick drum at the beginning of those songs has, compared to any Sennheisers. I don't see how Audeze would be able to provide that, without using large, and heavy magnets, with their 106 mm drivers. The HD800 drivers are supposed to be half that size. I've had Focal Clears, Sennheiser HD700s, Shure SRH-1540s, and HiFiMan Aryas, Audeze LCD-3s, and they were all a little bit different.

 

[Uguccione]

So, assuming that mine is the 2021 edition (it says on the seller's invoice), I have doubts about the pads: first of all it is not clear whether they are the leather or imitation leather version. It is not written anywhere even if it would seem fake leather to the touch.
What puzzles me is the consistency of the pads: they do not have the comfort of Memory Foam, so I would exclude they are the old ones in memory, but neither do they have the softness of the new open cell pads, as it would appear from the photos published in this thread. Mine don't sag when in use, but they stay pretty stiff, fit. They also feel quite hard on the temples, they don't feel as if they are adapting well to the irregularities of the skull.
What experience have you had?

 

[mikecheck95]

So, assuming that mine is the 2021 edition (it says on the seller's invoice), I have doubts about the pads: first of all it is not clear whether they are the leather or imitation leather version. It is not written anywhere even if it would seem fake leather to the touch.
What puzzles me is the consistency of the pads: they do not have the comfort of Memory Foam, so I would exclude they are the old ones in memory, but neither do they have the softness of the new open cell pads, as it would appear from the photos published in this thread. Mine don't sag when in use, but they stay pretty stiff, fit. They also feel quite hard on the temples, they don't feel as if they are adapting well to the irregularities of the skull.
What experience have you had?

Sorry, this is going to sound quite direct.

These headphones aren’t an enigma in terms of build and comfort. If they’re leather pads you’d be able to tell. It’s quite a high quality leather that they use. They even smell of quality leather. Why didn’t/don’t you ask the seller what kind of pads they are or contact Audeze support (they may be able to tell by the serial number which pads were installed initially)

If you don’t find them comfortable, I’d just return them. You don’t like that you have to EQ them and you aren’t sold on the comfort. What IS good about them to you?

I keep mine because I think they sound VERY good with EQ and I find them extremely comfortable for my use case which is usually slightly reclined in a chair.

 

[Uguccione]

What IS good about them to you?

The sound.
Then also the construction, they are pretty solid, it gives satisfaction to hold them in your hand.
However, I do not find them uncomfortable, I think I have already written it in a previous comment.

I am anosmic from birth so I cannot tell from the smell if the pads are made of leather; to the touch it seems not. In any case at this moment I don't even care to know otherwise - obviously - I would ask the seller
But I read that with the leather pads the sound took on a greater depth in the bass. If one day I want to try them I should be sure I don't already have them (lol).
However, I wasn't criticizing the headphones negatively, I was simply reporting my impressions. Maybe someone's interested

 

[Andii]

So, assuming that mine is the 2021 edition (it says on the seller's invoice), I have doubts about the pads: first of all it is not clear whether they are the leather or imitation leather version. It is not written anywhere even if it would seem fake leather to the touch.
What puzzles me is the consistency of the pads: they do not have the comfort of Memory Foam, so I would exclude they are the old ones in memory, but neither do they have the softness of the new open cell pads, as it would appear from the photos published in this thread. Mine don't sag when in use, but they stay pretty stiff, fit. They also feel quite hard on the temples, they don't feel as if they are adapting well to the irregularities of the skull.
What experience have you had?

Mine are the 2021, were supposed to be leather. Bought from headphones.com. They do not feel like leather or smell like it. I handle high quality leather a lot, and they do not feel like leather to the touch. I also dipped my finger in some obanuaf's(leather oil conditioner) and touched it on a little part, and it just sat on the surface and did not absorb.

Either there was a mix up at some point, or the leather is sealed off with some sort of coating that makes the touch feel off and keeps the grain closed up. I nearly contacted customer service about this, but then eventually decided I didn't care. Whatever it is, it sounds good and is holding up well.

On the LCD-1 the pads are obviously leather to the touch and absorb conditioner normally.



As for the pads, I believe the new 2021 ones are not memory foam. They seem to keep their shape to keep the sound correct/consistent instead of conforming.

If they're on your temples, they could be too far forward. The pads are so spacious, that you can put them on with them too far forward or too far back at first. Too far back and it was breaking the seal at the back.

ALSO The forward and back tilt of the headband can affect the sound some slightly because the shallowest part of the pads being perfectly directly in the front or not affects the imaging a little bit.

 

[deafenears]

Mine are the 2021, were supposed to be leather. Bought from headphones.com. They do not feel like leather or smell like it. I handle high quality leather a lot, and they do not feel like leather to the touch. I also dipped my finger in some obanuaf's(leather oil conditioner) and touched it on a little part, and it just sat on the surface and did not absorb.

Do you have pics on what yours looks like?

As for the pads, I believe the new 2021 ones are not memory foam. They seem to keep their shape to keep the sound correct/consistent instead of conforming.

The newer 2021 pads are "open cell foam", not memory foam.

 

[Uguccione]

My doubts were related to this post.
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/lcd-x-and-xc-update.956949/post-16467790

Here, my pads don't sag like the one on the left, but they stay pretty stiff. It was probably a defective pad.

In any case, although a little hard, I don't find them uncomfortable, yesterday I did 3 hours of continuous listening without problems.

 

[Andii]

Do you have pics on what yours looks like?


The newer 2021 pads are "open cell foam", not memory foam.

Sure. One thing I would like to say is that when they were new(March? 2021), they were VERY VERY shiny and plasticy looking.

They are dulling down now and look more like leather. In fact in the pictures I just took, they really look like leather compared to how they looked when they were new. The touch is a bit better than when they were new, but still don't feel quite right. I think there's a possibility that the leather, if mine are leather, is just really processed and coated with the grain closed up with some sort sort of sealant to make them more maintenance free.

They clearly have a visible grain, but I don't know if they print that it on the leather free. When I really give it a nice pinch, it feels....odd. Could just be extremely processed compared to all the leather I'm used to that is more natural(and has to be constantly conditioned to maintain).

If anyone has a pic of the current leather free pads that would be great.

But this is something that I noticed straight away when I got them, but I just didn't care to look into it because they seem fine/really nice regardless of the tactile vs visual dissonance that's currently still going on. On another note, repeating my last post, my LCD-1's pads are obviously undeniably leather visually, touch and smell and absorb conditioner normally.

I feel like we're getting into some serious cork sniffing right now. Regardless of what is going on, they're nice. They're holding up well and seem like they're going to continue to.

Here are some grotesquely detailed closeups of the pads in which the pads look a lot like leather(look at all the grain variation) and make me sound crazy:

 

[mikecheck95]

Sure. One thing I would like to say is that when they were new(March? 2021), they were VERY VERY shiny and plasticy looking.

They are dulling down now and look more like leather. In fact in the pictures I just took, they really look like leather compared to how they looked when they were new. The touch is a bit better than when they were new, but still don't feel quite right. I think there's a possibility that the leather, if mine are leather, is just really processed and coated with the grain closed up with some sort sort of sealant to make them more maintenance free.

They clearly have a visible grain, but I don't know if they print that it on the leather free. When I really give it a nice pinch, it feels....odd. Could just be extremely processed compared to all the leather I'm used to that is more natural(and has to be constantly conditioned to maintain).

If anyone has a pic of the current leather free pads that would be great.

But this is something that I noticed straight away when I got them, but I just didn't care to look into it because they seem fine/really nice regardless of the tactile vs visual dissonance that's currently still going on. On another note, repeating my last post, my LCD-1's pads are obviously undeniably leather visually, touch and smell and absorb conditioner normally.

I feel like we're getting into some serious cork sniffing right now. Regardless of what is going on, they're nice. They're holding up well and seem like they're going to continue to.

Here are some grotesquely detailed closeups of the pads in which the pads look a lot like leather(look at all the grain variation) and make me sound crazy:

Mine look like this as well. The type of leather they use reminds me of the type found on leather gloves. Perhaps they are sealed as you mentioned.
Mine are also less glossy than they were when I first purchased them. I’m pretty certain that they are real leather though.

 

[Goat76]

Hello, I'm new here.

I got my LCD-X a week ago and I think they sound fantastic out of the box, if they need EQ adjustments it can't be much.

The sound they produce is the most speaker-like sound I've ever heard from a pair of headphones, they seem to have an "honest" non-artificial soundstage with good layering and separation. The dynamics are good and the headphones can handle transients in a fast and strong way without any signs of compression. The bass got that nice texture and goes deep, the midrange gives vocals and instruments body and the treble never gets harsh. A well-balanced sound overall.

I have not tried the X's directly from my iPhone, but with an old VentureCraft Soundroid, they sound okay. The Violectric HPA V200 on the other side takes the sound to another level. A good match.


One question for you who got your frequency response curve for your headphones, how long did it take for Audeze to respond to your request?
I have been waiting a week now, but no answer yet. I thought it could be handy if I decide to EQ my headphones, it's a good chance I will use them for mixing.

 

[adeadcrab]

Sure. One thing I would like to say is that when they were new(March? 2021), they were VERY VERY shiny and plasticy looking.

They are dulling down now and look more like leather. In fact in the pictures I just took, they really look like leather compared to how they looked when they were new. The touch is a bit better than when they were new, but still don't feel quite right. I think there's a possibility that the leather, if mine are leather, is just really processed and coated with the grain closed up with some sort sort of sealant to make them more maintenance free.

They clearly have a visible grain, but I don't know if they print that it on the leather free. When I really give it a nice pinch, it feels....odd. Could just be extremely processed compared to all the leather I'm used to that is more natural(and has to be constantly conditioned to maintain).

If anyone has a pic of the current leather free pads that would be great.

But this is something that I noticed straight away when I got them, but I just didn't care to look into it because they seem fine/really nice regardless of the tactile vs visual dissonance that's currently still going on. On another note, repeating my last post, my LCD-1's pads are obviously undeniably leather visually, touch and smell and absorb conditioner normally.

I feel like we're getting into some serious cork sniffing right now. Regardless of what is going on, they're nice. They're holding up well and seem like they're going to continue to.

Here are some grotesquely detailed closeups of the pads in which the pads look a lot like leather(look at all the grain variation) and make me sound crazy:

My LCD-X looks like this; has an intense leathery smell and soft to the touch.
I've cleaned the pads with leather honey cleaner and conditioned with this conditioner - https://oakwoodproducts.com.au/shop...old/leather/leather-conditioning-cream-350ml/

The pads soak this conditioner up and become even softer to the touch. I think it is good quality leather.

 

[deafenears]

If anyone has a pic of the current leather free pads that would be great.

Sure, I posted this in the LCD-R thread. Swapped out the stock leather-free with Audeze leather. Here's both side-by-side:

 

[Audeze]

Hello, I'm new here.

I got my LCD-X a week ago and I think they sound fantastic out of the box, if they need EQ adjustments it can't be much.

The sound they produce is the most speaker-like sound I've ever heard from a pair of headphones, they seem to have an "honest" non-artificial soundstage with good layering and separation. The dynamics are good and the headphones can handle transients in a fast and strong way without any signs of compression. The bass got that nice texture and goes deep, the midrange gives vocals and instruments body and the treble never gets harsh. A well-balanced sound overall.

I have not tried the X's directly from my iPhone, but with an old VentureCraft Soundroid, they sound okay. The Violectric HPA V200 on the other side takes the sound to another level. A good match.


One question for you who got your frequency response curve for your headphones, how long did it take for Audeze to respond to your request?
I have been waiting a week now, but no answer yet. I thought it could be handy if I decide to EQ my headphones, it's a good chance I will use them for mixing.

We try and grab the response curve requests from the local NAS at least once a week. Due to a covid issue hitting our production team, most who can go to the office have been working from home for personal safety, which may have delayed getting the graphs to some people. This, in addition to an inventory count that has occurred, well, some aspects of our daily goings have been delayed/halted a bit. We're truly sorry and we'll hope to have your graph request fulfilled as soon as possible.