[jonathan c]

.

 

[frankiewilde]

yesterday I received my 2021 LCD-X, my first planar. Had a 3 hrs long listening session.... and just wow. Stock tuning, then the oratory EQ, haven't decided which way to go, I liked the original, but oratory's bass was even more amazing.

They were a bit heavy, but it's okay, the only negative thing was that I felt I want to listen them louder and louder....

I bought these to be able to precisely check the low-end in my mixes, but they are so much fun to listen....

 

[mrdbristol]

Never heard the opens, but the closed version is pretty spectacular, i was shocked at how much detail i had been missing in tracks i had heard 100's of times before.

LCD-2Classic ( open ) and then LCD-2 Closed before these, so not exactly 'bad' headphones, but the XC 2021s' are a huge difference.

As with the majority of reviews etc, they need EQing to get the best from them ( I get they were tuned for studio/production so thats fine ).

I went with Amir from ASR, or close to it ( i'm using the PEQ from an RME ADI 2 DAC not ROON ) , and the settings are spot-on imo.

Tried a few other variations, but this one just hits the spot on all levels for me.

Happy times.

 

[Kentajalli]

Never heard the opens, but the closed version is pretty spectacular, i was shocked at how much detail i had been missing in tracks i had heard 100's of times before.

LCD-2Classic ( open ) and then LCD-2 Closed before these, so not exactly 'bad' headphones, but the XC 2021s' are a huge difference.

As with the majority of reviews etc, they need EQing to get the best from them ( I get they were tuned for studio/production so thats fine ).

I went with Amir from ASR, or close to it ( i'm using the PEQ from an RME ADI 2 DAC not ROON ) , and the settings are spot-on imo.



Tried a few other variations, but this one just hits the spot on all levels for me.

Happy times.

Have you seen this ?

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...eze-lcd-xc-21-effects-of-small-venting.42829/

 

[Jonne Haven]

yesterday I received my 2021 LCD-X, my first planar. Had a 3 hrs long listening session.... and just wow. Stock tuning, then the oratory EQ, haven't decided which way to go, I liked the original, but oratory's bass was even more amazing.

They were a bit heavy, but it's okay, the only negative thing was that I felt I want to listen them louder and louder....

I bought these to be able to precisely check the low-end in my mixes, but they are so much fun to listen....

Hey @frankiewilde!

I'm glad you're happy with your purchase, I know it's a big leap cost-wise from your previous headphones (twice the price if I remember correctly).

Since you're thinking of EQing I'll just chime in my two cents about Stock tuning, Oratory1990's EQ, and my own attempt.

First, I greatly respect Oratory and just about everything he says and does. In fact I use his headphone measurements to EQ all of my headphones, exclusively!

That said, Oratory1990's EQs are meant to try to get as close to the Harman Curve as possible using as few filters as possible, I think, That's the way I've seen it and I've tried all of his EQs for all of my headphones that he has done EQs for...and I usually start with EQs to make my own. However, I know you're trying to mix and master EDM and I'm guessing that sub-bass accuracy is important to you. So here is the compensated graph of Oratory's EQ compared with the Harman curve.

You'll notice that there is a considerable dip at 24.5Hz or so. From my experience mixing and mastering EDM and particularly Dubstep, those frequencies are VERY important...if you're interested in accuracy like a good subwoofer would perform...those frequencies should be at least level with the 30Hz frequencies and maybe a little higher...if you're conforming to the Harman Curve.

And because Oratory is conserving his use of filters, you'll notice a lot of dips and peaks away from the Harman Curve in the mids...

I'm not faulting him at all, in fact it's pretty damn incredible that he got that close with only 10 filters!

Just know that the LCD-X can sound a lot more "clearer" around that area.

Stock tuning tells a different story altogether:

Yes it's considerably different than the Harman Curve and there's a terrible drop off in bass at the low end: This is based on Oratory1990s measurements BTW.

EDIT: Oratory has told me personally that he combines the measurements of as many LCD-X 2021's that are given him!

But you may have noticed that the low mids areas are far more represented than the Harman Curve would do...In my experience people miss this area if their headphones are EQd to the Harman curve in that area...they complain of the sound being muffled and such...because the high mids are so pushed up along with the bass so that a lot of people are like "what happened to the sound there?", "why does it sound hollow?".

So if you're comparing which to go with, consider those differences.

Lastly and I'll just offer my own latest LCD-X EQ, just as an example of what I'm going for:

Now I know, I know, I use a lot of filters to accomplish this and some people are Extremely adverse to EQing at all!, and my bass is WAY above Harman or for that matter MOST people's standards, but I'm just showing that I find that the accuracy I achieved in the mids to the low highs, to the Harman curve does make a significant difference (yes, yes I know about Unit Variation and Measurement Bias, but I had to have SOMETHING to set as a foundation). And you'll notice that my Bass extends all of the way down to 20Hz and angles a little up as it goes down...also my low mids are two peaks,...on average, they're more in tune with the LCD-X stock FR than the Harman Curve and therefore Oratory's EQ is. I peaked those two filters in order to shape more accurately the low end of "Ssss" and "Shhh" sounds, in order just IMO to sound more engaging and hit just the right balance in terms of "glassiness" and "grainy-ness". I could go on and on but I'll spare you, unless you ask.

My EQ is fashioned to be customized easily as well, so one can use 1 filter to adjust pretty evenly the whole shape of the bass from 145Hz and down. So that whole ENORMOUS bass shape is easily adjustable with 1 filter down to whatever level you like.

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So NO judgments on Stock tuning, Oratory, or my own EQing: Each have their merits, just differences for you to consider as you gather data to best mix/master you're own work!

If you are interested in my EQ settings, let me know, I'm glad to share.


Happy listening and happy Creating!!!

Blessings,
-J

 

[frankiewilde]

But you may have noticed that the low mids areas are far more represented than the Harman Curve would do...In my experience people miss this area if their headphones are EQd to the Harman curve in that area...they complain of the sound being muffled and such...because the high mids are so pushed up along with the bass so that a lot of people are like "what happened to the sound there?", "why does it sound hollow?".

thanks for your reply.

yes after the second listening session I prefer the stock tuning and you described exactly why. I think I will use his EQ as another way to check the finished mixes.

also I'm very interested in your EQ, please share it with me.

 

[Jonne Haven]

thanks for your reply.

yes after the second listening session I prefer the stock tuning and you described exactly why. I think I will use his EQ as another way to check the finished mixes.

also I'm very interested in your EQ, please share it with me.

You bet @frankiewilde!

My latest EQ settings are attached. Be advised that I usually wait until I'm settled on an EQ for at least a couple of weeks before I post it as I EQ the LCD-X 2021 like 3-4 times a week making minor tweaks here and there and rarely settle on a EQ for more than a week...I'm making an exception here so just know that this is a work in progress.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Important notes about P.E.A.C.E. (if you're using it)
My EQs go to the the hundredth decimal place of some Frequencies values as well as the hundredth decimal place of some Gain values. Unfortunately the Import function of the current PEACE v. 1.6.4.1 does not import these decimal place values as they are in the txt file I've shared.

I wrote to PEACE creator Peter Verbeek and he has fixed this issue in beta version 1.6.5.0 just for this fix! And he did it within 24 hours of my writing him!
This beta version is available at this link: PEACE Beta V. 1.6.5.0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/c1033vw14xu2e0c/Peace1650.exe?dl=0


Instructions:
1. Rename the downloaded exe file from Peace1650.exe to Peace.exe.
2. Copy the downloaded and renamed file to c:\program files\equalizerapo\config, replacing the existing Peace.exe file (perhaps after renaming the existing Peace.exe file to Peace.bak just in case for safety.
3. In case you haven't already done this, change the Settings/Sizes And Amounts Settings - "Snap to dB gain" setting to 0.01 as in the following pic:

Then you'll find that importing the .txt file provided will report in PEACE exactly as it is in the .txt file.

4. If you don't want to go through the trouble of downloading the BETA Peace version, you can always import the txt and just manually input the values of the gains and frequencies that do extend to the hundredth of a decibel place.

...and yeah, people give me s*** about the specificity of my values... "unit variation, measurement bias, placebo effect"... but the LCD-X is an extremely responsive headphone to the tiniest of changes in my experience and to my ear. I can't prove I'm right, they can't prove I'm wrong. I'll leave it at that.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So as I said in the previous post, my EQ is pretty easily customizable. I am not arrogant enough to believe that my ear is the "perfect" ear, and I also understand that EQ preferences are extremely subjective which is why I used extra filters to make this EQ as "subjectively" adjustable as possible.

Here are the key filters:

To tailor Sub-Bass adjust gain of Filter 3 to taste.
To tailor Overall Bass adjust gain of Filter 5 to taste.
To tailor Mids adjust gain of Filter 17 to taste.
To tailor High-Mids adjust gain of Filter 27 to taste.
To tailor Highs adjust gain of Filter 28 to taste.

Be sure to adjust the Pre-Amplifying gain to reflect any changes you make so that no part of the EQ goes above -0.1dB to avoid clipping/compression.

If you want to get into the lower mids "Ssss" and "Shhhh" shaping, tool around with the Qs and Gains of Filters 7 & 8.
These two filters are currently calibrated to a Topping A30Pro headphone amp and a Focusrite Clarett DAC set at 48Hz, using VLC 4 64bit Nighlty build from date 9-2-23 using the SoxR resampler set at "Very high quality" with output modules set at 32bit floating, if resampling from a 44.1Hz source and bypassing resampler if source is 48Hz.

If you find the whole VLC bit confusing just ask and I can provide links and instructions with pics. ... if you don't use VLC or don't care about resampling, just ignore all that crap...LOL.

I just mention all that because just changing any aspect of that chain such as just the resampler type (SoxR, Speex, SRC, etc.) can completely alter the shape of the overall sound, in particular the settings of Filters 7 & 8....yeah as you can tell, I get pretty obsessive about sound engineering...sorry

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Phew!

Ok, maybe I said too much or maybe I left key things out, but I'll leave it as it is for now. If you have questions, feel free to ask and PLEASE do customize my EQ to your taste...I'm almost certain you'll want to lower the bass, but I think you'll find that this EQ shows off what the LCD-X 2021 can do in terms of sub-bass like all the way down to 20Hz...that's one of the reasons why you are putting up with these heavy, huge diaphragmed planar magnetic headphones in the first place IMO!

Blessings friend and Happy Engineering!
-J

 

[frankiewilde]

Ok, maybe I said too much or maybe I left key things out, but I'll leave it as it is for now. If you have questions, feel free to ask and PLEASE do customize my EQ to your taste...I'm almost certain you'll want to lower the bass, but I think you'll find that this EQ shows off what the LCD-X 2021 can do in terms of sub-bass like all the way down to 20Hz...that's the reason why you are putting up with these heavy, huge diaphragmed planar magnetic headphones in the first place IMO!

thanks again for your answer and the detailed intructions. there is so much to discover with this hp.

I will be with my feedback after a few days.

 

[chesebert]

@Audeze Has there been any additional updates or improvements in 2023? I have heard people say LCD-x is bass light but I find it to be fairly linear and can be palpable and full depending on the materials.

This is my 2023 FR:

 

[PlanarBunny]

Hey bros! Recently did a trade with a buddy, my Arya for his LCD X. Currently loving the LCDX. There's some brand new pads on here and I was wondering, what's the usual life expectancy with the earpads? They're quite expensive too I just wanna know if I should get an extra pair for the future or just get the next pair when I get there whenever these really need replacing. Any inputs greatly appreciated!

 

[Jonne Haven]

Hey bros! Recently did a trade with a buddy, my Arya for his LCD X. Currently loving the LCDX. There's some brand new pads on here and I was wondering, what's the usual life expectancy with the earpads? They're quite expensive too I just wanna know if I should get an extra pair for the future or just get the next pair when I get there whenever these really need replacing. Any inputs greatly appreciated!

Mine are almost 2 years old and they're still good as new...no difference (as far as I can tell) in density and no aesthetic fading or bruising to the leather. In 5 years?...well I don't know, but I'm guessing they'll still be fine...

Blessings,
-J

EDIT: Oh I don't take any special care of the pads...i.e. leather conditioning, etc...and I use them almost every day for a couple hours so they've gotten tons of use in the past almost 2 years.

 

[jsk ksj]

Same story here, I've had mine for nearly 2 years, no issues.

Ps most comfortable headphones and pads I have ever used

 

[PlanarBunny]

Same story here, I've had mine for nearly 2 years, no issues.

Ps most comfortable headphones and pads I have ever used

The weight isn't really an issue at all either it's evenly distributed. Pillows on my head and glorious bass. Love the bass extension. And it's not bloated it's similar to what I liked about the Arya having good bass extension so it has this "weight" at the bottom end from reaching into the subbass. Love it.

 

[jsk ksj]

They are extraordinary headphones. They do have a darker signature than most, but make no mistake, the treble is there when called upon. I wouldn't swap them for anything I have heard so far.

 

[Jonne Haven]

thanks again for your answer and the detailed intructions. there is so much to discover with this hp.

I will be with my feedback after a few days.

Hey @frankiewilde.

In case you're into my EQ I've attached the latest version, it's less boomy, but still has strong sub-bass.

Blessings and Happy Exploring!
-J