Audeze LCD-X. The Audio Professional's Choice

"PLANAR MAGNETIC TRANSDUCERS"

μια τεχνολογία ακουστικών που πρέπει οπωσδήποτε να μάθετε!

The chronicle.

2009: Audeze becomes A Thing. 2013: Audeze introduces its LCD-X open-back, over-ear headphones. 2022: Audeze’s policy of continuous refinement ensures the LCD-X remain among the most compelling, if not exactly convenient, headphones you can buy. 

Audeze is evangelistic about planar magnetic transducer technology.

You may think the world is not exactly crying out for big, expensive, hard-wired headphones that leak sound outwards almost as readily as they deliver it to the wearer’s ears. But if that’s the case, it seems pretty certain you’ve never had the Audeze LCD-X Experience…

Sound quality

The Audeze LCD-X are a high-efficiency, low-impedance pair of headphones, and consequently can be driven by pretty much any source with a headphone output. But just because they can, that doesn’t mean they should - after all, these are expensive headphones and it’s important you hear where your money’s gone. Treat them correctly, and you’ll discover that in spades.

In every aspect of music reproduction - from soundstaging to dynamism, from tonality to frequency integration, the LCD-X are never less than mighty impressive. And when talk turns to their areas of particular expertise - detail retrieval, insight, transient response, responsiveness, basic and fundamental fidelity - they’re so accomplished they can satisfy even the most demanding listener.

Some headphones can deliver the sound of an instrument such as a piano or acoustic guitar - but the Audeze LCD-X are so eloquent, so dynamically adept and so forensically insightful they can make the instrument seem present as a physical object rather than just describe the sound it makes. They allow singers of all levels of competence complete expression, describing their emotion and attitude every bit as fully as their technique. They reach deep down into the bottom of the frequency range and high into the top with apparent effortlessness, and unify all this information into a coherent and convincing whole. And they do all this without sounding in any way forced, or dispassionate, or analytical for the sake of it. They’re a beautifully musical and engaging listen, no matter the sort of music you like to listen to nor the storage format from where it’s sourced. 

Audeze reckons the LCD-X are ideal for use in recording studios and mastering suites - and sure, the solidity of their soundstaging, their clarity and their tonal faithfulness certainly lend themselves to professional use. But the rest of us, too, deserve these headphones in our lives.

Liveng with AUDEZE LCD-X

In sonic terms, there are no downsides worthy of description to Audeze LCD-X ownership. But when it comes to living with them on a day-to-day basis, well, it’s fair to say certain concessions will need to be made.

First of all - and there’s no polite way of asking this - how big is your head? These are substantial headphones - the planar magnetic transducer alone is 106mm, and when you take each transducer’s Neodymium N50 magnets and Fazor waveguides into account too it becomes obvious they need a big earcup to contain them. This, in turn, needs a big earpad to fit over the wearer’s ear… and so if you’re blessed with a head that’s on the petite side, there’s no two ways about it. The Audeze LCD-X will swamp you as surely as if you’d attempted to wear a duvet as a hat. And at 612g, these are undeniably heavy headphones. The careful headband and hanger arrangement mitigates this weight a little, but there’s no getting around it: the Audeze LCD-X are getting on for twice as heavy as some headphones we’ve described as ‘quite heavy’ on this site. The generous amount of padding each earcup enjoys seems designed to ensure your head heats up pretty rapidly, too.

There’s no arguing with quality of construction on display here, though - and the sheer number of exposed screw-heads makes it obvious the LCD-X can be easily serviced or upgraded should the need arise. Our sample features leather on the earpads and the headband, but a leather-free alternative is available too.

Connecting to a source of music is via a 1.9m cable with a 6.3mm unbalanced plug at one end and dual four-pin mini-XLR connections at the other - both earcups need wiring. If you want to spend more money, you can get an additional balanced four-pin XLR to dual four-pin mini-XLR cable, a 6.3mm-to-3.5mm adapter, and a carry-case that’s seemingly built to survive a medium-sized detonation.

Conclusion

The Audeze LCD-X are exceptional headphones that stand out for their superior sound quality and use of planar magnetic technology. They offer an impressively clear and precise audio experience, making them ideal for professional mixing, mastering, and demanding music listening. With a natural and balanced sound, they faithfully reproduce details across the full frequency spectrum. Their comfortable and durable design, made with premium materials, makes them suitable for long-term use without fatigue. The wide soundstage and dynamic performance are some of the key features that make them stand out in their category.

Technical Specs

Style : Over-ear, open-back

Transducer type : Planar Magnetic

Magnetic structure : Proprietary magnet array

Phase management : Fazor™

Magnet type : Neodymium N50

Diaphragm type : Ultra-Thin Uniforce™

Transducer size : 106 mm

Maximum SPL : >130dB

Frequency response : 10Hz - 50kHz

THD : <0.1% @ 100 dB SPL

Sensitivity : 103 dB/1mW (at Drum Reference Point)

Impedance : 20 ohms

Max power handling : 5W RMS

Min recommended power : > 100mW

Recommended power level : >250mW

Cable : 1.9m (6.2ft) length single ended 1/4" (6.3mm) cable

Wire material : 20 AWG high-purity OCC audio-grade copper

Weight : 612g

AthensProAudio Team ©