Audeze LCD-XC

Overview:

Up for review today is the famous Audeze LCD-XC 2021. The XC is the closed-back version of the X, which I also had on hand during this review and they meet the needs of the professional when compared to the higher-end LCD-2/3/4 lines, which are the Enthusiast level. They have “Ultra-Thin Uniforce™ diaphragms, Fazor waveguides, and powerful neodymium magnets to deliver extremely accurate and detailed sound. The sophisticated planar magnetic drivers achieve a high efficiency with low impedance.” So…yeah, there ya go – they’re Planars. But, how do they sound?

Side Note: I didn’t like these until I hooked them up to a balanced cable – it completely changed the sound coming out of them, so PLEASE use a balanced cable – that's the first time I’ve ever had to write that in a review.

Accessories/Earpads/Eartips (2/10):

Meh. They came with…nothing really. Literally, there was a cable in the box. The ear pads are pretty nice though – comfy. They CAME with ear pads, but every over-ear should do that. Yes, I’m grasping at straws – I literally cannot give more than 2 points here because all it came with are decent ear pads and a foam-padded cardboard box.

Cable (2/10):

The stock cable sucks. I’m just going to be blunt here. The Sennheiser HD600 has a nicer cable and it’s ~$300. The 6.35mm cable included with this is tangly, has memory retention, and feels cheaper than the $20 cable I got off amazon. Also, based upon how much changing the cable from the stock to a 4.4mm balanced improved the sound, I can honestly say this is the first stock cable that I really think made the headphone worse – to the point of wanting to throw it away. At least it came with a cable…that’s the only positive thing I have to say about it. Replace immediately.



Build Quality/Comfort (10/10):

Redemption, thy name is build quality. These are built like a tank – they make the much lighter JM Audio XTC-C feel like toys. There are no creaks or cheaper feeling parts – all of the budget for these headphones went into build quality. The Carbon fiber ear cups are amazing and hard to scuff – really just a brilliantly engineered headphone – other than the weight.

Comfort is good - if a little heavy. No fit issues for me, though the clamp might be a bit much for some people. Isolation is really good, I can’t even really hear MYSELF talk, let alone anyone else. That’s pretty amazing.

Sound:

I don’t have any other closed-back full-size headphones on my desk at the moment to compare these to directly, so I’m having to go off memory. That said, I haven’t listened to another closed-back that sounds like these anyway, so it doesn’t really matter. I am powering these through Tidal HiFi at 45-50/100 volume on the stock unbalanced 6.35mm connection on low gain with the tube off from my Cocktail Audio HA500H DAC/AMP.

Side Note: Powering these from my Shanling M6 Ultra through a 4.4mm cable completely changed how these sound. There’s more bass, less sharpness, and better overall sound – completely different sounding headphones. Definitely get a balanced cable, either 4-pin XLR for a desktop or 4.4mm for a DAP or DAC/AMP (the Truthear SHIO is great for phones and has a 4.4mm.) This literally took these headphones from a dislike for me to a mostly-like - I’ve never encountered that before.

Looking at the Frequency Response Graph below from Crinacle, the LCD-X have almost no sub-bass, and muted mid-bass. The mids are pretty neutral until you hit the high-mids at which point there are some odd peaks and dips throughout the rest of the frequency band. I’ll be honest, this graph doesn’t really match up with what I hear below anyway, so it’s not that useful.



Lows (8/20):

I am starting off with the Mid-bass/Sub-bass test - I’m using David Guetta’s “I’m Good (Blue).” The bass drums in the intro have an OK impact, with a little extra reverb, but nothing offensive. The sub-bass is present, but definitely not strong – it definitely won’t be winning any awards for bass quantity. Also, I have to mention that the mids/highs on this song are painfully sharp/metallic for me, which is very uncommon as this song typically makes every headphone sound good, which is why I only test bass with it – so that’s odd. I’d take the XTC-C over the LCD-XC any day of the week on this song.

Up next is Demon Hunter’s “I Am A Stone,” which I use to test whether the bass is too strong and overwhelms the mids. Obviously, the bass won’t be too strong here and it’s not. It’s still there in the background, barely, but it most certainly doesn’t overwhelm the mids. The mids sound much better here than on the previous song – these are definitely not for bassheads, or even just people who like some bass in their songs (me.) Also, the metallic sound remains, but the detail is good and the soundstage is surprisingly large. I have to keep turning these down because they’re a bit painful for me.

Mids (12/20):

Weaving The Fate’s “The Fall” is a test song for guitars and vocals. The intro guitars actually sound really good. The distorted guitars don’t, they come across as very thin and metallic. The soundstage is pretty large for a closed back, but I can’t shake the feeling of thinness and tinniness. There’s just no body here. The vocals are fine, but they blur into the rest of the song far more than I’m used to on IEMs costing ¼ or ½ as much. The Sony MDR-Z1R and Sennheiser HD820 are both better and the XTC-C is significantly better from memory.

Staind’s “Something to Remind You” has clean electric guitars and wonderful vocals – this song tests the vocal quality and background noise. The clean guitars in the intro sound good once more, though I’m still getting that metallic sound. The vocals sound good, if a little flat. These are unsurprisingly the studio monitors of the closed-back world. I personally prefer a more fun sound with a bit more bass and a more 3D presentation. That said, this is probably one of the best songs for the LCD-XC.

To test classical instruments in the mids, I’m using The Piano Guys' “Code Name Vivaldi.” The strings sound pretty good on the LCD-XC. I think classical is really where the LCD-XC shines more than anywhere else. The pianos sound wonderful and the bass instruments come across clearly and the detail here is very good. These are literally the full-size closed-back version of the Letshuoer EJ07 that I reviewed yesterday. It’s a bit surprising to hear very similar sound in both considering the size difference, though the LCD obviously has a bigger soundstage and better imaging.

Highs (10/20):

To test sibilance on headphones I use Panic! At The Disco’s “High Hopes. Sharper “S” sibilance is apparent if you listen for it in this song. The song itself is pretty rough also and comes across as sharp overall. I’ve never had the intro trumpets sound sharp before on headphones, so that’s new, and not great. The LCD-XC is better than quite a few headphones on the sibilance test, but worse than some as well, slightly above average here.

The first highs test song I’ll be using is Dream Theater’s “The Alien,” which I use to test and see if the cymbals/high-hats/snare can be clearly heard and distinguished from the rest of the music. Nope. I can hardly tell there are any cymbals or high-hats in this song at all – at least in the intro, it gets better during the guitar solo. Well below average. At least the guitar solo sounds good and the bass drums are decent.

Michelle McLaughlin’s “Across The Burren” is another of my favorite highs/sharpness test songs as it can easily sound painful on some headphones. The piano presentation is solid and definitely above average with no real sharpness on the high notes or the lower chords. This makes sense with how muted the treble is on these headphones. If you hate bass and treble, these will be good closed-backs for you in this price range.

Soundstage/Instrument Separation/Imaging (7/10):

I use MGMT’s “Time to Pretend” to test soundstage, instrument separation, and imaging. The soundstage, instrument separation, and imaging are all pretty decent here. That said, the synths in the intro at 0:18 are ROUGH – I had to immediately turn it down. These are some of the most confusing headphones I’ve ever listened to and the LCD-X is far more to my taste than the closed-back version as I don’t have any of the complaints that I do here with the weird sharpness throughout my entire test playlist.

Comparisons:

The only comparisons that matter besides multiple better-sounding cheaper IEMs (Final A5000, Truthear HEXA) are the JM Audio XTC-C, and to some extent the Focal Celestee. They’re the only closed-back full-size headphones even close to the price of the LCD-XC that I’ve heard. I’d take both of them over the LCD-XC. Now, both of those are significantly bassier headphones, so if you hate bass, don’t even consider them. The LCD-XC is the closest I’ve heard to studio tuning with very light bass. All three have good detail and decent soundstage considering they’re closed-backs. The XTC-C is the lightest followed closely by the Celestee – the build quality is the worst on the XTC-C though as it’s a small boutique company. The build quality is the best on the Celestee, followed closely by the Celestee. I’d rank all three by sound quality with the XTC-C as #1, followed by the Celestee, and #3 are the LCD-XC. At least the LCD-XC sounds decent with The Strokes and Franz Ferdinand. BTW, I'll take the LCD-X over these also - though balanced cables narrow the gap.



Conclusion:

I’m confused by the LCD-XC since I’ve seen really good reviews of these. I don’t like them a ton, though a balanced connection makes them far better – I still have IEMs under $300 and under $100 I’d prefer over these. Sure, the soundstage/imaging isn’t as good on the IEMs, but the overall sound is better and more well-rounded. That said, I don’t know of very many cheaper full-size closed-back that you can get that will sound better than this. So, if you want the Audeze build quality, brand name, and carbon fiber cups over the JM Audio XTC-C, and you hate bass while needing a closed-back, then these are the headphones for you. Otherwise, get the XTC-C (better sound) or Celestee (better looks/build quality.) Please get a balanced cable though, I cannot stress enough how much this changes the sound quality – also a laid-back, warmer DAC/AMP will help as well.

The Audeze LCD-XC is now available in a new 2021 version. Here Audeze has made some improvements. Not only the drivers and the tuning has been refined, but also the weight has been significantly reduced. To further improve the comfort, the pads have also been further developed. It is interesting how all these improvements are ultimately reflected in the sound as well as the comfort. I used an LCD-XC Bubinga from 2014 as a comparison, which was available to me for comparison purposes. In recent years, I have also owned a 2016 LCD-XC Bubinga, whose driver Audeze has slightly improved over the original 2014 model. However, the differences between these two models are very slight and not immediately audible in a direct comparison as between the original model and the current 2021. The bass range of the 2016 model seems minimally tighter than the original 2014 model, but the rest is nearly identical.



The Audeze LCD-XC is available in the Creators Package (like mine here) and the Premium Package. The Premium Package includes the well-known Pelican Travelcase and a 4 pin XLR and 6.35mm connection cable. Whereas the Creators Package contains only a simple travelcase and a 6.35mm cable.





When I first unpacked it, I was surprised by the Travelcase. It doesn't quite have the rugged look of a Pelican travel case, but it does the job. Inside it is sufficiently padded and thus it can be used without problems also for the transport of the LCD-XC.

When you first put it on, you immediately feel the noticeably lower weight of the 2021 model compared to the 2014 Bubinga model. The contact pressure is lower, the cushions softer, the pressure of the carbon headband compared to the leather one, so that in the end it has become a much more comfortable headphone for me. Whereas with the Bubinga, I find the contact pressure not so nice after just one album, with the 2021 I can listen to two or three albums at a time without having to put the headphones down.

Now we come to the most important thing - the sound. And here a lot has changed. It is no longer a matter of nuances, but the tuning differs significantly between the original model and the current 2021. While the Bubinga sounds warmer, smoother, more unobtrusive, you might think that the 2021 is not an Audeze. The 2021 is clearly more neutrally tuned. The target group of recording studios and people who want an unadulterated sound reproduction are in my opinion much better served with the 2021 model than with the Bubinga.

I have heard the two XCs once on my stationary chain consisting of V850 and Niimbus US4. Due to the high sensitivity of 100 dB/1mW and low impedance of 20 ohms, the XC can be used with any portable DAP without any problems. I listen to it portable via 4.4mm cable on my Shanling M8 on low gain. More power is not necessary!

In the bass range, the Bubinga sounds fuller with a little more focus on the midbass range. The 2021 is more neutral here with a more balanced presentation of the entire bass range. Bass instruments sound more audible and snappier. In general, the transient response of the 2021 is snappier because it doesn't thicken up in the lower frequency range. I also have the feeling that the driver has been technically improved here in terms of transient response.

The upper midrange on the Bubinga is not as pronounced as on the 2021, which is more honest here with more level and thus more detail reproduction. The Bubinga is warmer here and forms a very smooth sound carpet, which is known from other Audeze models such as the LCD-2 or LCD-3. Voices don't seem as direct and obtrusive as with the 2021 model as a result. Poorer recordings are reproduced a bit nicer with the Bubinga, but the 2021 scales higher on better recordings.

The treble range is greatly improved for me over the Bubinga, which swallows up some detail in direct comparisons. The 2021 manages to reveal these details without sounding too peaky or intrusive. Fabulous!

In terms of soundstage, both are almost on par. However, the instrument separation of the 2021 is more precise, sound events can be located even better. For a closed headphone, the overall size of the stage is above average. A Focal Stellia draws a significantly smaller stage in comparison.

The LCD-XC scales with the sources and amplifiers. Not as strong as it is, for example, the case with a Susvara but still clearly audible. Unlike a Susvara, however, it can be driven by any DAP without any problems. The Shanling M8 fits the 2021 like a glove with its smooth, warm tuning. I don't like the Bubinga as much with the M8. On a Niimbus US4, the 2021 illuminates even more details in a direct comparison and seems more lively. But I would say that on the M8 it brings over that certain something and I also enjoy this chain very much and do not necessarily feel worse, rather different.





In conclusion, from my point of view, Audeze has optimized and improved an already very good closed headphones more and more. Especially successful I find how they could save so much weight compared to the 2014 Bubinga. For future LCD models, I wish that one possibly saves even more weight in this area through a different design, so that the LCD models remain a companion on the head for hours in the future.

The LCD-XC 2014 Bubinga for comparison:

: REVISED

This review made possible by the folks at : Hi-Fi Heaven

Audeze LCD-XC - Mini Review

Gear Used :

Marantz CD-1
RME ADI-2 FS
Oppo BDP SE-93
FiiO BTr5

Music :

Sierra Hull : "25 Trips"
Jana Kramer : "I wont give up on You"
Sade : "The Sweetest Taboo"
Sade : "No Ordinary Lover"
Bryan Bennett : "Voyage"
Aleah Stanbridge : " Sinking Ships"
Ilya Toshinskiy : "Train Station"
Sarah Jarosz : "House of Mercy"
Kacey Musgraves : "Slow Burn"
Limperatrice : "Error 404"
Limperatrice : "Parfum Theremine"
Keane : "Thread"
Katie Melua : A Love Like That"
Vulfpeck : "Love is a Beautiful Thing"

Impressions :

At first blush, you are swept away into the world of world-class ultra detailed high resolution sound Q.
Amazing Resolution.
Quite possibly the most detailed sound, the most resolved sound, you can buy for $4000.00 + USD, and these cost less then $1300 shipped.
Simply stunning detail retrieval.
Its so immaculate that you will at first be listening to all the new newly revealed aspects found in your music that you didnt know were there before you listened to the XC's.
You'll need to lower the volume early on as this is one of those sets of headphones whose sound offers such insightful clarity, you'll be playing it too loud, at first.

These are Headphones which provided deep insight, vivid details, and astounding clarity.
They present the music as analytical and present and clear.

Listening to this set of Audiophile Headphones is to be delivered all the music, right down to the core, right down to the last nano-fibre of its being.
Every atom of tone, sound, and feel, is retrieved and delivered with a sense of pristine clarity.
The XC gives the detail seeker = full sonic extraction.
And the best part, is that the XC's deliver it with musicality that allows the listening experience to be much more then just an analytical point of view..

Specs.:

Mine are the Black Carbon version.

Box : Its a box, no frills = white cardboard functional generic.

Comfort : Pads are comfy, Cans are weighty, similar to Heddphones.

Build Quality : Graceful and practical and substantial.

Cable : Its good.

Treble :

This headphone's sound is slightly bright and slightly clinical. So, expect Treble detail that presents this quality.
You'll hear supreme clarity regarding the Treble frequency, no matter where you listen.
Some reviewers are seemingly stunned by such detail accuracy combined with a slightly bright & clinical sound presentation, so they perceive it as really bright , but the XC's Treble is engineered to work synergistically with the mids and the low end.
Now, typical of a headphone that is designed first and foremost to offer precision analytics, the XC's are not designed to offer super abundant low mids, and this perfectly reduces any appearance of a too warm tone.


Mids :

You can see for miles inside the music.
Mids are pristine, and reside slightly on the clinical side, and are not recessed.
When you listen to an acoustic guitar, you can hear the guitar pick.
Snares are perfect, Vocals are lifelike.
When you listen to a Flute, you can hear the Artist shift their lips to blow.
When you listen to a movie soundtrack, you are watching it from inside the orchestra's soundstage..

Lower Mids :

Controlled. Very organized. Never ever dominate.

Bass :

Its carefully designed to be impactful without robbing the midrange of its purity and precise detail. The XC's Bass is musical and solid and extended and very very good.

Soundstage :

Its effortless and honest and immersive.. The sense of soundstage depth the Closed XC is able to convey regarding a live concert, for example a Rock Concert or a large Orchestra playing Classical Music, is very impressive.

Instrument Separation :

The XC perfectly shows you all the parts of the musical puzzle perfectly positioned.

Resolution + Detail Retrieval :

This is why the XC's exist.
You get $4000 USD worth of amazing sonic analytics, for about $1300 shipped.

Timbre :

Sonic Precision, and the absolute total opposite of dry sound.
These amazing headphones are not designed to offer thick warm fuzzy relaxed sound..
The XC's are highly accurate headphones that are all about hearning details.
They are tonally balanced, not lacking warmth or smoothness, and their overall presentation of sound is their ability to show contrast and analytical dazzle.

Audeze created a surperb analytical experience inside these 2 beautiful Carbon Cups.
I recently purchased and reviewed the Hifiman Arya, and those offer excellent detail retrieval, however, as compared to the XC's , they can't match the Audeze.

Few Headphones can match the XC's ability to pull back the veil and show you the precise inner depths of the music you love with both elegant finesse and visceral impact.

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