{"id":530,"date":"2021-09-19T08:54:34","date_gmt":"2021-09-19T08:54:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kuulokenurkka.com\/?p=530"},"modified":"2026-01-18T18:48:12","modified_gmt":"2026-01-18T18:48:12","slug":"review-audeze-lcd-x","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kuulokenurkka.com\/en\/arvostelu-audeze-lcd-x\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Audeze LCD-X (2020)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">Author: <a href=\"http:\/\/kuulokenurkka.com\/en\/author\/roderick\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Roderick<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2201\" height=\"2470\" src=\"https:\/\/kuulokenurkka.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/IMG_20210411_150021.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-537\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><h4>Table of Contents:<\/h4><nav><div><div><a href=\"#rakenne-ja-mukavuus\">Structure and comfort<\/a><\/div><div><a href=\"#aanenlaatu\">Sound quality<\/a><\/div><div><a href=\"#tarvitaanko-kuulokevahvistin\">Is a headphone amplifier needed?<\/a><\/div><div><a href=\"#kolkko-keskialue-ja-paljon-puhuttu-neutraalius\">Bleak midfield and much-talked-about neutrality<\/a><\/div><div><a href=\"#yhteenveto\">Summary<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-white-color has-text-color\" id=\"tietoja\" style=\"font-size:22px\"><strong>Information:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Price: 1199\u20131699 \u20ac (varies according to accessories) <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Type: open, over-ear<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Designed and assembled in the USA<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Planar driver diameter: 106 mm<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Magnets: Neodymium magnet (N50)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sensitivity: 103 dB\/mW<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Impedance: 20 ohm<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Weight: 612 g<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Cable: 1.9 m (6.35 mm connector)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Connector: 2 x 4-pin-mini-XLR<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Earpads: Genuine leather<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Case: Economy travel case<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Review sample: Self-purchased product<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Audeze LCD-X was released in 2013, after which the manufacturer has modified the model several times. The LCD-X I reviewed is the 2020 model, which has a newer back grille, but not yet the updated driver and new earpads, like in headphones manufactured after November 2020. More information about this latest update can be found, for example, here: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.head-fi.org\/threads\/lcd-x-and-xc-update.956949\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">LCD-X and XC Update<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"rakenne-ja-mukavuus\"><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Structure and comfort<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A more detailed analysis of the physical nature of the LCD-X is probably unnecessary \u2013 as Audezes generally are, the headphones are large and heavy (about 700 g with the cable), but surprisingly comfortable for those who can tolerate the weight. The construction of the headphones is sturdy, and it's difficult to find faults with it. The only striking aspect is the headphone connectors, whose material differs from the rest of the cups' structure. In my opinion, the structure of the connectors could be a clearly separate part (LCD-4), a unified protrusion from the cup (LCD-2 Classic), or at least made of the same material as the other parts.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1063\" height=\"1102\" src=\"https:\/\/kuulokenurkka.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Liitin.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-549\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong><em>The material of the headphone connector's outer shell conspicuously differs from other metal parts.<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>The LCD-X is sold for 1199 euros as a Creator version, which does not come with a fancy case or a balanced cable \u2013 if one wants those, they have to pay 1699 euros for the package. An extra 500 euros for a case and a cable is quite a lot, but this so-called lite version does feel quite bare in terms of equipment. However, this is not so exceptional, because even the Focal Utopia, which originally cost 4000 euros, only came with one cable and a cardboard box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"aanenlaatu\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Sound quality<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bbs.io-tech.fi\/attachments\/lcd-x-vs-lcd-3-vs-lcd-2c-jpg.585001\/\" alt=\"\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em><strong> In the picture: black LCD-X, blue LCD-3F, and red LCD-2 Classic.<\/strong><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><em>All headphones have been measured with miniDSP Ears, HEQ compensation, and 1\/12 octave smoothing settings using REW software. The HEQ compensation curve I use is close to the more well-known Harman curve. In Harman's target curve, headphones need to have quite powerful bass to achieve a flat response in the graph. With more traditional target curves, Audeze headphones are very close to perfectly neutral bass reproduction. Additionally, it's good to remember that miniDSP Ears is very inaccurate in measuring higher frequencies. I personally try to position the headphones as well as possible on the measurement device, take measurements by slightly varying the headphone's position, and average them from both channels. However, I do not strive for perfection, nor do I have, for example, any enclosure that would perfectly isolate the measurement device from external sounds. For these reasons, the measurements are only indicative.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>I am not a big fan of Audeze's \u201dhouse sound\u201d myself, so the LCD-X, advertised as neutral, are interesting headphones to me. I have wondered how they can be neutral despite measurements showing their frequency response does not significantly differ from other headphones in the LCD series. After about 10 seconds of listening, it was evident that claims of sound neutrality are pulled out of thin air \u2013 the LCD-X is a true Audeze LCD series member, for better or worse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The best aspect of the LCD-X is its robust, almost bottomless bass extension. These headphones don't have the same \u201dslam\u201d as the best dynamic headphones, but the bass extension, accuracy, and separation are a few notches above dynamic competitors. In my experience, other planar manufacturers in this price range also don't offer greater bass rumble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Generally, Audeze's midrange reproduction and overall style are primarily associated with warmth and sound robustness. It was somewhat surprising that the LCD-X sounded a bit stark and harsh to my ears, at least. The headphones\u201d upper midrange and lower treble are familiarly recessed. This dip makes the sound a bit hollow-sounding and eats away many details from the sound. However, this is part of the Audeze \u201dhouse sound\" I mentioned, so I cannot inherently count this as a flaw. In my opinion, the midrange tuning does not sound good, but Audeze has built its success around this kind of tuning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although the lower treble sounds attenuated, the upper-end sound in the LCD-X is slightly more emphasized than in the LCD-2 Classic and LCD-3F models. However, the LCD-X are not bright headphones, even though there is a small peak somewhere in the upper frequencies that causes occasional sibilance. Unfortunately, this peak was not captured in my measurements. Since miniDSP Ears is less reliable in measuring high frequencies, I trust my own ears more at this point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Based purely on memory, it feels like the X's treble sounds a bit grainy compared to the LCD-3F \u2013 at least it doesn't evoke the same \"wow\" feelings as the LCD-3F. At the very highest frequencies (10 kHz +), there is a pleasant emphasis that makes the sound airier. To my taste, this is a welcome feature, as, for example, the somewhat congested sound of the LCD-2 Classic would have benefited from a similar boost.<br><br>The soundstage of the LCD-X is not particularly remarkable in terms of size; it's basic Audeze: not large, nor disturbingly small. For example, Hifiman Ananda and Sennheiser HD800 sound considerably wider. However, characteristic of planar headphones, everything sounds physically large with the LCD-X compared to many dynamic headphones. I also noticed myself focusing more on the layering and placement of sound sources with these headphones than with the LCD-2 Classic. This, in my opinion, is the most significant qualitative difference between the 2C and the X. Of course, the LCD-X still has a way to go to reach the soundstage precision of, for example, the Focal Clear. The soundstage\/imaging department is probably not Audeze's strength in any price range.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In terms of sound, the LCD-X is well-suited for music where bass extension is more important than its impact. I would see electronic music as a potential fit. For mainstream pop, a slightly more thumping sound would be better, and due to the upper midrange\/lower treble dip, I don't feel like listening to lighter rock with these headphones either. Classical and acoustic music are also completely out of the question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Distorted guitars, on the other hand, are reproduced excellently by the LCD-X. Metallica rumbles convincingly, and Nirvana sounds particularly good. However, the \u201dhonkiness\u201d of the stark midrange occasionally rears its head. With less distortion-driven rock, the veiled nature of the sound inevitably emerges \u2013 punk and Metallica work, but Guns N' Roses do not. With aggressive metal like Children Of Bodom, the power of the guitar walls is conveyed, but due to the upper midrange\/lower treble deficiency, the sound is too polite. With a slightly calmer metal, however, the LCD-X works wonderfully. Trio Niskalaukaus sounds really good! I don't listen to much Doom metal myself, but I would guess that the LCD-X might be well-suited for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-white-color has-text-color\" id=\"tarvitaanko-kuulokevahvistin\"><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Is a headphone amplifier needed?<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>On paper<strong> <\/strong>20<strong> <\/strong>Audeze headphones, with ohm impedance and 103 dB\/mW sensitivity, are easy to drive. Unfortunately, the situation with planar headphones is not always that simple. I tested the headphones balanced with an Astell &amp; Kern SR15 DAP (digital audio player), with which the bass started to distort significantly at higher volumes. Although the LCD-X doesn't need a multi-watt power monster, it's still not advisable to assume they can be driven directly by, for example, a phone or a low-power dongle-style amplifier, such as the Audioquest Dragonfly. I personally listened to the headphones with a Monolith Liquid Platinum amplifier from a balanced output, which provides significantly more power than needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-white-color has-text-color\" id=\"kolkko-keskialue-ja-paljon-puhuttu-neutraalius\"><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Bleak midfield and much-talked-about neutrality<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The midrange harshness I mentioned and experienced aroused my curiosity, so I decided to investigate the matter a bit more closely. I believe that this is largely due to the frequency range between 500\u20131500 Hz being slightly emphasized relative to the lower midrange and the very steeply falling tuning from 1 kHz upwards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As can be seen from my frequency response measurements, the LCD-2 Classic and LCD-3F only start to drop off later, approaching 2 kHz. In the LCD-X, the 500\u20131000 Hz range dominates the sound too strongly. This causes an unpleasant honkiness on some recordings, especially with female vocalists. The vocalist doesn't even necessarily have to be a Cecilia Bartoli, as Martti Syrj\u00e4 also occasionally grunts unpleasantly. A good example is Andrea Bocelli ft Giorgia \u2013 Vivo Per Lei, which is quite grueling to listen to if you want to play the song even a little louder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I tried to equalize the frequency range between 440\u20131200 Hz down by 3\u20134 decibels using Foobar software, which indeed removed the overpowering shout from the sound. An emphasis of a few decibels in the wrong places can surprisingly mess up the sound. It is, of course, individual how badly this bothers anyone's ears, but my hearing seems to be so in sync with my measurements that a suitable improvement was found very easily. I also made a slightly better equalization with EQ APO software, and the results were really good. Some reviews have mentioned that the LCD-X has almost negligible distortion, allowing the headphones to be equalized completely freely to one's liking \u2013 this seems to hold true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The advertised neutrality of the headphones remained a bit of a mystery to me. I believe it might be because the stark sound I experienced deviates enough from Audeze's familiar warm sound that the LCD-X is mistakenly interpreted as neutral. Additionally, a slightly brighter treble than other Audeze models creates an impression of a more balanced headphone. Everyone has their own concept of neutral, but in my opinion, it's quite a stretch to call a tuning neutral when it has a similar deficiency in the upper midrange and lower treble as the LCD-X. To my ears, from Audeze's own lineup, the Sine, El-8 Titanium, and LCD-1 are closer to neutral.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another factor related to the neutrality discussion is that not all LCD-X units sound the same. Differences between headphone pairs can be significant, as evidenced by measurements from Crinacle's <a href=\"https:\/\/crinacle.com\/graphs\/headphones\/audeze-lcd-x\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">from two LCD-X<\/a>. Some of these had fazors and the other pair had worn pads without fazors. Based on the measurements, one would barely guess the headphones to be from the same manufacturer. The 5.5 kHz bump visible in Crinacle's measurements is the most likely reason for the sibilance I heard. The measured fazor version is quite close to my own measurements, and the other measured pair of headphones seems to be close to the LCD-2 Classic model.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to rumors, Audeze has made changes to the headphone drivers over time, which were not disclosed to the public. These \u201dsilent revisions\u201d, the differences between fazor and non-fazor models, the wear of ear pads, and the individual differences between headphones make acquiring headphones (especially used ones) quite a mess. Audeze revealed on March 29, 2021, that all LCD-X headphones manufactured after November 23, 2020, have new ear pads and different drivers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"yhteenveto\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Summary<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Every listener has their own preferences regarding the ideal sound. Many like Audeze's LCD-X model, but to my taste, the tuning of the headphones is so poor that I consider them a rather unsuccessful creation. The juicy midrange typical of Audeze has been lost, and the technical characteristics are not so much ahead of the LCD-2 Classic model either, to justify a price difference of several hundred euros.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I was going to compare the LCD-X with other headphones available to me, but the headphones turned out to be such a big disappointment that I don't bother to undertake a more detailed comparison. I more often end up using the significantly cheaper Sennheiser HD650s or Sash Tres, not to mention the Sennheiser HD800 or ZMF Atticus in the same price range. Of course, with EQ, the LCD-X also improves tremendously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unfortunately, headphones priced at 1200 euros and weighing 700 grams, which do not come with a balanced cable, and which would still need to be almost completely re-equalized, do not, in my opinion, offer much value for money. Hopefully, the newest version is significantly better than the model from the first half of 2020 that I reviewed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"plussat-ja-miinukset\" style=\"font-size:22px\">Pros and cons:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color\" style=\"color:#19a300\"><strong>+ Audeze's planar bass is excellent, as always<br>+ Excellent for music based on heavy guitar riffs<br>+ Adjusting the sound with an equalizer is easy, and even drastic changes do not cause sound distortion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-red-color has-text-color\"><strong>- Bleak midrange reproduction<\/strong><br><strong>- Female vocalists, in particular, sound piercing at times<br>- A lack of upper mids\/lower treble eats away information from the music, but still doesn't create the same supportive and warm sound as in the LCD-2 Classic and LCD-3F models<\/strong><br><strong>- Although Audeze headphones generally don't have a wide soundstage, for 1200 euros I would hope for a slightly better performance<\/strong><br><strong>- The headphones are heavy<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1211\" src=\"https:\/\/kuulokenurkka.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Loppukuva.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-569\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The LCD-X, designed for studio use, pleases with its bass reproduction, but in the model released in the first half of 2020, the tuning of the mid-frequencies is truly unsuccessful.  <a href=\"https:\/\/kuulokenurkka.com\/en\/arvostelu-audeze-lcd-x\/\" class=\"more-link\">Read more<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Review: Audeze LCD-X (2020)<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":573,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[11,26,7,39,25],"class_list":["post-530","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-kuulokkeet","tag-audeze","tag-headphones","tag-kuulokkeet","tag-lcd-x","tag-review"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/kuulokenurkka.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Artikkelikuva.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kuulokenurkka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/530","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kuulokenurkka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kuulokenurkka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kuulokenurkka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kuulokenurkka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=530"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/kuulokenurkka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/530\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42950,"href":"https:\/\/kuulokenurkka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/530\/revisions\/42950"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kuulokenurkka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/573"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kuulokenurkka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=530"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kuulokenurkka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=530"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kuulokenurkka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=530"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}