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Audeze LCD-X Review (2021 Edition Headphone)

Zensō

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The base version actually comes with a box. The premium version throws in another cable and upgrades the box to a premium box. The extra cable costs the same as the basic box on their web site, so yes, they are actually charging $500 for a very fancy box. Clearly they are just providing excuses for people with more money with a way of giving them that money. Can't blame them for doing so. I someone wants to pay $500 for a box, who am I to say they are an idiot?

It had better be a really nice box.

However, given the bare headphones are priced at about $1000 (no box, no cable) the price of the premium box really makes the value of all their other products look suspect. If the markup on the box is that much, one wonders how extreme all of the product markups are.
Here’s a similar case for $165: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/3i18137OX--skb-iseries-universal-audio-ox-amp-case
 

GaryH

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I'm confused about group delay too. Aren't the large values in the sub 50 hz region evidence of 'soft sub bass' although how audible it'd be would depend on the music (organ music might notice it?).

Yes the huge group delay swing there (combined with the kink in frequency response) could be evidence of a non-minimum phase error, but only an excess group delay plot would be able to determine this for sure.
 

PeteL

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[
The base version actually comes with a box. The premium version throws in another cable and upgrades the box to a premium box. The extra cable costs the same as the basic box on their web site, so yes, they are actually charging $500 for a very fancy box. Clearly they are just providing excuses for people with more money with a way of giving them that money. Can't blame them for doing so. If someone wants to pay $500 for a box, who am I to say they are an idiot?

It had better be a really nice box.

However, given the bare headphones are priced at about $1000 (no box, no cable) the price of the premium box really makes the value of all their other products look suspect. If the markup on the box is that much, one wonders how extreme all of the product markups are.
https://www.audeze.com/products/lcd-travel-case
the website is a bit difficult I find. Is this 150$ box the basic or what’s included with the premium. There is nice and then nice, this looks more than sufficient, even for the very rich.
 

Tks

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Agreed. These have so much potential, but the extreme weight, poor ergonomics, and DIY-ish build offset the pluses. They really need to rethink the physical build from scratch.

Keep it the way it is, in the same way Apple's pretentiousness leads them so far up their ass. They cant bring themselves to retire such an iconic look (which is fine). But a sister alternative wouldnt kill them to test the waters with in some way.

But what do i know, if I had anything I'd have done it myself I suppose.
 

Bimbleton

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It’s always great to see a headphone you enjoy get validated here at ASR! Thanks Amir for your excellent analysis. I am most excited to put your EQ profile to work, as your past EQ for the Sundara 2020 was a godsend.

It really is a terrific headphone with some stupendous bass (when EQ’d). Hope you all give it a shot!
 

Nango

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Define "faulty".
Severe response deficiency between 1khz-6khz near half the audible and most important frecuency range. Btw also Crinacle rcvd one for testing purposes so they certainly know where to place their demo units.
 
Last edited:

Merkurio

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Good luck EQing out all those high-Q frequency response errors in the treble. Low distortion is useless when you can't get the basics of frequency response right, as Audeze rarely do.

Mine sounds absolutely fantastic before corrections (mainly the critical region between 500 Hz and 6 kHz).

I don’t EQ the treble and find a proper extension and balance, not far from my Ety ER4SR in that region.
 

GWolfman

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Great to see, now I just need more money!
 

Maiky76

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This is a review and detailed measurements of the 2021 edition of the Audeze LCD-X open-back planar magnetic headphone. It was sent to me by the company and costs US $1,199 by itself or you can get the premium version with case and such for $1,699.

The LCD-X is one serious looking and feeling headphone:

View attachment 143657

I am not a big fan of its adjustment mechanism as shipped. It is hard to adjust just one notch. It either doesn't move or overshoots. I understand there is an adjustment mechanism for this which I did not play with.

This is a substantial headphone clocking at 610 grams which I understand is lighter than its original version:

View attachment 143658

Wearing it though, I found them pretty comfortable. I quickly forgot about them until I took them off and then felt the pressure the pads were putting on my face.

The cup inside dimensions are rectangular at 67mm by 50 mm. The depth is variable and at its highest is 26 mm.

Note: The measurements you are about to see are made using a standardized Gras 45C. Headphone measurements by definition are approximate and variable so don't be surprised if other measurements even if performed with the same fixtures as mine, differ in end results. Protocols vary such as headband pressure and averaging (which I don't do). As you will see, I confirm the approximate accuracy of the measurements using Equalization and listening tests. Ultimately headphone measurements are less exact than speakers mostly in bass and above a few kilohertz so keep that in mind as you read these tests. If you think you have an exact idea of a headphone performance, you are likely wrong!

Fitment on the fixture was very easy given the large pads.

Audeze 2021 LCD-X Measurements
As usual we start with the headphone frequency response as comparison to our preference curve:

View attachment 143660

We immediately see that the deep notch that existed in the original LCD-X is fixed:

index.php


A bit of boost is also provided around 2 to 3 kHz which is appreciated but still not enough to reach the natural gain of our hearing anatomy. The trough between 3 and 5 kHz will likely cause significant damage to spatial qualities of the headphones. Here is the relative frequency response which is useful for development of the needed equalization:

View attachment 143661

Bass deficiency is not much but still, you want to EQ that. It would be a shame to get a large driver like this and not let it produce proper bass!

Here is the best news:

View attachment 143663

Distortion is extremely low (ignore the bit at 10 kHz -- it is not repeatable). If you boost the response by 10 dB, you only travel from blue curve to red which is almost no difference! Even 20 dB gets you to green curve which is again nothing. Our 40 dB target is easily reached across the full range:
View attachment 143664

This makes the headphone a blank canvas to equalize as we wish.

Group delay says very little:
View attachment 143665

Impedance is flat as is typically the case with planar magnetic headphones:
View attachment 143666

Sensitivity is slightly better than average:
View attachment 143667

Combined with low impedance, you should be able to drive the LCD-X with most headphone outputs.

Audeze LCD-X Headphone Listening Tests and Equalization
The sound out of box is quite boring and bland. So equalization tool came right out:
View attachment 143668

I used dual filters to try to better shape the low frequency boost as it has a complex shape. I then used another pair to fill in the hole in 3 to 5 kHz. The final filter in yellow at 5.8 kHz is just a "stopper." I use a bit of negative gain to make sure there is no boost at that point and farther in frequency response. It helped keep the headphone from sounding too bright post EQ.

Once there, these headphones were a delight to listen to. The sound is now light and airy with really good spatial qualities. Dynamic ability is excellent letting you listen at any level with no hint of distortion. The sound is so nice that a day later, I am listening to them as I type this review.

Conclusions
It is great to see Audeze respond to clear flaw shown in measurements and fix the egregious rough/cancellation that existed in the older design. What is there now is improved in that regard from tonality point of view but is still far from ideal response. A lot of goodness is left on the table with deficient lower treble and deep bass. Once those are fixed the sound becomes wonderful given the exceptionally low level of distortion.

I am happy to strongly recommend the Audeze LCD-X 2021 revision with equalization. Without it, it is a pass for me.

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As always, questions, comments, recommendations, etc. are welcome.

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Here are some thoughts about the EQ.

Notes about the EQ design:
  • The average L/R is used to calculate the score.
  • The resolution is 12 points per octave interpolated from the raw data (provided by @amirm)
  • A Genetic Algorithm is used to optimize the EQ.
  • The EQ Score is designed to MAXIMIZE the Score WHILE fitting the Harman target curve with a fixed complexity.
    This will avoid weird results if one only optimizes for the Score.
    It will probably flatten the Error regression doing so, the tonal balance should be more neutral.
  • The EQs are starting point and may require tuning (certainly at LF).
  • The range around and above 10kHz is usually not EQed unless smooth enough to do so.
  • I am using PEQ (PK) as from my experience the definition is more consistent across different DSP/platform implementations than shelves.
  • With some HP/amp combo the boosts and preamp gain need to be carefully considered to avoid issues
  • Not all units of the same products are not made equal. The EQ is based on a single unit measured. YMMV with regards to your very unit f you try this EQ.
Good L/R match.

I have generated two EQs, the APO config files are attached.

Default Harman curve
Score no EQ: 43.4
Score Armirm: 50.0
Score with EQ: 78.2

Code:
Audeze LCD-X 2021 APO EQ Flat@HF 96000Hz
July272021-173043

Preamp: -10.5 dB

Filter 1: ON PK Fc 36.42 Hz Gain 3.78 dB Q 0.38
Filter 2: ON PK Fc 230.99 Hz Gain -2.62 dB Q 0.84
Filter 3: ON PK Fc 761.59 Hz Gain -2.51 dB Q 2.60
Filter 4: ON PK Fc 1441.51 Hz Gain -1.72 dB Q 4.21
Filter 5: ON PK Fc 1868.51 Hz Gain 1.85 dB Q 2.50
Filter 6: ON PK Fc 3802.34 Hz Gain 7.96 dB Q 2.24
Filter 7: ON PK Fc 5760.23 Hz Gain -3.92 dB Q 5.63
Filter 8: ON PK Fc 9148.57 Hz Gain 3.30 dB Q 0.24
Filter 9: ON PK Fc 12363.55 Hz Gain -8.83 dB Q 4.94
Audeze LCD-X 2021 APO EQ Flat@HF Dashboard.png


Default Harman curve -1.5dB@HF
Score no EQ: 54.5
Score Armirm: 61.0
Score with EQ: 80.2

Code:
Audeze LCD-X 2021 APO EQ -1.5@HF 96000Hz
July272021-172100

Preamp: -9.4 dB

Filter 1: ON PK Fc 38.08 Hz Gain 3.71 dB Q 0.37
Filter 2: ON PK Fc 223.82 Hz Gain -2.70 dB Q 0.80
Filter 3: ON PK Fc 769.77 Hz Gain -2.66 dB Q 2.40
Filter 4: ON PK Fc 1417.80 Hz Gain -1.94 dB Q 4.00
Filter 5: ON PK Fc 1946.88 Hz Gain 1.24 dB Q 2.83
Filter 6: ON PK Fc 3863.86 Hz Gain 7.92 dB Q 2.47
Filter 7: ON PK Fc 5802.03 Hz Gain -4.70 dB Q 5.44
Filter 8: ON PK Fc 9390.61 Hz Gain 2.48 dB Q 0.28
Filter 9: ON PK Fc 12367.55 Hz Gain -9.71 dB Q 4.94

Audeze LCD-X 2021 APO EQ -1.5@HF Dashboard.png
 

Attachments

  • Audeze LCD-X 2021 APO EQ -1.5@HF 96000Hz.txt
    529 bytes · Views: 255
  • Audeze LCD-X 2021 APO EQ Flat@HF 96000Hz.txt
    530 bytes · Views: 192

Jimbob54

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Severe response deficiency between 1khz-6khz near half the audible and most important frecuency range. Btw also Crinacle rcvd one for testing purposes so they certainly know where to place their demo units.

I think its fair to say anyone not liking the sound of the originals out of the box could have returned them. Broken by design isnt a fault, its a "feature".
 

Robbo99999

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firedog

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@amirm
Roon DSP has built in filter settings designed for Audeze headphones. Including for this model. They were made in cooperation with Audeze. I'm surprised you didn't try these and report on the results.

(I didn't read through the whole thread. Sorry if this was already asked.)
 

Jimbob54

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Robbo99999

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If you can sit through 10 minutes of Zeos you can see

I'll save you from it, yes they do.
I skimmed through it, a couple of times he picked them up & rotated them, so yeah it does look like they're angled pads. They look more angled in the video than they do on Thomann website. It's good that they're angled, I think this is a positive omen for soundstage.
 
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