vinshine r2r reference dac -> eddie current black widow v2
Unfortunately, Im guessing most people have never heard this dac or this amp as I didn’t know they existed until the day I bought each 
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INTRODUCTION
Well, this is exciting! I get to review a headphone that’s kinda-sorta top-of-the-line-ish. The LCD-24 planar magnetic headphone is Audeze’s attempt to bring the basic tuning of their well-regarded LCD-2 and the technical chops of their flagship LCD-4 together (hence, the name 2 4). The MSRP of the LCD-24 is $3495, which definitely puts it in the realm of the high-end, even TOTL-ish. Did Audeze succeed in this marriage of tunings? Read on to find out…
The timing of this review was quite fortunate. I have the LCD-24 on loan at the same time as recently procuring the HiFiMan HE1000V2 (HekV2) and also having the Abyss Diana Phi (DiPhi) on loan. I also have the Holo Audio Spring 2 Level 2 DAC and Headamp GS-X Mini headphone amplifier on loan. And I’ve also recently bought a used Violectric HPA-V200 headphone amp and Soekris dac1321 [reviews pending on almost all of that]. It’s fun for me to have all of those toys to play with for awhile. It’s also fun for you because at least for the LCD-24, HekV2, and DiPhi, I have multiple headphones in the TOTL-ish tier to compare, making my reviews of higher quality (hopefully, you can be the judge of that). Alright…ON WITH IT…as a famous Monty Python deity portrayal once commanded.
TL;DR
The LCD-24 is an excellent TOTL-ish headphone that does many things well, including detail retrieval, upper frequency and lower frequency timbre, macrodynamics, and stages in a way that many will find engaging. It successfully captures many aspects of the LCD-2 prefazor sound signature but drifts toward the LCD-X’s sound signature in an area that is not so much to my liking; a little too much ~1KHz energy that leads to shoutiness and honkiness too often for me, but will not be an issue for many – or even most.
KNOW YOUR REVIEWER
So, yeah, it’s been a stretch since I put this section in a review. It’s here now because my sensitivity to the 1KHz range makes an appearance with this headphone. If you don’t remember what my sensitivity is here, expand the below section to learn more.
Expand For More Details on My Hearing Quirks
My preferred genres are rock/metal and classical/orchestral music. I’m getting to know jazz more and enjoying quite a bit. I also listen to some EDM and hip-hop. My hearing quirks include a high sensitivity to midrange frequencies from just under 1KHz to around 3Khz, give or take. My ears are thus quick to perceive “shoutiness” in headphones in particular. I describe “shoutiness” as an emphasis on the ‘ou’ sound of ‘shout.’ It’s a forwardness in the neighborhood of 1KHz and/or on the first one or two harmonics above it (when I make the sound ‘ooooowwwww’ into a spectrum analyzer the dominant frequency on the vowel sound is around 930Hz, which also means harmonic spikes occur again at around 1860Hz and 2790Hz). In the extreme, it can have the tonal effect of sounding like a vocalist is speaking or singing through a toilet paper tube or cupping their hands over their mouth. It can also give instruments like piano, but especially brass instruments, an added ‘honk’ to their sound. I also get distracted by sibilance, or sharp ‘s’ and ‘t’ sounds that can make ssssingers sssssound like their forssssssing esssss ssssssounds aggresssssssively. Sibilance does not physically hurt my ears nearly as quickly as shout, though. It’s distracting because it’s annoying and unnatural. Readers should keep these hearing quirks in mind as they read my descriptions of sound.
FEATURES & BUILD
The build of the LCD-24 can best be described as “Audeze LCD series done industrial style.” It’s very similar to the build of the LCD-X with a little bit more attention to detail as one would expect for the price. It has Audeze’s carbon fiber suspension headband and the big round, LCD series ear cups that appear to be machined aluminum. It’s a big, heavy headphone…it’s an Audeze LCD headphone. It has a min-XLR jack on each earcup for the cable entry. The clamp pressure is a bit high. I’m a glasses-wearer and it would pinch hard enough that sometimes I would turn my head, my glasses would come off my nose just a little bit, and the 24’s would just hold them there, suspended above my nose. The pads are soft though. I didn’t have any comfort issues, either due to weight or clamp, but this might be an issue for some. Overall, the build quality is excellent and seems appropriate for the premium price.
In a break from many TOTL-ish headphones, the LCD-24 is very easy to drive. It’s rated at 15Ω impedance with a 96dB/mW sensitivity. It really does not require much power to do a lot with it, and I was consistently setting volume knobs lower to get the same SPLs then I had to when I was driving other planar cans like the HekV2, DiPhi, or even LCD-2 prefazor.
SOUND
Test Gear – With a Caveat
I said some of this in the Introduction, but the 24 arrived in chronological proximity to a lot of new source gear, making this review take a bit longer as I had to figure out what was doing what. At any rate, I listened to the 24 on combinations of amps and DACs including, Schiit Bifrost 2, Soekris dac1321, Holo Audio Spring 2 Level 2, Monolith Liquid Platinum (with Amperex PQ Gold Pin 6922 tubes), Violectric HPA-V200, Headamp GS-X Mini, and Cayin HA-1AMK2. The caveat mentioned in the subheading is that the GS-X Mini is the only true ‘hi-end’ amp I had on hand to make the 24 go. Unfortunately, those who have experienced pairing tend to think it’s not the greatest match. I tend to agree, preferring the V200’s synergy with the 24. The V200 is a great amp, but is not quite on the same level as the GS-X Mini in some technical areas (I think, I’m still working on that, but odds are good this statement is true). It could be argued I wasn’t able to wring the most out of the 24. Keep that in mind as you read the rest of this review. But, also keep in mind – when the comparison with other headphones sections comes along – that similar statements could be made with the other headphones that I discuss there.
Signature
Audeze appears to have gone for a neutral-warm tuning here. To my ear they mostly nailed it…mostly. A recurring issue I had with this headphone was that it was too forward in the 1KHz range which led to shouty vocals and honky horns/strings/pianos and hollow drums a bit too often for my liking, especially at this price. I have not heard the LCD-4, so I can’t say if Audeze successfully brought in its technical abilities here, but I can say that much of what makes the LCD-2 prefazor’s signature appealing is here, though, even if some of the shoutiness I noticed on LCD-X (or even LCD-3 prefazor) creeps in.
Let’s start at the top and work our way down…the treble on this headphone is excellent. There is plenty of sparkle, air, and lots of detail without being aggressive or sharp. The timbre in this range is also outstanding. Cymbal hits sound amazing. There is a well-defined sound of a drumstick impacting a cymbal followed by some of the most natural cymbal tones I’ve heard out of a headphone to date. There is an amp-pickiness here, however. When I matched the 24 to a brighter amp (like the GS-X Mini) it could become sharp and sibilant at times. It certainly doesn’t have anything resembling ‘Beyer highs’ in this regard, but careful matching to an amp is important here because that treble can be magical when it’s not sharp.
Bass…ok I said work our way down, which means mids would be next, but I want to talk about more good stuff first. The LCD-24 has a bass response that is nearly horizontal on a FR graph all the way down to 20Hz. There is essentially no subbass roll off. The bass is also not elevated relative to the rest of the frequency range, but the overall sound comes across as warm and somewhat bassy because of the technical prowess in the low end here. The bass is very quick, tight, detailed, punchy, and has solid texture. If you like slam, it’s here – even tactile at times. If you like great pitch definition in the low end, it’s here. There’s even a fair amount of bass texture, too, which I’m learning is a very difficult thing to pull off well in headphones. Some of the qualitative aspects of bass guitar strings being plucked are resolved quite well. I’m a basshead, and for the most part the low-end on the LCD-24 leaves me quite satisfied. There is some music where I wish it had a touch more bass quantity, but those are the exception.
The mid-range…this is the hard one for me. There is an increase in the frequency response beginning somewhere around 800 or 900 Hz and reaching +3 db above the level of the 100Hz region at 1KHz. That is too much for my ears. I really struggled with shouty vocals and honky/hollow instruments with this headphone, even to the point where I would involuntarily cringe at certain moments. In my notes I have a couple of examples of this recorded. One is the track “Straws in the Wind” by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. The chorus lyrics begin with the phrase “Straws in the wind, is it all ending?” The vowel sounds in “straws” and “all” hit right in the shout range for me and became almost painful when I had the 24 running at about 75dB average. Similarly, at 1:45 on the track “Cocainium” by Baroness a synthesizer comes in and was straight painful in that 1KHz range. Unfortunately, it’s all over in my notes that this shouty/honky/hollowness came up A LOT and with a wide variety of music styles, vocalists, and instruments. And it’s really a shame. Equally present in my notes is that when material isn’t hitting in that range too much the midrange timbre and detail retrieval is similarly outstanding as the bass and treble on this headphone. When a bow is dragged across a violin string in a quiet passage of classical music, the resinous-ness (that ‘zizzy’ sound) is resolved beautifully. The clicking of saxophone keys can also be heard. It can be quite amazing. Many (most?) listeners will find this mid-range detail and timbre excellent and I’ll be right there nodding my head that it’s probably true for them. But for me, oof, it can all go out the window when the music puts some energy in that 1KHz range. It’s quite distracting and disappointing when it all collapses.
Resolution
I touched on some of this in the frequency response section – the ideas are connected. In the treble and bass the LCD-24’s ability to resolve subtleties is truly outstanding. The same is also true in the midrange…some of the time. It emerged from my listening that the LCD-24 has similar strengths and weaknesses to the ZMF Eikon. When the music isn’t particularly busy – and for the 24 this is almost exclusive to the midrange – the 24 can sound breathtaking. The individual sounds it can produce can be truly spectacular with amazing tonal balance, timbre, and resolution of details that make it sound almost stunningly natural at times. Like my comment with the Eikon, the 24 can be amazing for music that is best savored. Where its resolution chops fall off a bit in comparison with similarly-priced competition is when music gets busy. With big, loud, aggressive, or complex music – hard rock, metal, big classical symphonies, etc. – the 24’s ability to separate sounds from each other – both spatially and timbrally (did I make up that word?) – decreases. To my ear its soundstaging, layering, and ability to distinguish a voice from a guitar from a piano, etc. can suffer in these situations. To be fair, some of this could be that my own 1KHz sensitivity gets in the way and my ears are just overwhelmed, but I don’t think that’s all there is to it. Even with the volume down to 60dB average, some of the struggles to separate sounds from each other in a busy mid-range passage was not quite up to the level of the other hi-end cans I have on hand at the time of this writing. Two examples that come to mind are “The Poet and the Pendulum” by Nightwish and the 1812 Overture by Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops orchestra.
Spatial Performance
I found this aspect of the LCD-24 to also depend on what’s going on around 1KHz. When there isn’t too much going on there the spatial presentation can be very engaging. Imaging is very accurate with a very coherent lateral sense of space. The soundstage is also wide, but not overly wide. The depth of stage is where things get interesting. The LCD-24 doesn’t sound particularly deep, but it has a wrap-around effect to its soundstage. It consistently felt like it placed me in the band rather than putting the band on a stage in front of me. From a technical standpoint this effect is well done. It sounds very coherent with good layering to the depth, but it is at times unnatural. I don’t know of too many listening cases where the players/singers are all around me. However, some listeners will really like this effect, and I enjoy it too in the right circumstances. For chamber music it can feel like you’re in one of the seats in the bands half-circle seating arrangement, which is cool. But, I have to come back to that 1KHz range. When a lot happens there, to my ear the staging flattens again and puts a wall of sound just in front of my face.
What About EQ?
It’s a natural question as my issue with this headphone seems to be in a specific range. I tried the free Sonimus EQ VST 3.0 plugin that I used for the LCD-X to good results. I set the 1Khz region down about 3dB with a Q of 1. Here, the resolution of the LCD-24 appeared to be an issue as the mids got slightly grainy. Some of the shout disappeared, yes, but there was grain and distortion that was distracting. So, I pulled up Audeze’s Reveal+ EQ – I have the free version – and looked for the LCD-24 preset…but there is NOT one. Just about every other headphone and IEM in their lineup seems to be there, but not the 24. Is it too new? Do they think it doesn’t need one? It’s odd… Anyway, because my issues with the 24’s mids were similar to the LCD-X I tried the LCD-X preset with the Reveal+ EQ and queued up “Straws in the Wind” to check. It was better, but not cured. The “aw” sound in “straws” was still unnaturally forward. It didn’t get painful as it could without the EQ but was emphasized enough that timbre was adversely affected. It sounded like the vocalist had his hands cupped over his mouth. Additionally, I detected a sharper peak around 8KHz which added some extra sibilance that wasn’t there before. That sharpness likely is an artifact of the LCD-24 and LCD-X having slightly different frequency responses, but it happened nonetheless. I don’t know if the paid version of Reveal+ has an LCD-24 preset. I spoke to a Roon user and LCD-24 owner who says that Roon does not have an LCD-24 EQ preset either. The results with the LCD-X preset suggest that my issues with the 24’s 1KHz energy could be fairly well rectified. But, I don’t like messing with EQ and the ensuing system complexity that often results from it. I understand and respect that for some EQing a headphone is solving a puzzle. I prefer describing what I hear with words more…which you may or may not have noticed, lol.
SIGNAL CHAINS
My favorite combination of for the 24 that I have access to is the Spring 2 DAC feeding the Vio V200 amp. The Mini amp got more detail out of the 24, but also pushed it into shouty and sharp territory more often than the more relaxed and smoother V200. The Bifrost 2 feeding the Mini was almost as good. The Mini still pushed the 24 toward shouty and bright on occasion – but oh that detail can be stellar – and the Bifrost 2’s more relaxed sound reined that in some. The Bifrost 2 + MLP did a respectable job, but that’s not really a signal chain that would likely be driving most 24’s. Still, I definitely enjoyed that setup. The dac1321 + V200 was also very good. It had similar character as the Spring 2 + V200 but not quite as resolving or as precise in the imaging – close though.
COMPARISONS WITH OTHER HEADPHONES
Let’s stick with Audeze for a moment because this is the 4th Audeze LCD headphone I’ve had a chance to spend some quality time with. I own an LCD-2 prefazor (revision 1), reviewed the LCD-X, and had the LCD-3 prefazor on loan for awhile, too. It’s been awhile since I’ve listened to the LCD-X or the LCD-3, but I can say confidently there is an Audeze house sound in these LCD headphones. All four I’ve heard have similar timbral characteristics over the entire frequency range. They vary to the level in which each segment of the audible frequency range is presented relative to the other segments, but it’s apparent they are siblings. The LCD-24 has most of the signature of the LCD-2. It’s a tad brighter but has the warmth and overall relaxed presentation of the LCD-2. The LCD-2PF has the fantastic party trick of being rather detailed while still being relaxed, and the 24 does that to an even greater extent. It’s worth repeating that the LCD-24’s ability to extract subtle qualities from individual or small numbers of instruments and vocals playing at once is remarkable. The LCD-2 hints at that, the 24 delivers. The 24 is also quicker and punchier in the bass than the 2, but the 2 has slightly more rumble. The imaging and staging of the 24 also is much tighter, more accurate, and more coherent than the LCD-2. As I was writing this review I was listening to Bob Seger’s greatest hits. I took a break and listened to “Like A Rock” all the way through on the 24 and then on the 2. The 2 imaged reasonable well but the 24 definitely separated sonic images more clearly, creating a more coherent sonic image. The 24’s midrange presentation is closer to the LCD-X, though. The LCD-X is much more forward in the mids than the LCD-2PF. In fact, my chief complaint about the LCD-X was that it mids tended toward shout and honk. From memory, the shout/honk was a bigger problem on the LCD-X than the 24. At the same time, I’m more forgiving of that flaw (or any flaw) at $1200 than I am at $3500. Also, to be fair, the LCD-2 does not never shout or honk. Here, the double negative is intentional to illustrate it’s rare on the LCD-2 but does happen. The LCD-3 comes closer to the LCD-24 in technical abilities but still doesn’t catch it in its ability to resolve those subtleties of individual instruments. I also don’t remember the LCD-3’s bass being as quick or punchy or extended as the LCD-24’s, either. The soundstaging of the 24 is also unique among these LCD models in its ability to put the listener in the soundfield as opposed to being presented the soundfield. The 24’s wrap-around effect is unique where the other 3 models put the soundstage in front of the listener.
The HekV2 is a $3000 headphone and is the TOTL model in HiFiMan’s warmer-tuned line [different from HiFiMan’s TOTL model period – which is the Susvara – unless you count their electrostats, which I’m not]. The HekV2 and the LCD-24 are similar in that they both tend more toward warmth and being relaxed, and then most of the differences stop. The HekV2 throws out that absolutely enormous soundstage that those big egg-shaped HiFiMans are known for, and it throws it out in front of the listener. If the LCD-24 puts the listener on the maestro’s stool in a symphony performance, the HekV2 puts the listener in the 3rd row of the audience. The HekV2 has a slight V shape to its signature with the recess coming around 1KHz, which my ears are thankful for. I have yet to hear the HekV2 get shouty or honky, and I’ve put lots of hours on it lately. The HekV2 has a bit more treble energy than the 24 but maybe not quite as much tonal balance. I think the 24 fleshes out treble timbre a little better but it’s close. The HekV2 also has a subbass elevation below 50Hz. I’ve never heard or seen that before, but it’s there. That extra deep bass gives it more rumble and the extra quantity at times masks some of the bass detail and texture. The bass detail and texture are still there on HekV2, but I think they’re easier to pick out on the 24. The key difference between the two headphones though is how the handle aggressive and/or complex music. There’s a flip-flop here. The 24 is slightly more resolving with slightly better timbre when there are a small number of voices/instruments played softly (again, savor), but when things get busy it flips. The HekV2 actually is significantly better at holding together its timbre, separation, resolution, and staging when things get complex or chaotic. With “The Poet and the Pendulum” or “1812 Overture” the HekV2 just yawns and asks what’s next. But play a soft track from a string quartet and it’s 24 over HekV2 comfortably.
I’ve had less time with the Diana Phi so this comparison is initial and more subject to change than the HekV2 comparison. The DiPhi is a detail monster that takes the 24’s excellent detail retrieval, ups it, and holds it together when things get busy. It also has a more mid-forward signature and more aggressive low end (depending on pad positioning – I’ll explain this more in my eventual review). The DiPhi doesn’t get shouty as often to me as the 24 does (not never, but much less frequent) because it’s entire midrange comes across as elevated rather than a ramp up to a +3dB relative level like the 24, maintaining better tonal balance through the region. However, there is no relaxing with the DiPhi. It is relentlessly and aggressively firing every last detail down the ear canals all the time. That can be its own magical experience at times, but means it has a fundamentally different approach to headphonery than either 24 or HekV2.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Overall, I want to like the LCD-24. I recognize that it is really, really good. But that 1KHz range is a fatal flaw for me. I know several listeners who swear by the 24 and I get it. It does some truly amazing things. If the 1KHz energy isn’t a problem then it definitely warrants an audition for those on the hunt for a headphone in this class. My understanding is that warmer tunings are not very common in the range of $3K+ headphones, and these TOTL-ish cans are usually hard to drive. So, the LCD-24 certainly has its place in the market, being both easy to drive and having a warmer signature. I love its treble and bass timbre. I love its bass slam and texture. I love how it makes individual instruments sound in musical passages where individual instruments are the focus. But oof, that 1KHz region is a dealbreaker for me, especially at $3500. And 1Khz is a really important region in most music.
OK, thanks again for reading everyone. Enjoy the music! 
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Dude!! You seriously need your own channel !! This was a very informative review. Well thought out, Well broken into each area and addressing each part extremely well IMHO. I very much enjoy your reviews and I learn much from them. Please keep them coming !!
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so little out there on this headphone (and the LCD3!). Thanks for taking the time
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I can’t wait for that LCD-24 to come home. That review makes this headphone perfect for what I am looking for.
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The "know your reviewer section wasn’t something I have seen before. I love the idea of that. 100% going to start including that in my impression posts
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Thanks. I had included it all the time for awhile and then just didn’t. It gets repetitive, IMO, but you’re right that new readers come along all the time. I will think on how best to handle this moving forward…
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does this forum have the “spoiler” function so you can collapse parts of the reviews? Might be helpful for you if we have this feature
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Can you say more about this? The Know Your Reviewer section here has to be expanded to be read. Is that what you mean?
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Honestly, just having it as a dead copied section posted in a spoiler seems like a great good way to go about it as far as I’m concerned
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Excellent review. I’ve learned more about the LCD-24 in one spot than all of my hours of dredging through forum posts around the webs. Also neat, was that apart from the LCD-2PF (I already own one), all three “TOTL” phones are on my short list, the HEKv2 holding top seed at the moment. This information will be particularly helpful with my quest.
Thank you!
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I only read a little bit i liken the construction and look of the new Audeze to say a Finn army surplus. It looks like it could of been stamped for mass production but it will last forevwe
How are the lcd2pf when music gets busy any noticable comparison to the 24 in that respect?
And for you is busy like realy heavy thrash metal or does 2000s rock like queens of the stone age, apc, tool, nin, etc also fall into those realms? I also know those bands span the spectrum a bit.
I would be interested if sacrificing some of the 24s technicalities, and hunting out a 2pf or 3pf may be worth it in these cases.
Fair questions…I would define “busy” as having a lot going on in the mids. Louder sections of symphonic works often meet this. I mean, there can be a couple dozen instruments all overlapping around 1KHz in several cases. And yes, lots of guitars, keys, and drums hitting in that range all at once with aggression would also qualify as ‘busy’, IMO. The other issue can just be sheer volume/intensity in the mids regardless of genre or instrument.
IMO LCD2PF is one of the better cans in its price class for hard rock/metal in general. Because of the mids issue, I personally would reach for my 2PF over the 24 if I owned them both.
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Interesting, and to your memory the lcd3pf regains some of the technicalities over the 2 but is a different overall sound to both 2 and 24?
I have a 24 but havent had much time with it (read sub 1 hour) and i dont have a pf to compare. But i do remember when the 2 was king.
These days i trend more towards the more spacious music ( https://youtu.be/Y1fAqdMn35g > Ella Vos - White Noise) and that seems to be down the 24s alley. But i cannot give up the old standards of prog rock and some hip hop (apc, blind melon, any 90s NY rapper) and it seems the 2pf or maybe 3pf is more for that. I was hoping the 24 can be both but it seems like there may be limitations and a 2pf can warrant itself a spot. Something i was trying to avoid as i usually grab a can and stick with it and dont switch often or want overlapping sounds.
I dont believe i am sensitive to the 1k range issues as my EQs have that boosted normally. I do however seem to not like 200-300hz as it feels like a pressure on my ears. As i dig more maybe ill see if this is a frequency disagreement youre hearing or more of congestion resolving that space.
Thank you for the review and hopefully soon i can add some more of my own thoughts. Though i dont have as much a breadth of equipment or experience.
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That was then and this is now. I purchased a HEKv2 within 2 weeks of that post and it is with me still.
But, Reading a review and hearing for yourself is not the same (OK captain obvious)…
I’m quite fortunate to have an LCD-24 on loan and man oh man, I have been really - I mean really, enjoying the LCD-24. The presentation is something else. The stage is wide but its as if it is curved, I feel as if I am sitting in an amphitheater, or the conductor with the orchestra around me in a semicircle. Vocals and instruments are all around me, near and far and all so distinct. Where the hekv2 is wider and I feel more like in the front couple rows of a more traditional stage with a wall of sounds coming at me, and that wrap around though there, is with less emphasis.
There’s something magic happening in the mids (lower mid and high) that is allowing more detail forward and also it is just sweet sounding, full and rich. I really should be looking up m0n’s definitions and using the right terminology but,you just get my raw passion for the moment. I don’t hear any honk or harshness but my ears have been around a while and may just be numb. To that, I do wish there was a little more happening in lower treble or up higher maybe. Cymbals especially crashes don’t have the sustain and shimmer (right word?) as say I get from the Fostex 909s or Hekv2 and it leaves me wanting for more. Again, I do have me some old ears, so…
The bass speed articulation impact/slam is outstanding I think, and can give those Fostex a run - plus the tonal definition & texture is there. Timbre in all FR’s (except where noted in the trebles) is exceptional. The LCD-24 is making quite the impression with me, on my setup.
This is not a review - just I had to get some things off my chest as I am super excited listening to them at the moment, and I went to tell my wife how good these things sound she just looked at me - Oh, OK that’s nice happy for you I guess… Hey - did you break down the cardboard for the recycling…
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I very much agree with your comparison of the stage of lcd24 and hekv2
The words that came to mind for me was that the hekv2 is like a wall in front of me and the lcd24 is like a sphere around me, specifically the imaging and the shape of the images to the side and behind were uniquely something I had not heard before. Overall, I found the staging to be more interesting of an experience than the hekv2.
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Well stated! Audeze pretty consistently does that wraparound staging. I’ve heard it on all of the LCD models I’ve heard so far…which is now the 2PF, 3PF, X, 24, and R…so I think it’s a trend. Focal is the only other major headphone maker I’ve heard do similar in the staging. It’s an interesting effect that I like for things like string quartets/quintets or acapella singing, or other intimate-type music, because it really draws you in. It’s neither good nor bad for most rock and metal, IMO. It does get a bit different with larger scale classical music as it does feel like you’re in it, which is usually not how we listen to such music. I’m glad you got the chance to hear the 24, though! There are still some things it does really well that I have yet to hear better (treble timbre, stunning).
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It really is an interesting presentation for sure. Also glad you are enjoying yours @Delta9K it’s a sweet headphone
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I got one off Moon Audio brand new for five hundred dollars off. This headphone is something else. I have never been more surprised. I am very happy to have the LCD-24.
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