I think the biggest factors of mixed reception of the LCD-X are the perception/expectation of Audezeās house sound, and the unfortunate driver variance that seems to plague the X.
Itās a pretty Harman neutral (2013 target) headphone, which means is slightly brighter than most Audezeās, and itās not as warm either.
I feel lucky as though I may have a āunicornā pair that fall into that description. Thereās some unevenness in the highs, and the mids are slightly recessed, but overall I really enjoy them.
A lot of people have received pairs with less neutrality. I know @Hazi59 really disliked his because they had terrible bass roll off. Mine donāt have that issue, the bass is present and extends low.
Theyāre not perfect, but I enjoy mine. For reference my other headphones are the Koss Porta Pros, Focal Clear, and a fully modded Lawton (TH-610).
The LCDX are the most versatile headphones I own and sound great across most genres, sources, and amp/Dac combos. Iām a big fan of Audeze house sound but others may hate it.
My LCD3s are more revolving and better for live music blue grass acoustic or instrumentals. I listen to the Xs for almost everything else. I have the hp3 but yet to fine something I like with them better and my AKGs are entry level.
I love my LCD X and they are my personal gold standard for what Iām looking for. I enjoy the base and brightness of the headphones. I thought the details were amazing (FYI, they are VERY resolving) but it wasnāt until I got my Abyss Diana Phiās that showed me differently. Now, the LCD X are wonderful and I constantly reach for them just for a change of pace, but they are a bit more picky with amps in terms of tone but not for power.
With that said, LCD X is my favorite easy to drive planar Iāve been exposed. I can say do your homework with the Focal Clears in this price bracket and same with Hifiman Arya. All 3 are exceptional for different reasons and really comes down to a matter of personal preference.
I love mine! I donāt feel the need to EQ them either as some have suggested. I tried the Reveal plug-in with Roon, and I ended up preferring them stock. I agree with what others have said, that it just does everything well.
The clears and arya are priced outside what i want to spend with the lcd-x still offering the creators package (unless the creators is some sort of trap). I think what i fear the most is receiving a sub par pair. I dont have anything in that range or another X to compare it to.
I also dont mind it not having the full audeze house sound. Ive longed after an audeze for the past 10+ years since seeing the rosewood lcd-2, which at the time seemed to blow everything away. But i want it to fit my style which the lcd-x hints at more than other models.
It also kind of sucks with covid that you cant go to a meet or shop to put your ears on anything. But thankfully here and other audio spots have good info and individuals with hands on experience
Yup. Iād describe them as a neutral, neutral-bright with a nice little mid-bass bump. Very pleasing headphone thatās very revealing of source material. Iād say maybe just a touch more detail than the LCD-X. The FR is much smoother than the LCD-X, but I enjoy both.
The LCD-X have a sweet presentation because of the massive 106mm transducer. They just have a nice ābigā sound. Driver variances are a reality so itās a bit of a crap shoot.
The only real negative I have regarding the Clear is that the sound can be āsmallishā at times. I believe that this is due to the small 40mm driver. Other than that, theyāre an excellent headphone. Theyāre my HD650/6XX, meaning that I use them to analyze amps/DACs, and recordings. That how much I think of them.
Just to be clear, all LCD-x have bass roll off as none of them extend to 10 hz all the way. Most have a roll off starting at 35 or 40 Hz. I found this aggravating, but mainly because they have extended and boosted treble that overwhelms the bass. If one is not bothered by bass roll off, these would be just fine. Personally, I find the Clears to be more engaging as they have better bass, way better mids and smoother treble in the air frequencies above 10 KHz. I also feel that a planar driverās strength should be bass extension, so when a planar driver has bass roll off, there is no pointā¦might as well buy a dynamic driver headphone. Just my own personal preferences.
The last thing I could say about mine would be that they are bright and roll off in the bass. Iāve heard people complain when they donāt have a good seal, like if the personās wearing glasses, etc.
You really should not use the LCD-X without an EQ, or Audeze own Reveal Plugin EQ profile. The stock sound signature is wonky. The lack of upper midrange/lower treble causes them to not sound very detalied. They take heavy EQ adjustments without breaking a sweat.
I saw that posted today but am yet to watch. I have used EQ on most of my audio equipment but its to get a sound i preffered, not to hit a harmon curve sound.
I tend to boost bass and high mids to treble. With no boost or a dip at 200-500. Those mid bass frequencies always tended to put a weird pressure on my ears. With more and more time my eqās have become less radical and much flatter.
At the very least, Iād suggest trying to audition them if possible. I donāt mind neutral brightish sound if the bass has full extension at a minimum. But, bright and bass roll off is a combo that is a dealbreaker for me.
