At the very least, Iâd suggest trying to audition them if possible. I donât 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.
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I prefer a warmer and wider sound, lcd2c here and Aeolus, thinking Eikon next. Have been weighing X vs it.
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I personally prefer the LCD-2 pre fazor, or even the LCD-2 fazor over the LCD-2C (Iâve owned all 3).
The LCD-2C has good bass, but it has a peak in the mids from 1 to 2 KHz that gives off a shouty tinny sound, which sounds even worse due to the overly recessed treble.
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You and I arenât going to agree on their signature, but I donât find them bright. And Andrew often talks about his preference for bright-side of neutral sound signatures and talks about needing to boost the Xâs to get the details he wants. The Elegias seem to fit better the description you keep giving. I would agree with that, and I dig the Elegias quite a bit. Maybe you had a bad pair of Xâs? Iâve never heard them described as âbrightâ at all, and Iâve never heard them lacking bass. Iâm a bass-head too,and fiddled with EQing and in the end can take it or leave it. Anyway, Iâm getting into the defending my preference territory.
Sankar was talking about how notoriously hard it is to measure. He was talking to both Metal and Andrew about it.
Yah i swapped for Dekoniâs fenestrated pads which help, but sacrifice some of the lows, maybe LCD2 might be more up my alley.
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That doesnât change the fact that 95% of the measurements are showing something similar. Plus, they still show a proportionately unbalanced lineâŠreciprocation is a real thing.
I saw the same interview and Iâd also point you to the fact that Tyler shared the same impressions on the LCD-x that I did.
Itâs good that you enjoy the LCD-x, that is what the hobby is all aboutâŠwhatever sounds best to you. Your comments though are not going to change the fact that they are neutralish bright, nor will they change my opinion. So just who are you trying to convince? If you like them, great⊠but there is no added value to arguing with somebody on a forum though.
Lol, so why are you still talking?
I think so, definitely sounds like you would enjoy them.
I prefer the pre fazor LCD-2, then the fazored, and lastly the LCD-2C in that order. None of them are bad headphones, it just depends on preference.
If you are planning on buying used, just be sure you know what to look for in the version you are wishing to purchase (i.e. pre fazor LCD-2 serial numbers starts with a 53XXXX or lower, fazored 54XXXX or higher).
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Tyllâs opinion: Audeze LCD-X - With significantly improved efficiency that allows it to be easily driven from most headphone jacks, the LCD-X becomes a more versatile headphone than its predecessors. Improvements in time domain accuracy with the Fazor has improved imaging and high-frequency resolution, narrowing the gap with the current king of articulation: the HD 800. But its warmer, smoother tone is much more natural then the HD800 making it easier listening, and less finicky with up-stream gear. For pros, the LCD-X will be better for listening to the mix overall and applications when the music is the important bit; the HD 800 will perform better in applications where being able to hear the minutest detail is important. For enthusiasts, the LCD-X will likely be preferred by younger folks who will likely have less expensive upstream gear and listen to more contemporary music where bass slam and punchy dynamics are highly regarded.
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Warmer and smoother than the hd800 isnât really an accomplishment considering how far on the bright end of the spectrum that can is supposed to be lol.
If the hd800 is your version of neutral then thatâs fine 0_o.
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Lol, fair enough. Hereâs Tyll: Above is a compensated frequency response plot for all three current models with Fazors. Of note are the differences in low bassâand I 'm a little skeptical of the measurements accuracy here; pad material differences between the three models interacting with the artificial materials of my measurement head may be at play. My guess is they perform more similarly on real heads with acoustic leaks due to hair and such. None the less, the LCD-X did seem the punchiest of the bunch in the lows.
Another area of note is the differences between 800Hz and 2kHz. I do hear the LCD-2 as being a bit harder and grittier, and the LCD-X as being a bit smoother in this presence region that tends to emphasize consonant sounds.
Lastly, in the treble region above 3kHz, the LCD-2 has a distinct dip at 5kHz and a peak at 10Khz while the LCD-3 and LCD-X have a lot more up-and-down motion. These rapid peaks and valleys seem to me more likely to originate in various resonances in the ear-cup and my guess is that the actual energy emitted from the headphones is quite a bit flatter. My point is that while these two seem more hurky-jerky in this area, they may actually be flatter than the larger excursions of the LCD-2. Lotta guessing going on here, though.
In listening I heard the LCD-3 as the smoothest; the LCD-2 as slightly grainy; and the LCD-X asâŠwell, more neutral soundingâŠhaving less âcharacterâ than the other two.
And there Tyll is talking about the measurement rig
So a couple of thingsâŠ
- Tyll admitted that his ears really went long ago (reference his farewell posts / explanations). Even though I love him, the treble sensivity might not have been super strong with him all the time.
- Tyll heavily preferred neutral and mid forward headphones (my tastes and his align on pretty much every review, which is rare for me). Misquoting tyllâs reviews of the hd800 vs the lcdx is not really a piece of valid evidence lol.
- The LCD X is notoriously a brighter than neutral headphone. I understand you might not hear it that way, but if the vast majority of reviews and frâs call it bright, Imma side with those. Yes older LCDs tended to be warmer afaik,but it doesnât mean their high end stuff is super warm either.
- If your neutral is the LCD X, fine. However, objectively speaking the LCD X is a brighter than neutral headphone, even if it has a couple of points that would indicate otherwise. Measurements and reviews consistently corroborate this. Your ears are your ears, and if you like brighter headphones then all power to you, just donât get into an argument about brightness levels if you donât understand where your tastes lie in relation to the ânormâ (<- norm is subjective and hard to identify. Try to figure out where your tastes lie and normalize before you get into an argument over interpretations) (for instance I am very not treble sensitive, but still highly prefer mid forward and neutral headphones. I highly prefer a slight bass emphasis to a slight treble emphasis. With that knowledge in hand I can relate what Iâve experienced to someone who has a different sensitivity or preference. What I hear might not be the same as what someone else hears. Who wouldâve thought lol).
Not being a dick, just kinda not understanding why youâre trying to force your point here.
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Which reviewers? Metal? Nope, in his review and comparison of te LCD-X and 2C he said neither can was bright. Tyll didnât say bright. That review was 6 years ago, so argue 2016 driver revisions if you want. Josh didnât call them bright, Andrew said they were âmuddyâ and he brought out the resolution. Z sure didnât call them bright. So do tell me who has called them bright? I dislike bright, and my Elegias push it close. But do pile on
all I have to say is self awareness. Know your own preferences, the commonly accepted norm, and the preferences of those you attempt to argue with. The LCD X is objectively, measurement-wise, a brighter than normal headphone. Subjectively you do you, but also understand that other people hear differently than you and you hear differently than everyone else.
Metal like bright headphones.
Zeos has a borked ear.
Josh likes bright headphones.
Resolve is a neutral monster.
Tyll likes neutral headphones, but as I said, he is less treble sensitive than the younger population (in GENERAL).
Elegias are not bright lol. They are neutral and lively. But thatâs my ear. If you hear it as bright thatâs fine. The elegias are neutral and slightly mid forward. It might be your source / amp chain and the music you listen to that might make it sound bright.
Again, everything in this hobby is subjective. Arguing that your point of view is the end all be all is fruitless.
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You seem to have a lot of opinions on other peopleâs ears, including mine. Thanks for clarifying all of that. Metal EQâs bass up like crazy, and I canât speak for the others, but Andrewâs preferences seem bright to me. I guess I know myself, and that I am clearly not arguing, or being sarcastic.
Edit to ask, why is there such finality and officiousness to your opinions if you argue for subjectivity? Seems like youâre tripping yourself up in your own smugness
Sure.
If only you took a while to really analyze or understand your views so you could relate to the reviewers ears.
Metal might eq up bass, doesnât mean he doesnât like bright cans lol. You can listen to bright V shaped cans. Itâs not like eq-ing up the bass eliminates how bright they sound. He likes bright V shaped cans. Not a crime and not evidence that heâs a neutral maniac lol.
Andrewâs preferences are pretty decidedly neutral based on the cans he likes and his opinions in most of his reviews. He takes the opposite approach to neutral of me. Iâd rather a slight bass emphasis, heâd rather a slight treble emphasis. If you donât actually put any thought into it, you can definitely get the impression he likes bright cans. With me you could easily get the impression I like warm cans. Neither is the case, obviously. Regardless, I have spent a lot of time trying to relate my preferences to each reviewer (and fellow forum goers) to figure out my tastes. I highly recommend you do the same.
I donât have any opinions on your ears. Iâm just responding to your kinda inane assertions that lcd x are neutral âfor everyoneâ. That is dead wrong.
Sidenote, how often have you talked to resolve or metal? How much time have you spent trying to solely figure out what your personal biases are? Do you think youâre objectively neutral?
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