Lol, make sure you have a strong neck and are fine with something weighty
1 Like
Yeah, that’s no exaggeration. I don’t know if an Audeze could be my only headphone.
If you get used to it, it’s not that bad. But initially it can feel like alot
I own the LCD 2 Classic and I thoroughly enjoy them. I will say they did take some getting used to though. I did a lot of reading before I bought them and I knew that they were going to sound dark but, wow. They are like really dark, to my ears anyway.
Yes I tired a few different ones at RMAF this year. I’m a big guy so they didn’t seem bad, but I didn’t wear them that long. I also couldn’t really organize my thoughts on sound in that environment.
I’m worried they will be too dark lol. I’m really considering the LCD X, but then the same exact money is Focal Clear and the decision gets tough all over again.
Some Focal car stuff I’ve heard is very metallic and harsh so I’m biased against them, but I really like to prove myself wrong. However if I bought them and they were the least bit sharp or metallic I’d hate it.
As much as I love the Focal Clear and Elex, I think I would recommend the LCD2c or LCDX for you. What I hear as clean and detailed on the Clears may be exactly what you are trying to avoid. You may need to play around with EQ to get the Audeze’s the way you like them, and probably more with the 2c than the X. Without putting words in anyone’s mouth, it seems to me that the consensus from reviewers whose opinion I tend to trust is that the X is Audeze’s best all around headphone. It doesn’t have the slam of the 2c, and maybe not the crazy detail of the 4, but falls somewhere in the middle and is a great headphone for almost all types of music. The 2c’s always seem to make the list for best planar under $1k, but someone like Metal571 doesn’t appear to like them much at all. At least compared to the rest of Audeze’s line. Zeos only seems to like the 2c and the X. Jonathan Park from Resolve Reviews seems to like most Audeze’s from what I’ve seen, but not without reservation and a lot of criticism of the weight. Almost everyone seems to prefer the X to the 2s, 3s, and 4s, so the debate is between the 2c and the X and usually it’s decided by price point. Reviewers seem to be a lot more critical of headphones once they cross the $1k price point, and I’d say that’s fair.
If you’re still thinking about the Focals, the Clears were on sale around the same time last year. The Elex are very close to what the Clears do, and sell for $700 as long as Drop has them in stock. I think you should try to listen to them first, where I think the Audezes will be less of a shock for you coming from the headphones you currently own. Aside from the weight, which you have already witnessed. You could always buy the Clears from headphones.com while they still are on sale though. They have a 365 day return policy, although you may want to verify that applies to sale items (pretty sure it does, but it wouldn’t for an open box). If you get them for $1k, listen for a few months and decide they aren’t for you, you can return them towards the Audeze you end up deciding on. I don’t think they carry the 2c however.
1 Like
Thank you, good advice.
Well I have to quit agonizing over this, so I have decided on the LCD X. I have wanted them ever since I first saw Z’s review of them a few years ago, and now at a more approachable price point, I have to give them a shot.
Hopefully I’ll get the chance to try the Clear’s at some point and see what I may be “missing”, but either way I think I’ll survive lol.
1 Like
Personally I would say that would be the LCD2.2 or the MX4, but that’s me
That’s a pretty strong statement. I would agree that a decent amount prefer the x to the 3, but for the 2 and the 4 I would say it comes down to preference imo.
The elex might be the better option imo because of their kind of W sound compared to the clears, that make them more pleasurable sounding to a fair bit of people.
I realize I was making generalizations, but said that I also didn’t want to speak for anyone else. When I was looking at Audeze’s the youtube and online reviews I read seemed to favor the X and the 2c’s, and I ignored that and went with the XC’s to my regret. I hadn’t watched Zeos’ review of the X until gregrob linked it, and it’s funny to see how much less cluttered his room was at the time.
from what I’ve read, the new LCD-24’s should unseat everything in Audeze’s high end.
Metal571 had them and it sounded like he hated them. Pretty sure he said he wasn’t even going to bother with the review. Head-fi forums made it sound like they were light on bass, but I haven’t seen any real reviews anywhere yet
I’ve heard that they are an lcd 4 tuned like a 2, so IDK
check out the InnerFi review.