Audeze - LCD2 Classic

LCD2C build is very premium and though a touch heavy feels comfortable due to headband design, balance and plush pads.
Sound is the most musical and fun I ve heard in any headphone. Warm, rich and thick tonality engulfs you. Bass is deep and extended, mids are lush and focused, treble is smooth. I get the feeling I m among the performers listening to these headphones; soundstage is 3D but not very wide. Imaging and separation are top notch. The drivers are lightning quick; bass noted & drum hits are resolved and clear no matter how fast. An audeze is a must have in any audiophile arsenal; LCD2C is a solid choice.

I am a guitarist past my 40s. HD650 has been my primary headphones for a very long time, though I also have Hifiman HE400 and Grado SR80e. Btw, SR80e is a fantastic HP for low volume listening. I also have ELAC reference speakers which I use for mixing and mastering. So the time came to upgrade the 650s. So, took a chance and bought the LCD2C from the good folks at HPZ. People say there is no reason to upgrade HD650 and it is an end game headphone. There is some truth in it, HD650 fed by a decent amp is certainly an end game experience. But if you doubt whether it is really an end game headphone, buy these LCD2Cs and be rest assured that you have a real end game headphone. LCD2C is the worthy upgrade to HD650 across all frequencies and all genres. Comfort wise may not be, because LCD2C is heavier. But fit, clamping, earpads, headband etc. are very very good on LCD2C. I don't find any weight issues even after continuous listening for 2 to 3 hours. Use the Audeze Reveal plugin, and you will get nothing short of audio bliss. Thank you Headphone Zone for the LCD2C!

The Audeze LCD2 Classic sounds like a calibrated home theatre with true subwoofer-like bass. I use these with the Audeze Reveal plugin and loudness correction in Equalizer APO. The Reveal plugin changes the response of the headphones to reference, while the loudness correction mains reference bass levels at lower volume.

I am not sure what I was expecting when I got this pair. It looked exactly similar to the LCD X and some other LCDs. Build quality, is perhaps the best ever, excepting the really high cost headphones. The sound quality i good at all three levels with a slightly deeper bass, and a good soundstage. The trouble with me is that with these audiophile headphones I am constantly searching for sound evaluation and totally ignoring the music. Attach these to a DAC/AMP there is some difference but not a huge deal on a Mac Laptop. Mac as we know has some very high grade sound cards so a DAC / AMP need to be really extreme to noticeably change the music quality when placed between a Mac and a very good pair of headphones.

So it everything is so good and every spec upto expectation, why am I not whooping with joy and remaining somewhat unenthusiastic? Well, when one has a large collection of good cans and DACs/APMs, and one appreciates and recognises the aspects of sound tech (not a hyper expert but an advanced purveyor) one realises that there are differences between each pair of headphones, but not so much as to change enjoyment of good music of any genre. The Audeze LCD 2 Classic falls right there.

It's awesome to look at (and enormous too); it has a great build quality that is distinctly Audeze; it has a good base, a great mids, and discernibly distinguished highs and the three zones merge imperceptibly and seamlessly; a very open soundstage and a rare clarity. What it does not have is the WOW! factor. It is one more set of headphones in the 40000 to 55000 range. If you have one there is no need to buy this one (Unless what you have is Beyerdynamic, in which case this is a must buy). On the other hand if you are moving into this range stop looking elsewhere. Buy these. Compared with sub-35000 headphones, this has a great Wow! factor. It is necessary to have an external DAC (but not a hugely expensive one) to pull music out of smartphones or PCs with average sound ...

It started isine 10s which was a toe-dip for me in planar magnetic open back headphones. I was very happy with isines and I had pretty much made up my mind that next set of cans would be LCD2Cs. That moment came about 1.5 weeks back and I ended up ordering them. HPZ were quick to deliver these at amazonesque speeds.

In order to get a feel of tonality I tried them first up with my LG V30+ phone. I wasn't expecting a wallop that these cans are known for.....what would a humble phone, even V30+ could do to drive these beasts huh? To my pleasant surprise the sound was YUUGGE. It is as if V30+ found its resonant partner. This was a great news for me as I could use just my phone in situations where I cannot pull my main headfi setup. After that, with my Macbook Air, Audirvana Plus chained to DF Red, Mojo and CA DacMagic Plus... it was fun. Jazz, heavy metal, electronic, classical, Bollywood...you name it....it is thoroughly enjoyable. Sheer scale of its presentation will knock your socks off. Comfort is excellent, despite these being the biggest and heaviest cans in my arsenal.

Very Very heavy headphone but sounds amazing.