Audeze headphone thread, LCD 2 / 3 / X / 4 / 5 / 24

If I may ask, what is that you dislike about the Lcd x/xc? Why do most people (i know) prefer the LCD2pf over the LCD X, a popular reviewer from mexico said that the LCD X was his least favorite (he tested LCD2, LCD2f, LCD 3 and LCD 4

I have a chance to test both the X and XC, and because theyre my friend hes going to give me a discount. I know I like the X but its currenttl impossible for me to demo the LCD2pf

My burson funk provides around 1.1watt class A @70ohm, but im planning to upgrade to either soloist, pro ican og, LTA mz2 or violectric 280 (in that order)

1 Like

It’s hard to exactly say since they go for a fairly different sound (with the x aiming for a more forward studio neutral signature, at least with the older ones, and the 2pf is a more relaxed and warmer signature overall) so it’s not the most direct comparison.

It’s hard to pin down the LCD x (at least the older ones) because they were fairly inconsistent and did change in signature between units enough to not be able to fully say, but generally my qualms with the x are that it’s less organic overall, worse bass response with less extension and impact and more uneven sounding (slightly better control but not enough to save it for me), spatially it was somewhat unimpressive, decent depth but not great width and didn’t really have a good sense of scale. Timbre was off, and dynamically it felt a bit lacking when it came to macro vs the 2pf (but better micro). It does have better treble extension although less smooth, it does have more resolving power, it does have better speed and separation, but I think the real reason I’m not that big of a fan of it is because it lacks the liquidity the 2pf had, and that’s really what made it special imo

This isn’t to say I don’t like the LCD x, and with the right pairing I think it’s pretty enjoyable, but for most casual listening I do, I’d probably rather just have the 2pf

8 Likes

The 2pf and the X line are very different from each other. I would also say the 2pf is pretty mehhhhhhh on an rnhp, just very dark thick and condensed.

The X usually gets some flak with its odd FR but if you have an EQ you can fix that easy. PEACE APO was easy to set up on my pc and i used some recommended settings and that part is very much fixed.

I have not tried the XC but their FR is a bit more towards a normal curve.

4 Likes

Yes not recommended there lol

Or the reveal plugin did a decent job

2 Likes

@M0N I am curious if you tried it with an EQ. For me it fixed a few of those problems, ie the bass. And although it helped other parts it still doesnt 100% correct everything.

Without it I would admit the headphone, at least pre 2021 revision is a pass.

2 Likes

Only the reveal plugin really, and that did help correct tonality issues, but then caused some time domain issues in exchange

4 Likes

Just to clarify, So the 2.2pf is punchier and has better bass extension (this is what I look for, as well as forward vocals)

I love liquidity, thats why I think the RNHP works wonders with the pre2021 lcd x, its a very creamy amp

Also I tried several EQ profiles with the LCD X but I very much preferred the stock tuning


Thanks for your replies ill consider the prefazor over the LCD X, but maybe the XC will surprise me when I test it, arrives this week

Thanks a lot

@mochi would you please do a very small comparision between the hfm arya and the LCD 2pf, its ok if its from memory just to get a better idea

2 Likes

Yes I think so, although the x will have more forward vocals iirc

It’s a really good match

2 Likes

I dont think so, Lcd2c’s vocals are quite more forward than X’s. I assume it should be the same for pf.

1 Like

Hmmm if it were male vocals I could see that, but if it were female vocals I do think the X did better in memory. Although I don’t really give a shit about vocals myself so take whatever I say about them with a grain of salt lol

3 Likes

So for me these are pretty different headphones I think the Arya V2 is gonna outclass the 2PF in terms of overall technical performance pretty easily, having said that they do have pretty different sonic goal.

The Arya is generally a bit more forward and especially mid range to upper mid range is gonna be a bit more intimate, overall neutral to slightly bright, clean and linear bass with good bass extension. 2PF is relaxed, laid back, warmer and more coloured and the bass is gonna be punchier, mid-range wise I think Arya has better timbre and resolution but slightly drier whereas 2PF is a bit more liquid l. Stage wise 2PF is wide but Arya has got more height and depth and more accurate placements. In terms of voicing I think Arya can be both more intense with more body but also is presented in a more effortless way or in a sense a bit more speaker like whereas 2PF sounds more like a traditional headphone . Macro dynamics I think they are similar (shows how good the 2PF is) but Arya has better micro dynamics. I personally don’t think they are exactly comparable tbh, the differences described don’t exactly reveal how they respectively sound

5 Likes

Thank you very much

Then your description of the 2pf validates even more what m0n wrote

2 Likes

With my 2.2pf i feel like there is good presentation of verticality to be honest. At times there are things presented so down low that it actually feels like i am on a grated floor and the sounds are coming out from underneath my feet.

1 Like

As much as you are joking, my LCD-Rs are my most comfortable can surpassing even susvara and hd800S (when I still had them). The soft ass pads realy just distribute the weight in such a way I completely forget they are there

1 Like

I agree with M0N here. They aren’t realy going for the same thing. While my short while with 2r2s did have me enjoying them more than any of my LCD-X revisions (notably have genuinely only 2 songs on 2021 revision though) I could see the prefrencing going either way

2 Likes

For me the preference is pretty straight forward. While the X was faster and had shaper transients the tuning of the 2r2 I tried (with the brown suede pads) had vocals i found more fun and i listen to a ton of male vocals. Realy just as simple as that

1 Like

There are a lot of X revisions as well. At one point I had 3 or 4 (can’t remember if I sold my 2018 before or after I got my super early revision) concurrently of different generations that sounded distinctly different enough I would actualy swap depending on what I was listening to/what amp I was using. They were obviously going for the same general presentation over all but the treble bite and area of the mids they did well (none of them did mids well across the board though) changed a fair bit

2 Likes

Yeah i think they jad a bit of variance and a few stealth revisions. @sa11297 even had a prototype non fazor X.

They can be mostly grouped into the following for very general use:

Pre 2018: seemingly big variance
Post 2018: variance was nailed down much more, grill change around then as well
2021 rev: magnet and pad change

There was also a silent revision in 2019-2020 where they unofficially changed the pads before the 2021 announcement.

There was OG (first like 6 months of production), pre 2018, 2018-2020, 2020 revision, and 2021 revision. All of these were driver updates even if minor. Also, I didn’t realize that X prototype went to @sa11297

The pre october 2021 rev LCD X I tried (is 2021) and I swapped the grills to post revision new ones, it did change the sound making it a bit more open and balanced

The LCD XC ill receive in a few days claims to be between 2018 and 2020, seller isnt sure

Sa’s non fazor x sounds super interesting

I dont know yet but I may end up getting the X instead of 2pf, my tastes are not exactly average; my main focus is female vocals only, piano, violin and bass.

1 Like