Audeze Lcd-2 model number 100-L2-1020-01 headphones is a high budget planar magnetic headphone which comes in a classic look and offers a great sound experience as this product launched by Audeze after a lot of improvements!
So if you looking for review and let’s see how would Audeze Lcd-2 headphones will perform and what you have to pay to get it!
Audeze Lcd-2 Review – A Power Headphone with Awesome Sound!
Its first version was released in 2009. As Compared to its original 2009 counterpart, this LCD-2 houses the mini-XLR jacks separate from the wooden rings, as that could cause the wood to crack in the original models.
In 2014, Audeze’s Fazor technology (triangle-prism-shaped wave guides on the magnets), were added to–according to Audeze–improve imaging and detail.
This LCD-2 also features the 2016 driver revision, which greatly improved their detail retrieval capabilities compared to the original driver Audeze used.
In 2018 the headband was updated to the suspension-style headband seen here, which greatly improved comfort, as it distributes weight more evenly.
Lastly, in 2020 they redesigned the grill on the outside of the driver, with a metal mesh being seen on the inside, rather than foam.
So Audeze Lcd-2 is an improved headphone and yes it bit expensive. But the best thing it is one of the best headphones under $1000. Let’s get into the details of LCD 2 headphones.
Sources and Music Used in Listening Tests
The Amplifier/DAC used in this review was the JDS Labs Element II connected via USB to my desktop computer. For the listening tests I used a variety of music that featured genres like Rock, Jazz, Classical, Acoustic, Hip-Hop, and latin, as well as others. These were played from either my own FLAC library, or from Tidal (HiFi/Master Quality).
Power Requirements
The LCD-2 has an impedance of 70 ohms and a sensitivity of 101dB. In practice, these are actually quite lenient on the power necessary to drive them properly. I will list an amplifier as a requirement, but I really do not think it has to be the most powerful one.
Build Quality and Comfort
The build here is consistent with the rest of Audeze’s full-size LCD series: a combination of premium materials beautifully put together.
Just about everything on this headphone is made of metal. The only omissions to this are the obvious ones, such as the earpads, wooden wings, and suspension headband strap.
The wood here seems to be coated in what feels to me like a very durable and high-quality lacquer that is reminiscent in feel and finish to the nitrocellulose lacquer of high-end guitars.
The pads are made of lambskin, which will last for a while before needing a replacement.
These also include a very sturdy hard case. While it may not be the most portable case, it is sure to keep your headphones safe. The only flaw in the build is that, as a result of using strong and premium components, these come in at the rather heavy weight of 595g.
Sound
Sound is definitely the most interesting on the LCD-2. More than any other headphone, these really transform, and drastically improve with some EQ. If you are interested in these headphones, I encourage you to keep an open mind about utilizing EQ or at least using the great tool that Audeze provides in the Reveal + plugin, as these can bring out the headphone’s full potential.
If you want to try out my EQ, you can input these settings and values in your EQ software of choice:
- Low Shelf at 100hz, +1.5dB Q of 0.7
- Peak at 1000hz, -3dB Q of 2
- Peak at 3000hz, +2.5dB Q of 2
- Peak at 4500hz, +4.5dB Q of 1.8
- Peak at 6000hz, -6.5dB Q of 1.6
- Peak at 9000hz, +4.5dB Q of 4
Bass
The bass here, even without EQ, is fantastic. When you look at graphs of these, you can easily see that they extended in an almost perfectly linear fashion down to 20hz, and it definitely sounds that way.
The bass here has an incredible sense of depth and presence. However, the bass here is never overpowering or intrusive of other frequencies in the mix. It is simply extremely defined, detailed, and well-textured. Additionally, they have a good and satisfying sense of punch and slam in the bass.
The bass here is fantastic without EQ. But if you prefer a more harman-like bass shelf of +5dB, you can definitely do that with these as the total harmonic distortion here (THD) is extremely low.
Mids
The mids on the LCD-2 are definitely what throw off their tonality the most; I find them strange, really. They do not have the problem of being forward or recessed, but they have a small peak at around 1k and a severe dip between 3k-5k.
This messes with a lot of different aspects of the LCD-2’s sound. The most noticeable effect is that as a result, the mids’ tonality and timbre sounds unnatural.
There is a very noticeable lack of presence and body in the mids, all while having a very somewhat “boxed-in” and “congested” timbre. On top of the strange tonality, these features in the mid range make the perceived resolution of the LCD-2 to be much lower than it really is.
So obviously, the mids here are problematic.
However, they are extremely easy to fix with EQ. After toning down the peak at 1k, and giving the frequencies affected by the upper mids’ dip a slight boost the LCD-2’s mids sound fantastic.
With those problematic areas removed, the timbre and tonality improves drastically. The mids here become very natural and rich-sounding.
Using EQ in this region of the LCD-2’s FR also brings out a lot of the detail that was perceived to be lost. Overall, the mid range of the LCD-2 with EQ is actually quite fast and tonally accurate–it just needs some tweaking.
Highs
The LCD-2’s highs are, for the most part, very good. They have great extension, are well articulated, and have very nice air qualities above 10k.
The highs here are by no means bright, but they are very well-defined and smooth. If you are treble-sensitive, like me, you should have no problems with the LCD-2’s highs.
The only concern here is a slight peak at 6k that adds the slightest bit of glare and sibilance. More importantly, though, is that this peak further emphasizes the dip in the upper mid range that precedes it.
Soundstage and Imaging
The sound stage here is very good. Some people have described the soundstage of the LCD-2 as narrow, but that’s not true. The sound stage is as wide as a Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro, which is fairly wide.
The soundstage provided an immersive experience in open-world games like World of Warcraft and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild; whilst the imaging was precise enough to keep up with games like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, where the direction of audio cues is crucial to staying competitive.
Very important to mention is that the instrument separation and layering here is fantastic. Even in music where multiple instruments and vocals were recorded in one track, we had no issues telling apart the different lines that composed complex passages.
Dynamics
Like the bass, the dynamics here are very good. The LCD-2’s have a very good sense of punch and slam. The micro dynamics of the LCD-2 do a lot in faithfully recreating the pressure of instruments and the intensity with which they are played.
This quality in the microdynamics gives instruments a very realistic presence and quality in the mix. It is Awesome!
Conclusion
As far as we tested, Audeze Lcd-2 is pretty decent headphone under $1000. You can get it for you from official site and also buy offline.
This is a brilliant headphone, If you’re looking for a high-end headphone for at-home listening that exemplifies the Audeze experience and tradition, look no further than the LCD-2.
