GeekDad: Audeze LCD-XC Closed-Back Headphones Are the Best I’ve Ever Heard

I’ve been doing audio reviews since pretty early on in the life of this blog (so, what, fifteen years? yikes!). As I’ve suggested before, I am audiophile-adjacent. I know what sounds good and what sounds less good and, in many cases, why. But I can’t explain those observations to the level of detail many professional headphone reviewers can, speaking about tonality and identifying the nuance of frequency response down to the Hz.

I’ve had the opportunity to review some pretty good audio gear over the years, though I’ve always looked for value – brands like Drop.com and Schiit Audio where you can get quality audio at a reasonable price. But I’ve never gotten to try something out that one might consider as true audio enthusiast gear, until now, when Audeze (pronounced “ow-de-zee”) offered me a pair of their flagship LCD line of headphones to evaluate.

Straight out of the box, you know you’ve entered a new realm of equipment quality in both materials and build. The LCD-XCs are robust. They feel significant in a way most inexpensive headphones don’t. Yes, they are heavy; indeed they are some of the heavier headphones you’ll ever try, which may be an important consideration for some when it comes to listening fatigue. But, when you hold them you can tell they were designed and manufactured with care and attention to detail. All the parts fit tightly and feel like they’ll last.

The faux leather of the ear pads is some of the best I’ve encountered, coming very very close in feel to good leather gloves. The padding is surprisingly gentle, more so than the generic foam you’d buy at the craft store, and lighter than something like memory foam. The message here is comfort, comfort, comfort.

The closed-back cups are a hard carbon fiber with a glossy finish that looks like it’ll take some wear and tear without presenting scratches. The rest of the frames and other structural components are all heavy gauge plastic or steel, all of which contributes to the robustness and a sense that these are products that will last.

Next step: putting them on. Yes, you feel the weight, but the very wide web of the headband along with the aforementioned softness of the ear pads does a tremendous job of distributing that weight. You don’t feel any focused pressure, just the sensation of gravity pulling at your head a bit more strongly than it was a moment before. Again, your mileage may vary. I’m a big person (6′ and 250+ lbs.) with a pretty big noggin, so the added weight isn’t too significant. Someone with a lighter frame might find these too much of a burden for long term listening comfort.

The sound isolation is fair, but perhaps not as much as you might think considering the heft of the components. However, once you start listening, that doesn’t matter so much.

Ahh, the listening.

Up front, let me describe the listening arrangements I tried with these headphones so I could get a sense of best practices. I tried them directly connected to my M1 MacBook Pro through the headphone port (so, using the on-board DAC/Amp). I tried them with both the MacBook and my iPhone, using portable DAC/Amps from iFi (the Go Link and the Go Bar, both of which I reviewed a few weeks back); and then I tried them from the laptop through my Schitt Audio Vali/Modi+ desktop stack.

While there are some important differences between listening through the desktop stack and the portable DAC/Amp combos, the key listening impression is that these are magnificent headphones. They are clean with incredible detail and a large sound stage (especially for closed-back cans, which you expect to be fundamentally intimate). You can distinctly hear individual instruments and every one comes through with its own personality. The delivery is very neutral; no frequencies boosted or particularly diminished, though on first listening this may give on the impression that the bass is a bit light. I don’t think this is the case. Rather, the bass is there if you want it. These headphones have enough flexibility and nuance to them that they take equalization really, really well. You can go into the EQ window in Apple Music, or use a 3rd party EQ app (I had good success with Audio Hijack Pro), and play with the frequencies until you find the balance that you prefer. They are so good in this way that, instead of taking what they give you, you can adjust them to give you what you want.

Which is where amplification comes in. Yes, it is rather surprising that these headphones can take output from the jack in your laptop, or even your phone, and give you amazing, high-quality sound. But then you give them the extra juice from a good headphone amp, and boom, they step it up even more. The LCD-XCs are so robust they can take what you give them and shine. How about some Gustav Holst or Jerry Goldsmith? Boom, wonderful! A little Cinematic Orchestra or Daft Punk? Sublime and fulfilling. Pop tunes are fresh and electric, classical is complex and encompassing. It’s all great, and you can turn it up to 11 without distortion or muddying the sound. Check out the specs below; the low impedance and wide range between minimum and maximum power handling is key to this ability to run off portable devices and yet accept powered amplification with aplomb. It’s actually hard to believe you could ever blow these headphones out (not without adverse affects on your hearing).

To bring this review back to the title: yes, these are the best headphones I’ve ever listened to. They are big and heavy, so while you can drive them from your phone, you’re probably not going to wear them walking down the street or on your public transit commute. But for listening sessions at your desk or on your sofa, where you can give them some amplification to really open them up, and some EQ to perfectly suit your mood and music style, they are magical. They will give you the pleasure of listening to the music you love the best way it can be heard. The only question left is whether they’re worth the robust price ($1,299 from either the Audeze website or Amazon)? Audio gear like this really lies outside of the value-for-money calculus and obviously everyone has their own pain point for such purchases. All I can say is that if having what I experienced as the best listening experience of my life is what you want, then yes, they’re worth it.

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