We’ll delve into its resolution, one of its standout characteristics, and explore how it uncovers intricate musical details that can elevate your listening experience.

However, just as there are other transducers that can convert sound into electrical energy, so too are there other ways of designing headphones. In serious hi-fi circles, many people swear by electrostatic designs, which are similar in some ways to capacitor microphones. An electrical charge is applied to a thin, metallised membrane suspended between perforated metal grids or plates. When the amplified audio signal is passed through the plates, the membrane is alternately attracted to one and then the other, moving in and out and thus generating sound. dB SPL, which means, ignoring any potential power compression, that maximum SPL happens with >3.16V or >+10 dBV or > -3 dBW or >500 mW input into 20 Ω. People say it and it rarely happens with top level equipment, but I really do keep hearing new things in my music I haven't heard before with the LCD-X, and I have a lot of state-of-the-art headphones and loudspeakers. Weird, but true. In essence, the Audeze LCD-X’s mid-range resolution is a testament to its commitment to high-fidelity audio.Bass – Bass extends pretty well down low with a very minor sub-bass roll-off below 40Hz, which is only perceivable when listening to songs which have deep sub-bass mixed in. Since most mastering engineers introduce a minor sub-bass roll-off below 35Hz in most songs anyway, LCD-X 2021's sub-bass roll-off isn't as perceivable with a vast majority of songs. Besides that, the rest of the bass response is extremely neutral and linear. Neutral bass tuning helps present the songs very cleanly. If the song has slam and rumble mixed in, that is exactly what you will perceive with the LCD-X and if the song doesn't have much bass mixed in, don't expect it to boost any bass from its side. Technically, bass is very well separated in the centre and you can hear the nuances of the bass tone very clearly because of LCD-X's high micro-detail retrieval ability. The X’s impressive resolution makes it a versatile choice for various musical genres and audio content. The tonal qualities of pianos, brass instruments, and woodwinds are faithfully reproduced, allowing you to appreciate the full range of harmonics and overtones that these instruments produce. Our patent-pending Fazor elements are unique to the LCD-X and LCD-XC and help guide and manage the flow of sound in the headphone. The result is improved phase response, greater frequency extension, smoother frequency response, and remarkable 3D holographic imaging. At the beginning of this review, I stated that the LCD-X 2021 has been greatly improved when it comes to its tuning compared to the original LCD-X. See, the original one was a great headphone in many ways, but it had one, major problem – the midrange. It just sounded off and unnatural, and its pleasant overall tone couldn’t have saved it.

To test classical mids, I’m using The Piano Guys' “Code Name Vivaldi.” Each instrument in this song is clearly represented with no bias one way or the other. Pianos, strings, and bass -they all play well together to present a good, if not top-tier, representation of this song.The LCD-3 has not changed quite as much over time...it's not been around as long, of course. Here we see the early LCD-3 with a plot similar to the LCD-2 Rev. 2 of its time. Subsequent LCD-3s have moved to a similar curve as the Latest LCD-2 in the above plot. The Timbre is also pretty incredible, as the tonality of instruments is superb and sounds much more realistic than the majority of other headphones out there. Transparency The headband is made of metal with a leather support underneath, which we found very comfortable. The ear cups are leather and breathe relatively well as we never felt steamy even listening on a hot summer day. Connecting the ear cups to the head band are solid metal pieces that feel like they can withstand some serious abuse. It’s also nice to see that there are user accessible screws so parts can be replaced, adding to the longevity of the headphone. Features While the technical performance is vastly different, their tuning is really different, and that makes this comparison really interesting. All three of these headphones are big, heavy, open designs suited for studio, home, or private office listening almost exclusively. These are not headphones for portable use.