Audeze (pronounced odyssey) operating out of Las Vegas has released it’s LCD-2, a wooden, planar-magnetic headphone priced at $1000.  While Audeze has already released the first LCD.  The LCD-2 is their current flagship headphone and the one that is really staking it’s claim for being the BEST headphone that money can buy.  I was immediately drawn to the LCD-2 due to it’s bulky, unconventional design, it’s steampunk-like aesthetic and the fact that it is planar magnetic, something none of the other big three can claim. I spent a good 100+ hours with the LCD-2 and the results of my tests were nothing short of astonishing.  I’ll save you the anticipation and just go right ahead and say it.  The LCD-2 is the best headphone that I have heard to date.

The folks over at Audeze were an absolute delight to work with.  Alexander was very prompt with his responses and always let me know what was going on despite a few delays.  Audeze only has a handful of people on staff, which results in a more personalized experience for the customer, something I enjoyed after dealing numerous times with other companies forwarding my emails to other departments, waiting for call backs, ect.  After a long wait, the package finally did arrive at my doorstep, it was business as usual for me, open box, unpack, listen.  Little did I know, my world was about to be rocked, and a new king of headphones would be crowned…

The packaging job Audeze did was more than adequate, everything was secure and never at any risk of being damaged during transport.  As I dug into the box, I found an elegant looking box, made of a red tinted wood.  The box itself is of the highest quality.  Thick, gorgeous wood.  Rounded corners and a brass buckle.  Opening the box reveals the headphones themselves cozied up in a red velvet pillow.  The entire presentation here screams class, and is really a precursor for the headphones themselves.  The LCD-2 is most likely the heaviest headphone ever made, but I did not find comfort to ever be an issue.  They clamp very tightly, but have a fantastic leather padding, that I found to be very comfortable.  Aesthetically, the LCD-2 looks like something built out of a garage, perhaps that is a bit too extreme, but it does not look as refined as say the Sennheiser 800 or Ultrasone Edition 8.  Of course this is part of their charm really, and adds to the experience of owning a pair.  One question mark that was raised is that their appears to be a thin piece of foam glued to the underside of the headband, most likely an effort by Audeze to make the headband more comfortable.  It seems odd that with all the high quality components used (including leather earpads), that Audeze would use cheap foam on the headband.  In any case, I never had any comfort issues with the LCD-2 and that is very good thing considering their size and weight.

I quickly took the beast from it’s cage and hooked it up to the Violectric HPA V181, with a Macbook feeding the Eastern Electric Tube DAC as my source.  From the moment I hit play, a few things became very clear.  The LCD-2 is a very warm sounding headphone.  Organic, warm, wooden, these are all words that come to mind when describing the sound these things push out.  However, it wasn’t until swapping back and forth between the LCD-2 and Beyerdynamic T1 that I realized, it’s not so much that the LCD-2 is warm sounding, as it is every other headphone with a titanium, or metal driver imparts a metallic and sometimes even tinny sound, which usually brightens the sound up.  Outrageous claims?  I really don’t think so.  For those of us into headphones, our ears have been trained to listen to dynamic drivers, it’s all we know.  The LCD-2 is a fresh step away from that, and in my opinion produces sound more accurately, resulting in more enjoyable music.  While people will argue which headphone is the greatest, what I think everyone will agree on is that the LCD-2 has the most distinct and unique sound compared to the other big three.

I found pairing the LCD-2 with the right amplifier to be a tricky process.  Frankly the LCD-2 will sound good with any amplifier it’s just their nature, but choosing the right amplifier can be the difference between “great” and “exceptional”.  For example, paired with the Darkvoice 339, the high frequencies seems to be rolled off a little.  Listening to Morcheeba – ‘The Sea’, the track seemed to lack that high end sparkle, in effect losing part of it’s charm.  Likewise with the Decware CSP2, highs were rolled off and things didn’t seem as punchy as they should have been.  On the contrary, using the Violectric HP181, resulted in probably the most satisfying listening experience I damn near ever had.  High frequencies reappeared, soundstage expanded, and music had a satisfying punch to it.  The more I experimented with different amplifiers, the more this became true.

While open headphones seem to be the most popular among serious headphone listeners, I have always been the exception.  I love closed headphones because they seem punchier and more importantly have deep, full and satisfying bass with impact.  Open headphones just can’t seem to get it right in my opinion.  With that said the LCD-2 is clearly the bassiest open headphone that I have heard.  When I say bassy, I only mean that the bass is there.  Audeze has got it right this time around.  I have made no secret that I am an Ultrasone admirer due in large part to their excellent bass reproduction.  I was pleasantly surprised that this open headphone was able to meet my demands in this department.  Listening to Trentemoller’s – ‘Vamp’, I was floored by the sound of the bass guitar.  The bass was tight and punchy, with the LCD-2 imparting it’s organic, natural sound.  The result being a more natural presentation of music.  While it may be the biggest cliche used in audio journalism history, I’ll go ahead and say it anyway.  I became completely lost in the music.

Looking for a more detailed comparison between the LCD-2 and the other big three?  While I don’t feel comfortable saying that the Audeze LCD-2 is clearly better than the Beyerdynamic T1, Sennheiser 800, and Ultrasone Edition 8.  I can say that out of these four, I prefer listening to music through the LCD-2.  It’s characteristics perfectly suit what I’m looking for in a headphone.  I strongly believe that all four of these headphones have their own advantages/disadvantages and the margin between each of them is slim, with the LCD-2 being the most unique.  Of all of the open headphones, I would rate the LCD-2 as clearly the best in it’s reproduction of bass.  I would rate the Sennheiser 800 as having the best soundstage, with the Beyerdynamic T1 and Ultrasone Edition 8 also having their own benefits.  Like I said, it is all a matter of what characteristics you are looking for in a headphone.

I came into this review thinking that I would be listening to a fun set of novelty cans.  I myself had never heard planar magnetic headphones before, and let’s face it the LCD-2’s unorthodox design looks fun and a bit playful.  While in some ways they could be categorized as such, they are also extremely accurate and of the highest caliber.  They are just as detailed as the Beyerdynamic T1 or STAX setups, while also avoiding some of the pitfalls of those, such as limited bass.  They are unrivaled for sound engineering / mastering purposes, and are at their best when paired with the correct amplifier.  I found the Violectric HPA V181 to be a great match.  The LCD-2’s main characteristics appear to be it’s accurate tonality which can at first sound dark or warm. It’s natural, organic sound and excellent bass.  Music is loud and punchy, but never feels strained even at high levels.  I was floored when listening to them and consider them to be the best set of headphones I have ever listened to.  If that is not a recommendation of the highest order, then I don’t know what is.

Ref: http://www.headphonista.com/audeze-lcd-2/

Type: Planar Magnetic, Open Air construction.
Ear coupling: Circumaural.
Earcushions: Custom designed, Leather pads.
Frequency Response: 5 Hz - 20 KHz, usable high frequency extension 50 KHz.
Distortion: less than 1% even at full output.
Impedance: 50 Ohms, nominal
Efficiency: 91 dB/1mW
Maximum power handling: 15W
Maximum output: 133dB, 15W
Transducer active diaphragm area: 6.17 square inches.
Input cable: Custom cable with mini XLR connectors
Contact pressure: 1.5 N, adjustable, comfortable headband.
Weight: 550 g, without cable.
Maximum diaphragm excursion: 2.5mm p-p