Audeze LCD-XC
Closed-Back Planar Magnetic Headphones
Made in U.S.A.
Performance Compared User's Guide
Audeze LCD-XC (17 Ω, ¼″ plug, 23.6 oz./668g, $1,299 ~ $1,799). bigger. I'd get mine at Adorama, at Amazon or at B&H, all of whom offer at a 30-day 100% cash-back return if you don't LOVE them after enjoying them with your own music.
You can get them used at eBay for about $1,000 if you know How to Win at eBay, but I'd avoid that because Audeze always is making significant technical improvements — but never changes the model name! The LCD-XC today are very different and better than older ones, but look the same. You never know what you're getting used, and they are so loved they don't sell for much less used than getting the latest version brand new.
This 100% all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links to my personally approved sources I've used myself for way over 100 combined years when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. Never buy at retail or any other source not on my personally approved list since you'll have no way of knowing if you're missing accessories, getting a defective, damaged, returned, store demo or used headphones — and all of my personally approved sources allow for 100% cash-back returns for at least 30 days if you don't love your new LCD-XC. I've used many of these sources since the 1970s because I can try it in my own hands and return it if I don't love it, and because they ship from secure remote warehouses where no one gets to touch your new headphones before you do. Buy only from the approved sources I've used myself for decades for the best prices, service, return policies and selection.
August 2021 Audeze Reviews Headphone Reviews Tube Amp Reviews Audio Reviews All Reviews
Introduction top
Performance Compared User's Guide
I buy only from these approved sources. I can't vouch for ads below. |
These professional American-made planar magnetic LCD-XC headphones are extraordinary because they sound as open, clean and clear as open-back headphones, yet they are closed-back and isolate you from the outside.
They're open, smooth, clean, clear and detailed; just perfect. They're open and present - like open headphones, but they're closed, and the bass is as extraordinary as we expect from planar magnetic headphones. They sound just like my far more expensive electrostatic STAX SR-009, and do it without needing any fancy amplifiers!
These have a completely linear response; nothing is added or emphasized, and nothing is missing. For creating music the LCD-XC give the clearest possible picture of what you have, and for enjoying music you're hearing exactly what was recorded.
You hear your music, not your equipment. The sound is completely transparent; these are completely neutral and uncolored. What you create with these should sound awesome everywhere.
The bass response is fantastic. For the first time I've actually "heard" test tones with single-digit frequencies, and it does this with no distortion, buzzing, doubling or rubbing.
Audeze are professional Made in U.S.A. recording studio equipment. The LCD-XC is a bargain at $1,299 ~ $1,799 because it will last for the rest of your career and retirement. Unlike digital cameras, TVs, phones and consumer electronics, this is a passive device and should last not for years, but for decades and decades of enjoyment and creation. There is nothing about these to wear out or go obsolete; your $1,299 ~ $1,799 investment should last a lifetime and be passed on later, still performing flawlessly.
Unlike conventional dynamic headphones like the Sennheiser HD-800 that glue a coil of wire to a cone and then pass a current through that wire while it's suspended in a magnetic field, these planar magnetic headphones use flat foil conductors zig-zagged across the entire face of a large diaphragm, and this entire diaphragm rests inside a large flat magnet structure. Therefore the entire diaphragm is driven directly and evenly by the forces on these conductors, giving many of the same advantages of electrostatic headphones without needing any of the big and finicky high-voltage sources and amplifiers. The LCD-XC sound great even plugged into an iPhone.
I have the latest 2021 version.
I'd get my LCD-XC at Adorama, at Amazon or at B&H, all of whom offer at a 30-day 100% cash-back return if you don't LOVE them after enjoying them with your own music and equipment.
New intro top
Closed-back version of the LCD-X. It uses the same drivers.
Good intro top
Flawlessly smooth, detailed and natural sound. Put these on and you're there.
Bottomless, tight, smooth, deep, accurate, articulate and perfect bass.
Open and uncolored high end.
None of the resonances or harshness of conventional headphones.
Trivially easy to drive. Work just as well plugged into an iPhone as they do with a dedicated amplifier like my Benchmark DAC1 HDR.
No coloration, resonance or emphasis of anything. Nothing is altered from how it was originally recorded. You can hear right back through to the original studio sessions.
Ready to plug-and-play as soon as you get them.
Very inexpensive for state-of-the-art American-made headphones that will last a lifetime. These are passive transducers that don't go obsolete, break or wear out. They're not like a TV or computer or bluetooth headphones that will be thrown away in few years. These LCD-XC can last for a lifetime of music production and enjoyment; they're a one-time investment and not simply one of many cameras, phones or TVs you'll buy in a lifetime.
Made in the United States of America.
Bad intro top
Big.
Heavy.
Missing intro top
These are professional headphones with a ¼" plug. Nothing else is included. For use with the 3.5mm jacks of consumer and portable audio, use the Sennheiser 3.5mm to ¼" Adapter. For use with Apple iOS lightning jacks, I use the Sennheiser 3.5mm to ¼" Adapter with a lightning to 3.5mm adapter, and for USB-C, I use Apple's USB-C to 3.5mm Adapter, all of which work great. (The Premium versions come with 3.5mm to ¼" adapter.)
No protective bumpers. Be careful when setting these down on fine furniture, metal or glass because the metal Allen bolt heads protrude from the sides and could damage surfaces. You might want to add some 3M Bumpons.
They don't fold for storage.
No Bluetooth; just regular wired headphones for serious listening.
No iPhone/iPad/iPod remote, but you conceivably could build one.
No mic for phone calls. No worries, if I get a call on my iPhone the audio comes through the LCD-XC and the iPhone's mic picks up my voice — you just can't talk with your iPhone in your pocket.
No GPS.
No Wi-Fi.
No batteries to charge, replace or change.
No electronics whatsoever; completely passive transducers.
Nothing to break.
Nothing to go obsolete.
No problems!
Audeze LCD-XC. bigger.
Specifications top
Performance Compared User's Guide
I'd get my LCD-XC at Adorama, at Amazon or at B&H, all of whom offer at a 30-day 100% cash-back return if you don't LOVE them after enjoying them with your own music.
Type specifications top
Passive planar-magnetic, around-the-ear, open-back headphones.
Transducer Size specifications top
Audeze LCD-XC with leather earpads. bigger.
106mm (4.2") diameter.
Earpads specifications top
Lambskin leather or leatherless leather.
Magnets specifications top
Neodymium N50 array.
Cords specifications top
Standard (Unbalanced or "Single-Ended") Cable
Included cable system. bigger.
6¼ foot (75 inch or 1.9 meter) braided cord with one ¼" plug and two 4-pin female mini XLR connectors.
Metal ¼" plug grip with plastic strain relief.
Metal mini-XLR connectors with plastic grips and strain reliefs.
Black mini-XLR for left channel (¼" plug tip) and red-coded mini-XLR for right channel (¼" plug sleeve).
If you reverse the black and red mini-XLRs then the channels are reversed for use in alternate universes.
The styles will change over time; my 2021 version has a larger unbranded Neutrik-style ¼" plug rather than the smaller ¼" plug shown here marked "AUDEZE," and the left-channel mini-XLR has a black, rather than blue, marker.
Balanced Cable
Premium versions include the standard cable above as well as a balanced cable.
Impedance specifications top
Rated 20 Ω.
Measured 19.5 Ω DC (left) and 14.7 Ω DC (right) (17.1 Ω DC average).
My experience with every other planar magnetic headphone has been that's it's purely resistive (the same impedance and 0º phase angle at every frequency as DC), so I was too lazy to fire up my laboratory to measure its impedance versus frequency.
Sensitivity specifications top
Rated 100 dB @ 1 mW at drum reference point.
1 mW into 20 Ω (rated) is 141.4 mV or -16.99 dBV, which as my 14-year-old son knows means you therefore get 117 dB SPL at 1V.
Distortion specifications top
Rated <0.1% at 100 dB, no frequency range or 0 dB reference specified.
100 dB SPL, which is probably what they mean, comes up at 1 mW which is probably about -17 dBV or 141 mV input.
Power Handling specifications top
Rated "5 watts RMS" (6.99 dBW); not specified if this is continuous or peak for how long, so it's meaningless.
5 watts into 20 Ω (rated) is 10V or +20 dBV, which should create 137 dB SPL if there's no power compression.
I'll take "5W" as a peak rating since the maximum SPL below comes at 500 mW continuous power.
Maximum SPL specifications top
130 dB SPL, which means, ignoring any potential power compression, that maximum SPL happens with 4.5V or +13 dBV or 1 W input into 20 Ω.
Recommended Amplifier Power specifications top
100mW (1.414 V or +3 dBV into 20 Ω) minimum.
Ideally 250mW (2.24 V or +7 dBV into 20 Ω) or more.
See my User's Guide for practical specifics.
Frequency Response specifications top
Rated "10 ~ 50,000 Hz," no decibel tolerance listed.
Quality specifications top
Designed and made in the United States of America.
Weight specifications top
23.570 oz. (668.1 g) actual measured weight without cord.
Rated 23.9 oz. (677 g).
Case specifications top
Comes with a basic case when bought as a Creator version or with a fancier case with the Premium versions.
Included specifications top
Creator versions
Headphones and unbalanced cord.
Basic case.
Credit-card-style card printed with an URL to the User's Guide.
Credit-card-style "Certificate of Authenticity" card printed with your serial number and a signature for final inspection and burn-in.
Premium versions
Headphones and unbalanced cord.
Balanced cord.
Fancier case.
3.5mm to ¼" adapter.
Credit-card-style card printed with an URL to the User's Guide.
Credit-card-style "Certificate of Authenticity" card printed with your serial number and a signature for final inspection and burn-in.
Audeze' Model Numbers specifications top
100-XC-1016-00 (Leather Creator).
100-XC-1018-00 (Leather Premium).
100-XC-1016-01 (Leatherless Creator).
100-XC-1018-01 (Leatherless Premium).
Price, U. S. A. specifications top
August 2021
$1,299
100-XC-1016-00 (Leather Creator).
100-XC-1016-01 (Leatherless Creator).
$1,799
100-XC-1018-00 (Leather Premium).
100-XC-1018-01 (Leatherless Premium).
Performance top
Performance Compared User's Guide
Overall Sound Image & Soundstage Bass
Sensitivity Isolation Leakage Ergonomics
I'd get my LCD-XC at Adorama, at Amazon or at B&H, all of whom offer at a 30-day 100% cash-back return if you don't LOVE them after enjoying them with your own music.
Overall performance top
The LCD-XC is clear, detailed, smooth and present, and even with all the detail, never rough or harsh unless it was recorded that way.
The LCD-XC is a bit brighter than the LCD-X and LCD-1, so it will be more revealing of harsh recordings.
The LCD-XC has smooth, bottomless bass like the LCD-X and LCD-1, however the bass is slightly less prominent due to the slightly greater brightness.
The midrange is smooth and fluid as it should be.
The highs are clean and open.
According to Audeze, they are measuring the flattest frequency responses they've ever seen with the LCD-XC, so if you're looking for an authoritative laboratory reference, the LCD-XC is it.
Sound performance top
The LCD-XC is smooth and detailed, essentially perfect sonic reproduction. It's a little brighter than the LCD-X and LCD-1, and its high end sparkles more.
Nothing is boosted or hyped in the LCD-XC. If you prefer jacked bass, tweaked treble or squawky midrange, you won't be impressed by the LCD-XC.
There is very little variation in sound with changes in position on my head.
Image & Soundstage performance top
The stereo images are precise. You'll hear exactly what was recorded.
The sound gets out of my head pretty well.
Bass performance top
The LCD-XC have completely natural, bottomless bass with solid response to well below either the audible or musical ranges.
The LCD-XC pump out limitless amounts of deep and subsonic bass, as do most planar magnetic (but few conventional) headphones.
With sine waves it's solid down to 9 Hz and clean down to 6 Hz, which are an octave or two below the deepest bass found in music. BRAVO!
You perceive these subsonic test signals as rhythmic physical pressure and sucking of your eardrums rather than as a tone; sonic perception doesn't start happening for me until about 12 Hz. Considering that the lowest note in acoustic music is the 32-foot pedal C of a pipe organ which is 16.35 Hz, the LCD-XC certainly has music covered.
It cheerfully reproduces these tortuous subsonic test signals and moves your eardrums in just about total silence with no distortion, doubling, rubbing, noise or other sounds to distract. This is extraordinary and better than any other headphones I've heard. Not that you'd ever want to do this to your ears, but if you do, these LCD-XC can do it in spades. Be careful.
BRAVISSIMO!
Sensitivity performance top
Here's another very good thing: the LCD-XC have more than enough sensitivity to be enjoyed plugged directly into an iPod, iPad or iPhone. All you need is a Sennheiser 3.5mm Adapter and possibly a lightning to 3.5mm adapter or Apple USB-C to 3.5mm Adapter.
While with most headphones I set my iPad level control set to about 1/2 for movie sound, I usually only have it around 3/8 on my iPad with the LCD-XC. I never need more gain than I have, so all is good.
With movies on an iPad, the sound is big and natural.
The LCD-XC are plenty sensitive with an iPod, even for classical music recorded correctly.
With proper Hi-Fi gear like a Benchmark DAC1 HDR, there is more than enough output and sensitivity to deafen yourself quickly.
Isolation performance top
Oddly I was somehow expecting much more isolation than other headphones because these LCD-XC are about the size and weight of my shooting-range hearing protectors, but they simply offer about the same isolation as other conventional closed headphones.
Leakage performance top
These do have some leakage.
If it's quiet, someone a couple of feet away may hear them softly if you're playing them loud.
Ergonomics performance top
These are big, heavy headphones for use while sitting or standing still. They will probably fall off if you try to walk around wearing them. They have a lot of mass but not a lot of pressure; don't move your head too fast because if you do, they probably won't move with you.
The big earpieces that house the huge drivers leave lots of room for our ears. They feel great, even if heavy.
Be careful when standing up; if your cord is caught on anything you could break the cord or pull the LCD-XC off your head. By comparison, the cords of the portable LCD-1 will unplug themselves you do the same thing. These are big and comfy, but heavy. You will feel them on your head and as you move your head, but they don't ever pinch.
You can't lean back, unless you have a pillow on which they can rest. Otherwise they may slip off the back of your head.
So long as you're not moving around, they are very comfortable headphones to enjoy for hours and hours at a time. I can wear them all day; they're so big that any forces are well distributed.
The swivels have stops to limit their angles of motion so the cords don't tangle. Likewise, you can't rotate the cups that much if you want to listen with only one ear, or share with someone else at the same time. These aren't for use by talent in a studio; they're for the people on the other side of the glass.
They don't fold for travel.
The angled earcup connectors make it easy to put them on correctly left/right in the dark: point the connectors forward.
When new I heard the diaphragm flopping around when first put on or if pressing the earcup, but with use that went away.
Thank goodness there are very solid click stops on the harp. Is it just me, or don't you hate other headphones that always readjust themselves every time you put them on? With the LCD-XC, they stay adjusted as you left them.
I'd prefer a coiled cord; the LCD-XC have a long, straight cord.
Durability performance top
Don't tell anyone, but mine fell about three feet (one meter) off a desk onto a wood floor and I figured they'd be dead or damaged, but no! They work just fine and show no wear for the abuse.
I wouldn't do this again, and obviously even with the tight internal tolerances the magnets didn't fall off and everything worked as great as always.
Whew, and bravo!
Compared top
Performance Compared User's Guide
I'd get my LCD-XC at Adorama, at Amazon or at B&H, all of whom offer at a 30-day 100% cash-back return if you don't LOVE them after enjoying them with your own music.
Sound the Same as the STAX SR-009!
My LCD-XC are sonically indistinguishable from my electrostatic STAX SR-009!
I fed my American-made Benchmark DAC1 HDR with signal. The DAC1 HDR has a reference-class DAC and a class-A zero-output-impedance headphone amplifier.
I plugged my LCD-XC into the DAC1's headphone jacks.
I also fed the DAC1 HDR's calibrated line outputs directly to my STAX SRM-T1 vacuum-tube amplifier, from which I fed my STAX SR-009. Thus both systems were working from the same analog signal.
Whatever subtle differences there may be are forgotten in the time it takes to swap between these big headphones! (Our brains are notoriously imprecise when it comes to remembering sound quality after more than 1.5 seconds of silence when switching.)
If you really push me for any difference, the LCD-XC might have an extra two or three dBs of response below 20 Hz and there might be just the slightest difference in upper midrange sweetness, with the SR-009 slightly more open, but that's it. Of course our ears are shaped differently and you may hear different differences, but on my head, they match.
Overall balance, bass, treble, midrange and soundstage are all the same, which is pretty extraordinary for two completely different kinds of transducers. I've never heard any two transducers match this well!
If anything, the biggest difference is that one of my two amplifiers was inverting absolute polarity. People are still arguing if that matters or not.
The electrostatic STAX SR-009 have been regarded as the world's finest headphones since they were introduced in 2011. They sell for many thousands of dollars if you can find them, and can only be driven with expensive, exotic high-voltage amplifiers.
The biggest differences are that the open-back SR-009 weigh and isolate less, but cost many, many times more, are far more delicate, and have to be used with a big, expensive shore-powered high-voltage amplifier. The LCD-XC just plug into anything.
Either of these are far beyond any conventional (dynamic) headphone at any price for smoothness and deep bass.
Versus the Audeze LCD-X
The LCD-X use the same drivers and are the same size and weight; the difference is that they're open rather than closed.
Oddly the closed-back LCD-XC are brighter and more open-sounding than the open-back LCD-X.
The LCD-XC has more open and more detailed treble, and since the LCD-X is slightly warmer, has somewhat more prominent bass.
Versus the $399 Audeze LCD-1
Driven from my Benchmark DAC1 HDR
As driven from my Benchmark DAC1 HDR, the LCD-XC are a little bit brighter than the LCD-1, otherwise they sound very much alike and have about the same sensitivity. Both are superb! If price, weight, or portability matter, get two sets of LCD-1 as fast as you can! But seriously, both sound fantastic. Get the LCD-XC if you're mastering for a living and working at a console all day, and get the LCD-1 if money, convenience or portability matter. They sound very similar, with the LCD-1 being warmer and the closed-back LCD-XC sounding more open, with a brighter and more detailed top end.
The LCD-XC are giant, heavy headphones that don't fold and whose cables break or pull the LCD-XC off your head if you stand up with the cable caught on something. The LCD-1 fold for stuffing in a backpack and weigh much less and stay on your head as you move around. If you get the LCD-1 cable caught on something, they simply unplug from the earpieces. The LCD-XC earpiece cables lock, the LCD-1 just pull out.
The LCD-1 weigh much less and are therefore more comfortable. The LCD-XC are heavy.
Driven from my Apple Lightning to Headphone adapter from an iOS device
Much the same as when driven from my Benchmark DAC1 HDR, driven from the Apple Lightning to Headphone adapter the LCD-XC is brighter and more open-sounding than the LCD-1.
The LCD-1 are about as sensitive as the LCD-XC when fed from the Apple Lightning to Headphone adapter.
They both sound great, but when driven from the iOS ecosystem the closed-back LCD-XC sound airier and more open than the open-back LCD-1. The LCD-XC have a clearer high end, while the LCD-1 are warmer and definitely more portable.
They both have the same great bass. Bravo!
User's Guide top
Performance Compared User's Guide
I'd get my LCD-XC at Adorama, at Amazon or at B&H, all of whom offer at a 30-day 100% cash-back return if you don't LOVE them after enjoying them with your own music.
Plugging-in
Pay attention to the colored markings on the mini-XLR connectors: black is left and red is right.
If you reverse these, you'll reverse your channels.
These have a professional ¼" plug. To plug these into consumer devices with 3.5mm headphone jacks, I use Sennheiser's 3.5mm to ¼" Adapter.
To play from Apple iOS devices with a lighting connecter but no headphone jack, I use Apple's Lightning to 3.5mm Headphone adapter.
To play from a USB-C port, as on my iPad, I use Apple's USB-C to 3.5mm Headphone Adapter.
Amplification
Go right ahead and use a dedicated headphone amplifier if you insist (I love my Benchmark DAC1 HDR), but honestly, they also sound fantastic plugged right into an iPad, iPhone, iPod or with Apple's Lightning to 3.5mm adapter or Apple's USB-C to 3.5mm Adapter with the Sennheiser 3.5mm to ¼" Adapter.
The LCD-XC plugged into a portable device sounds so much better than dinkier "portable" headphones plugged into a portable. When you own these LCD-XC, use them.
While Apple's devices and their Lightning adapters and USB-C to 3.5mm adapters have great low-source-impedance headphone outputs and sound great with these, I can't vouch for off-brands like Android, Samsung, HTC or other iPhone copies.
Likewise, I can't vouch for any of the lightweight electronic waste that comes in from China. We want to have near-zero source impedance from whatever's driving these. If your gear uses series resistors in its headphone outputs (typical for headphone jacks on imported receivers and preamplifiers), the sound should be good, but may distort more than it should or have very limited maximum output levels. Even plugged into my iPhone I can get clean and deafeningly loud sound, but not so much with dinkier - but often expensive - outboard amplifiers. Be sure only to use amplifiers with near-zero (< 1Ω) output source impedances.
Honestly, if you don't want to man-up to American-made pro gear like Benchmark, it's often a safer bet to drive these from your iOS devices which usually work better than offshored stereo gear.
Levels
Probably because the LCD-XC have such smooth and clean sound as well as practically unlimited output levels, it's tempting to play them way too loud. They sound awesome played at full concert level all day long.
It's easy to damage your hearing. If your ears start ringing or buzzing, even long after you've been listening, cool it for a while.
Cables
The LCD-XC comes with a swell cable.
I wouldn't waste money on any different cables. Accessory cables are a big money-maker for people selling them, but don't give any better sound than what's already included. You're much better off saving your money to buy more music, or a serious American-made headphone amplifier, than wasting it on snake oil or cables.
If two cables sound different, then at least one of them is defective.
Phone Calls
It has no mic, but your iPhone's mic will pick up your voice as it usually does and route the received sound to your LCD-XC.
It works fine for phone calls so long as you keep your iPhone close. Don't put your phone in your pocket, because the other side will no longer hear you.
Recommendations top
Performance Compared User's Guide
I'd get my LCD-XC at Adorama, at Amazon or at B&H, all of whom offer at a 30-day 100% cash-back return if you don't LOVE them after enjoying them with your own music or workflow.
The LCD-XC are far superior to any conventional dynamic headphones, meaning anything from Sennheiser, beyerdynamic or Audio-Technica because the LCD-XC use a totally different, better-sounding and newer technology than traditional dynamic cone-style drivers.
The LCD-XC sound great with every kind of audio equipment from pro recording and broadcast gear to iOS devices.
While sound quality is superb and the price is very reasonable, these are big and clumsy. Don't walk around with these on your head; get the open-back Audeze LCD-1 for that, which sound almost as good for one-third the price. These big LCD-XC are for use at a desk, recording console, computer, bed, sofa or easy chair; not for walking around.
These give a dryer, brighter and more technically accurate sound than the open-back LCD-X, which give a warmer rendition. While these LCD-XC are more laboratory-accurate so I prefer them for music creation, our tastes will vary for music enjoyment. I'm a bass player and I prefer the warmer rendition of the LCD-X for music enjoyment, which make everything sound warmer and smoother. It's a subtle difference, and we all have our individual tastes. It also depends on the levels at which we listen; our ears are much less sensitive to bass at soft levels, so the LCD-XC will sound better loud as we play them in production and the LCD-X can sound better at soft levels at home. The very top end is more open with these LCD-XC.
As a bass player we call high treble "noise," but if you're concerned with what goes on above 8 kHz, the LCD-XC have a much more open, detailed and shimmering high end than the LCD-X or LCD-1.
Because these LCD-XC are so linear they sound best at full concert level; they don't boost the bass. Our ears are less sensitive to bass at softer levels, which is why many consumer headphones boost the bass to optimize them to softer listening levels. These sound AWESOME at full live concert levels, just don't blow-out your ears.
I prefer the LCD-XC for music production as its more accurate balance means whatever I create will have a perfect balance; the slightly warmer sound of the LCD-X means what I create might wind up a little brighter. Our ears have different shapes and what you prefer and hear may vary from my observations; ear and head shape will alter our relative perceptions of headphone sound in ways it doesn't for the sound of live music and loudspeakers. More good news is that the sound from the large planar diaphragms of the Audeze headphones varies very little with head position and is very uniform from one listener to another.
These LCD-XC are especially good for office use because their closed-back design means your neighbors won't have to share your taste in music. They isolate you from office noise, and better than active noise cancellation headphones you still can hear it if someone tries to talk to you. Don't let their huge size scare you; these muffle outside sound but don't completely eliminate it.
These are inexpensive. If you think these are expensive, you're confusing these with disposable electronic devices like TVs, phones, Bluetooth headphones or computers that go obsolete or fall apart every couple of years; these are professional American-made corded headphones that don't go obsolete and should last a lifetime. I still have expensive headphones I bought in the 1970s and 1980s that work just as well today as when they were new! For well under $2,000 you'll have a lifetime of enjoyment and/or professional productivity.
Don't be the guy who owns a half-dozen different $150 ~ $300 headphones and is never quite overjoyed with any of them. Ever since I was a kid I've had the patience to save my money and get what I really want. This isn't supposed to be a process of buying another set of "pretty good" headphones every few years; too many people have forgotten that quality never grows old. "The poor man pays twice," meaning you eventually wind up buying what you wanted in the first place.
These American-made pro headphones have nothing to go obsolete: no internal batteries to try to replace, no electronics (these are completely passive) and no Bluetooth that might not be compatible with new versions in a few years. These are simple passive headphones that should last you for decades and decades of pleasure, just like a pair of passive loudspeakers. Heck, my 1979 sealed-box B&W 801F and 1984 electrostatic Quad ESL-63 are still my favorite loudspeakers today and I've owned them for many, many decades and never needed service on either. In the scope of how long you'll be loving these LCD-XC, the price is nothing, and if you don't love them, send them back within 30 days for a full refund.
I'd get my LCD-XC at Adorama, at Amazon or at B&H, all of whom offer at a 30-day 100% cash-back return if you don't LOVE them after enjoying them with your own music or workflow.
Avoid getting them used at eBay (where they sell for about $1,000 if you know How to Win at eBay) because Audeze always is making technical improvements — but never changes the model name. The LCD-XC you buy today will be better than mine, but will probably look the same. You never know what version you're getting if buying used, and they are so loved they don't sell for much less than getting the latest version brand-spanking new.
This 100% all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links to my personally approved sources I've used myself for way over 100 combined years when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. Never buy at retail or any other source not on my personally approved list since you'll have no way of knowing if you're missing accessories, getting a defective, damaged, returned, store demo or used headphones — and all of my personally approved sources allow for 100% cash-back returns for at least 30 days if you don't love your new LCD-XC. I've used many of these sources since the 1970s because I can try it in my own hands and return it if I don't love it, and because they ship from secure remote warehouses where no one gets to touch your new headphones before you do. Buy only from the approved sources I've used myself for decades for the best prices, service, return policies and selection.
Thanks for helping me help you!
Ken Rockwell.
More Information top
Performance Compared User's Guide
I'd get my LCD-XC at Adorama, at Amazon or at B&H, all of whom offer at a 30-day 100% cash-back return if you don't LOVE them after enjoying them with your own music or workflow.
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I support my growing family through this website, as crazy as it might seem.
The biggest help is when you use any of these links when you get anything. It costs you nothing, and is this site's, and thus my family's, biggest source of support. These places always have the best prices and service, which is why I've used them since before this website existed. I recommend them all personally.
If you find this page as helpful as a book you might have had to buy or a workshop you may have had to take, feel free to help me continue helping everyone.
If you've gotten your gear through one of my links or helped otherwise, you're family. It's great people like you who allow me to keep adding to this site full-time. Thanks!
If you haven't helped yet, please do, and consider helping me with a gift of $5.00.
As this page is copyrighted and formally registered, it is unlawful to make copies, especially in the form of printouts for personal use. If you wish to make a printout for personal use, you are granted one-time permission only if you PayPal me $5.00 per printout or part thereof. Thank you!
Thanks for reading!
Ken Rockwell.