Audeze LCD-2 Classic Open System

De beruchte Audeze LCD-2 Classic's, nog steeds het geld waard in 2021. Geweldig in elkaar gemaakt, alle onderdelen zijn uit metaal gemaakt en zitten stevig vast. Goede kwaliteit nep-leer oorkussens en hoofdband die toch voor veel comfort zorgen ondanks het grootste nadel van deze hoofdtelefoon: het zware gewicht. Overigens raakte ik wel na een week gewent aan het gewicht en is het niet zo'n groot probleem meer.

Nu het geluid. Het heeft planar-magnetic drivers die voor het geweldig gedatailleerd geluid zorgt. Dit is het sterskte punt van de hoofdtelefoon, waarschijnlijk zijn er geen hoofdtelefoons onder de 1000 Euro met zulke detail. De frequentierespons heeft een aardig relaxte karakter, wat mij wel bevalt maar misschien niet iedereen. Het is nog steeds een planar-magnetic hoofdtelefoon dus de liefhebber kan met equalizer software de frequentierespons goed aanpassen naar zijn voorkeur.

Whenever I put these on, I get mixed feelings. The sound, although recessed in the high frequencies, is extremely detailed and pleasant. It brings out the best in good recordings while still being forgiving to worse ones. The bass might not be as thunderous as some reviews claim, but it still is what you would expect from a neutral planar headphone, that is, very good! Instrument separation is fantastic. Soundstage is a bit on the narrower side, but definitely still there.

Build quality is also top notch. There is no unnecessary flex and, despite handling such a product with care, I wouldn't feel too worried about dropping it time and again. My all-plastic AKG K712 Pros feel like toys in comparison in this regard.

The headphones are also comfortable, with the SOFT memory foam pads and even weight distribution on the headband. However, despite being the lightest of the LCD series, the weight is still there. Being nearly 300g heavier than the AKGs that I own, I do notice these after a while. I ended up returning them for this reason - not because they weren't what I was expecting in terms of sound quality. They were, and they are (in my opinion) well worth their price, but only if you don't mind the extra weight.

Unfortunately for me, I do.

+low and mid range
+comfortable
+nice stock cable
+reasonably easy to drive (Magni 2 Über on low gain, rarely passing 10 o'clock on the knob)
+exceptional separation
+build quality
+looks!

-weight
-recessed highs
-cost, I guess?

P.S.
At this price point, it is good to note that you are hitting massive diminishing returns in headphone performance. While being substantially better than my 712s, the biggest improvement that this LCD has on them is the build quality. The sound quality is better in all but vocals, but even then, not by a whole lot.