Pro Audio and Personalized Sound with Audeze LCD-X and Reveal+

[VSG]

Today, we examine the extremely popular Audeze LCD-X (2021) set of open-back headphones to see how well it meets both studio monitoring and general consumer needs as a standalone product and in combination with Audeze and Embody's Reveal+ plug-in for a truly personalized audio experience.

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[SOAREVERSOR]

I like Audeze but there are a few catches on this.

I don't think most people are doing studio monitoring with open backed headphones. The products that most commonly come up there are the Sennheiser HD280pro and the Sony MDR7506. You'd also find the etymotic ER-4 in there for an IEM. All of these suckers are single driver, stupidly accurate (to the point they will make youtube and itunes sound ugly with all the flaws), and seal out sound extremely well. They're also 100-300 MSRP and frequently found below.

Monitoring headphones are suited for music/consumer needs and consumer products aren't good for monitoring. And that's not even factoring in that outside noise bleed from open-backs makes them a non starter for that sort of situation.

Audeze makes some great stuff and is a great name in planar that do not have the quality control problems of say hifiman. But this is an audiophile product not a pro product.

 

[VSG]

I like Audeze but there are a few catches on this.

I don't think most people are doing studio monitoring with open backed headphones. The products that most commonly come up there are the Sennheiser HD280pro and the Sony MDR7506. You'd also find the etymotic ER-4 in there for an IEM. All of these suckers are single driver, stupidly accurate (to the point they will make youtube and itunes sound ugly with all the flaws), and seal out sound extremely well. They're also 100-300 MSRP and frequently found below.

Monitoring headphones are suited for music/consumer needs and consumer products aren't good for monitoring. And that's not even factoring in that outside noise bleed from open-backs makes them a non starter for that sort of situation.

Audeze makes some great stuff and is a great name in planar that do not have the quality control problems of say hifiman. But this is an audiophile product not a pro product.

The goal here was to explore more how Reveal+ aims to bring a pro recording studio in a far more portable environment with headphones, and the LCD-X was more the tool to test it out. That said, many studios are using both closed- and open-back sets these days as I found out having spoken to a few companies.

 

[Rayz]

Those headphones are indeed live to their name, but a bit overrated.
The best sound for music as well as gaming and movies I've heard from Senns HD800S. now, those are the real deal, and I didn't even use a proper DAC\AMP (used the Creative SB X7. the HD800S shines on a real AMP\DAC like the RME AC-2 FS)

 

[VSG]

Those headphones are indeed live to their name, but a bit overrated.
The best sound for music as well as gaming and movies I've heard from Senns HD800S. now, those are the real deal, and I didn't even use a proper DAC\AMP (used the Creative SB X7. the HD800S shines on a real AMP\DAC like the RME AC-2 FS)

Yeah, that's more a use case benefiting from a wide soundstage and some warmth in the bass and mids vs. purely accuracy in vocal and instrument reproduction, so I can definitely see the HD800S doing better than the LCD-X.