Introduction

Anyone remotely involved in the headphone market knows of Audeze. Back when Picky Ear was still a thing, Audeze ended up besting every other brand after a database search of over 300,000 reviews to go over the best overall audio solutions, which the founder and CEO of the brand took delight in mentioning to me when I had the pleasure of having a long chat with him at CES a couple of years ago. The California-based company is synonymous with its planar magnetic headphones as well as the tuning people swear by. The LCD series of Audeze headphones is its bread and butter, although it has recently gone down the gaming road as well with the Mobius and Penrose headsets, as well as a collaboration with HyperX in the form of the Cloud Orbit. If all goes well, we'll have the gaming division covered on TechPowerUp as well, but for now, let's thank Audeze for helping out with a test sample of its LCD-2 Classic headphones!


When Audeze approached us through a marketing partner, the original plan was to do a review of the newer LCD-1. Then I remember how much adoration the founder of Audeze had for the LCD-2, which had (then) recently come out with a rework in the form of the LCD-2 Classic. One thing led to another and here we are with the LCD-2 Classic, also referred to as the LCD-2C for short. It is part of the Audeze's LCD Origins line, which owes dues to the LCD-2 as well since that put the brand on the map. Not to be confused with the LCD Reference line which is more for monitoring as an accurate and neutral audio solution, or the LCD Flagship line that bumps up everything, including pricing, the LCD Origins ends up being a sweet spot for those wanting to try Audeze's warm tuning touch, and the LCD-2 Classic is the perfect starting point, too. There have been some recent updates, including new ear pads as well as a new case design, which is why I am referring to these as the Audeze LCD-2 Classic (2021) in the title—these are the latest version. Whether you know what pre-Fazor refers to or not, you will definitely know more about the LCD-2C by the end of this review that begins with a look at the product specifications in the table below.

Specifications

Packaging and Accessories

The Audeze LCD-2 Classic is not a brand-new release, having come out in 2018 to effectively celebrate the 10th anniversary of the original LCD-2. If you look at unboxings and reviews of the LCD-2 Classic, you might notice that it ships in a plain white cardboard box with foam lining inside. At least that is how it used to be. It is now 2021, and Audeze has updated the packaging for its SKUs that used to ship in a plain white cardboard box. This has nothing to do with budget either, since it was clearly also in the works for even the higher-end LCD-X Creator's Edition. I was hence surprised by the actual shipped box I received, which was a larger, more typical brown cardboard directly from Audeze since the company operates a web shop. The tape mentions as much, and a fragile sticker on the side may well help prevent courier shenanigans. Open the box and you see some fantastic protection for the product box itself, including eight shaped, thick foam pieces at each corner keeping it safe from any damage done to the outer packaging. There is also a foam wrap over the product box, but be sure to ground yourself lest you get a static shock taking it out.


You might well be shocked regardless, though in a good way! Those who got the old, simple white cardboard box might be ruing it slightly since the LDC-2C now ships inside what Audeze calls its economy travel case. To provide some more context, Audeze sold, as it still does, a premium LCD Travel Case for $150 that is more in line with the Pelican and SKB cases of the world, built to the MIL-STD-C-4150 standard with a gasket seal making it waterproof and airtight in addition to having excellent impact and corrosion resistance.

We do not get that case, but this one is plenty enough for anyone buying and using these. It is still a hard case and looks and feels premium, too. There is no Audeze logo, which I rather prefer if carrying this in public, and you can just as much lock this with the latch on the front. The corners are reinforced as well, and four support pads at the bottom also prevent scratches to the underside of the case. There are four other pads on another side should you place the case vertically more than horizontally, although this is close to a cube in geometry. The handle is large and comfortable to use, the hinges on the back are complementary in size and support, and the case is not uncomfortable to carry around at all overall. Open the box and you see more foam than you could even want in here. There are egg-crate style foam sheets at the top, and a thick foam block fills in the bulk of the box that has precise cutouts for the headphones and accessories. Oh, if you were curious, the more expensive LCD-2 still comes in the LCD travel case.


Audeze includes a set of two keys for the case, which now truly makes this a fantastic storage and carry solution. The paperwork includes a card with the serial number of the unit you have and confirms the personal inspection accompanied by an actual signature of the person having done it. Present also is a more generic reminder to see if there are any applicable downloads or user manuals on the Audeze website, where we see an outdated but still relevant LCD user guide in multiple languages, a warranty policy, and a couple of service guides for self-replacement of the ear pads and headband if you happen to have newer ones on hand. That's all fine and dandy, but this is also how you find out about Audeze Reveal, which we will cover in more detail soon enough. The provided cable is also seen here, and it comes inside a plastic bag in a similar manner as the keys. Before we move on, let me point out that a cylindrical piece of foam has been put between the earcups of the headphones as it arrives in the case, which keeps them in place with both inward and outward pressure applied without any possibility of damage in transit.