The Audeze LCD-X (2021) costs $100 less than the closed-back LCD-XC (2021) twin, and I can see see why as the LCD-XC has a bit more work done in the ear cups to generate what is certainly the best closed-back set of headphones I have ever listened to with minor EQ. The LCD-X, on the other hand, faces tough competition not only from other companies, but also within Audeze with the recently released MM-500 that costs $500 more, but is a far more resolving set that is smaller, lighter, and custom-built with pro-audio and music engineers in mind. Given that is the LCD-X's bread and butter, I am very intrigued to see whether $500 is enough of a price difference to affect sales or not.

As it stands, the LCD-X is Audeze's best seller, and people are happy not to only pay the $1200 for the Creator Package, but $1700 for the Premium Package, which doesn't make financial sense given the former is subsidized and a far better buy. Clearly, there is a lot to like here, and I get why the LCD-X is so popular, part of which certainly has to be people seeing some of their favorite music artists use and recommend it. Audeze has been trying hard to make further inroads in the pro-audio space, and the LCD-X along with the new MM-500 are good steps in this regard. You have a highly analytical set here to distinguish between tiny filters applied to the audio signal, it is built like a tank, comes inside one too for storage and travel, and is one of the easiest set of headphones to drive for use from a recorder or console that is otherwise not designed with demanding planar magnetic headphones in mind.

Add Reveal+, and I highly recommend going through pages 4 and 5 for more about the process there, and this is a potent combination of hardware and software (and lots of math) for a product that puts multiple award-winning studio environments around your ears with the LCD-X. Even if you don't particularly care for the more professional use case, the personalized HRTFs generated with a simple photo of your ear are just that—personal. I am not aware of any other such solution that claims to provide a personalized listening experience but just drops you into one of many—often under 10—groups of profiles rather than what Embody does in creating a unique per-person ID. It's not the easiest for a lay person to get into, but the tutorial helps, and Embody has been good about addressing a couple of bugs I had found in Reveal+ since the last time I checked it out.

Funnily, be it is the free DSP presets of Reveal+ profiles, Audeze is the first to provide EQ suggestions for the LCD-X and has highly experienced sound engineers working on these very aspects. Yet there will be many to whom EQ is blasphemy and will ruin the experience. If you are in this camp then know that I found the LCD-X (2021) to still have some tonality issues before EQ, especially in the upper mids and lower treble. Page 3 goes over these in more detail, which you should account for before committing to a purchase. As it stands, I am happy to recommend the combination of the Audeze LCD-X (2021) and Reveal+ to solve that issue, enhance the listening experience further, and even result in a small discount when bought together!