Closer Examination

Audeze includes a fine cable with the LCD-XC (2021), one that sells for $149 by itself. This is a single-ended cable with a 1/4" (6.35 mm) stereo TRS plug that is gold-plated for oxidation resistance on one end and has a substantially sized housing through which we see the relatively thick 20 AWG (0.8 mm diameter) 99.9999% OCC (Ohno Continuous Cast) rated copper of large single crystal size for a lower number of electron hopping steps, which reduces macroscopic electrical resistance. Four braided strands separate into two each past the in-line splitter and then go on to the output connector housing where we see more sheathing added for protection and to mark the left (black) and right (red) channels. The connectors on the headphones are 4-pin mini-XLR, which is a deliberate choice that has worked well for Audeze in the past ~15 years. The 4-pin design makes for a reliable and sturdy connector with a locking mechanism that prevents it from working loose, as well as the flexibility to switch to, say, a balanced 4-pin XLR cable rather than the 1/4" TRS plug. Audeze also sells a much more expensive replacement cable in case that interests you.


I mentioned before how Audeze has been continually updating its products over time, which can be somewhat irksome for reviewers since what I say now is not completely valid for previous versions of the LCD-XC and may not be valid for future generations, either. At launch, the LCD-XC used wooden cups, and there was special treatment on the inside of the wooden cups to retain the sound quality as best as possible even with the added passive isolation. The biggest change, however, is what people like to refer to as the pre-Fazor and post-Fazor periods, which more or less line up with the production during and after 2014. Fazors, and there is a whole page dedicated to them, are effectively patented wave guides that help reduce sound wave interference and scattering. Some like the pre-Fazor sound signature, while others swear by the technology. The LCD-XC has always adopted Fazors thus, and the wooden cups were eventually replaced by the currently used carbon fiber cups seen above. Then came the option to use leather-free support straps and ear pads, which I have confirmed with Audeze are completely vegan-friendly for those looking for it. I have the leather versions of both on this review sample, and it does look and feel different from the leather-free versions of the same I had on the LCD-2 Classic sample.

There is certainly a decent decrease in mass going from wood to carbon fiber on the ear cups, but the LCD-XC at ~677 grams is the heaviest set of headphones I have used to date. This means the headband and any support structure is critical for the user experience, and we see a two-piece steel band with the aforementioned leather support strap underneath. As with the LCD-2 Classic, the band is wider and already curved with a steel suspension design to go around your head and be supported by directly touching the top of your head and side points along the frame and ear pads. You may also want to pull the support strap down and only use the metal band on a headphone stand since there is plenty of flex to do so and it avoids shaping the faux leather strap in an unwanted manner. As with most parts used here, you get replacements or even the leather-free options from the Audeze store, where the leather-free options cost the same as the leather versions. There is also an optional carbon fiber headband, which I understand does not lower the mass much but helps distribute the mass better for additional comfort.


The Audeze yoke rods have been used on pretty much all LCD series headphones aside from the newer, entry-level LCD-1, so seeing them here isn't surprising. The yoke rods are screwed into the aluminium rings holding the ear cups and go through a plastic base that holds the head band and strap screwed in. On the outside of this base unit is the Audeze logo, and we then see how the frame comes into play by offering a pivot point with the head band itself. The yoke rods have clear indents for the user to change how much play there is on the head band by pushing them in or not as seen above. This then changes the radius of curvature for the head band, which helps accommodate heads of various sizes similar to a metal head band clicking in or out as per usual with most other headphones. Screws on the side are there to tune how loose/tight the discrete steps will be, and Audeze also sells longer yoke rods for those with very large heads.


The inner surface of the base from above more clearly shows the screws in the headband and strap assembly. Stitching quality is exceptional throughout, and a closer look also reveals that the leather used is darker in color and comes off shinier than the leather-free material we saw on the LCD-2 Classic. From the yokes, we head down to the metal frame with multiple pivot points along the top and sides to hold the two ear cups in place. This allows for a larger degree of freedom along two dimensions than most others, which comes in handy for a good fit considering the size of the ear cups. You may want to make sure the Phillips head screws are tight out of the box, with three screws per side.


There is a lower degree of freedom on the third axis, but you can still rotate things slightly if needed. That said, the ear cups are absolutely massive in order to host the 106 mm transducers for the planar magnetic driver mechanism in each, so your ears will be swimming comfortably inside more often than not. A comfort issue that can arise is with the deeper pinnae since the LCD-XC has the Audeze Fazor waveguides poking through that can potentially hit your auricle and cause discomfort. The newer pads are not as dense as those from before, but I have to say that those leather pads felt quite dense. When asked, Audeze said that the pads are hand-assembled, so there may be some discrepancy in the density of each set. This is somewhat troubling since the ear pads are a big part of the update and affect the fit/seal substantially. There was no such issue for me here, but I have to think that the leather-free pads from the LCD-2 Classic would feel different on this LCD-XC, which is a B-stock unit to be fair, but still met Audeze's quality control and only is B-stock for cosmetic issues.

Also note the shape of these new ear pads being thicker at the top and tapering towards the bottom. This is again on purpose to allow the ear cups to more naturally sit on the side of your head based on the curvature of the headband, thus alleviating stress at the top that would be more than at the bottom. To give a better appreciation for the ear cups, I took them outdoors to my balcony facing the waterfront, with the sun shining brightly allowing the surroundings to reflect off the carbon fiber ear cups that come under an acrylic overlay. The carbon fiber is a weave similar to what we saw on the Audeze Euclid face plate, but to a smaller degree, of course. Audeze is all spelled out in white over the acrylic overlay, which I am not a fan of personally. I understand the branding desire here, but even a larger "A" in the same design as on the face plate of the Euclid IEMs would have been better in my books. Holding the ear cups in place are just four Phillips head screws, and here too I don't think Audeze did the best job. There is clearly a limit to how much torque can be applied to tighten down the screws without cracking the ear cup covers, and what we end up with are four points of minor sound leakage. I could certainly tell this was happening, and looking at feedback from other customers shows I am not the only one. It's a small thing, and one you won't really notice using the LCD-XC, but someone next to you might well hear more than you think from this closed-back headphones.


One of the other ways the LCD-XC differs from the LCD-2 Classic is with the separate housing for the cable connector. The LCD-2 Classic with its acetal ring allowed machining of a single piece similar to the classic Audeze headphones. For the LCD-XC (2021), we instead have two metal pieces for the ring and the cable connector housing. It juts out at an angle relative to the vertical plane of the headphones, which in turn aids with the positioning and installation of the cable itself. We see the use of the same 4-pin mini-XLR connector as before, with a steel locking ring that the locking collar from the male connector on the cable clips through to ensure no confusion on pin orientation and mating. Once done, the connectors click together, but still leave a lot of the housing exposed on either end. Just be sure to match the left and right channels with their respective connectors, which the red tape on the right connector helps with. Once done, you are good to go provided you have a source with a 1/4" (6.35 mm) plug. With the cable 1.9 m long, you won't have to manage it, and also won't struggle to reach a DAC/amp stack further away before, say, settling into your reclining chair and putting these on. I do have some sources with the 1/4" plug now, but more on that later. This is also quite a low impedance cable. My Fluke 110 true RMS DMM struggled to pick up an electrical resistance of more than 0.15 Ω consistently from end to end.


Remember those screws from before? TechPowerUp readers would know by now that I like to take things apart, at least to a non-destructive degree, so after all testing was completed, it was only natural that one of the ear cups was removed for a closer look inside. Many are no doubt wondering why closed-back versions of the same headphones often cost more, and this is because companies aim to reproduce the sound signature and sound quality of the equivalent open-back set of headphones. In this case, that would be the Audeze LCD-X, which no doubt enjoys the benefits of a more easily achieved higher degree of fidelity and wider soundstage since it is open back, all other things being equal. With the LCD-XC thus, we see the use of a sound-dampening material Audeze will absolutely not reveal more details about since it also plays a major role in retaining the soundstage of the LCD-X, at least as much as can be. You will see some of this material fiber poking through the gaps between the back of the ear pads and ear cup too, but can just clip it off if it bothers you. I have a fairly good idea of what it is, but won't share more details out of respect for Audeze.

What I can share more about is the Fazor treatment given to the LCD-X (2021), this being the other big change aside from the ear pads from late last year. I also have a bone to pick with Audeze in that there really is no mention of the updates on the actual product page. Instead, I had to go find this blog post in their support center. To their credit, Audeze allows for previous configurations to be updated to the newer ones for a fee, so that's something I suppose. The big changes are thus the ear pads being modified to provide a better, more consistent seal for a larger variety of head shapes and sizes. The other has to do with the magnetic circuitry driving the diaphragm as part of the planar magnetic drivers. There are "improvements" which at least result in a lower number of the Fazor waveguides (six instead of eight) for larger windows of interaction with the diaphragm between the two sets of the magnets and Fazors around it. There is also a subtler change with hole size and positions in the support strap itself, with seemingly larger holes in the newer strap, but don't take my word for this. Build quality is otherwise quite good, and I did not dare further disassemble lest the magnets come loose or tear the diaphragm, but the ear pads are sadly still glued in place.