Audeze: LCD-5 Headphones

I’ve been using Audeze headphones for several years now, have written glowingly about them, and wholeheartedly recommend their headphones. The LCD-X [Tape Op #119] Reference Series models are my go-to headphones for double-checking mixes for tiny gremlins and for pleasure listening. After years of daily use, they have performed flawlessly, except for an intermittent cable replaced with an updated version by Audeze. I have also reviewed the LCD-3 [#119] model, and between the two sets of headphones, I am unsure what I would have improved. However, Audeze recently introduced their new Flagship Series product, the LCD-5, and somehow, they managed to go a step further in quality, comfort, and design.

First off, the LCD-5s are noticeably lighter. Their predecessors had quite a bit of heft, but they never felt overly heavy or fatiguing to wear for extended periods because of the excellent design. Somehow I equate heft with quality, but with the LCD-5s Audeze has managed to actually improve the quality while cutting more than 30% of the overall weight. As a result, these beauties weigh in at a mere 420 grams – under 15 ounces (for the mathematically conversion-challenged).

The LCD-5s utilize Audeze’s patent-pending planar magnetic technology with low impedance voice coils and updated phase management via their Fazor™ waveguides. The result is lower distortion with a higher resolution listening experience and claimed frequency response of 5 to 50 kHz.

The extremely comfortable and newly-designed ear pads are intended to improve location accuracy and imaging. The LCD-5’s detachable cable uses directional OCC (Ohno Continuous Cast) high-purity copper strands that provide a low capacitance and low resistance path for the signal to travel from amp to drivers. The craftsmanship is impeccable, and these headphones are simply a work of art. They ship in a foam-lined lockable metal flight case with a pair of white gloves for users that want to keep their investment pristine. Visit the Audeze website for pics and more technical info.

How do they sound? Gosh, I have been so spoiled by the LCD-X that I felt a little guilty comparing the two. Let’s start with this. If you are moving from practically any pair of headphones you will find in a studio for tracking or home recording duties, you will melt in delight at all aspects of the listening experience through the LCD-5s. Their clarity, soundstage, frequency response, comfort, and duration of non-fatiguing listening time are all remarkable. If you have not experienced open-back headphones, you should. Although closed-back designs are often preferred for tracking isolation in the studio, my ears tire quickly from the bass frequencies’ push and pull trampoline effect against my eardrum. Good open-back designs allow for an air pressure equilibrium that minimizes that effect. With any Audeze headphones – from their entry-level models to the LCD-5s – you maintain perspective of the frequency spectrum for more extended periods, which is a considerable benefit for studio use. I use my LCD-X headphones for tracking all the time, and the slight bleed I may get is worth the trade-off in comfort and length of listening time.

When comparing the LCD-5s to the LCD-X or LCD-3 models, I would note two things: I almost forget that I am wearing the LCD-5s and because of the quality and clarity of the sound field and imaging, the listening experience becomes quite enveloping. The sound, like all Audeze models, is very natural and un-hyped. Not flat or unexciting – simply honest and easy on the ears.

I listened using a variety of setups: headphone output of my MacBook Pro, Crane Song Avocet II [Tape Op #103], Mytek Brooklyn DAC+ [#131], and directly from my Tascam CD-RW5000 CD player. Except for the laptop, which I feel is simply underpowered to fully realize the LCD-5’s potential (minimum recommended power for these headphones is greater than 100 mW), all options performed beautifully. A professional studio monitoring controller like the Avocet, or quality headphone amp or DAC, will bring out the best in the LCD-5s. Still, in any scenario, these headphones are going to up your game considerably.

When mixing, the midrange seems a bit more focused on the LCD-5s than with other Audeze models, and perhaps even more accurate overall, which translated well to car and home systems. The high end is best described as sweet-sounding while remaining accurate. Getting the low end of a mix right on headphones can be a challenge (especially on closed-back cans), but, like my LCD-Xs, nailing the low end levels on the open-back LCD-5s was a snap, and mixes were balanced top to bottom.

These headphones are undoubtedly aimed at audiophiles, and more specifically, audiophiles with some extra coin. But their use in the studio cannot (and should not) be ignored. Critical listening, pinpoint accuracy for panning, and sound staging are quite enjoyable with the LCD-5s. In addition, having a dependable pair of high-quality reference headphones is invaluable for professional mixers who travel or engineers who work in apartments or small spaces where mixing on monitors is not an option.

Whenever I put these headphones on, I get a dopamine surge and am reminded of the joys of listening to music and hearing it as the makers intended. If I had one suggestion for Audeze regarding the LCD-5s, it would be that they come with a warning: After listening to music on these headphones, playback on any other headphones will be a disappointment or compromise.