Audeze LCD-2 Closed Back Review — Audiophile ON

first impressions – Audeze LCD-2 CB

This review of the Audeze LCD2 Closed-Back headphones was not a retail or new model. It comes to me from a member of one of the discord groups I’m a member of, where we loan each other various tech products. As a result, I didn’t receive them in a retail box and can’t comment on anything in the case. I only received the headphones with the cables and earpads installed.

My first impression, therefore, was untangling the overly gratuitous combination of bubble wrap and packaging tape. Brian didn’t want to see his babies take punishment at the hands of DHL; it was nice to see someone else feels as nervous as I do when posting out my headphones. 

Once the tape came off, I told them I fell for them for the first time at first sight. Classic styling with a touch of a modern twist, I thought. It was all there, radio-style headband, leather top pad, very generous earpads, and of course, their heft were all cues that it was an Audeze headphone.

The set that I had a white 2-line design on them that, looking at Audeze’s website, doesn’t seem to be the current aesthetic. The new one has a prominent Audeze stamped on the side of it with a bold font. I’ll include photos of both so you can get a look at the old and new designs.

Everything else seemed to be the same, though, and they were a hell of an excellent headphone to have in hand. Premium build quality and decent (if not quite luxury) materials. They are a massive set of headphones with many heft to them, which might not be to everyone’s taste.

Detachable cables, of course, my preference, and nice to see the company haven’t cheeped out on it either as it’s a very high-quality cable with excellent connectors and termination with ample strain relief.

Are theY comfortable?

They are decently comfortable headphones, but two areas detract from my recommending them as very comfortable. First, the weight is definitely on the heavy side. It is common on many of the company’s headphones, and the tech inside adds much the heft. However, you aren’t exactly going to forget you have them on your head.

The second issue is comparing how an open-back headphone feels on your head. Closed-back designs are not as breathable as an open-back, and although the earcups are generously spacious, that doesn’t keep you cool. Every few hours, I would take a break to let my ears breathe. It plagues most closed-back designs, and you are trading isolation for comfort.

Audeze LCD-2 Closed Back Sound Quality Tested

I was skeptical about seeing how they would pull off-putting the LCD-2 into closed-back form. I was never a big fan of the closed EL8 and was worried you’d again lose that balance of openness and musicality that headphones throughout the LCD range.

Thankfully it wasn’t, and while not remaining true to the overall presentation of the open backs, it has beautiful sound in its own right. It’s a musical and fun-sounding headphone that can also deliver a stinging low-end punch.