LCD-2 Classic Reviews Compendium

Compendium updated: May 1st, 2024

 

Audeze went old school with the LCD-2 Classic. They removed the Fazor elements from the drivers, aligning the LCD-2C to the sound of the original LCD-2 launched in 2008. The result is a warm and energetic musical experience that heralds back to the early days of Audeze without sacrificing the sound or performance improvements they've made along the way.

We’ve compiled reviews from across the web for your reference. What you’ll find here are the TLDR versions of the full reviews (which you can access with the provided links). We’ll continue updating this compendium as reviews come in. 

From Headphones.com's review of the Audeze LCD-2 Classic (LCD-2C), first published on July 31st, 2020: 

“With the standard LCD-2 being one of my favorite headphones, I cannot help but to admit that I am slightly disappointed by the LCD-2C. Whilst you can definitely get a very good tonality out of it with EQ, it really lacks the technical performance and finesse that the standard LCD-2 brings to the table. If the LCD-2C was still available for its original pre-order price of $599, I think it would actually be a much better option, especially if you are comfortable with EQ. However, at its current $799 price tag and in the current headphone market, I really don’t think that buying LCD-2C makes much sense. From Audeze themselves there is the awesome LCD-GX ($899), which at only one hundred more dollars provides better technical performance, better ergonomics thanks to its magnesium chassis, and a much more natural, agreeable tonality that–ironically–I think sounds more like what listeners expect the LCD-2C to sound like. In that price range there is also the excellent Ananda from HiFiMan, which at $699 offers outstanding technical performance and one of the best natural frequency responses I have heard in a headphone. If you are looking for a headphone with great technical performance with a warm, relaxed tonality or an intro to Audeze, I think that the best options are the LCD-GX which I find to be a great introduction to the LCD series, or just go straight to the standard LCD-2 if you are fine with using some EQ.”

 

From RTINGS.com's review of the Audeze LCD-2 Classic (LCD-2C), first published on October 11th, 2018:

“7.6/10

“Excellent for neutral listening. The LCD 2 Classic are comfortable, have a great bass range, a decently balanced mid-range that's little forward on instruments and vocals but sounds balanced enough for most and an above average treble. Their treble lacks a bit of detail on lead instruments but does not sound sharp like some of the other neutral listening headphones we've tested overall they have a good sound, a decent soundstage, great imaging distortion, and consistency. They're a good choice for more neutral listeners and they're comfortable to wear for hours even if they are a little heavy on the head.”

 

From The Verge's review of the Audeze LCD-2 Classic (LCD-2C), first published on August 3rd, 2018:

“9/10 

“What the LCD2 Classics achieve is a bridging of the traditional gap between audiophiles and casual music listeners. I have sampled the extravagant extremes of personal audio, such as Focal’s $4,000 Utopias, and there’s nothing I’m missing when stepping down in price to Audeze’s LCD2 Classics. More expensive headphones still have their own reasons to exist, and their own differentiating advantages, but those are slight and subtle. The upgrade that the LCD2 Classics mark over something like a pair of Beats cans is so massive as to be almost visible.”

From ZReviews' review of the Audeze LCD-2 Classic (LCD-2C), first published on March 15th, 2018:

 

From The Headphone Show's review of the Audeze LCD-2 Classic (LCD-2C), first published on July 31st, 2020:

 

From Josh Valour's review of the Audeze LCD-2 Classic (LCD-2C), first published on September 17th, 2018:

 

From Headfonia's review of the Audeze LCD-2 Classic (LCD-2C), first published on April 18th, 2019:

"The Classic is enough the same and different to even have both headphones in your collection, and as it is now, I actually prefer the sound of the Classic over that of my LCD2.1.

“They’re both beautiful and great in every way, but emotionally they’re not the same. Audeze and the LCD2 did so much for the personal audio world and back then this really was an eye opener. The original LCD2 might actually be one of the most sexy headphones ever built. A true icon.

“In this price range the LCD2 classic certainly is recommended if you want a balanced, precise and clean sound from a more neutrally tuned headphone. It’s very easy to like.”

 

 

From Cnet's review of the Audeze LCD-2 Classic (LCD-2C), first published on July 7th, 2018:

“The thing that really jumped out about the original LCD-2 and now the LCD2C is its powerful dynamics and ear-massaging bass. It has a larger sense of scale than most competing headphones; the LCD2Cs sound rich, warm and hugely satisfying.”

 

From Bloom Audio's review of the Audeze LCD-2 Classic (LCD-2C), first published on February 15th, 2021: 

“While it may not have all the latest in driver tech, the more than a decade old design of the Audeze LCD-2 Classic remains a top performer today, and its $799 price also makes it a tough value to beat. Put it all together, and the LCD-2 Classic isn’t just a great open back headphone, it’s a true benchmark for performance at its price point.”

 

From The Master Switch's review of the Audeze LCD-2 Classic (LCD-2C), first published on February 28th, 2019:

“4.5/5

“In our opinion, this is one of the best pairs of headphones available on the market today, and although we might catch quite a bit of flack for this, it’s one of the best models that AUDEZE have ever made. AUDEZE stuck the landing. They kept everything we liked, and made it cheaper. And for under a grand, nothing sounds as good as these.”

 

From HiFi Reference's review of the Audeze LCD-2 Classic (LCD-2C), first published on January 29th, 2019: 

“5/5

“Compared to the original, the Classic may lack some depth and spaciousness, but If you like Audeze’s “house sound”, you’ll certainly appreciate the stellar sonic that the Classic delivers for its reasonable asking price of $799.”

 

From HiFi Choice's review of the Audeze LCD-2 Classic (LCD-2C), first published on October 8th, 2018:

“The LCD2 Classic is a great addition to Audeze’s range and reimagines its popular LCD2 planar magnetic design at an attractive price. It might not necessarily land a knockout blow to the main competition, but along with its clever DSP software plug-in, it is certainly worthy of an audition.ES”

 

Editor’s note: Emphases ours.