March 03, 2021Audio Product Reviews

LCD-2C vs LCD-2 vs LCD-2 Closed Back Comparison Chart

Audeze has a number of sub-$1,000 headphones for music fans who’d love to dive into the California company’s sound without breaking the bank. We’ve made a comparison chart of the Audeze LCD-2 Classic (LCD-2C), LCD-2, and LCD-2 Closed Back. All three headphones are available right here on Apos, so if you have any questions about either feel free to reach out to our Support Team.



	Audeze LCD-2 Classic (LCD-2C)	Audeze LCD-2	Audeze LCD-2 Closed Back
Price	$799	$995	$899
Impedance	70Ω	70Ω	70Ω
Sensitivity	101dB	101dB	101dB
Frequency range	10-50,000Hz	10-50,000Hz	10-50,000Hz
Style	Over-ear, open-back	Over-ear, open-back	Over-ear, closed-back
Transducer Type	Planar Magnetic	Planar Magnetic	Planar Magnetic
Magnet structure	Proprietary magnet array	Proprietary magnet array	Proprietary magnet array
Phase management	Non-fazor	Fazor	Non-fazor
Magnet type	Neodymium N50	Neodymium N50	Neodymium N50
Diaphragm type	Ultra-thin	Ultra-thin	Ultra-thin
Transducer size	106mm	106mm	106mm
Maximum power handling	5W RMS	5W RMS	5W RMS
Maximum SPL	>130dB	>130dB	>130dB
THD	<0.1% @100dB	<0.1% @100dB	<0.1% @100dB
Minimum power requirement	>100mW	>100mW	>100mW
Recommended power level	>250mW	>250mW	>250mW
Weight	1.2lbs	1.31lbs (595g) (Rosewood), 1.27lbs (580g) (Shedua/Bamboo)	1.45lbs
What’s included	LCD-2 Classic planar magnetic headphones 1.9m 1/4'' to dual 4-pin mini-XLR cable Professional travel case User guide and warranty card	LCD-2 planar magnetic headphone 1.9m 1/4'' to dual 4-pin mini-XLR cable Professional travel case User guide and warranty card	LCD-2 Closed Back planar magnetic headphones 1.9m 1/4'' to dual 4-pin mini-XLR cable Professional travel case User guide and warranty card
Influencer Sound Opinion:	Joshua Valour “The pads are absolutely wonderful and very plush, and the memory foam that they use is just incredible.” “The strap and the pads [...] are incredibly comfortable.” “The overall comfort of this headphone is incredibly good.” “These are a fairly heavy set of headphones, but definitely not the heaviest that Audeze makes.” “This is a headphone I would use for just sitting down, having a whiskey, just relaxing.” “[They produce] a solid yet smooth delivery [...] a very warm, very enjoyable sound.” “That’s really what this headphone was to me: it was just pure enjoyment.” “It doesn’t have a clinical sound like the LCD-Xs.” “Mid-range is alive and forward.” “You can feel the texture in the detail.” “The vocals [...] are larger-than-life.” “The bass is tight and strong and on par with the best open backs I’ve heard.” “There’s a little bit of recession in the treble.” “The vocals on this are very intimate, they’re very close.” “I wouldn’t necessarily call them class-leading.”	The Headphone Show “This is one of my favorite-looking headphones of all of Audeze’s lineup.” “It feels very well-built, very sturdy [...] the downside is that it’s heavy.” “You get some cup swivel [...] and some extension.” “What this headphone does really, really well is the sense of image clarity and detail and textural nuance that comes across.” “The ability to look through the window and get a clear image there and peer into the music is fantastic.” “In my opinion, it is class-leading at the sub $1,000 mark.” “If you don’t EQ this headphone, you might be a little bit disappointed.” “Once this is EQ’d, this is probably the best detail-retrieval under $1,000.” “Also what this headphone does fantastically well is the sense of image separation and distinction.” “It’s not as spacious as something like an HD800 or HD100s. It’s actually quite average in terms of soundstage.” “This is a punchy-sounding planar.” “The bass is fantastic, but this is not a bass-boosted headphone.”	Resolve Reviews “One of the reasons why this headphone is so heavy is because the build quality is so good.” “The pads are insanely thick. These are probably the thickest pads I’ve ever used.” “It’s a heavy freaking headphone.” “The resolution and the detail retrieval are excellent. The speed and planar timbre are there. It’s one of the faster headphones. It has exceptionally good instrument separation, especially in the bass.” “Kick drums sound incredible.” “The soundstage is good but not exceptional because it’s a closed-back. But it’s better than a lot of other closed-backs.” “Vocals sound really weird and a little bit hollow [...] you don’t get the presence of the vocal range as strongly as you do even in the LCD-2C.” “This headphone underscores the importance of the types of music that you’re listening to more than anything else I’ve heard recently.” “Whether you like the headphone comes down to the genres that you’re listening to.” “Bass is well-extended.”