Audeze LCD-1 Sound Review 

I love the vibe dude, your reviews are top notch

That smile on your face, says it all.

Great review as always, I'd totally get these in the future.

I just ordered a pair and I’m really excited to hear them. Thx for the great review and advice.

Holyy... I have been searching for a new pair of headphones to just chill at home to keep my X2's at the desk for multimedia. And was just looking for a deal on hd650/660s and also considering the iSine 10, but nowwww i think i just found the perfect contender. And they dont need that much amping.. well done audeze, giving a great sound for this price. That was already needed, instead of just launching 1000€+ headphones.

I... never knew this was a thing... Good review, though, of course.

I like how you dressed up for your LCD-1 scoop review.

The shorter, sound-focused format is nice (no 30 minute rambling and hand-waving video), but talking about build quality and fit/comfort is still important. Since you script your videos and read from notes, something even just 1-2 minutes long talking about materials and any great things or notable problems in this area is still really appreciated. As always, a great review without any excessive hype - even if it is eerily like someone else's review BUY THIS IT'S GOOD...two in a row, if it becomes three I'll be worried :)

Wow, this is fast. I just read an article about Audeze-1's launch.

I know you aren’t exactly like Tyll but I am encouraged that Audeze sent you these and is already quoting you from this review on their page for these cans, I think they recognize you are one of the best objective reviewers particularly when it comes to dissecting the sonic aspects of a headphone. I’m pretty sure yours is the ONLY review right now available - in fact, I looked for reviews on RU-vid just about an hour ago and didn’t find this, I only found it after someone linked you on the HF thread for these - about 10 minutes after I had bought them. 😂

Thank you for the recommendation. I received these yesterday and am quite satisfied. These are a great buy.

This looks to be a fantastic value proposition! I like the sound of some of the big LCD headphones but find them to be too big and heavy for comfort and they are very expensive. These are very well priced and seem to be much more compact and light. One thing I would request is a bit more on the build and construction, I always value your opinion on the overall design and build too.

Bought these on your recommendation. After my ears broke in over a week, everything you say here is correct. Felt like I could trust you after the M50X review since you heard it so exactly to myself. To anyone buying this, especially from consumer-centric cans: give it a little time for your ears to break in. The hard edges wear down and they don’t shy away from any part of the frequency response. They’re a brilliant option for those who want to listen off their phone without the means for an amp, or who want a first-taste of reference class sound. I don’t consider the Sundara/660s in the price class because they require more power...they also aren’t nearly as portable. These pack away with minimal footprint.

Great review. Subbed and I’ll likely pick these up. A bit on the fence between these and the LCD-2’s, though (I know they are different prices).

Great review as always. How do these compare to the Argon Mk 3s with protein pads? I mainly listen to rock/metal but practically listen to every genre except country lmao

looking good, like the shorter format

No idea if you will see this, but just got my LCD-1's very recently and your EQ has helped massively in the mid range so I really appreciate it. Good review too!

A was expecting these to be an inevitable failure. But of course I want them now. I've been looking for a portable, openback planar that's not ridiculously power hungry (Sine) nor ridiculously expensive. Great honest review as always

Nice review! I got the LCD2C's for under $600. They will be here Saturday, can't wait.

If I have a fidelio x2hr, will this lcd-1 be an upgrade? Mainly use for immersive gaming and movies.

Well god damn! I might have to pick one up for myself!

Nice one sir! 👍🏻

Good move Audeze. Will this become the gateway drug to the BIG LCD's?

To clarify the beginning right up front: Audeze sends me headphones for review purposes only. I have never and will never take one of their review units and keep it for free. After the review is done, the review unit is returned to the manufacturer. If I want to keep the headphone around for comparison in the future or (rarely) personal use, I'll buy it myself with my own money. Some people got a bit confused about another point I made in the review at the end so I'd just like to reiterate: this isn't going to make me sell my 650. The timbre of that headphone is still unmatched. These offer a number of advantages over the 650 (better bass extension with less midbass hump, more detail specifically in the treble but not the midrange), but I'll let the community at large decide whether it's been dethroned. I'm not so sure personally. But I'd definitely buy an LCD1 over a 660S if you need an efficient open back. Thanks for watching, and remember to enjoy the music.

Great review. Any chance you could provide info on earpad size/measurements (depth and height)? Really interested in picking one of these up but I'worried about the size of those earpads which seem to really affect long-term comfort for me.

Thank you for confirming that I need to buy these cans.

Great review and thanks for what you do! Wow - this is surprising! Now I'm not sure what to recommend to people looking for the best open-back under $500, this or the HD 650/6XX. I might have to buy a pair of these simply to determine which is better (I already have the 6XX). I can just hear my wife now: "ANOTHER pair of headphones!!??" :D

I’m back! I have to say thanks for your powerful review & give you some credit because for my purposes mixing & mastering these seem perfect. I’m not 100% done mixing & mastering my song but I’m like 80% done mixing a song & the LCD1 is great! I was able to get very surgical with my mixing & i can hear every sound in the bass, vocals & highs of the song. I’m working with a filtered bass line from a song i sampled. On all my other equipment the filtered bass line low end is hard to hear but with the lcd1 I could hear it very good & make Accurate eq adjustments to make the filtered bass line sound better & really be heard. I still have to try & master a song with the lcd1 but since I can hear every sound frequency with them. I don’t see them falling apart & sucking at the mastering process & music on Spotify sounds great on them with toons of bass (for me) thanks bro! Without your review i would not have gotten this hidden gem 💎 of a great low price head phone! It was recommended I get the lcdx for $1500 for mixing & mastering but nah! For now the lcd1 will do 🙌🏾

Yeah! Metal finally popped for the MiniDSP after all this time.

Thks for the review...SQ wise, better than the Sendy and Sundara?

Sorry, belated comments from me in Australia. Thanks for this and all your reviews. I bought these hp’s (preorder) and like them. I like their low weight, comfort, form factor, versatility and the sound for the asking price. I got a 10% discount...better than nothing. They work very well with my PrimaLuna Dialogue HP integrated tube amp (stock tubes) in triode mode. I use them on portable devices also (versatility) with a dongle dac/amp and Radsone BT dac/amp, but they are much better with the PrimaLuna and Marantz CDP. I don’t really feel the need to EQ them. They compliment my Martin Logan EM ESL speakers. I’ve had pass me down Audio Technica electret and Stax Lambda HP’s. ‘Any whooo’, I just find the LCD-1’s (esp with the PrimaLuna) to be a very nice and balanced listen without having to put up with dinner plate sized and weighted monstrosities hanging on my noggin. 🙏

Great video! First time in your channel If you allow me one question please. Do you recommend this headphones for video editing? Thanks in advance and sorry for my English i'm still learning Have a Productive and Healthy day!

Nice review. How would you compare the treble to the dt 880 250ohm? I have fatigue after listening to those so i will upgrade. I listen through DF cobalt. Would theese be better then 660s for jazz, classical, gospel? Thks.

Thanks man for your sympathy and your accurate comment. I am more and more convinced to take these headphones !! The only thing I ask you and I hope you have tried them can you compare them to the Ollo s4x my final battle and between these two

Thanks !! Waiting for LCD 1C ...

A few months into these and still in love. I feel like I know what they’re going for now: they sort of contain the music (not in a bad way) to a bite-size packet that’s easily digestible but with all of the beautiful detail, timbre and imaging intact. Absolutely not for people who dislike intimacy, but they are far from “playing inside your head”. The way some sounds shoot off into the distance shows they have some great staging, but 60% of the music is pretty close to the head. There’s great presence. After trying a few more cans it’s become clear to me how awesome the FR is. Nothing feels disconnected and all frequencies are treated with equal aplomb. Being able to run these so easily is a major plus and Audeze really nailed it with comfort. I’d like to get the HD600 eventually, but interested in your thoughts on the differences? I know the 600 will be harder to drive and with a different timbre, but has anything toppled the Senns for you yet?

Thank you

Hi Metal, what do you think about Oluv's sound demo/ comparison with elex? Do these sound as boxy(ish) as it seems? I am looking to buy these to drive from my phone/tablet for plain music and movies, eq is too much hassle when it comes to mobile devices. Also is the sound stage too bad compared to 598s? I love the layed back sound on those. Any othe suggestions will be helpful as well. Thanks.

Well, it looks like I will buy buying my first pair of Audezes!

How do they compare with the LCD 2 classic in detail ? Also if they are very easy to drive did you had to lower the gain on 789 in order for them to sound right ?

I almost thought this was the 2009 prototype..same name..had to take a second look.

B I G L C D ' S

Nice bro.

The strange thing when i put on this headphones everything sounds like listen to a analog vinyl stack is like magic,is like everything is so natural and warm with a kind of good presence of every thing and the heights is so good :)

Sound excellent! And no worries about sound stage. If a headphone can image well and has a linear response, its a good candidate for spatial DSP (Waves NX, Abbey Road Studio, Smyth Realizer, etc). The only reason headphones have a 'blob' soundstage is because music is designed for speakers where there is natural crossfeed and room reflection. So in other words, most headphones can't do a proper stereo soundstage (there are a couple weirdies out there like the Sony MDR-F1 and MA-900 that have built in crossfeed, but that still doesn't cut it compared to modern DSP that can take into account some degree of HRTF).

I like that you are using the k371 I've my eyes on them but still waiting for the review on the k361.

Wow this was unexpected! Nice review! I was thinking about getting a LCD 2C, but this seems to be a good alternative. I wonder if the ear cups will be too small for large ears? They look a lot smaller than the big LCDs.

Hey metal, love the detailed explanations in your vids. I'm torn between this, and the HD600 for mixing purposes on classic sounding techno/house, and would love your opinion on the matter. From what I've gathered these both seem quite neutral, but with better bass response and a great value on these LCD-1's. Most old school electronic music doesn't have much "modern" hi-end due to the equipment of the time, so the strength of the LCD-1 may not apply in that area. I like the idea of smooth high end on the HD600 as I'm quite sensitive to brightness, but I'm not sure if that is worth the loss of being able to hear the interplay between the kick&bass while mixing (LCD-1 major strength) due to the harmonic distortion on the HD600's (I believe you mentioned that it's still quite tight, but I'm curious if that's enough to mix such a heavy-leaning low end in electronic music). Just curious as to what you think the better choice would be :D Thanks!

I picked one up, it reminds me of the oppo-pm3.

Now this is the real new good "Shit" I ordered two :)

Metal571 hey man do you think this is a good headphone for gaming ??

Are these the best value for classical music and ultimate clarity, detail and immersion? My budget is around 5-600£. The rest of the budget is reserved for dac amp

Hey, is the build quality like a hd650 ? Does the plastic feel the same or cheaper ?

Do you recommend it for gaming?

"I've been playing with this headphone for about a week now." Audiophile MKBHD?

I know this is a sound review, but you should put them on for 5 seconds to show the viewers how they look while wearing them.

Are you going to review the closed back LCD-2's by chance? would love to steal your EQ profile for them once you do.

Hey metal, big fan of yours. Im familiar with the sound of the HD 650. I like the tone of it but i feel like the bass rolls off too much too soon and the treble is too dark. Do you think the LCD-1 is a good choice for someone whos looking for something similar to the HD 650 but with more bass extension and better air in the treble? Follow up question: I saw Oluv's impressions video and i'm nervous i might find these too bright; he described the treble as sharp, "razor-blade" like. I dont want this to slaughter my ears like the DT770, but i dont want it to be as dull as the PM-3. Let me know what you think. Thanks!

I'm buying them.

WOW!!! I was JUST about to press the "buy" button on Thomann for the HD-600. But NOW...hmmm...this is almost annoying :-) I need good headphones for mixing while on the move...hope they show up fast here in Europe and the price is comparable to the HD-600! Thank you very much for the review!!! So my question to you, metal571 would be: Which of the two would you recommend for neutral sound and mixing duties?

Looks interesting, I'm looking for open back portable headphones

Hi metal. What DAC and amplifier do you use when reviewing headphones, as well as configuring your EQ profiles?

Do you have a measurement using your Eq APO preset by chance?

Hi, is it a good choice for listening sympho and power metal?

Thanks for the great review! What is the piece you mention at 8:10 that you use a lot for soundstage? Always on the lookout for good pieces to test headphones with.

I'm looking at my HD650s and i want to tell them "it's ok i won't replace you" but the order is already placed and if it blows me away....

Hey Metal, can you recommend headphones in the $100-$400 range that are great for sub bass? I was looking at the AKG K712 PROs but I can't decide because there are so many headphones out there.

Was planning to buy the Beyerdynamic DT 1990.....which ones should I take now?

For anyone interested: the fuzziness that you can hear in the vocals is probably caused by the frequency response of this particular headphone. I used EQs from other youtubers (metal571, Chrono from The Headphone Show), but the fuzziness was still present. To be completely honest I use LCD-1 directly from my phone (OnePlus 6 without any dac/amp, so nothing special) and I use USB Audio Player PRO with the additional plug-in Morphit. I use the plug-in to make my LCD-1 sound like "Generic Studio target curve" with additional boost in the bass region (analog bell 30 Hz +2.0 dB 1.00, low shelf 100 Hz +3.0 dB 1.00). I also decrease some sharpness in the treble region (analog bell 10 kHz -2.0 dB 3.00). I also subtracted 1dB in 3.5 kHz region to make the vocals be more smooth (analog bell 3.5 kHz -1.0 dB 1.4). Output level is -8.0 dB. Using Morphit (even without additional EQ) makes the vocals MUCH more transparent. It's now much better headphone (especially with the additional EQ). More bass (and punch to some extent), more details, more transparency in the vocals, even bigger soundstage. Maybe it's not that smooth as it was out of the box, but definitely worth checking it out. Hope this helped some LCD-1 users.

I’m in the a market for a pair of cans for my mixing and mastering given that my neighbour is not a fan of my late night sessions. I was looking at the HD650s because many engineers speak so highly of them, however these popped up as I was looking at other options, do you recommend these over the HD600/650s for mixing/mastering?

Having had the LCD-1 for maybe 4 months now, I can say that I'm still fairly happy with it, especially for the money. The treble is a bit eye opening when you compare to some of the Sennheiser cans (in a good way, it's really detailed and crisp, but doesn't really fatigue me which is really nice). Soundstage is similar to my HD6XX (meh), but with better imaging. Bass is pretty good, extended, but not really dynamic / impactful. Fit isn't perfect for me. I think the pads are a little thin and the opening is probably smaller than I'd prefer. They can be a little squeaky on the head. Interestingly, I think due to liking the timbre on these, I'm probably not looking at the larger LCDs for my next headphone as they're a bit... off. Probably ZMF. . Psst. Metal... when are you getting your hands on the Verite Open / Closed? Would be interested to see what you think about the mids and whether they might be a little too forward, especially compared to the Auteur / Aelous. I think we have similar mid-range preferences (I also listen to metal for at least 70-80% of my music).

What dac/amp would you recommend for these? I know you said it’s not necessary.. but I really want to get the most out of them.

I mean this is always a kind of dumb question to answer, but do you think it's "worth" paying three times as much for these as the currently on sale HE4XX? I'm kinda torn right now. Either I'm willing to spend 400$/€ on a headphone and go either for these or the HD 660S, or I just get the HE4XX for ~140€ and be happy with them. For reference my current daily driver is a Fidelio X2 which just feels to bass heavy to me and not enough detail and I also have a DT880 which I don't really like because it's just to bright and I definitely prefer a warmer sounding headphone. I've heard the 4XX described as bright, but also warm at the same time, so I'm not really sure what to make of it.

Wow this is huge. Should I sell the LCD2 Classics for these? I want to have a planar in my collection, but currently have Atticus and HD650 as well, maybe this would be a better complement FR wise? The LCD2C is not too different FR wise from the 650 and Atticus. Thoughts?

Are those arcs from the cups from plastic? If they are it's just a deal breaker, way too squishy.

Would be interesting to see how the LCD-1 stacks up against the Mobius. They're both $399, have the same form factor, and are designed to be portable and more consumer based.

Didn't audeze send you a sample of the i3? I know you said you aren't an iem guy, but the i3 far less of one. Can I hope for a review?

Commenting to ask if anyone who ordered an LCD-1 got theirs shipped and delivered yet. I received mine just before noon today, and I'm honestly astounded how good they are for $399. Will be doing some extensive listening and I definitely want to share my impressions on the headphones subreddit.

Will you be getting the monoprice m570 in for review? I just got them in the mail and they sound exactly like my Blon B20's. I'm glad I got to see you wear the k371. It explains why I have comfort issues and you don't. I have to have mine on almost the smallest setting and when I do the cups hit the inside of the hinge preventing them from going straight making more pressure on the top of the cups.

Very informative review. How do they compare in terms of sound quality to mobius?

Are the Classics worth it at twice the price?

Now I need to see the LCD1 vs Sundara

Have you heard th Aeon Flow Open? How would these compare?

Probably a daft question but seems a similar price point. How do these differ from my M100s? Been looking for a new set that beats them but for a good price. Can't see how anything can based on my sound perception, but I don't have too much experience

How do you compare the bass of this to that of LCD 2 Classic in terms of quantity and quality?

Planning to get a new pair of reference headphones. Do I get the DT1990 or this?

Honestly, I own two planars now: Hifiman He400Is, and Fostex RP40 Closed, and, the bass on either is tight and solid, but no way is it deep. They both lack a lot of bass response. The Hifimans sound a lot better than the Fostex, in terms of overall quality. If you really want some great bass-cannon headphones that don't sound muddy, I recommend the pair I just bought: The Sony MDRX10s. They are closed-back, DJ./studio style phones, comfortable, I got mine for under $100, and, I finally found a pair of headphones that offer the super heavy bass response that I was looking for, without sacrificing clarity. I don't understand why planars seem to be mainly lacking in the bass and super low-end, but from what I've heard and gathered, many of them do. It's more about the overall detail but not as much as electrostatics. I dunno about these Audeze, but, I would be wary if anybody is seeking headphones for mainly heavy bass alone. The planars also require a LOT of amp. power to drive them properly. That's almost always the case.

Interesting.. I hope they come out with closed back versions of the same form factor and weight. No hotspots with the head band??

Metal, you're really positive these days. I like it. Did you fall in love?

Is its imaging good enough for gaming?

Excellent review So should I stop thinking about the emu teak and start thinking about these ?? I know they are different but best sound for the buck

What's the sound leak like on these? Are they viable for quieter spaces like libraries? Planes? Or pretty much just home/indoor use?

Ive never really noticed the difference in sound between my 2 headphones(hd6xx,lcd2c) when wearing glasses. Mine are slightly thicker than yours. Are the pads glued ?

Hi there. I own Audio-Technica ATH-R70x and I like their sound signature . One thing is that the soundstage is quite narrow. Would you consider Audeze LCD -1 as an upgrade?

I don't need them, I don't need them

Almost agree with you based on the sample I heard from oluvs gadget except that the highs need a shelving cut. The soundstage is the only thing holding me back from buying these.

That's an impressive new competitor in the mid-fi market And I would be intrigued to know how does this compared to the ESP95X

ow would you say these compare against the DT1990 Pro for HipHop music?

Do you think this would be okay for an office environment? I listen fairly low-volume when concentrating , however I work in an open office environment (no cubicles just desks everywhere). I'm an IEM guy, my only cans presently are meze 99 noirs.

Any opinion about Shure SRH1540 vs Beyer DT1770 ?