You can’t really go wrong with having both, but if you’d have to choose one, I’d definitely recommend the LCD-X 2021. If I had any complaints here, it’s that the clean guitars sound a little flat compared to the dirty guitars.

edit: artists that sound fantastic on the LCD-X: Tool, Neurosis, Cult of luna, Mogwai, Explosions in the sky, Sigur Ros, Noorvik, Mono, Leech, Khuda, Isis, Ef, Esbjörns trio, Gaspacho, Grails, Norah Jones, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Tonbruket. Clear has a 55Ω impedance and a sensitivity rating of 104dB/mW whereas LCD-X 2021 has an impedance of 20Ω and sensitivity rating of 103dB/mW. Large soundstage – bigger than the XTC-O, good instrument separation – slightly better than the XTC-O, but just barely.In my previous time working on this album, I would have put a limiter just kissing the peaks of this snare and said that’s as loud as the track gets to be.

I am running these off of a Cocktail Audio HA500H DAC/amp on low gain with tubes disabled on an unbalanced 6.While the LCD3 is still a great pair of headphones for people that like that warm, dark, and very lush sound signature, the LCD-X is simply better in technical capabilities, and its tuning is more universal and neutral. Now if Audeze somehow manage to reduce LCD-X's weight by a couple of 100 grams, it will be a big time win for them!

They were useful well after I had finished a mix to my satisfaction on monitor speakers, or when I would later hear the mastered version. Nor do I want the downtime and wild swings in quality that would come from me moving from the world of headphones I know to the world of monitors in a room that I have almost zero experience with. Headphone measurements by definition are approximate and variable so don't be surprised if other measurements even if performed with the same fixtures as mine, differ in end results. The LCD-X is an extremely efficient headphone that extracts the maximum power out of low-powered amplifiers and portable devices.But I can tell if the bass is too boomy or the high mids/lower treble is too hot (for my preference). The LCD-X 2021 has a rather medium-small soundstage, that’s still highly accurate and lifelike sounding. Audio Venue Ltd, t/a Audio Venue is a credit broker, not a lender and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 738562). The HEDDphone’s bass isn’t bad in any way, don’t get me wrong, but it does sound a little bit mushy and not too dynamic from time to time. They aren’t as pleasant to listen to as either the open-backed Audeze ‘phones or some high-end dynamic models, but given the importance of the mid-range in recording and mixing, it’s arguably more useful to have that area prominently represented than to be seduced by exaggerated 10kHz ‘air’ or 40Hz sub-bass.

If you’re listening to a vocalist with a single acoustic guitar in the track, you don’t really want those acres of space around them, as it would not sound really convincing nor natural. With the open-backed EL8s, it seems that Audeze’s aim has been to match the performance of the flagship LCD-Xs as closely as they can within the restrictions imposed by the lower cost. So, at the top of this review, I mentioned that I’d re-worked some old material to get to know the sound of the headphones more quickly.

Sound summary – LCD-X 2021 improves on the previous iteration, particularly in the bass and midrange.