Sony - LCD-X (2021 Revision)

LCD-x bass is so good, it’s hard to believe that its an open back.

Yeah I did post some planars. They are big and are used by audio engineers who need the BEST sound.  There is more to headphones than size for most people. They need to wear them, carry them, drive them.  When sound is all that matters they end up big, because bigger ones sound better. 

Hey wait a minute, I've got an Empyrean II and HE1000 too! No focal though, just a humble LCD-X. Such a well rounded collection! I support this amazing collection

Right now, I'm using Meze Empyrean IIs for 2022 COD MWII. Depending on the month and mood, I may be using my HE1000, LCD-X, Moondrop Dusk, or Letshuoer Z12. I have specific EQ settings for all of them so that I can boost my ability to hear footsteps. In the past, I used a set of Meze Liric 1s and they were my favorite FPS headphone. With my EQ, the sound stage would close in and texture would disappear (idk why it happens on the Liric bc it never happens on my other headphones). This made footsteps really really easy to find. I want another pair in my life but I can't justify having a headphone just for fps gaming atm. Planning to play BF6 in the future. The audio sounds really good from all the streams I've seen.

I mean, I also started with Beyers and there is nothing wrong with them. I remember hearing them for the first time thinking the same. It was a pair of DT770. Then I grabbed a pair of open backs, the HD660s and was shocked on how good open backs can sound. I side tracked for a few months with all other variants, DT880, HD600/650 etc and eventually I stepped up to LCD-X. It was like getting into the hobby once again. I had my mind blown on how good headphones can really sound. After the LCD-Xs tbh I tried various amounts of ZMFs, listened to Hifimans, Mezes in shops but ultimately I found my one and done, the Tungsten and never looked back ever since. I'm coming up to my 2yr anniversary of owning them and not buying anything else. Point is, if you like them and think they sound good and they do everything for you, don't look elsewhere. Diminishing returns hit hard after the LCD-X so take care

Interesting question because I would consider $1-2k about the same in terms of performance class. Not an exact science, of course, but here’s how I break out price ranges by performance class (and I have stuff at every level): <$300 = budget / economical $300-$500 = entry level $500-$1000 = mid range $1000 - $3000 = premium +$3000 = flagship / exotic So I’m going to answer with respect to upper mid range into premium territory : Meze 109 Pro - excellent “all rounder” for multiple genres and excellent value for money. Easy to drive and versatile. Big stage like listening in IMAX. More artisan than neutral sound - warm and sparkly. Physically unique design (may or may not be your taste). Sennheiser HD660S2 - standout technical performer, also good all rounder, though slightly lean on sub bass and requires some power, as it’s a high impedance headphone. Smaller stage as is typical for Sennheiser, right in your face, but with excellent imaging. Slightly technical sound while still being musical. Sennheiser HD800S - very big and wide stage, excellent for symphonic and natural instrumentation. Excellent imaging. IMO less good as an “all around” headphone. Lacks bass definition and overly analytical for many modern genres. Also requires a bit of power as it’s high impedance. LCD-X - only recommend if you’re willing to EQ. Can be an absolute bass cannon, and responds exceptionally well to EQ, so you can make the frequency response fit your liking. Excellent presentation that is wide and puts you right in the middle of the stage. Focal Clear MG - similar to the Meze but with less brightness, a bit smoother and a bit more of a dynamic thump in the bass. 109 is the better value IMO. ZMF Verite closed - outstanding staging and technical performance for a closed back headphone, rivals some opens. Holographic imaging. Wonderful lush vocals and excellent detail retrieval, very energetic, gorgeous design. Great all around genre performer. Ever so slightly light on bass for some genres but not enough to be a deal breaker, plus can be EQ’d. Needs a bit of power to shine. Tube amp kicks is up a couple notches, near god-tier IMO for a closed. Customizable in terms of pads to tweak the sound to your liking ZMF Atrium - slightly above your range but all of the excellence of the Verite but even better staging and holographic imaging because it is open, darker tune - more bass, more relaxed treble. Slower speed in exchange for lushness and tonal richness. Often considered a direct upgrade from the Sennheiser 6X0 line. Also tweak-able with pads. Absolute God tier on a tube. Artisan design. Sennheiser IE900 IEM - great all around IEM with a very balanced tonal response. Neutral - musical. Everything you’d expect from Sennheiser in terms of technical performance. Most comfortable IEM I’ve ever owned. Single dynamic driver shines and brings a very high quality analog sound. Audeze Euclid IEM - similar to the IE900, in terms of versatility and tonal balance (slightly more neutral) but it is a planar IEM, so a more planar sound - smoother, faster, plus a wider stage. Still excellent Audeze imaging. Great for gaming and movies. Biggest stage I’ve experienced on an IEM except for the Campfire Trifecta (above your price range). Me personally, I’m a collector, currently own 20+ pairs and have owned more. All of the above I have owned personally (most still do). I am an all genre guy, biggest being electric/EDM, R&B, pop, hip-hop, classic rock, alternative, symphonic, jazz - so I like headphones that can serve many purposes. Happy to answer any questions. Good luck!

LCD-X EQd is so good. Love mine. Just gotta get used to weight.

Open Back nothing beats an EQ’d LCDX 2021. Closed Back I’d personally chose an EQ’d Noire X or ZMF Eikon on an OTL

I'd personally get an Open Back. The LCDX 2021 sounds great out the box but it can be EQ'd to hell and back with zero distortion. The only other headphone that comes close or beats is an AB 1266 TC but I'd never spend that kind of money for a basshead experience.

Have to also factor in price, and what they will be used for. Do you want immersion, or laser sharp imaging? Do you find really wide soundstage to be better, or massive impact bass from explosions? The buy in is huge because the amp cost is a big factor but for me the SJY Horizon closed carbon with a bass shelf give me a ton one impact, a pretty wide open sound for closed back, laser sharp imaging. There are several times when I thought I heard voices or sounds across the room from the cats knocking something over…. Then find the cats asleep and realize it was from the headphones playing subtle details and throwing them out there really well. LCD-X were also really good but very very open. My Fostex TH900 mk2 need a little eq but the slam is insane for certain games, not the best for imaging though, not the worst either just not the best. Cheaper version of that impact is going with something like the Eris. If you really want some great imaging for the price some of the sennhieser stuff is great but you can’t really get much impact out of them.

Do you know how it compares in metal to LCD-2 and Classic? I love LCD-X, but I already have a reference headphone (which is what I think it leans towards) and wanted something a bit more "musical" cause I spend many hours in headphones daily, and LCD-X becomes a bit tiring over time for me. I was looking into 2s, one or the other. Would appreciate advice here. Also, same questions for gaming. I can't listen to 2 amd 2C anywhere where I live. But I know 3 and X well.

Going to push back on this; not the sentiment, which is well reasoned. And u/PointEither2673 already addressed this, much more succinctly than I am. I'm being more pedantic here because we don't want to lead new hobbyists astray, or inadvertently constrain their available options. I'm a basshead, but also do critical-listening/mixing work. Most of my reference sets are open back and using some form of correction; almost all of them skew neutral or something akin to Harman OE 2018. Admittedly, these tend to be much pricier sets in general. My casual-listening headphones, however, are usually closed backs, or open back planars in rarer cases; sets like the Fostex TH900MK2, Focal Radiance, or LCD-X. Now, while I agree with you in part -- spending 3.5-5k on a summit-fi set that isn't tuned to my personal preference is not good value for money -- there is an argument for buying a well-built headphone with a higher-quality driver, one that is going to be much less susceptible to harmonic distortion as I add a considerable bass shelf, and/or additional correction to the mids and treble. Many of those headphones would fall into the "high end" category; kilobuck and multi-kilobuck sets. Why? Because, frankly, the budget to midfi segment of the market doesn't provide bass-forward headphones that are tuned well and are built on a quality driver platform. The most common "bass" forward headphones are often dark, muddy, lacking clarity and detail, and using cheaper bio-cellulose drivers that struggle with EQ. Can I EQ an FT1 into a basshead set? Yes, absolutely, but simply put the driver in that set is where you start to see through its cracks to its budget price tag. Its cheaper driver is going to be much less capable than something like higher-quality planar or beryllium driver -- which you often find in kilobuck sets. Give me an LCD-X, or the Radiance, and with PEQ both sets can retain much of their best midrange and treble qualities while rattling your cheekbones. Where this argument gets even more nuanced is in whether or not that investment is a good idea in the first place; if you want that much bass, buy a decent pair of near field monitors, a matching sub, make sure to set your high/low cuts properly on both, and add some good treatment to your listening room. Oftentimes, that's going to be a cheaper endeavor than buying some of those higher-end headphones. Unfortunately, not everyone is going to want to use, or can afford, that sort of space. That's when it makes sense to spend a bit more money on a quality headphone that's going to get you closer to your goal. TL;DR: High-end headphones aren't typically tuned for bass lovers, I agree. But, many of them are much more capable of handling EQ compared to budget and midfi sets, which often use cheaper drivers that don't provide enough headroom.

Bokeh Closed has become one of my favorite sets in the hobby. Definitely my favorite ZMF; wish I’d pulled the trigger on a stabilized drop, but had no clue it would pull past the Atrium and Verite at the time I bought it. Was a little hard on the Utopias and LCD-5. I strongly dislike the 800S, but it’s more that I prefer the Radiance to the Utopia, and the LCD-X to the LCD-5, and that I feel those two flagship sets aren’t worth the price of admission — unless your one and only priority is technical performance.

For the love of all that's good and holy, avoid those bell-shaped headphone stands at all costs, especially where planars are concerned. They look nice, but they can denigrate both your pads, and drivers. >To me, headphone is more like personal preference than money game(e.g. more expensive gear = better sound) This is spot on. Perfect example, I vehemently dislike the 800S and strongly prefer the HD 490s. Same with the Utopia; I prefer the Radiance and the Stellia. Prefer the LCD-X and LCD-2 to the LCD-5. Meze 109 Pros over the Elites, the Liric II's over the Empyrean IIs. The Bokeh Closed and Atrium over the Caldera. The list goes on. Most brands are obsessed with focusing on technical performance as they push toward summit-fi, prioritizing upper mid and treble clarity and detail, soundstage, etc. I need low frequency energy in my headphones; not just extension, but emphasis. I've learned, the hard way, that, with a couple of exceptions, anything from that 3.5-5k region is not going to be tuned to my preferences.