Audeze LCD-2C vs Sennheiser HD600 Comparison

A comparison between the Audeze LCD-2C and the Sennheiser HD600. Both excellent headphones, but for a slightly different user demographic. I hope my opinions help you determine which is better for you.
**NOTE: I failed to mention soundstage and imaging. Soundstage on the 2Cs is massive and wide, whereas the soundstage on HD600s is narrow and tight. Despite this, I feel imaging on HD600 is slightly more accurate and has less "dead zones" than the 2Cs.
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--- Recommended Products: ---
** Sennheiser HD600 **
-Amazon: amzn.to/2W8K2WH
** Hifiman HE-4XX **
-Massdrop: www.massdrop.c...
** Audeze LCD-2C **
-Amazon: amzn.to/2RI657Q
** Sennheiser HD650/6XX **
-650 through Amazon: amzn.to/2REy74d
-6XX through Massdrop: www.massdrop.c...
** Sennheiser HD58X Jubilee **
-Massdrop: www.massdrop.c...
** Koss Porta Pro **
-w/mic through Amazon: amzn.to/2AW9eXf
-X through Massdrop: www.massdrop.c...
** Koss KPH-30i **
-Amazon: amzn.to/2AW9hlT
** AKG K7XX **
-Massdrop: www.massdrop.c...

[@PredCaliber]

I have a HD650 for a very long time now, and tried a HD660s and Beyerdynamic DT1990 Pro. I didn’t experience much difference between the 660s and 650, so no reason to keep those. Regarding the DT1990 Pro, it was all over the place regarding “clearness” and totally different than the HD650, but for me for sure not better! HD650 is just so comfy to listen to everything. I was hoping the Audeze LCD-2C was a direct upgrade for my HD650, so thanks for the review :) will test them for sure, even I am afraid I will just stick to my HD650 and save the 900$

[@2nnGnR]

So, what is the result of comparison?

[@PredCaliber]

@@2nnGnR for me honestly no noticeable difference in the 660s and 650. At least not worth the money as an “upgrade”. Pehaps as a new headphone, but even then I would recommended the mass drop HD6xx which is a HD650 with better drivers.

[@2nnGnR]

@@PredCaliber I misunderstood you - I guessed you were going to compare Audeze vs Sennheiser to conclude whether Audeze worth it.

[@garyluciani370]

@@2nnGnR I own both the hd 6xx and the lcd2c. I think of them as complements to each other. I don't consider either to be an upgrade to one or the other. The hd 6xx has more mid-upper bass, the lcd2c has more bass below 50hz. The lcd2c do have cleaner, no distortion bass. The hd 6xx has more lower mid warmth . The lcd2c has more mid- mid energy. The hd 6xx has smoother more linear treble, but neither of them has sparkly or airy treble. The 6xx sound "bassier" because of the upper bass and low mid warmth, but the lcd2c have cleaner tighter bass. The lcd2c do have a bigger and wider soundstage. They're not as closed in sounding as the 6xx. As I said I like them both but for different reasons.

[@2nnGnR]

@@garyluciani370 in my case, I prefer LCD2C over HD650.

[@gripsPROD]

The new version of the HD600 has the double padding headband now with the dent in the middle :)

[@orangejam]

I felt the same. I got used to Sennheiser HD 660S2 model. And when I bought Audeze MM 500 my expectations were above the ceiling. In fact Sennheiser has more punch in lower range and you feel it while you listen to any genre. While Audeze are way too flat in that area - you are able to hear sub base, but it's too airy. On the other hand I can admit that Audeze have more clarity in other frequencies, especially in higher range, with more shiny, more crystallized sound. All in all, I still enjoy my Sennheiser HD 660S2 more...

[@chrisp.5272]

Sennheiser fan, really love my Game One’s, HD558’s with a mic. Got the Sennheiser HD800S’s as well, along with the Phillips SHP9600’s which both are fantastic. Really want the HD650’s this summer, and I just ordered the HD58X and Koss KSC75X’s from drop. 🤙🏼

[@junzhang2087]

I have both . I still prefer hd600. Very comfortable and easy to listen to.

[@arefinkhandaker4370]

How would u like to describe your experience with lcd 2c ?

[@풍뎅이-h5b]

6:54 Sound review

[@clickzero5488]

I returned Hifiman Aria Organic. They have a higher resolution of sound so to speak, but they sound boring in comparison to the HD6XX and the HD600 and they're way too bright, to the point that my hears hurt even at moderate levels of volume. The HD600 is a perfectly brighter version of the HD6XX, just as Senheisser describes it themselves, HD600 is transparent glasses, HD6XX is a sunglasses with light tint. I freaking love them.

[@RealTobyMaguire]

Good video thanks. Gonna pick these up now after a few years with the hd600s

[@chuckolatte600]

Np Spidey

[@danhule]

positioning does not affect planar as much as dynamic drivers.

[@missingpathway0]

I’m looking into these for production but I really love that people are actually enthusiastic enough about music to buy great headphones and gear just to listen. Thank you, audiophiles.

[@chuckolatte600]

The Few, The Proud

[@gigahertz_1911]

Which pair did you end up getting? I find that the lower end does not translate well between my HD600s, my HS8s and stock car speakers which can go pretty low. Everything above the low end sounds pretty much 1:1 between my HD600s and the speakers. I just always end up having my bass louder than everything else when I first produce stuff on the HD600. You really only hear the texture that rides/sits on top of the lower frequencies. So I've been roaming around for sort of a direct upgrade to the HD600s, improving on the bass response while keeping the clarity of the rest of the frequency range like the HD600.

[@dondelchulia3189]

I love good bass in rock so the 2c have been great to me. I get what you’re saying on drums though. They could be just a little more forward

[@LakerTriangle]

Could also keep (or kept) because the brain gets used to the headphones so switching up keeps everything sounding great and fresh. I have multiple high-end cans I rotate between.

[@chuckolatte600]

Definitely! I feel like the sweet spot for most audiophiles is 2-3 HPs

[@Aaditya1ad]

4:53 lol

[@dondeleon78]

Aaditya Tank lol ... 😂😂😂 Thats the sweet spot I guess

[@JackedZilla]

literally fkin laughed out loud hjahahahahaa fkin dying that moment of silence

[@UnknownS0und]

Good overview and comparison. Thanks!

[@terryRBNF]

good speaking voice, can you read me a story? Good review btw

[@chuckolatte600]

Ever heard of the Ugly Barnacle??

[@terryRBNF]

@@chuckolatte600 lol!

[@soulfulfool]

I would never tell that my LCD-2c are slower, gonna test more vs my HD600 to be sure. But my balanced cable in opinion of creator of it is fast and dynamic so maybe that and more power do the trick. Soon my HD600 gonna have XLR cable so we can compare them on higher power

[@gregwx]

Wow such a great honest unbias review. I appreaciated, thanks for taking the time to do it and use common words to elaborate your point. I'm at that point, I got my first audiophile grade headphones HD660S, and I want a more fun side headphone... different tonality, I don't know if LCD's will be a worthy tryout, I mean not expecting is a 100% update, and only if they were 50% better than HD660s still not quite make sense the investment and I'm looking at the HE-4XX might be a good tryout to meet that bass planar that everybody saids is worth to try. Once again, Thanks!

[@bratosin1]

Doesn't work like that , a 1000 dollar headphone is only 30% better overall than a 500 headphone like hd660s , a 1500 headphone is only 10% better than a 1000 one , a 2500 headphone is only 5% better than 1500 one , etc , there is a law of diminishing returns and you cannot do nothing , do u really think a ferrari la Ferrari is 10 times better than a bmw m4 ? Nope

[@18yearsoldnot]

@@bratosin1 I’d argue that once you pay $1000 you get into headphones that are in “no compromises” territory which may technically be 5% better and a lot of the time (with a few exceptions), the driver size is much bigger, which brings that missing slam you get from the relatively small 40mm drivers you get in the hd 5/6 series. For music listening then, you get that authority in the bass which is totally worth the extra 5%. On the other hand, for neutral frequency response, no headphone is better tuned than the hd5/6 series and if you don’t have a dsp or eq system… hd5/6 series is the best you can get. The dynamic range in e.g. my lcd x compared to my hd660s is almost double, so therefore “wow factor” is difficult to achieve with the lcd-x right until you find properly mixed music with extended and detailed low end bass. Most recordings sound terrible on them without eq and I rely a lot on sbx bass boost software on my dsp (which many audiophiles hate because of the additional processing “impurity”).

[@massivemikeh]

Your reviews are awesome bro! Underated...Cheers.

[@gigahertz_1911]

I've loosened my HD600 using a box a bit bigger than my head. I would extend them all the way and just leave them there over night. They come out pretty loose for the next day, almost feeling like there is nothing on your head. Until the clamp force slowly starts coming back.

[@HiFiMaan]

Finally, I have found an huge upgrade for my lovely HD600/HD650 - HiFiMan Edition X v2. BTW. Great review as usual.

[@chuckolatte600]

Interesting

[@HiFiMaan]

@@chuckolatte600 Very warm, better bass more I say a lot more spacious sound. More easy to drive but less mobile. More comfortable if you have quite big head if to small then can be loose. I promised to myself to not sell HD650 to end of my life but I will keep them definitely because of one reason - durability. Who knows when HiFiMan will die. Sennheisers drivers are bombproof so let's keep armory safe ;) Ohhh and second reason : my HD600/HD650 are irish made so latest romanian are cut-cost edition to my taste and part od Sennheiser company (consumer products) is for sale ! New owner may or not maybe continue old families :? In bad scenario they will be end-life and more rare in next days.

[@Muldoonite]

What would you say is a direct upgrade to the HD600 that’s planar magnetic? The LCD-X maybe?

[@chuckolatte600]

Maybe. I heard a friend's LCD-X a long time ago, and they're one of Audeze's best HPs for sure. Probably the closest to the HD600s. But I can't remember how close they are.

[@RyuMasterEX]

Airiness is what the higher end audezes do + musical bass

[@RetroPlus]

4:52 Some muscle memory kicked in there 😳

[@RC-qc2nz]

All of my friends and family like my sennheiser hd 660s more than my audeze lcd 2 classic. But the best I have are the stax srl 700

[@justind4175]

Hi. I currently have HD600 and love them for my various Rock type genres and sub genres. Anything with Electric/Acoustic guitars and acoustic drums (not electric drums). I currently run the HD600 with +3dB @63Hz and -1.5dB at 2KHz. Would the LCD-2C be an upgrade I'm after? I like going to look for details, not having it forced at me. That can be fatiguing. I also have the Sundara> Great sounding headphone for sure, but I find myself reaching for the HD600 over it most of the time for Rock, Punk Rock, etc... Sundara has better soundstage yes, but I love the intimacy of the HD600. Also, the HD600 sounds more tonally accurate to me. Sundara sounds mostly right but every now and then I find myself for a brief moment thinking "That sounds a little off tonally". I also can get tired of all the detail in the forward sounding cymbals from drums. These are nit picks and things I didnt notice until having the HD600 at the same time. What would be a logical upgrade to my HD600 to use as a daily driver?

[@chuckolatte600]

That's a tough one, there IS a reason why the HD600 are still relevant after 2+ decades lol. The LCD-2C would be more of an upgrade to the HD650, they're warmer and darker. A closer upgrade to the HD600 are the LCD-X from Audeze, or something like the ZMF Auteur (but yeah, it gets pricey from here lol). If you can't stomach the extra cash, then take comfort in knowing that your HD600 are already an awesome BEAST of a HP lol

[@curtisw6907]

Good evaluation! Thank you for the detsiled answer !

[@towsifshahriarshovo]

Do planar headphones like lcd-2c sounds bigger due to bigger 106mm drives??

[@soulfulfool]

a lot of haters out there because they hate the price tag xD but they do in my opinion with balanced cable, good amp and audeze reveal the sound is very strong and spacious

[@lrmcatspaw1]

I preffer the LCD-2C for gaming (single player) and the HD600 for music. Have you tried the LCD-2F? That is my endgame headphone thou Ive moded it for comfort a bit.

[@chuckolatte600]

Interesting. I believe I've tried a non-fazor model of the LCD 2. They were alright, though a bit dark for me.

[@JohnWell4131]

Good Job

[@towsifshahriarshovo]

Best planer under $1000 for bass response?? M1060 or lcd-2c for value?

[@kentxx12]

Audeze LCD-2C is very good but to heavy for me.

[@cirotube74]

but how do you compare a hd600 with an audeze lcd2c ??? and maybe there are those who also prefer the hd600.

[@chuckolatte600]

It's...what I do lol

[@soulfulfool]

I prefer to have both, dont gonna sell my beauties to some lucky bastard I care for them too much haha (when Im selling my headphones they are really lucky to get used pair in perfect condition)

[@tomdavis6371]

Acoustic is Metal?

[@imageofsin]

metal is acoustic when compared to more synthesized music like hip-hop and electronic; where drums and instruments are not played, but instead programmed.

[@mobbaddictchannel]

Midrange is actually super important for rap. Something related to vocals... ;)

[@escogido7755]

HD600 better for singing vocals...

[@starg47]

Don't be fooled with price. You would be surprised by how similar a $300 headphone can be to a $1000 one.

[@zosmanovic9763]

I tried the HD800S and regular HD800, alongside the HD600 and K501. There really isnt crazy amount of difference...

[@PredCaliber]

@@zosmanovic9763 damn, for real? The HD800s is 1300€ in my country. The HD650 is 350€ ..

[@MrKrampyHands]

Oh man I’d use dekoni nuggets to replace that craptastic excuse of headband padding on hd600

[@chuckolatte600]

I'd actually suggest the HD650 stock padding. that's what I did with mine

[@arefinkhandaker4370]

Any alternative to lcd 2c on the same price point?

[@chuckolatte600]

Frankly, no. The LCD-2C have that classic warm Audeze planar sound that isn't very commonly seen with other planars or replicated well enough on dynamic drivers

[@CarlosPerez-gt5ol]

Y'all need EQ

[@intoitreviews]

So your take is hd600>hd6xx/650?

[@chuckolatte600]

If you want the "best" variant of the HD600 line, the HD600 are it for me. However, price-to-performance I'd say the HD6XX from Massdrop may be the better deal. Difference is about $100 new, so it wouldn't be much of a hit to go with the HD600

[@colinhathaway9493]

I’ve had my 650’s for ten years or thereabouts. All I’ve had to do is change the headband. Have you ever changed the pads to aftermarket ones and if so which ones are the best? Also would the LCD2c be a decent upgrade on my 650’s

[@intoitreviews]

@@colinhathaway9493 I have dekoni fenestrated sheepskin on mine, and I think they sound better than stock, and really, really close to it too. People seem to preach "you can't ever change the pads." I totally disagree with this, I just think it's hard to find the right one.

[@chuckolatte600]

From 650, for sure they would be! Also, I'm not certain about the pads because everybody seems to swear by the stock pads--they say not to get any other pads since the sound changes for the worse. Haven't tried myself, so idk...@@colinhathaway9493

[@olimphus26]

I have the 6xx and I like them a lot now that I got used to them... mostly, but I cannot wear them for long because they are uncomfortable, not because of the head clamp, I dont mind that and I dont mind that my ears touch the driver a little bit but the pads man, the pads are too stiff, thin and hot. I have to stop using them and cant enjoy them because all I hear is the ac in my room. I wanna be able to turn off the ac for a while without my ears boiling. I was told to get dekoni pads because they're more comfortable but they change the sound too much and i dont want to do that so I'm planning on buying the audezes and I got a question for you, do your ears get hot when you wear them and if they do, how long until you have to take them off?

[@chuckolatte600]

My ears got warmer from the Audezes than with the 6XX/600. With the Audezes however, their weight got really annoying in about less than an hour of usage.

[@olimphus26]

@@chuckolatte600 oh i see, thanks.

[@chuckolatte600]

@@olimphus26 NP

[@bratosin1]

The sennheiser velour pads are the only pads in the world than dont heat , so If you find that to hot get some in ear models because u never find a colder ones

[@chuckolatte600]

@@bratosin1 South Texas can be very unforgiving lol

[@Maj0ris]

Audeze headphones weigh over 1kg and is uncomfortable as hell also they screws come loose over time the headband stretches so you can feel the metal housing against the top of your head they sound amazing best headphones I have ever owned but with all the flaws like the fact they cost over £1000 and they fall apart by using them just isn't woth it at all

[@chrysio7]

Most audeze headphones weigh between 500-600g give or take. So it's not 1kg. Stop lying.

[@scottlowell493]

The M1060 are built like crap, and have a nasty 5khz spike. I got a refund for mine, they fell apart (input jacks) in 10 minutes. Don't buy them. The HD600 are great all around and more my speed than the overly dark cans.

[@chuckolatte600]

Nice, good to know!

[@scottlowell493]

@@chuckolatte600 As a drummer, I want cans to sound like drums. The M1060's nasty spike made my hihats sound spitty. PSSST! Sibilance too. The HD600 are far more balanced. Anyone that hypes the M1060 loses all my respect as a listener or a quality product. The m1060 is neither great nor quality. Yes, I have one Stereophile "A" rated DAC, An Oppo DAC and 4 different amps (not including preamp outs) to compare. The M1060 were consistently bad.