Audeze LCD-XC vs Hifiman Ananda 2021 | 4K

[@testek3053]

now this channel deserves its own headphones playlist!

[@AdamDuffArt]

lol I love hearing that!

[@ventiristretto4885]

I'm not really that much into unboxing videos, but this review and presentation is so pleasant to the eye! Your capturing and editing style creates this /inspiring/interesting combo. I absolutely love when creative, passionate people geek out about things with that kind of passion where you even act out the sounds you make, how it makes you feel, it's contagious! There's some heart in it and I love it so much, thank you!

[@Nephilim-81]

Terrific overview. Thank you so much and I have absolutely no issue with the LCD XC weight. In fact they’re my favorite closed back headphone right now. Probably cause I’ve yet to try the focal Stellia’s. Also the LCD XC you have is the “Creator’s addition. “ it is more cost effective cause it eliminates the pelican case and a dual 3 pin balanced cable.

[@soulfulfool]

I would love to see comparison between T60rp Argon vs LCD XC even if XC is priced over 2x more 🤷‍♂. Argons are light & comfortable beyond the limits, sound is superb for the price 👍 I lost interest in closed headphones because I know that costs could be very high to beat Argons. In the future maybe I will replace my LCD 2C with X, rather to stay with Audeze family.

[@soulfulfool]

I got my Arya and I'm about to sell LCD 2C to swap it probably with LCD XC :) glad you like them and I like things you said about them

[@zenboy2000]

What a great review. I've been enjoying the Hifiman Ananda and Drop Panda for a while. After the most recent firmware update the Panda has become even more satisfying. I've been considering the 2021 model of the LCDXC, your description that its a more visceral experience is intriguing.

[@unotsolucky]

One of the best reviews I have seen, Thanks. All my headphones are open back and need to get a really good pair of closed back headphones. Definitely think I'll be picking up the the Audeze LCD-XCs at some point, maybe in a couple months when I have saved up enough or in April for my birthday. Cheers

[@petervanderham4725]

Great review! Contemplating between the Ananda and the Monolith M1570 at the moment. So another video that talks about the Ananda, is great!

[@imfunnyman85]

Hello, U buy something? I use m1570 with smsl m500 and smsl sh-9. This stuff sound amazing but now i start thinking about ananda...

[@warfam_clan6933]

Hi Adam, love your channel dude. When I owned the Audeze LCD XC's they did come in the bulletproof flight case. It was very nice indeed. I think most Audeze's come in the cardboard box now ( My LCD classics did ). They made the case a 'purchase if you want it' in most countries as it was sold anyway on their website for I think about £100 in the UK. Such a shame because it was something not many other brands offered with their high-end gear.

[@lukesheppard3226]

Audio is clearly something you're interested in and I'm looking forward to seeing some more. I'd love to see more audio content from you! I'd say I'm quite an amateur audiophile but definitely surpassed the average consumer. I have a cheap pair of second-hand grados I bought but also a pair of nuraphones. In my experience, the nuraphones have been great. Maybe you should give them a try ;). Glad to see you've linked Z Reviews too, he's my favourite reviewer, really knows his shit. :)

[@JTB--]

So I just got the LCD-XC Carbon Fiber version today... and they are... AMAZING!! Many are asking which is better... the X or the XC? Well out of the box it's the XC by a mile!! The LCD-X was probably the worst sounding headphone out of the box I've ever heard. The X are 100% EQ dependent to sound good. The XC sound great right out of the box. I have an iFi iDSD Black Label Dac/Amp and the XC really take the Bass Boost and 3D effect well. I've yet to use the XC with my Monolith Balanced THX AAA 788 Dac/Amp... but I know they will sound good on it. Bottom line is forget the other Audeze HP with shitty sound sigs... the XC Rocks!! I now own the Ananda and the LCD-XC and they both compliment each other nicely. Oh and I almost forgot about the XC weight. Didn't bother me whatsoever. The XC may be the most comfortable fitting HP I've ever tried. Nice ear pillow ear cups/pads. So glad I took the chance on the XC! 👍

[@jonmarinos7170]

Are you comparing the XC carbon with the 2021 revision of the X? Or 2020 and older versions of the X? Because the revision apparently sounds much better and doesn't require any EQ. I'm actually on the fence on which one to buy.

[@JTB--]

@@jonmarinos7170 The LCD-X I tried was in November 2020... so I'm not sure what version it was tbh. I almost think I might have gotten a bad pair because the Sound sig was so bad out of the box. To me the XC sound sig is good out of the box and even better with some Bass Boost on the Black Label dac/amp and also really good through my LYR3 tube amp. I'm not interested in doing EQ so the LCD-X I heard was out of the question and returned immediately because It was going to need major EQ. Maybe the X is good now out of the box. Don't forget the XC is a closed back and X is an open back so the XC might have a little more punch and slam if that's a high priority for you. I just watched a little of The Headphone Show stream today and Andrew/Resolve made it sound like the X is a lot better out of the box now than the older version. If I were you... I'd order them both on Amazon and return one of them after you decide.

[@Aqil.Samedov]

It would be more correct to compare it with Arya, no? Ananda is cheaper model, whereas Arya now costs almost similar with LCD-XC. So it would be more relevant to compare those two. Please do it if it is possible. Thanks

[@ibassnote]

Really interesting, especially your vitriol for the LCD-X.

[@berndschaub5905]

Hello, thanks for the nice report on the magnetostats. I use the LCD XC and I can fully understand the evaluation. Unfortunately, I don't know the Hifiman, so my review only relates to the LCD XC. I have listened to the LCD range and actually wanted to buy an LCD X at the time. But in the end I ended up with the XC. I listened to some really extreme recordings and I noticed that some of the non-XCs had interference in the sound. In other words, the actual sound was really disturbed on certain tracks. This interference did not occur with the LCD XC, I assume it is due to the closed concept. But I have a request, which headphones should I listen to again if I want to hear something comparable to the LCD XC or better? Thank you in advance. Regards, Bernd

[@mylifematter]

I actually kind of have both of these. The first gen XC in purple heart wood and the Ananda BT. I have to say the XC really depends on the source device otherwise you will have to EQ the heck out of it. Anada BT kind of does it all with the internal processes, cable free, and sounds good too...that's why I got 2 pairs.

[@StaakmnKaak]

You should be a tech reviewer for Linus tech tips! :'D I love it

[@ricksiow2953]

I can imagine they would've become great partners since they exudes almost same characters during presentations :D

[@adriaanvanpijkeren9770]

loving the reviews

[@TheoriesOfTheoriesOfEverything]

You're really good at comparing

[@thomasdavis8117]

As a hifiman owner the suspension head band is very fragile, a drop from my head to the desk was enough to break off one of the ends after which I ripped it out and replaced with a zip on pad from Amazon which works pretty well but I would've preferred to have had it be sturdier to begin with.

[@idan1242]

great review man ✔👍

[@PrisOwner16]

In regards for the cheap-as-fuck box and only one cable for the Audeze LCD-XC, Audeze has now two versions for the X and XC: the Creator Package and Premium Package. With the Creator Package you get the headphones and a single-ended cable and you pay 500 (!!) dollars less. The premium package still has the pelican case and an extra balanced cable.

[@vpconcepts9838]

Correct 😉👌🎼✨

[@AKelly-wd4lj]

Great review! I'm very keen on the Audeze LCD-CX. If I wanted to travel with these would a phone DAC (Audioquest Dragonfly) be appropriate? Or do these simply need powering with an amp at home? Cheers!

[@ginzero]

Thanks for the comparison, very informative. I'm curious to see how the HiFiMAN HE-R10D would stack up to the LCD-XC..

[@fmaylinch]

I also think that Audeze sound weird, without highs (I think I tried the LCD 2 and 3). It's super strange for something so expensive. I wouldn't buy them even for a few dollars. And I also agree that the XC are different: they have highs at least. Now we start talking Audeze... 😄 This is an opinion of an audio enthusiast, not an audiophile. I think that the audiophile world is full of BS, to be honest.

[@TiagrajI]

Is that a fair comparison? The audeze are more expensive and they are closed back. 🤔

[@saurabhsarangi8339]

Did you try Audeze LCD X 2021 model or older model?

[@tomvu9353]

Hello!, I got an lcd x and thought it was good but the frequency response was horrible. Would you say the lcd xc is more balanced across the frequency range or rather say it sounds more normal without the dips and spikes of the lcd x? thanks.

[@theprinceofeverything1975]

Is there a dac and amp you can reccomend for smoothness in the highs and punch and deepness in the bass for my audeze lcd xc? Thank you so much!

[@barryconvex416]

Is the LCD 2C really that bad? I am in the market for open back Audezes.

[@shadouxg7150]

It's not worth at the price

[@souljock4409]

PLEASE!!!! Someone tell me the name of the song/artist of that Latin thing in the start of the video. Thanks!

[@taraszhupnyk2998]

what is the best choice Audeze LCD-XC or LCD-X?

[@blaaaaaaaa2017]

Thats up to you. Lots of people prefer the closed back.

[@JTB--]

Opinions I've seen from reviewers I trust on KZbin say the XC is better

[@taraszhupnyk2998]

@@JTB-- thx,I bought Hifiman Arya )))

[@JTB--]

@@taraszhupnyk2998 Great decision. The Hifiman headphones sounds great right out of the box. The Audeze headphones need major EQ to get them to sound good

[@taraszhupnyk2998]

@@JTB-- thanks! Buy I don't know what to do with dac and amplifier. I have SPL SE + DAC768SX. Do you have recommendations for me? Do I need changing something?

[@stevendavis1135]

Kinda weird to see a comparison of a closed back to a open back. Two totally different sounds sonically

[@SalsaBailaProductions]

Sooo you have a russian accent when talking bout boxes?

[@AdamDuffArt]

DA!

[@blaaaaaaaa2017]

It implies shttier quality in case you didnt get it. Then british accent implies class. “Wuh ohw! Im hearing the pc police siren, bye!”

[@Drakcloud65]

That's a lot of sounds

[@theodorezurla496]

Focal celestee review please

[@pa7bloP]

Great review!

[@KurtG879]

I agree 100000% about how you feel about the LCD-X. I did not like them at all and really wanted to because of how robustly designed they were. I'm currently using Arya and considering LCD-XC for my closed back pick. Just wish I could get in the maple wood or any wood still

[@blaaaaaaaa2017]

Lol. I’ve been eyeing the lcd xc for a while and dont understand why cant they use a lighter metal..

[@tomvu9353]

@@blaaaaaaaa2017 Did you get a weird tonality with the lcd x? I got mines and it sounds super weird

[@TheGreatMrBill]

You lost me when you said they both Rumble the same. Because Ananda has hardly any bass at all. And if they are the same then I have lost interest in the XC. Bummer.

[@dannyturner7967]

I have ananda and ifi zen dac and amp and they rumble very well

[@СергейФлеменг]

Ananda 👍. Lcd x 👎

[@dadon9946]

5:49 'it FEELS more like a 6-foot' Seriously man, have you ever heard about some handy tool to actually MEASURE such differences instead of putting rough guess like that into something you consider being a review?