Audeze LCD-5s Flagship Planar Magnetic Headphones

The Audeze LCD-5s is Audeze's flagship planar magnetic headphone, created for listeners who want extraordinary resolution and mastering-level accuracy without giving up the physical impact and musical involvement that make a headphone enjoyable outside the studio.

Building on the original LCD-5, the LCD-5s introduces a new driver design, Audeze's SLAM acoustic technology, revised ear pads and further refinement to its frequency response.

The result is a headphone designed to sound more natural, more spacious and more physically convincing while retaining the speed and resolution expected from Audeze's reference planar platform.

New 90mm Planar Magnetic Driver

The LCD-5s uses a newly developed 90mm planar magnetic driver built around Audeze's latest ultra-thin materials.

At the center is Audeze's Nano-Scale Parallel Uniforce diaphragm, engineered to respond rapidly and evenly across its surface.

The diaphragm is paired with a revised chassis structure that gives Audeze greater control over the driver's midrange behavior.

That matters because the LCD-5s isn't simply chasing more detail. The goal is to reproduce that detail with a more natural tonal balance.

SLAM Technology

One of the biggest changes to the LCD-5s is the addition of Audeze's SLAM — Symmetric Linear Acoustic Modulator — technology.

SLAM gives Audeze greater control over pressure within the earcup and the behavior of the driver at low frequencies.

The result is deeper extension and more physical bass impact without sacrificing the speed and definition planar magnetic headphones are known for.

You don't just hear the bass line.

There's more of the weight and physical presence that makes it feel like an actual instrument.

Fluxor Magnet Array

The LCD-5s uses Audeze's Fluxor magnet array with powerful N50 neodymium magnets.

The magnetic structure is engineered to provide the precise and consistent magnetic field required to control the ultra-light planar diaphragm.

That control contributes to the LCD-5s' speed, transient response and extremely low distortion.

Fazor Phase Management

Audeze's Fazor technology manages the acoustic energy leaving the planar driver.

The Fazor elements help guide sound waves as they pass through the magnetic structure, reducing interference that can blur spatial information.

The payoff is better imaging, improved phase behavior and a more convincing sense of space.

More Natural Midrange

Audeze specifically redesigned the LCD-5s driver and chassis interface to improve midrange tuning.

That's a significant part of what separates the LCD-5s from the original LCD-5.

The goal was greater tonal balance through the frequencies where vocals and instruments carry much of their character, while maintaining the resolution required for critical listening and mastering work.

The LCD-5s is still extraordinarily revealing.

It's simply designed to make that information feel more natural.

Bigger, More Open Soundstage

The LCD-5s is an open-back headphone, and Audeze has worked to make the presentation feel even less confined to the earcups.

SLAM technology and the revised driver architecture contribute to a wider, more immersive soundstage with precise placement of instruments and voices.

On a good recording, that additional spatial information can make the difference between hearing individual sounds and hearing the acoustic environment those sounds occupy.

Redesigned Ear Pads

The ear pads have also been redesigned specifically for the LCD-5s.

Their smoothly curved geometry is intended to improve long-term comfort while creating a more consistent acoustic seal around the ear.

The shape also reduces unwanted reflections that can interfere with frequency response and spatial accuracy.

It's a good example of something that looks like a comfort feature but is actually part of the acoustic design.

5Hz–50kHz Frequency Response

The LCD-5s has a specified frequency response of:

5Hz–50kHz

Maximum output exceeds:

130dB SPL

Total harmonic distortion is rated at:

Less than 0.1% at 100dB SPL

The LCD-5s can also handle up to 5 watts RMS, giving it substantial dynamic capability when paired with the right headphone amplifier.

35-Ohm Impedance

The LCD-5s has a nominal impedance of:

35 ohms

Sensitivity is:

90dB / 1mW

Audeze specifies a minimum power requirement of greater than 100mW and recommends:

More than 500mW

That makes amplifier quality important.

The LCD-5s doesn't require exotic electrostatic amplification like the CRBN², but it deserves a high-quality headphone amplifier with enough clean power to properly control its planar magnetic drivers.

Premium OCC Copper Cable

Audeze includes its premium cable with the LCD-5s.

It uses directional OCC high-purity copper conductors engineered for low capacitance and low resistance.

The primary cable is terminated in a 4-pin balanced XLR connector, and Audeze also includes a 4-pin XLR to 6.3mm TRS adapter.

That gives you balanced and conventional single-ended connectivity right out of the box.

Carbon Fiber, Magnesium & Leather

The LCD-5s combines high-performance materials throughout its construction, including:

• Carbon fiber
• Magnesium
• Genuine leather
• Polished polymer acetate

Copper accents give the headphone a distinctive appearance without losing the industrial design language of the LCD series.

The finished headphone weighs:

475 grams

That's still a substantial reference headphone, but Audeze has paid considerable attention to weight distribution and the redesigned ear pads to make extended listening practical.

Built for Listening and Mastering

The LCD-5s sits in an interesting position.

It's unquestionably an audiophile flagship, but Audeze also designed it with the accuracy required for professional mixing and mastering.

That means it needs to expose what's actually in the recording.

But accuracy doesn't have to mean thin, sterile or analytical.

The addition of SLAM, the revised midrange tuning and the redesigned ear pads are all aimed at giving the LCD-5s greater realism without sacrificing precision.

That's what makes it compelling outside the studio as well.

Key Specifications

• Type: Flagship Open-Back Planar Magnetic Headphones
• Operating Principle: Open-Back
• Ear Coupling: Circumaural
• Transducer Type: Planar Magnetic
• Driver Size: 90mm
• Diaphragm: Nano-Scale Parallel Uniforce
• Magnetic Structure: Fluxor Magnet Array
• Magnet Type: Neodymium N50
• Phase Management: Fazor
• Acoustic Management: SLAM
• Frequency Response: 5Hz–50kHz
• Impedance: 35 Ohms
• Sensitivity: 90dB / 1mW
• Maximum SPL: >130dB
• Total Harmonic Distortion: <0.1% at 100dB SPL
• Minimum Amplifier Power: >100mW
• Recommended Amplifier Power: >500mW
• Maximum Power Handling: 5W RMS
• Weight: 475g
• Cable: Premium Directional OCC High-Purity Copper
• Cable Termination: 4-Pin Balanced XLR
• 6.3mm Adapter: Included
• Travel Case: Aluminum Case Included

LCD-5s or CRBN²?

These are two very different ways of reaching the top of the Audeze lineup.

The LCD-5s is planar magnetic. It combines extremely high resolution with the physical bass response and dynamic authority Audeze's planar headphones are known for.

The CRBN² is electrostatic. Its ultra-light carbon-nanotube diaphragm takes a different approach to speed, transparency and spatial resolution while SLAM technology helps give it considerably greater bass presence than you might expect from an electrostatic design.

There's also a major system difference.

The LCD-5s can be used with conventional high-performance headphone amplifiers and Audeze recommends more than 500mW of power.

The CRBN² requires a dedicated 580V Pro Bias electrostatic amplifier.

Neither approach is automatically better.

They're different enough that if you're shopping at this level, you should hear both.

Experience the Audeze LCD-5s at The Grid HiFi

The Grid HiFi is your Audeze and high-performance personal audio expert in Houston, Texas.

A headphone as revealing as the LCD-5s makes the rest of the system matter.

DAC quality, headphone amplifier power and topology, source components and even how the system is connected can influence what you ultimately hear.

The Grid can help properly match the LCD-5s with the right DAC, streamer, tube or solid-state headphone amplifier and cabling.

We can also help you compare the LCD-5s with other reference planar magnetic, dynamic and electrostatic headphones rather than trying to make a decision from specifications and reviews.

At this level, that's the way it should be done.

Come listen.

Contact The Grid HiFi to experience the Audeze LCD-5s and let us help build the right reference headphone system around it.