Audeze LCD-XC Professional Closed-Back Planar Magnetic Headphones

The Audeze LCD-XC brings the accuracy and transparency of Audeze's professional LCD platform into a true closed-back headphone.

Introduced in 2013 alongside the LCD-X, the LCD-XC was created for recording engineers, producers, musicians and serious listeners who need reference-level sound without the limitations of an open-back design.

Its sealed construction provides valuable isolation from the outside world while also helping prevent headphone bleed into microphones during recording.

For the studio, editing suite, desktop system or dedicated headphone rig, the LCD-XC delivers serious planar magnetic performance when an open-back headphone simply isn't practical.

106mm Planar Magnetic Drivers

The LCD-XC uses enormous 106mm planar magnetic transducers tuned for accuracy and precision.

The large radiating surface gives Audeze the ability to move air with exceptional control while maintaining the speed and low distortion planar magnetic technology is known for.

Complex recordings remain organized, bass stays controlled and subtle details remain easy to identify even during dense musical passages.

Ultra-Thin Uniforce Diaphragm

At the center of the LCD-XC is Audeze's Ultra-Thin Uniforce diaphragm.

Instead of concentrating force around a conventional voice coil, Audeze distributes the conductive traces across the surface of the diaphragm.

The Uniforce design helps create more uniform movement across that surface, reducing distortion and improving transient response.

That's particularly important in a professional monitoring headphone, where accuracy matters more than making every recording sound flattering.

Fazor Phase Management

The LCD-XC incorporates Audeze's Fazor waveguide technology.

The Fazor elements help guide acoustic energy as it travels through the headphone's magnetic structure.

By reducing interference and improving phase behavior, the system contributes to more precise imaging, separation and spatial information.

That's especially valuable in a closed-back design, where controlling internal acoustic behavior becomes critical.

Closed-Back Isolation

This is what really separates the LCD-XC from the LCD-X.

The closed-back earcups reduce external noise and prevent significant sound leakage into the surrounding environment.

In a recording studio, that helps prevent headphone bleed from being picked up by sensitive microphones.

For home listening, it means you don't need a perfectly quiet room to enjoy a serious headphone system.

And at a desk or in a shared environment, you can listen without broadcasting as much of your music to everyone around you.

A Closed-Back Headphone With Real Space

Closed-back headphones have an inherent challenge.

Isolation is useful, but sealing the rear of the driver can make the presentation feel smaller or more confined.

Audeze designed the LCD-XC to retain as much of the spatial presentation of its open-back headphones as possible while still delivering the isolation of a sealed enclosure.

The result is a closed-back headphone capable of producing excellent depth, separation and imaging without making the music feel trapped inside the earcups.

Professional-Level Accuracy

The LCD-XC is designed around accuracy, transparency and repeatability.

For engineers, that means being able to make decisions about EQ, dynamics, panning, balance and low-frequency content with confidence.

For audiophiles, it means hearing considerably deeper into a recording.

Poor recordings aren't magically fixed.

Great recordings can be spectacular.

That's what a true reference headphone should do.

Planar Magnetic Bass

Bass is another area where the LCD-XC stands apart from many conventional closed-back headphones.

Its huge planar magnetic diaphragm can reproduce low frequencies with real extension and physical authority while maintaining excellent definition.

You can hear the individual texture of a bass instrument instead of simply hearing a generalized low-frequency thump.

That combination of extension, control and speed makes the LCD-XC particularly useful for monitoring low-frequency information—and extremely satisfying for music.

Easy to Drive

Despite its large planar magnetic drivers, the LCD-XC is relatively efficient.

Nominal impedance is:

20 ohms

Sensitivity is:

100dB / 1mW

Audeze specifies a minimum recommended amplifier power above:

100mW

with a recommended power level above:

250mW

That allows the LCD-XC to work with many professional audio interfaces, consoles, portable sources and conventional headphone amplifiers.

But easy to drive doesn't mean amplification doesn't matter.

A better DAC and headphone amplifier can still improve bass control, dynamics, soundstage and overall refinement.

10Hz–50kHz Frequency Response

The LCD-XC has a specified frequency response of:

10Hz–50kHz

Maximum output exceeds:

130dB SPL

Total harmonic distortion is rated at:

Less than 0.1% at 100dB SPL

Maximum power handling is:

5 watts RMS

Those numbers help explain why the LCD-XC can remain clean and composed across a huge dynamic range.

Designed for Extended Sessions

Audeze has continued refining the LCD-XC over the years to improve comfort.

The current design uses a suspension headband to distribute weight across the head along with deeply cushioned premium ear pads.

At:

677 grams

the LCD-XC is a substantial headphone.

That's the tradeoff that comes with its large planar drivers and closed-back construction.

It's built primarily for serious stationary listening and professional work rather than portability.

High-Purity OCC Copper Cable

The LCD-XC includes a 1.9-meter cable made from 20 AWG high-purity OCC audio-grade copper.

The included combo cable uses a 4-pin balanced XLR termination with a single-ended 1/4-inch adapter.

A 1/4-inch to 3.5mm adapter is also included, making the LCD-XC compatible with a wide variety of professional interfaces and headphone systems.

Key Specifications

• Type: Professional Closed-Back Planar Magnetic Headphones
• Style: Over-Ear / Circumaural
• Transducer Type: Planar Magnetic
• Transducer Size: 106mm
• Diaphragm: Ultra-Thin Uniforce
• Magnetic Structure: Proprietary Magnet Array
• Magnet Type: Neodymium N50
• Phase Management: Fazor
• Frequency Response: 10Hz–50kHz
• Impedance: 20 Ohms
• Sensitivity: 100dB / 1mW
• Maximum SPL: >130dB
• Total Harmonic Distortion: <0.1% at 100dB SPL
• Minimum Recommended Power: >100mW
• Recommended Power Level: >250mW
• Maximum Power Handling: 5W RMS
• Weight: 677g
• Cable Length: 1.9m / 6.2 ft.
• Cable: 20 AWG High-Purity OCC Copper
• Termination: 4-Pin XLR
• 1/4" Single-Ended Adapter: Included
• 3.5mm Adapter: Included
• Travel Case: Included

LCD-XC or LCD-X?

This is probably the most important comparison.

The two headphones share the same fundamental 106mm planar magnetic driver architecture and are both designed around accuracy and professional monitoring.

The difference is the environment.

The LCD-X is open-back. If you're listening or working in a quiet room where isolation doesn't matter, its open architecture provides a naturally spacious presentation.

The LCD-XC is closed-back. It reduces outside noise, limits sound leakage and helps prevent headphone bleed into microphones.

That makes the LCD-XC the better choice for recording sessions, shared environments, noisy rooms and anyone who simply needs isolation.

The LCD-XC is heavier at 677g, compared with 612g for the LCD-X, and its sensitivity is slightly lower at 100dB/mW versus 103dB/mW.

Sound quality isn't the only deciding factor here.

Where and how you're going to use the headphone matters.

Experience the Audeze LCD-XC at The Grid HiFi

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

Choosing between an LCD-X, LCD-XC and the rest of the Audeze lineup is exactly where listening becomes more useful than reading specifications.

The Grid can help you compare open-back and closed-back designs, then match the headphone you choose with the right DAC, streamer, audio interface and headphone amplifier.

The LCD-XC is relatively easy to drive, but it's also resolving enough to clearly show you what better electronics can bring to the system.

Whether you're building a professional monitoring setup or simply want reference-level planar magnetic sound without giving up isolation, we'll help you put the entire system together correctly.

Come listen.

Contact The Grid HiFi to experience the Audeze LCD-XC.