"Like Wearing a Pair of Portable Studio Monitors" Says Review Geek of Audeze LCD-1

"At $400, the LCD-1s are the cheapest ‘phones in Audeze’s LCD Reference series. But they still managed to blow me away. I haven’t heard another pair of $400 headphones with this kind of clarity, sound stage, and flat frequency response, and the accessible form-factor just makes these headphones even better."

"But the open-back design has some major downsides. Audio is free to leak out, so anyone in the room can hear what you’re listening to as if it were playing from a small speaker. You wouldn’t want to use the LCD-1s in a library or an open office, for example. Also, bass frequencies might sound good on a pair of open-back headphones (they sound great on the LCD-1s), but the open-back design doesn’t rumble your head and feels like it has less bass than closed-back headphones."

"And like any set of reference headphones worth their salt, the LCD-1s have a fantastic flat-but-smooth frequency response (spanning 10Hz – 50KHz). The mids sound great, the bass is lean and clean, and the highs sound detailed and airy without getting into icicle territory. My only note is that the bass response is a little subdued due to the open-back design. You can hear the bass, it sounds great, but your head won’t rumble while wearing LCD-1s."

"As far as build quality goes, the LCD-1s are comparable to most headphones in the $200 to $500 range. Its lightweight plastic and aluminum components should last forever if cared for properly. The drivers are precision-crafted by hand, and like other Audeze headphones, the LCD-1s are assembled in California."

"But I encourage audio engineers, musicians, and enthusiasts to take the plunge. The LCD-1s offer the incredible the clarity, stereo imaging, and flat frequency response of full-sized monitors without eating up space at your desk or disturbing the neighbors. They’re well made, and they’re one of the few “portable” studio-grade open-back headphones, which is great news for hobbyists and students who need to record or edit audio away from home."