"So all things being subjective, I advise you to try them out for yourselves. Yes, you can call them a bit pricey but I noticed Audeze has an interest free pay monthly option available on their website so that's also a possibility. In my opinion they deliver exactly what they say they do and the quality is clearly there. I can't imagine many MM-500 buyers regretting their purchase, and they should sell very well. Highly recommended!"
We stopped by at the Audeze stand at NAMM 2022, where we spoke to legendary mix engineer Manny Marroquin about their new signature product, the MM-500 headphones.
"If your budget allows, I strongly encourage you to audition the Audeze LCD-2 CB’s. These wonderful headphones manage to combine traits from the best of both worlds (closed-back and open-back headphones) into one package, with no obvious compromise cost. These headphones are well-made, attractive, and supremely comfortable. They are equally at home in a recording studio, or as part of a home entertainment system, or as your go-to personal practice rig."
"I found the LCD-X headphones to be the perfect “final arbiter.” They were useful well after I had finished a mix to my satisfaction on monitor speakers, or when I would later hear the mastered version. I would take a day off, then come back and play it on the LCD-X headphones. If there was something bothering me in the mix or mastering, then I investigated. But usually it was good and the LCD-X headphones were all I ever needed"
"The LCD-1 headphones have been meticulously engineered and feature some of Audeze’s most powerful planar magnetic technology. The 90mm Over-Ear Planar Drivers in the LCD-1 headphones deliver frequency extension from 10Hz up to 50kHz with flawless precision and clarity, helping to deliver the rich, clear sound expected from Audeze headphones."
"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."
"The LCD-1’s are a pair of open-back headphones, aimed at studio users, musicians, and audiophiles alike. They include an open circumaural design, which is meant to provide an enhanced transparency and sound stage. Each can includes a 90mm over-ear Planar driver, with something Audeze are calling Ultra-thin Uniforce Diaphragms and Fluxor Magnets.'
"There’s nothing better than a pair of open-backed headphones—so long as you aren’t worried about noise isolation or noise bleed. The Audeze LCD-1 are some of the most reasonably priced open-backed headphones available today, and provide a crisp and clean sound that’s comparable to freestanding speakers"
We sit down with Chris Berens, Audeze's head of customer support and artist relations, as he takes us through the LCD Reference line of headphones. The LCD Reference line features our most neutral drivers, so you can edit, mix, record and produce in confidence anywhere in the world, from studios to bedrooms to volcanoes...
"So headphones like the$400 Audeze LCD-1reference monitors really hit the right emotional notes for me. I know that open-backs have some downsides, but I can’t help but gravitate toward them: I adore the sound signature they generally provide."
