"Audeze is a California-based high-end headphone and audio manufacturer whose products for years have been at the top of the list for both audio professionals and musicians. The company attributes its unique selling point to combining the most high-tech materials available with its own “precision craftmanship.” Indeed, it was when the Audeze founders stumbled upon an ex-NASA scientist in 2008 – who had himself developed an ultra-thin membrane which became the basis for planar magnetic diaphragms – that Audeze established itself as a leading purveyor of high-quality and reference headphones. Consequently, the team rejected the use of conical drivers in favor of this new and strong material, originally developed for space applications."
"The LCD-1 arrives in an exquisitely finished black cardboard presentation case within which sits an oval-shaped nylon cocoon, itself housing the folded profile phones and tangle-free 3.5mm cable. A ¼-inch adaptor, furthermore, is a welcome accessory. At just 250 grams, the headphones feel light but strong and well-built, while lamb-skin memory foam ear pads form extremely comfortable over-ear cups designed for extended listening periods. Audeze insists that the 90mm planar drivers are responsible for an “incredibly wide” dynamic range, and the frequency response is rated from a growling low-end 10Hz all the way up to 20KHz."
"The LCD-1 cannot be faulted for its detailed performance. On the Kate Bush CD Aerial, you can detect even the slight frailty of the singer’s voice on the sustained notes of “King of the Mountain”, while expansive strings and a perfectly timed plodding bass line underscore the arrangement. On the acoustical track “Bertie”, the cello echoes around the recording studio while waltzing gently in an out of the 6/4-time chorus."
"If you do a lot of your critical listening on headphones, Audeze’s LCD-1 should definitely be on your audition list. These masterfully-crafted cans quickly supplanted any number of my own Marshalls, Panasonics and Skullcandys dotted around the listening room. Extricating yourself from your home theater and becoming immersed in a world of two-channel audio is a good practice now and then, and if you want to get closer to both the reference and the source, then I would have no hesitation in recommending the LCD-1."
