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Welcome to the Audeze UK Support Center. Whether you have a question, need a helping hand with your setup, or require technical assistance, you're in the right place. Our goal is the same as yours: to ensure you experience the purest, most accurate sound possible.
Frequently Asked Questions
The most common questions and answers we get about our headphones.
Which LCD headphone is right for me?
Which headphone is "best" is always subjective, and depends on a listener's tastes and intended use case. Here's some info that may help you decide which headphone is best for you:
The LCD-2 delivers audiophile quality, low-distortion sound that articulates the power and nuance of your favorite music. Continuous evolution and the addition of Fazor Technology has enhanced its transparency and overall performance. 70 ohms impedance.
The LCD-2 Classic comes with a new suspension headband, special glass-infused nylon rings, and features the wonderful, warm and laid-back sound signature of the original 70 ohm LCD-2 pre-Fazor drivers. A little more spacious sounding than the LCD-2 but with less specific imaging.
For the LCD2 Closed-Back, we’ve taken the very popular LCD-2 Classic and developed a special sealed earcup for increased isolation. Still has the slightly warm tonality of the LCD-2 Classic, but has a stronger bass presentation due to the closed back. This is very similar to the sonic differences between the LCD-X and XC. 70 ohms impedance.
Many say the LCD-X is the most neutral of the LCD Collection; they’re used by sound engineers and musicians to create the most accurate recordings. They do a great job of translating your mix to the real world. The X and the closed-back XC are sensitive enough to be driven directly by portable players like iPods, iPhones, and some of the better smartphones, but you’ll enjoy better sound with an external amplifier. Its impedance is 20 ohms.
Sharing the same transducer design as the LCD-X, the closed-back LCD-XC offers all the benefits of a planar magnetic design with increased isolation and greatly reduced ambient noise for a private and powerful listening experience. The XC remains far and away the best-sounding closed back headphone available, a truly immersive listening experience. Its impedance is 20 ohms.
The LCD-3 is a high-resolution headphone that always sounds musical and spacious, with powerful bass, an engaging midrange, and an extended top end. Its rich, vibrant sound has real scale and authority. It features a deep soundstage and reveals music in a very ambient way with exciting transparency and detail. You’ll find yourself emotionally connected to the artist and music. Pair it with a high-quality headphone or integrated amplifier for best results. Its impedance is 110 ohms.
The LCD-MX4 a perfect combination of the LCD-X and LCD-4 - it has the easy-to-drive diaphragm and voice coil of the LCD-X combined with the 1.5 Tesla magnetic force of the LCD-4. It has a different soundstage than the LCD-X or LCD-4 to help simulate a room’s ambience, and the sensitivity to be easily driven by any high quality headphone amp, mixing console or audio interface. Impedance is 20 ohms.
The LCD-4z is the easy-to-drive version of our previous flagship, the LCD-4. Features a 15 ohm voice coil, so it’s very easy to drive. Incredibly powerful bass, a rich midrange and an extended top end makes music come alive. Comes standard with magnesium rings and gold hardware, and is significantly lighter than the LCD-4. If you loved the sound of the LCD-4, but didn‘t have the amp to drive them, you can now get the LCD-4z and your problems are solved.
The LCD-5 is our current flagship planar magnetic headphone for good reason. It has an immense sound stage, shockingly accurate bass (which is flat to 5Hz!), with an engaging and powerful midrange that encapsulates voice and vocals like none other. It features a totally redesigned LCD chassis and driver construction for the maximum in comfort and sound quality with minimum fatigue, weighing a full 1/3rd less than the LCD-4. Our brand new Parallel Uniforce voice coil, laser etched on our nano-scale diaphragms, coupled with our Fluxor Magnet array offers immense driver control with almost zero distortion. Low impedance (14 ohms), but also lower sensitivity, so you'll want to pair them with a high quality amplifier to experience the thunder.
Crinkling/clicking/static sound when I press on the earcup
Since air is trapped between your head and the diaphragm it creates a pressure zone (even with open-back headphone designs), and as the headphones shift with movement you may hear a slight crinkling sound from the diaphragm. This is a normal occurrence with many headphone driver designs and is nothing to be concerned about - it's the sound of the diaphragm moving back and forth with the changes in air pressure. This noise is usually at a low level and should not be heard above your audio while in use.
Sometimes as the driver is worn in with age or heavy use, the sound can become more apparent, and sometimes it may also lessen again. This is mostly influenced by factors in your environment (such as temperature and humidity), and we don't have control over whether or not this occurs.
We recommend exercising certain cautions when handling your headphones: trapped air can create high pressure and sudden pressure changes could damage the diaphragms by over-stressing them, which is not covered by warranty. When you put the headphones on or take them off, it's not a good idea to press them hard and fast against the head, so we recommend reasonably slow and steady movement to allow the air pressure to stabilize. Caution should also be taken when putting the headphones on a flat surface like a desk or table with the earpads facing down.
If you need further help, please contact us and we’ll do our best to assist.
Maxwell FAQs
For answers to frequently asked questions, please see the FAQ section at the bottom of the Maxwell product page.
How to tell if your headphones have Fazors
Any LCD-2s with serial number starting with 54 or higher should have Fazors. Any starting with 53 (and a few starting with 56 from the early days) will be a pre-Fazor model unless the drivers were serviced after the beginning of Fazor production, which began in January 2014.
Any LCD-3s with serial number starting with 27 or higher should have Fazors. Any starting with 26 will be a pre-Fazor model unless the drivers were serviced after the beginning of Fazor production, which began in January 2014.
To the best of our knowledge, all LCD-Xs and LCD-XCs should have Fazors installed, since those headphones were launched at the beginning of Fazor production in January 2014.
The best way to check for sure is to feel for the Fazors inside the earcup: if you feel a flat metal stator plate with openings in it under the mesh, your headphones have no Fazors; if you feel the tips of triangles, those are the Fazors themselves.
What about driver failures? There are reports on forums...
We understand and appreciate your concerns. We’ve found this is predominantly a perception issue, as reports on forums are typically from the relatively few who have had earlier problems, while those who haven't had problems remain mostly silent since they're happily listening or doing other things. To clarify, there are hundreds of thousands of our headphones on the market that have not failed, but the relatively few that have had problems have created an inflated perception that is not entirely accurate.
We've always worked very hard to improve every aspect of our headphones, and we listen to feedback from our customers. The improvements we've implemented are definitely working: our recent production is even more reliable than that of a few years ago, and we continue to invest in ways of further increasing reliability.
To be extra clear: the actual number of headphones with defects is a very, very low percentage of what we're producing.
More importantly, we continue to dedicate a large percentage of our resources to providing unparalleled customer support, including one of the longest driver warranty periods in the headphone business. If you should have a problem with one of our products, we will be here to help you in the best way possible.
If you have further questions, please contact us.
What can I do to keep my headphones sounding great for years to come?
Audeze headphones are engineered with both excellent sound and build quality, and with an eye on longevity so you can keep listening for years without issues. Planar magnetic headphones are unique in that they almost never show signs of wear and tear in the frequency response or sound reproduction, and if something goes wrong it's usually all or nothing - either they work or do not - with very little in between.
That being said, all headphones can be subject to damage over time and with heavy use, and sometimes the drivers may fail. Here's a list of the most common causes of premature driver failures, so you can avoid these pitfalls and keep your headphones in tip-top shape.
1. Excessive pressure changes: Pressing your headphones hard and fast against your head or another flat surface is highly discouraged. When you put the headphones on your head or against a flat surface, some air is trapped between the driver and your ear. Pressing the earcups down without a way for the air to escape can cause the air to reach high pressures, potentially damaging the diaphragms and cause premature failure. The best way to create a good seal on the earpads is to keep them and your head clean and free from debris, and to put them on slowly and let the pressure equalize naturally.
2. Environmental factors that can affect the performance and longevity of our headphones in general, and specifically the drivers, include (but aren't limited to) the following:
- leather care and conditioning products
- hygiene and beauty products such as lotions, shampoos, soaps, hair care products, etc
- individual body emissions and chemistry such as perspiration, hair and skin oils, etc
- environmental conditions such as temperature/humidity, smoke, pollution, pollen, household cleaners/deodorizers, etc
At this point, we don't have a reliable way to insulate the aluminum traces from corrosion or oxidization. We recommend regular wipe-downs of the exterior parts with a clean, soft, lint-free towel to remove any buildup, and careful storage in a clean, dry environment. Storing them in their original travel case along with some desiccant packs is the most reliable way to keep your headphones free from moisture that may cause oxidation.
3. Playback volume: Excessive power levels can damage the diaphragms, since the traces heat up over time at high levels and can actually melt as a result. Be sure to stay within the rated power levels to minimize the risk of damage, which is not covered under warranty.
4. Punctures or drops. This one is fairly self explanatory. Avoid dropping your headphones and keep sharp or pointy objects out of the earcups.
If you ever have any issues with your headphones and require repairs or other troubleshooting, please don't hesitate to contact us.
MM-500 FAQs
For answers to frequently asked questions, please see the FAQ section at the bottom of the MM-500 product page.
For any other questions you might have, please contact our support team