Audeze LCD 2 Headphones - Paduak - Leather Free - Includes Case and Adaptor

Audeze LCD-2 Headphones - Padauk - Leather-Free - Includes Case and Adaptor

What It Does in Your System

The Headphone That Started All of This

When Audeze released the LCD-2 in 2009, planar magnetic headphones went from a curiosity to the thing serious listeners wanted. It's the model that established the clear, spacious, physically present sound the company became known for, and it's been refined steadily ever since rather than replaced.

This version pairs hand-finished Padauk wood rings — a warm, deep red hardwood — with leather-free earpads, and it's still built in Audeze's Southern California workshop.

A Planar Diaphragm That Moves as One Piece

A conventional headphone driver is a small cone pushed from a single point at its center, which makes it prone to flexing and breaking up. Audeze's planar magnetic diaphragm is a near-weightless film driven evenly across its entire surface by a dual-sided staggered magnet array — and it's roughly four times the area of a typical dynamic driver.

The practical result is speed and low distortion. Bass has genuine physical weight and stops cleanly instead of blurring, and complex passages stay sorted out rather than congealing when the music gets busy.

Warm, Forgiving, and Easy to Listen to for Hours

Audeze's patented Fazor waveguides manage how sound leaves the driver on its way to your ear, reducing distortion and tightening imaging. The LCD-2's tuning leans warm and rich — a lifelike midrange, deep and powerful low end, and treble that's smooth rather than etched.

That voicing makes the LCD-2 the most forgiving headphone in the LCD line. Imperfect recordings still sound musical rather than exposed, which matters if your library isn't all audiophile pressings. The ventilated suspension headband and updated earpads mean you can stay in a listening session rather than take breaks from it.

Is This Right for You?

A few things to think through before ordering:

• You'll want a proper headphone amp. At 70 ohms and 101dB/mW, the LCD-2 isn't punishing to drive, but it won't give its best from a phone or laptop jack. A dedicated headphone amp or a DAC/amp with real output is where these come alive — tell us what you have and we'll advise honestly.
• This is an open-back design. Sound goes out as freely as it comes in. That's what produces the spaciousness, but it means these aren't for an open office, a shared room, or anywhere you need isolation.
• Leather-free earpads are the version here. Audeze offers both, and the leather-free pads are the choice if you'd rather avoid animal products. If you specifically want leather, that's a separate configuration — just ask.

Setup & Installation

The cable attaches with mini-XLR connectors at the base of each earcup — line up the pins and push until the connector latches. Adjust fit using the yoke rods on each side, then let the suspension headband distribute the weight across the top of your head rather than clamping it.

Connect to your headphone amplifier's output using the supplied cable, with the included adaptor if your amp uses a different jack size. Everything you need to start listening is in the box, and the travel case is worth using — the wood rings are hand-finished and the pads compress over time if the headphones live under something.

Features & Specifications

Planar Magnetic Drivers
A near-weightless diaphragm roughly four times the size of a typical dynamic driver, driven evenly across its full surface for speed and low distortion.

Dual-Sided Staggered Magnet Array
Magnets on both sides of the diaphragm in a staggered arrangement give the sound room to breathe and improve imaging.

Fazor Waveguides
Audeze's patented waveguides manage sound leaving the driver, reducing distortion and sharpening sonic imaging.

Hand-Finished Padauk Wood Rings
Deep red hardwood rings, hand-crafted in Audeze's Southern California workshop, maintaining the look of the original LCD-2.

Specifications

• Type: Open-back, over-ear planar magnetic headphones
• Impedance: 70 ohms
• Sensitivity: 101 dB/mW
• Driver: Planar magnetic with dual-sided staggered magnet array and Fazor waveguides
• Earcup rings: Hand-finished Padauk wood
• Earpads: Leather-free
• Headband: Ventilated suspension design
• Cable connection: Dual mini-XLR at the earcups
• Assembly: Made in Audeze's Southern California workshop
• Included: Headphones, travel case, cable, and adaptor

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a headphone amplifier?
You'll want one. At 70 ohms and 101dB/mW the LCD-2 will make sound from most sources, but it needs real drive to deliver the bass authority and dynamics it's capable of. A dedicated headphone amp or a capable DAC/amp is the right partner — call us and we'll match one to your setup and budget.

How do the leather-free pads compare to leather?
They're the same shape and fit, offered so you can choose based on preference rather than compromise. Some listeners find the two pad materials sound very slightly different from one another, but both are current Audeze production and both are designed around the same headphone.

Will people around me hear my music?
Yes — that's the nature of an open-back design. The open earcup is what creates the LCD-2's sense of space and air, but it means sound escapes freely in both directions. For a quiet room at home they're superb; for a shared space or commuting, look at a closed-back design instead.

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