Audeze LCD-X | Planar Magnetic Headphones Creator Package (Leather-Free)

The headphones are sensitive enough to be driven by portable music players such as iPods, iPhones, and other smartphones. Instead of utilizing traditional dynamic cone drivers, the headphones implement a neodymium planar magnetic transducer design to deliver a frequency response of 10 to 50 kHz with a THD of less than 1%, an impedance of 20 ohms, an efficiency of 103 dB per 1 mW, and a total output SPL of over 130 dB when driven by 5 watts. The headphone earcups are made of anodized aluminum with black, open-cell foam covered egg-based protein leather-free earpads. The Audeze LCD-X are handmade in the USA.

Planar Magnetic Technology
Planar magnetic technology differs from traditional dynamic cone designs by suspending a thin lightweight diaphragm within a parallel plane comprised of an array of magnets. The diaphragm is much lighter when compared to a traditional dynamic cone and has a printed circuit spread across a thin film substrate on the surface of the diaphragm as opposed to a cone attached to a voice coil. When the audio signal from the amplifier reaches the circuit, it magnetizes the diaphragm within the field and produces sound.

Performance
The benefits of a planar magnetic design include faster transient response due to the lighter diaphragm, a wide frequency with low distortion, better heat dissipation, fewer moving parts for greater durability without the kind of sonic degradation for which cones are susceptible, and better amplifier compatibility because the circuit functions as an almost entirely restive load.

Neodymium Magnets
The magnetic structure creates a uniform magnetic field across the diaphragm without the need for additional ferromagnetic material traditionally found in other planar headphones to remove magnetic interference, reduce harmonic distortion, and lower overall weight. The headphones also feature Audeze's patent-pending Fazor elements that guide and manage the flow of sound through the earcups for a more enveloping sound stage and improved frequency extension.