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Audeze, makes of fine audio equipment, has been dabbling and toe-dipping into gaming with great success. I reviewed their Audeze Maxwell Wireless Gaming Headset last year and fell in love with it. It wasn’t cheap at $320 though for the Xbox version, and the LCD-GX wired audiophile-grade headset comes in at a whopping $900. Somehow, against all odds, I think it’s worth that asking price.
Specs
| Style | Over-ear, open-back |
| Transducer type | Planar Magnetic |
| Magnetic structure | Single Fluxor™ magnet array |
| Phase management | Non-Fazor |
| Magnet type | Neodymium N50 |
| Diaphragm type | Ultra-thin Uniforce™ |
| Transducer size | 106 mm |
| Maximum power handling | 5W RMS |
| Maximum SPL | >130dB |
| Frequency response | 10Hz – 50kHz |
| THD | <0.1% @ 100dB |
| Impedance | 20 ohms |
| Sensitivity | 100 dB/1mW (at Drum Reference Point) |
| Minimum power requirement | >100mW |
| Recommended power level | >250mW |
| Weight | 454g |
The Experience
The first thing that hit me was how big the packaging I received from Audeze’s PR department was. The LCD-GX came in a metal & plastic lock box, complete with keys to protect your precious cargo. The headset feels premium, not because of a heft like the Maxwell, but because of the quality of the ultra-light materials. This is a large, open-backed set of headphones with a massive 106 mm Transducer. My set came with a cable set that includes a built-in microphone for gaming. The cable is long and over $100 to replace if you lose or damage it. I immediately swapped over to the microphone-less cable via the detachable clips that come off of each earphone.
Over the years we’ve owned dozens of headphones. Astro, Turtle Beach, Nacon, Razer, Microsoft, PlayStation, Sennheiser, and more. None of them have come close to feeling as comfortable on my enormous head as the LCD-GX has. Even the Maxwell’s made my ears feel hot and my head pinched after extended use. I work too much, and that work means gaming all day, and after extended 6+ hour sessions I am yet to feel the slightest discomfort from the LCD-GX’s. I have mainly used them while gaming and video editing on my PC. If you’ve watched the Xbox Era Podcast in 2024 then there’s a good chance you’ve seen them on my head. They only come off after the worst of Nick’s takes, where not even brilliant craftsmanship can save me from a headache.
The Sound & Mic
I’ve been lucky enough in my life to grow up around musicians and audiophiles. I’ve gotten to use expensive audio engineer headphones and even without a powered DAC (Digital-to-Analog-Converter) my old ears have never heard a sound stage this clear. Going through hundreds of hours of gaming, listening to music, and watching movies I cannot overstate how incredible these headphones sound. I know $900 is an outrageous price but it’s ended up being how I feel about the $1700 Haworth Halo Infinite Fern Chair I reviewed. If you ever have a chance to get a true luxury item it can be worth it. If you game a ton or are someone who needs to use headphones often for any reason, this headset is going to be one of the best “bang for your ridiculous amount of bucks” choices available.
On Windows 11 I tried things out raw, with no spatial audio, Windows Sonic, DTS:X, and Dolby Atmos. Zero spatial audio sounded clear but lacked the punchy bass I prefer. Windows Sonic sounded weirdly flat for music though it worked well in giving me spatial awareness in games. DTS:X sounded incredible in most games but again fell flat for music. Dolby Atmos gave the most consistent performance across games and music, though it has required me to swap profiles in the Dolby App (when I remember). Games built specifically for Dolby Atmos like Halo Infinite sound otherworldly, especially in PVP where footsteps and knowing where people are coming from is king.
The only negative is the poor quality of the in-line microphone. It doesn’t sound terrible but for the price of the headset, I was hoping for something that sounded at least good, instead of passable. According to my co-workers with whom I tested things, the mic quality was a 5 compared to my Yeti Classic which was a 10. They were quick to get used to it, and I prefer having the option to swap cables and not have a mic instead of having a hole in the headset itself that you connect a boom arm into.
The headset itself comes with the full-sized 6.35 mm 1/4 plug so you will need an adapter to the 1/8 3.5mm size to use this headset with most consumer electronics.
Wrapping Things Up
Audeze has done it again. The Maxwell was my favorite wireless headset and the LCD-GX blows it out of the water and is the king of the wired. The $899 MSRP is a big ask, but somehow Palpatine retur…. they made a headset that’s worth the cost. This item can be purchased via Amazon here.
That was a fun review to read!
I’ll never buy a headset at that price though.