Which Audeze is right for me?

With many headphone manufacturers, there are significant price jumps between models and only one or two "contenders" for open or closed models in each price category, but Audeze has a bit more - so here's a breakdown of what Audeze is trying to accomplish with each model.

Audeze itself divides its headphones into the following categories:

Flagship Series

These include the LCD-5, CRBN and LCD-4Z.

Reference Series

These include the LCD-MX4, LCD-X and LCD-XC.

MM-Series

These include the MM-100 and MM-500.

Origins Series

These include the LCD-2, LCD-2 Classic, LCD-2 Closed-back and LCD-3.

Gaming Series

These include the wireless Maxwell and the wired LCD-GX.

So how do these series differ from each other?

The Reference series is also marketed for music producers and musicians, as it offers a relatively neutral sound image without exaggeration, but also without the classic hi-fi sparkle.

The MM series is a kind of further development of this, as it has an emphasis in the mid-range instead of the bass or treble as is so often the case. Musically, the mid-range is where most of the action is, so it makes the producer's job easier if it is emphasized. It has nothing in common with classic hi-fi tuning.

The Flagship series offers a colorful mix at a high level:

• - LCD-5 is very emphasized in the upper mids, has a lot of energy from 3-6kHz.
• - LCD-4Z has an appendage in its name because it is a reissue of the LCD-4 - the sound of the LCD-4, paired with the new housing design, which makes the headphones 1/3 lighter and much more comfortable, as well as much easier to drive thanks to much higher efficiency. It has a slight cut between 3kHz-4.5kHz, making it more relaxed than the LCD-5.
• - The CRBN sits right in the middle of the two and has a very balanced frequency response, which is perceived as neutral and without any particular emphasis.

The Origins Series are the endurance runners among the Audeze headphones, they are very gentle in the treble range, so that you can listen to them for a long time without getting fatigued - but a little darker than neutral, so that some people might miss the brilliance in the treble.