The Audeze LCD-S20 are closed-back planar magnetic-equipped headphones meant to lend your mixes an extra boost to the low-end content's playback, thanks to their trademarked Symmetric Linear Acoustic Modulator, AKA 'SLAM' design inherited from the unobtainium-priced Audeze CRBN headphones. Landing at a more approachable price (relatively speaking), the LCD-S20 promise comfort and low distortion without costing a few months of rent.
Our Verdict
The Audeze LCD-S20 are inadequate for sports and fitness use. They're large and heavy planar magnetic headphones, so they're not at all meant for workouts. More evidence of this is that they're wired with a long cable that can snag on gym equipment or trip you, and they're not very stable, so they can fall off with dynamic movements. On the positive side, the gel-filled earpads are cooling, even if the leather covering isn't particularly well-suited to handling sweat.
Comfortable and gel-filled earpads.
Bulky and heavy.
No microphone or in-line controls.
The Audeze LCD-S20 are mediocre for travel. Since these are wired-only headphones, you can plug them into any device with a headphone jack and not concern yourself with battery life. However, the cable is cumbersome and long, and you likely need the mini jack adapter. They're also bulky and large headphones with passive isolation-only, so you'll hear all the low rumbles of a bus engine. That said, they feel comfortable to wear for long sessions, thanks to the thick gel-filled pads, and their warm sound profile with a flat mid-range won't tire your ears during a long flight either.
Comfortable and gel-filled earpads.
Very well built.
Excellent L/R matching.
Bulky and heavy.
Passive isolation only.
No microphone or in-line controls.
The Audeze LCD-S20 are poor for office work. While they feel comfortable and their amply cushioned earpads provide a degree of isolation from your workplace, in the absence of active noise cancellation, you'll still hear clacking keystrokes and HVAC systems. These are wired-only without a microphone, so you'll need a separate mic for online meetings. Their frequency response lacks brightness, but the mids and bass are balanced.
Comfortable and gel-filled earpads.
Very well built.
Bulky and heavy.
Passive isolation only.
No microphone or in-line controls.
The Audeze LCD-S20 are wired-only headphones and can't be used wirelessly.
The Audeze LCD-S20 are alright for wired gaming. If you don't need a microphone, they're very well-built and comfortable to wear for long gaming sessions because of the gel-filled pads. Their sound profile is warm with a balanced mid-range and a smooth bass, but the treble is rather dark, which can make voice articulation less clear, especially when teammates have all sorts of mic recording quality. With consoles, the adapter and cable might be a little distracting, but otherwise, these are straightforward and well-matched drivers.
Comfortable and gel-filled earpads.
Very well built.
Excellent L/R matching.
Passive isolation only.
No microphone or in-line controls.
The Audeze LCD-S20 are very good for audio reproduction accuracy. They have a smooth, warm frequency response, which matches our preference curve in the bass and mids, but rolls off in the treble. This can give the impression of a bassy tuning, though some may find the top-end lacks detail or clarity. These cans' planar magnetic drivers have excellent stereo matching, and low, inaudible levels of harmonic distortion. The closed-backed over-ear design interacts with your outer ear, but doesn't mimic the effect of an angled reference monitor, which isn't unusual for this type of headphone.
The Audeze LCD-S20 are middling for noise isolation. These headphones only block the environmental surroundings passively. As a result, they isolate you from the high-pitched and shrill noises best, and slightly muffle high-mids like speech, but these aren't a substitute for active noise cancelling headphones.
The Audeze LCD-S20 don't have a built-in microphone.
The Audeze LCD-S20 are disappointing when it comes to frequency response consistency. People with long hair or glasses experience a considerably weaker bass response than folks with small, average, and large-sized heads. That said, the consistency is good between wears on the same person, delivering a reliable sound.
Performance Usages
Changelog
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Updated Mar 12, 2026:
This review has been updated to Test Bench 2.1, which removes the Group Delay test and rebalances scoring for the Harmonic Distortion test and Audio Reproduction Accuracy performance usage. For more details, consult our full changelog.
- Updated Mar 12, 2026: This review has been updated to Test Bench 2.1, which removes the Group Delay test, and rebalances scoring for the Harmonic Distortion test and Audio Reproduction Accuracy performance usage. For more details, consult our full changelog.
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Updated Feb 05, 2026:
We've updated the Frequency Response Consistency box to mention the Fostex TH900mk2 Limited Edition.
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Updated Jan 28, 2026:
The Comfort section was updated to compare the Focal Azurys.
Check Price
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Audeze LCD-S20 only come in 'Grey' and you can see our unit's certificate of authenticity. If you encounter additional colorways, please let us know in the comments, and we'll update the review.
Popular Headphones Comparisons
The Audeze LCD-S20 use planar magnetic drivers, which the brand is known for, but unlike most of their models, such as the Audeze MM-100, these are closed-backed, so they won't leak your audio, and they isolate you more from your environment. The LCD-S20 share this passive isolating attribute with the gaming-oriented Audeze Maxwell, but each have completely different frequency responses. While they look similar, apart from the fabric on the LCD-S20's ear caps, the Maxwell include a microphone and have the option of wireless or wired connections. Although marketed as a bassier alternative, and relative to other Audeze cans we've tested, that's true, the LCD-S20 aren't quite as rumbly as other closed-backs like the FIIO FT1. That's not necessarily a negative; to be clear, it's a matter of personal preference. Still, the LCD-S20 have a more consistent over-ear fit than the FIIO, leading to a more predictable sound. Plus, the LCD-S20 boast a better build, free of user complaints regarding the hinges, as has previously been the case for the FIIO.
For more ideas, check out the best closed-back headphones, the best audiophile headphones, and the best headphones for music.
The Audeze Maxwell is a more versatile gaming headset than the Audeze LCD-S20, but which you'll prefer depends on how you want to use either pair. The Maxwell cans deliver wireless or wired audio, a boom mic, and controls, while the LCD-S20 are purely analog, wired headphones without those extra bells and whistles. Both are planar magnetic-equipped, but the main differences in these similar-looking headphones come down to tuning. The LCD-S20 boast a warmer sound profile with better L/R matching, but the Maxwell's frequency response consistency far outdoes the LCD-S20. For most people, it depends on how you plan to use your headphones.
The Audeze MM-100 are high-end open-backs, while the Audeze LCD-S20 aren't cheap, but they're not as expensive, closed-backs. The MM-100 offer a flatter sound profile that subtly rolls off the lows like traditional professional studio headphones, but also under-emphasizes the highs. They're much more consistent between wears. On the other hand, the LCD-S20 have a bit more bass in their frequency response while still having a warm treble. Both are very well-built headphones, and it truly depends on what you need them for: the LCD-S20 have the added versatility of closed-backs blocking noise and not leaking much either, but the MM-100's open-back design interacts with your ears more similarly to an angled reference speaker for monitoring.
The Audeze LCD-S20 and the Dan Clark Audio AEON 2 Noire are both closed-back, audiophile headphones equipped with planar magnetic drivers. Perhaps the biggest difference between them is in their frequency response. The Dan Clark have an excited sound that boosts the treble and bass ranges, while the Audeze rolls off a bit of low-end and quite a lot of treble, for a darker sound. Both headphones suffer from poor frequency response consistency, meaning they're highly sensitive to placement and anatomy, but the Audeze have better-matched drivers, and their response has fewer fluctuations from their sound profile. They're also more comfortable. The Dan Clark come with a nicer case, though, as well as tuning pads you can use to subtly alter the sound.
When choosing between the Sennheiser HD 490 PRO and Audeze LCD-S20, the central question is whether you need noise isolation, given that the Sennheiser are open-backs and provide none. Outside of that criteria, the Sennheiser sound more balanced with a brighter top-end, and a bit less low-end rumble. They're more consistent sounding between wears and a bit smoother sounding, and weigh less. That said, the Audeze's darker and warmer sound profile with passive isolation are appealing for a different tuning that's still smooth. The L/R are well-matched, and they feel comfortable to wear. That said, they lack an extra set of earpads and a case you get with the Sennheiser.
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Test Results
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