I’ve wanted a set of LCD-X for a number of years now and finally saved up enough to get my hands on a pair.
They’re my first serious headphone so I don’t really have a point of reference to other offerings on the market, but they’re just as enjoyable to listen to as my Neumann KH120 which is saying something.
They feel beautiful in the hands, and despite my concerns over weight, they’re incredibly comfortable to wear. The distribution of the weight works wonders.
I’ve paired them up with a SubPac for tactile bass, and it’s mind-blowing how enveloping the sound is when they’re both dialled in.
I still have mixed feelings on the Oratory preset, but the more I listen, the more my ears adjust.
There are few direct upgrades after the lcd-x. From my experience, there's the he1000se, lcd-5 or susvara. Everything else is more of a side grade but for me, I've just found a great pair to complement my lcd-x, the heddphones v1. They have super fast treble extended, even more detail than the lcd x but only average subbass extension. The lcd-x on the other hand are still very detailed, but have huge slamming sub bass for the wub wubs.