The Audeze LCD-2 Classic is 70Ω at 101.0 dB/mW; the Audeze LCD-5s is 35Ω at 90.0 dB/mW. This page covers what they ask of an amplifier, not how they sound.
The LCD-5s needs 11.0 dB more than the LCD-2 Classic to reach the same loudness — 10 mW against 0.79 mW.
| Specification | LCD-2 Classic | LCD-5s |
|---|---|---|
| Impedance | 70 Ω | 35 Ω |
| Sensitivity | 101.0 dB/mW | 90.0 dB/mW |
| Sensitivity (voltage) | 112.5 dB/V | 104.6 dB/V |
| Power for 100 dB | 0.79 mW | 10 mW |
| Voltage for 100 dB | 0.24 V | 0.59 V |
| Current for 100 dB | 3.4 mA | 16.9 mA |
| Highest source impedance that leaves them alone (one-eighth rule) | 8.75 Ω | 4.38 Ω |
| Sources that reach 100 dB out of 280 | 280 | 280 |
Every source in the database that drives one of them drives the other. On power, the choice between these two changes nothing about what amplifier you need.
1 source is low enough in output impedance for the LCD-2 Classic under the one-eighth rule but not for the LCD-5s (Shanling H5).
1 source stays below the audible-hiss threshold with the LCD-5s but crosses it with the LCD-2 Classic (Schiit Mjolnir 3).
280 of the 280 sources here reach 100 dB on both.
The LCD-5s is more demanding than 90% of the 567 non-electrostatic models in this database; the LCD-2 Classic than 64%.
| dB SPL | LCD-2 Classic power | LCD-2 Classic voltage | LCD-5s power | LCD-5s voltage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80 | 7.9 µW | 24 mV | 0.10 mW | 59 mV |
| 85 | 0.03 mW | 42 mV | 0.32 mW | 0.11 V |
| 90 | 0.08 mW | 75 mV | 1.0 mW | 0.19 V |
| 95 | 0.25 mW | 0.13 V | 3.2 mW | 0.33 V |
| 100 | 0.79 mW | 0.24 V | 10 mW | 0.59 V |
| 105 | 2.5 mW | 0.42 V | 32 mW | 1.05 V |
| Source | Price | Headroom, LCD-2 Classic | Headroom, LCD-5s | Output impedance | Noise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JadeAudio JA11 | $20 | 12.4 dB | 4.4 dB | 0.5 Ω | 1.7 µV |
| FiiO KA11 | $29 | 20.6 dB | 12.6 dB | 0.7 Ω | 1.7 µV |
| FiiO BTR11 | $36 | 12.3 dB | 4.4 dB | 0.5 Ω | 8.0 µV |
Of the 280 sources here, 280 reach 100 dB on both. 69 of them also publish an output impedance low enough for both under the one-eighth rule and a noise figure that stays below the audible-hiss threshold with both.
The cheapest of the 69 is the JadeAudio JA11, at $20. It leaves 12.4 dB of headroom on the LCD-2 Classic and 4.4 dB on the LCD-5s, its output impedance is 0.5 Ω against a one-eighth limit of 8.75 Ω and 4.38 Ω, and its noise figure puts the hiss floor 23 dB and 31 dB below the 20 dB SPL this site treats as the point where a quiet room stops hiding it.
| Model | As printed | Tolerance | Standard |
|---|---|---|---|
| LCD-2 Classic | 10Hz - 50kHz | not printed | not printed |
| LCD-5s | 5Hz - 50kHz | not printed | not printed |
Audeze prints 10Hz - 50kHz for the LCD-2 Classic and 5Hz - 50kHz for the LCD-5s.
Neither range has a tolerance printed beside it, so a wider range on one sheet is not deeper bass or more treble.
Not a measurement; maker by maker.
Both have a page of their own. In full: Audeze LCD-2 Classic and Audeze LCD-5s. Every figure on this page comes from what Audeze published, or is derived from it — what that maker publishes, counted.